Music Reviews

There are thousands of instructional DVDS for drummers out there, anywhere from jazz to heavy metal. But there are none that cover reggae drumming correctly. I’ve been looking for years, and any drummer who tries to teach reggae drumming is always terrible in my opinion.

Well, that is, until now.

Dyrol Randal has released an amazing DVD instructional called Dryol Randall Reggae Drumming. It is the absolute first of it’s kind and is presented by a talented reggae artist.

This 2-part DVD package first starts off by covering the correct way to tune reggae drums, which is refreshing to see. Not only does Dyrol cover the basic tuning of the drums, but he also covers why the drums should be tuned a certain way in order to get the crisp and snappy sound that kicks you right in the jaw.

There are many different beats in reggae but the foundational one is the one drop. This is the first beat the Dyrol covers, and it’s great to see someone demonstrate and play properly, which is the key.

After the one drop, Dyrol covers many other beats such as:

• Stepper
• One Two
• Dancehall

… along with some very cool hi-hat variations that will keep you amazed and trying to figure them out for a long time. Now I see where Stewart Copeland stole his hi-hat variations from!!!

I was truly amazed by the second DVD because it offers a wealth of different fills and lead in fills. Reggae is known for creative drum lead in fills, and the ones Dyrol plays are incredibly tasty.

After the fill variations, Dryol outdoes himself with many different pattern variations of the original beats that were in the first DVD.

These variations are not for the feint of heart. They sound ( and look! ) incredibly cool, but man, are they tough. They are not too tough or technical to sound great with music, however, as Dyrol demonstrates with his bass player friend who is playing along with him for the whole series.

This package is the most comprehensive compilation of reggae drumming styles I have ever seen. They cover techniques that can be used by both beginners and advanced drummers of all genres. In addition to this, there is such a wealth of knowledge in what Dyrol demonstrates, this series can remain in your archive for a very long time.

Dyrol Randall does a tremendous job teaching the very elusive intricacies of reggae drumming, and his approach, attitude, style, feel and sheer warmth are a breath of fresh air.

I have been waiting a very long time for a series like this. I suggest you don’t. If you want to play reggae drums like a pro, buy this DVD series. You will not be disappointed.

Click here to visit Dyrol Randall’s reggae drumming site.

I have said in the past that combining reggae with other forms of music is my holy grail. I have done it before to varying degrees of success, but I have not yet gotten my vision completely fulfilled.

A bass player I know by the name of Marc Greenstein of HEAD recently turned me on to a band that has certainly fulfilled their vision, and their name is Skindred.

Now a lot of reggae purists, or people who simply don’t like heavier forms of music will not like this band at all, but I DO

I grew up listening to all types of music, so I always like to hear ( and play ) hybrid forms of reggae.

When I heard and saw these guys, I must say, I was definitely blown away!

Tell me what you think!

Besides having a sweet name, the Roots Radics band is a talented unit that not many people know about.

In 1997, I was playing a gig in San Diego with Jah Soldiers. We were opening for Israel Vibration, and took the stage before the main show. After we played our set, we went backstage, then went out into the audience.

A roots band came out and blew me away with this song.

They then proceeded to rule the night with some great riddims.

Although you may have never heard of them, the Roots Radics are well known in the reggae community. Take some time to check them out!

You can learn more about the Roots Radics:

• Roots Radics Wiki
• Roots Radics on Myspace
• Many Roots Radics Videos
• Roots Radics Roots Archive
• Roots Radics Discography
  

Israel Vibration Looks up at JAH

I… know…

It sounds pretty ridiculous, right?

But before you jump to any conclusions, listen to this track.

….it’s a bald Natalie Portman look-alike… who can actually sing rasta music.

This track is from Sinead’s reggae album, Throw Down Your Arms. Sinead went to Kingston, Jamaica to record this album, which is certainly a great respect.

It was also produced by Sly and Robbie.

The CD was released forty-two years after the speech of Haile Selassie to the United Nations (October 4, 1963) on the day of the annual solar eclipse which is the start of the new year according to the Jewish tradition (Rosh Hashanah).

I was pretty impressed when I heard the whole album.

I think you will be too. 

The effective fusion of reggae music with other forms to me is the Holy Grail. It’s not easily done, but when it’s done right, man it sounds awesome.

Think of the Police back in the eighties.

Stewart Copeland, who was the driving force behind that band, was heavily influenced by reggae.  The rest of the band was as well.

There is just something about blending rasta music with other styles that makes for an amazing sound that really hits home.

Fear Nuttin Band does this great.

Not long ago a friend of mine, Kelly, was talking about a recent Toots and the Maytals show she went to the night before.

In her opinion, the opening band was a serious force to be reckoned with and she could not believe her ears.

This band turns out to be the Fear Nuttin Band, out of Michigan.  I went to their site, and then bought a copy of their CD, Yardcore.

Wow, I was pretty blown away.

Fear Nuttin’ is like a blend of roots reggae, dancehall and heavy metal.  The guitar riffs are very heavy and crunchy, but timed and spaced out in a very rhythmic way.

Their overall songwriting is strikingly precise as well.

The singers have a lot of power and presence as well.  They blend melodic vocals with a heavy dancehall chanting style that will certainly get your head bobbing pretty good.

I must say, I am very impressed with what these guys have done with this project.  I’ll definitely buy their next album and see them live when they come to town.

You really should check out The Fear Nuttin Band.

These guys are really good.