Steady (Easy Star Records, 2014)
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, from Rochester (New York) is one of the rising stars of the American reggae scene. Their most recent album Steady debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart.
Although the band’s name includes the word dub, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s sound is closer to reggae than dub. It’s American style reggae, where Jamaican rhythms like reggae and ska are blended with pop hooks, rock and jamband blues spirit. For roots reggae fans, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad delivers the song ‘Mr. Cop.’
In addition to its open approach to reggae, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad also performs acoustic Americana music, as heard in their Country album from 2012.
“This is without a doubt the best sounding record we’ve ever made,” says singer-bassist James Searl. “But it’s also the most consistently solid set of songwriting we’ve done to date.”
The Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad lineup on Steady features three lead singer-songwriters: Searl, Dylan Savage (vocals, guitar), and Dan Keller (vocals, guitar, banjo) along with Chris O’Brian on drums and Aaron Lipp on keyboards (he has since been replaced by Tony Gallicchio).
Steady will be followed in 2015 by a sequel to Country called Bright Days that will take the band’s Americana acoustic identity even further than before.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will be performing on May 22, 2015 in Monterey, California at the California Roots Festival.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
