NYS Music 20​14

Tag: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

  • Hearing Aide: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad ‘Steady’

    Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is set to drop their new album Steady today, September 30th. Steady is Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s first studio album since 2012, and their first collaboration with Easy Star Records. Steady was also co- produced with Craig Welsh of 10. Ft. Ganja Plant. According to bassist James Searl “this is without a doubt the best sounding record we’ve ever made,” and I would have to agree. Upon first listen it really stuck out that the sound is very clear and clean.

    GPGDS, based out of Rochester, have produced an album that recycles old reggae themes in a newer, more nuanced way. The themes that flow throughout the album fall in line with what traditional reggae music was born to address; love, change (both political and personal), peace and positivity. “Steady”, the title track of this album, is a slow and easy-going love ballad. “Steady” was co-produced by Danny Kalb (The Green, Ben Harper) is very melodic, along with most of the other songs on the album, with smooth lyrics that just make you want to sway.

    “Mr. Cop” is similar in that way but retains an island music feel to it. The song addresses issues with police, expounding on the relationship between law enforcement and society. With lyrics like “Mr. cop, Mr. cop don’t want you searching/we’ve been all day working/nobody that we hurtin’/Just a little herb we smokin’” the song illustrates a theme that is often touched upon in reggae music. From the tropical feel of the song to the lyrics, for a New York based reggae band GPGDS really exhibits an authentic Caribbean feel.

    Giant Panda has also dabbled in playing Americana music especially with their previous album Country which was released in 2012. This influence can be heard on songs like “.45,” “Not The Fool,” and “Home.” They add a bit of country twang to the traditional reggae sound that this record embodies.

    “.45” specifically breaks pace from those peaceful hymns they were espousing. With lyrics like “If you see me on the streets/and you want to get wise with me/ I’ll pull out my .45,” it’s like a reggae version of the slogan “don’t mess with Texas.” It’s very bluesy and has full force guitar rifts that are in your face…in a good way.

    Overall this is the kind of album that is good to listen to anywhere, like a soundtrack to a beach vacation. If you’re interested in checking it out, their title track “Steady” as well as “Mr. Cop” and “Take Your Place” are available to stream at LivePanda.com.

    Key Tracks: “Steady” “Mr. Cop” “.45”

    Check out Giant Panda this week across Upstate New York!

    Oct 2: Buffalo, NY – Tralf Music Hall
    Oct 3: Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater
    Oct 4: Rochester, NY – Zeppa Auditorium

  • Rochester Prepares for ROCtober Show Onslaught

    Naysayers about the Rochester music scene will need to clam it up this October. End to end, the month is loaded with more shows than some cities are lucky to see in a full calendar year.  ROCtober starts out “Hell Bent For Leather” October 1st with metal icons Judas Priest opening their tour in town at the Main Street Armory. Tour openers continue with hip hop legend NAS also starting his tour in ROC-city the very next night (Also at the Armory). Seemingly unafraid of any genre The Armory will also bring in Reggae (Elephant Man Oct. 10), classic rock (Kansas Oct. 16), country (Charlie Daniels Band Oct. 22) and alternative rock (Bastille Oct. 24).

    Montage Music Hall adds to the fun with their own load of diverse genre shows. The New Mastersounds – an unbelievable funky English export – will team up with local top-tier talents Mojo Collective and Ocupanther for their inaugural visit to Rochester Oct 7. The 9th features the new/bluegrass of regional heavy hitters Cabinet. The 17th will find the absolute kings of the metal breakdown Unearth with special guest The Darkest Hour. Buffalo’s Aqueous will heat up the 24th with North Carolina’s The Mantra’s. The 30th will kick off Halloween weekend in style with two of Upstate’s favorite bands: Jimkata and Turkuaz.

    Water Street Music Hall was missed for a good portion of 2013-14 due to some ownership changes but they are back and as usual are wasting no time bringing top-tier talent to the area. Dopapod and Consider the Source will jam up Oct 2nd. New Orleans’ Mingo Fishtrap returns to ROC Oct. 5 after an unbelievably packed set at the Xerox International Jazz Fest. The funk will continue with Lettuce making their premier trip to ROC Oct. 23. And to cap it off, one for the ladies – Water Street’s annual Men of General Hospital show Oct 24.

    And all that barely touches the surface, check out our list for the rest of the notable haps in ROCtober below.

