Sometimes, the best medicine for stress is to dance in the rain to some positive live music. Lately, I’ve been dealing with some difficult transitions in my life, so that’s exactly what I did Sunday night, August 30th at Jannus Live in St. Pete. I’m so thankful for bands like Tribal Seeds, The Expanders, and Arise Roots for spreading the kind of cleansing vibrations I need in times like these. Even though I was completely drenched by an intense rainstorm that rolled through for much of the show, being surrounded with a cheerful crowd and such pristine, upbeat music made me feel more alive than I’ve felt in awhile now. I was more than happy to soak it all in, breathe deeply, and smile; this was a great reminder for me to count all my blessings.
Arise Roots started the night out strong with their feel-good brand of roots reggae. Oftentimes, movin’ a crowd before the alcohol gets everyone’s buzz going can be a challenge, but Arise Roots was quick to capture everyone with their aura of confidence and natural, energetic movement. Their vocalist, Karim Israel, is one of the more charismatic and entertaining frontmen I’ve seen of the reggae genre. Admittedly, I had never heard of these guys before, but I can tell they have a bright future ahead of them with all their infectious grooves and lively stage presence. I really loved this particular jam featuring E.N. Young of Tribal Seeds on the melodica and backing vocals.
The Expanders were a great surprise as well. I’m a huge fan of bands that employ skillful vocal harmonies in their music, and the Expanders are one of those bands that happen to do it very distinctly and brilliantly. The end result is a breezy, relaxed sound with a silky, echoing flow that is almost unreal. If swaying palm trees could make music, this is probably what it would sound like. This is one of the coolest new reggae bands I’ve heard lately, and one I would recommend to anyone who needs help turning around a bad day or making a good day even brighter. I hope you enjoy this cover they did of a Bob Marley song called “Babylon Feel Dis One.”
Tribal Seeds kept the good vibes in motion, but they amped them up another notch by starting their set with an explosive jam that led into one of my favorite songs, “Love Psalm.”
The first song I ever heard from Tribal Seeds was “Garden” from their album, The Harvest. Ever since then, I’ve been addicted to their refined brand of reggae. You can imagine my excitement from finally getting to see them live and being treated to that very song.
I really loved how they brought out a smoke ring cannon that was shaped like a marijuana leaf. I’ve never seen anything like that before, so it gave me a good laugh. I think I might have picked up some fumes from my neighbors in the crowd because I was definitely vibing with this set a lot more than I thought I would. I didn’t mind my clothes being completely soaked from the rain. If you watch the video, you may enjoy the energy of E.N. Young as much as I do. Those long dangling dreads are impressive!
Sticking it out through the rain made me realize how important music is to my life, and how it serves its purpose in bringing my focus to the present moment instead of being concerned about the past or future. Tribal Seeds put a capstone on the night by finishing with a song called “Rock the Night.” Here are some lyrics from it that really resonated with me: “Rock away your bluesy feelings / Roots music won’t let you down.”
Overall, Tribal Seeds played exactly the kind of set I was hoping for. I would recommend seeing them live whenever you get a chance, and definitely keep an eye out for The Expanders and Arise Roots. I am certain that they are quickly going to earn bigger names for themselves as this tour continues its course.
Tribal Seeds Live Review by Sean Dorsett, edited by Matthew Weller.
Tribal Seeds Live Concert Photos by Richie Williams.
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▼ SHOWS TO GO TO ▼
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- The Commission Beer Chamber
- Kingfish Records (Clearwater)
- Nora's Sugar Shack!
- Park Ave CDs
- Montgomery Drive Presents
- RT-Art Printing
- The Mary Jane 'High-Quality' Art Gallery
- The Owl's Attic Vintage Shop
- Broken Strings Brewery
- American Combat Club
- Lazy Moon Pizza
- Ten10 Brewing
- Leguminati
- Mutiny Ocala
- The Tipsy Skipper
- Conrad's Beer Shanty
- AKT Shirt Printing
- Smartpunk Records & Shop
- No Clubs Presents
- DaddyKool Records
- Galactic G Skateshop
