Review: Maui's reggae ambassador jams long and hard at First Tap party

Posted by pushplay

Posted: October 5, 2007 - 6:16 am

By Dawnell Smith
Anchorage Daily News

My legs ache and my eyes keep ditching their post, so don't expect much from me right now, not after nearly five hours of reggae at the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub. If First Tap means anything at the moment, it means tapped out, weary, dehydrated and beat.

Marty Dread sure knows how to show a crowd a good time.

The imposing, but charming man from Maui mingles roots reggae and hip-hop with R&B and pop, contemporary in style and yet mindful of his forebears. One minute he rattles off gravelly, spitfire lines as if representing the Way Way West Coast, and the next he sings as sensually, longingly as Marvin Gaye.

But the man from Maui can also talk too much. Though charismatic on stage, his friendly, but rambling commentary often stole the flow of the show last night. His evocative presence and voice barreled through irresistible dance songs like "Live & Let Live," "She's So Fine" and "Free & Single," so why put a stopper on chemistry like that?

Folks kept their bodies moving anyway, lulls or not, including the woman who swooped onto the dance floor well before the opening act to do her hippy-inspired modern dance moves. Others just kept up a reggae bounce until their beers ran out and sweat poured down their chins.

And how the sweat poured from their chins and backs to the ale-soaked floor! Dread may have carried on here and there, but he kept everyone dancing until late, showing up on stage at 10 p.m. and closing with a sweet, wistful take of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" almost three and a half hours later.

The Tooth sold beer, for sure, and Dread lived up to his title as Maui's reggae ambassador.

Yet his backup band came off as strangely disconnected. The Kryptones played with taut, accomplished precision, but lacked the spark of their leader, who beamed when he sang about getting along and loving each other.

But the beat and soul of the music stayed true, and the crowd knew it. The mob may have dwindled as the hours pressed on, but those who stayed enjoyed the best jams of the night, like "Ooh La La... Pure Aloha," "Reggae Suite," and "Get Off Our Land," not to mention "Reggae Ambassador," the catchy global anthem recorded by Third World.

Local reggae guru Prince Albert and his band Fireweed Stampede opened with several classics like the "Electric Slide," originally recorded by Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's "Stir It Up," along with originals like "Alaska Reggae" and "Everywhere We Go."

Technical problems plagued the band, unfortunately, as microphones with low or no volume made it impossible to hear or understand several songs. Albert's enthusiasm ushered the crowd into its long, long night of music and dance anyway.

And onto the aching feet and drooping eyelids of another day in musical paradise.

Head's up: Marty Dread and the Kryptones head to the Blue Loon Theatre Club (www.theblueloon.com) in Fairbanks at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 6.

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