    10/01 Judas Priest w/ Steel Panther (Armory)
    10/02 NAS (Armory)
    10/02 Dopapod w/ Consider the Source (Water Street)
    10/03 BASSNECTAR w/ Kill Paris and Son of Kick (Armory)
    10/04 Strange Birds (Montage)
    10/04 Giant Panda  w/ Mosaic Foundation (Zeppa Auditorium)
    10/05 Mingo Fishtrap (Water Street)
    10/07 New Mastersounds w/ Moho Collective and Ocupanther (Montage)
    10/09 Cabinet w/ TBD (Montage)
    10/10 Elephant Man w/ Gyptian and Spice (Armory)
    10/10 Theory of a Deadman w/ Fozzy and 3 Pill Morning (Water Street)
    10/11 Deicide w/ Septic Flesh (Montage)
    10/12 Ryan Montbleau Band w/ Tall Heights
    10/16 Heavy Trash w/ Bloodshot Bill (Water Street)
    10/17 Unearth w/ Darkest Hour (Montage)
    10/22 Charlie Daniels Band (Armory)
    10/23 Lettuce (Water Street)
    10/24 Aqueous w/ Mantras (Montage)
    10/24 MEN OF GENERAL HOSPITAL (Water Street)
    10/24 Bastille (Armory)
    10/25 Badfish (Water Street)
    10/28 Goat Whore (Bug Jar)
    10/29 AJR (Montage)
    10/30 Jimkata w/ Turkuaz (Montage)
    10/31 Love and Theft w/ Joel Crouse and DJ DU (Water Street)
    10/31 Roots Collider w/ Thousands of One, Subsoil, Mrs Skannato and Personal Blend (Flour City)

  • Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad with Funktional Flow Close Out Another Great Weekend

    Music filled the air again at Willow Creek Winery this past weekend; two days filled with music to keep everyone happy. One of the greatest things about Willow Creek is that you get the festival experience in a smaller setting.  If you combine the great location with Buffalive Productions,  you’re getting the entire experience at a great value with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Funktional Flow.

    Buffalive, who just recently was founded, is doing things in their first year that many promotors take years to accomplish, putting  great music out there for the fan to truly enjoy.  Friday and Saturday was no different with the crowd being treated to a stellar show by Badfish-A Tribute To Sublime, bringing everyone the music of Sublime  that they love, but most were not fortunate to see since the bands demise in the 90’s.Saturday brought music with reggae influence and started in the afternoon, going until well after midnight.

    Preach Freedom, Mosaic Foundation, Tropidelic and The B-Side Dubs all playing early on before the main event. Funktional Flow and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad played 2 sets each flip-flopping after each set. Funktional Flow started it off with  the side stage and GPGDS took over on the main stage. Flow has been playing the winery all summer and seemed to have quite the following since Buffalove Music Festival. Giant Panda was great and as the night wore on with darkness casting overhead and their lighting show, all made for a terrific night of music. Chad from Mosaic Foundation joined them on stage to boost the great reggae infused jam to the next level.

    Speaking with Chad as he came off stage he was happy as can be and he even said how it was a dream to be able to be on stage with Giant Panda, he had been huge fans of them since the beginning. Saturday night capped off another great weekend at Willow Creek  and with one more event to go who knows what Buffalive has in for store for next summer, it will be tough to beat their inaugural season. But First, up next will be The Grapeful Getdown on Aug 9, featuring a bunch of the area’s top Grateful Dead Tribute Bands with a day full of Dead songs.

    You can get more information about The Grapeful Getdown here and stay tuned for our preview of the upcoming show.

  • Yet Another Big Weekend Coming at Willow Creek Winery July 25-26

    Willow Creek Winery will be jumping again this weekend with two days of music. It all starts Friday night July 25, with Badfish-A Tribute to Sublime headlining with special guests Tropidelic and Whiskey Reverb. Saturday will be headlined by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad with special guests Preach Freedom, Mosaic Foundation, The B-Side Dubs and Funktional Flow.

    Badfish-A Tribute To Sublime is a tribute band that was formed in 2001. They have been selling out shows and touring for quite some time and have been giving Sublime fans something to fill their souls since Brad Nowell’s untimely death back in 1996, dissolving Sublime.

    Tropidelic who comes from Kent, Ohio, and most recently played at Willow Creek Winery for the 2014 Buffalove Music Festival, won a lot of fans over with their music. Coming back to the same venue should get some fans real pumped up. Combining hip hop, funk, reggae and some cool masks on stage, Tropidelic is surely a must see.

