the hum / By Bob Doran

Lions Roar

LionCamp at the ATL, plus assorted blues and the I-Block Party

(Sept. 3, 2009)  How did the lion become synonymous with reggae music? It’s probably because Rastafarian’s revere the Ethiopian king known as His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Or maybe it’s just because the big cats are powerful and have cool-looking manes.

A pride of one-drop lions called the LionCamp Showcase brings a major blast of reggae, mostly local, to the Arcata Theatre Lounge Saturday night. What is the LionCamp? “It’s basically the concept of Jah Sun and myself,” said Ishi Dube, an unstoppable force in Humboldt reggae. “There are a lot of different crews within the reggae world. We thought we’d create one of our own. We looked for artists who can hold their own individually and have their own following.”

Lion Camp Showcase includes Rocker T. Photo by Bob Doran.

GALLERY >

Local dynamo Jah Sun has been working with Jamaican singer Stevie Culture (together they are Jah Culture), so Stevie was a natural. Brooklyn-born Rocker T is a reggae veteran currently working out of San Francisco; he throws in melodica along with his rhymes. Then there’s Winstrong, who hails from Suriname (just north of Brazil) and now lives in Mendo, and two dudes from Hawaii: Jahworks the Revolutionary and SoulMedic. For the Arcata show the crew will have musical backing by Ishi’s band, Massagana, and Jah Sun’s Gravity Squad. Those who were a Reggae Rising got an idea of how it works: During Ishi’s set, all but SoulMedic (who had another obligation) came out to drop rhymes and jump around the stage together. The effect was electric.

“Last Friday was the first time all seven of us performed together,” said Ishi, who’s back in Arcata after the LionCamp debut in Nevada City. This weekend they take the crew to the Monterey Reggae Festival, then zoom back to Humboldt for Saturday’s ATL show.

In addition to performing together, they’re also collaborating on recordings. “Each of us is constantly working on musical endeavors,” said Ishi. “One of us will create a piece and record a little part on it, then we’ll e-mail it to each other and all of us will add a part.” For example? “The song, ‘King of Kings’ is on a beat that Stevie recorded. One by one, we each recorded a verse. We’ll do that one Saturday night, and another based on a beat by Rocker T.”

Why the lion? “The lion is this regal symbol of nobility, and we all try to live up to that — and I emphasize try,” said Ishi. “LionCamp is a brotherhood amongst musicians — it’s a way for all of us to band together and find strength in numbers in a difficult industry. We roar our message from the mountaintop.”

I’m thinking the Arcata show will draw most local reggae fans, making it a rough night for the Jamaica Youth Foundation folks, who are bringing Jamaican singer Norrisman to the Red Fox Tavern that night.

The Red Fox has more reggae coming Tuesday, Sept. 8: Something they’re calling as Ethiopian New Years Party with Sister Carol and Woven Roots. Apparently Ethiopians (and some Rastas) follow the Orthodox Julian calendar. However my research shows that their New Years (aka Enkutatash) is actually Sept. 11. Whatever.

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