    Whisky Reverb will also be the special guest on Friday night, this band was also on this past Buffalove Music Festivals bill. The band hails from Buffalo and has been touring the past few years to about 125 shows a year. They keep evolving and they are becoming a must see band. Check them out and you won’t be disappointed.

    If one night isn’t enough music for you, you can camp optionally for 10 dollars and check out the following day full of music with Rochester’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Preach Freedom, Mosaic Foundation, The B-Side Dubs and Buffalo’s Funktional Flow.  GPSDS produces a psychedelic roots reggae sound that will send jolts through your body of euphoria. The group has been touring extensively the past few years as well as some of the country’s premier festivals. The quintet plays so well with each other adding their own layers together producing an improvisational jam  that you will want to be part of.

    Preach Freedom brings his soulful happy music to the winery and will get everyone in the right mindset the whole day. Mosaic Foundation comes from the Finger Lakes region, they bring their Roots Reggae to the Winery. The Group is Unique and diverse and will surely get everyone ready for the evening. The B-Side Dubs, whose members all have different musical backgrounds bring it all together producing a groovy reggae tone with a psychedelic vibe.

    Willow Creek Winery is no stranger to Funktional Flow, and the band has played their in more than a few occasions. They blew the doors off at Buffalove Music Festival this year, played a great set opening for Conspirator and I would expect no different this coming weekend. You will want to make sure you are front and center when Flow hits the stage. You can grab your tickets through Ticketfly or at the gate.

    Band Lineup

    Friday: Badfish- A Tribute to Sublime w/ Tropidelic and Whiskey Reverb. Tickets are $18 advance or $24.50 day of the event, the show starts at  6pm.

    Saturday: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad w/ Preach Freedom, Funktional Flow, Mosaic Foundation, The B-Side Dubs – $20 advance or $25 day of event, show starts at 2 pm.

  • Giant Panda Returns to Ithaca for an Epic Night of Dub and Dance with Beat The Grid

    There was standing room only at The Haunt as Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad returned to Ithaca with Beat The Grid on Thursday, February 20th. Good vibes and smiling faces were in abundance, with fans coming from far and wide to see what was undoubtedly the best show around. Giant Panda has recently returned from an eight-show West coast tour, highlighting their new mixtape In Roots We Trust, featuring The Expanders and The Simpkin Project, which explores North American Reggae music.

    Giant Panda is a Dub/Americana/Roots band from Rochester NY, but got their start in Ithaca about ten years ago. The band has gained immense popularity since then, touring the country and even getting spots at some of the nation’s largest music festivals, including Summercamp and All Good Music Festival. Giant Panda’s music is known for its positive and uplifting lyrics backed by infectious dub that soothes the soul. In addition to dub/reggae, they also released a country album displaying the band’s musical versatility.

    Opening for the band was a local Ithaca group by the name of Beat The Grid. The band had a similar upbeat feel with some added funk that warmed the crowd up nicely.Their beautiful female vocalist had the entire audience mesmerized by her smooth voice and exotic dancing. Beat The Grid’s set included fan favorite “Her Cosmic Lines” and many other tracks from their 2013 self-titled album, as well as some new songs.

    For a small venue, the sound at The Haunt was of very high quality and the place was busting at the seams with the huge amount of people in attendance. Giant Panda opened with “Not The Fool” and “Solution”, spreading the love and pushing towards making this world a better place. The night continued with songs old and new, with teasers from their upcoming album to be released this summer. Dylan Savage on guitar and Tony Gallicchio on keys displaying their mastery of their instruments as they traded solos that sent chills down the spine. Guitarist Dan Keller was also in his prime, presenting his saxophone skills and unforgettable vocals to add to the already amazing performance. Giant Panda mashed up some of their most popular songs, “Missing You More” and “Pockets” to make for some outstanding medleys and even surprised the crowd with a rendition of soul legend Marvin Gaye’s “Lets Get It On.”

    After Giant Panda left the stage, chants for “One More Song!” were started up by the fans, who at midnight had a lot more left in the tank and were not ready to call it a night. Not long after, the band returned to play Jackie Wilson’s classic “Higher and Higher”, featuring Dan Keller on saxophone and “Mr. Cop” as every crowd member sang the chorus “They callin’ up the cops ‘cause it smells like Ganja!” There was not a still body in the house as everyone danced their hearts out for the fifteen-minute encore, leaving everyone sweaty, exhausted, and satisfied.