So the last time Julian Marley came into town, he needed a practice venue - somewhere to polish up the show before they played Saint Rocke and moved onto Australia. So I told the agent to send them over to Charlie's, a friend of mine that has a pretty cool studio over by the old PV Bowl on Crenshaw. Well, Julian and his crew enjoyed it, so when they came back out, they asked for the favor again - and Charlie was gracious enough to grant it. They played SR last night (sick show), but on Monday night I had the pleasure of going to see them rehearse. Now let me set the table...you show up in an industrial cul-de-sac, walk into the back lot of a chain-linked fence lot, where there are few stragglers warming their hands at the makeshift firepit, with the smell of you-know-what pungent through the night air, and as you make your way inside, there is an army of music loving reggae souls getting the space ready for julian to play. The best way I can describe my interaction was 'fly on the wallesque', which is what I love. Colleen, a friend (who by the way check out her classic website www.thepickupchick.com) came with me, and usually I would go alone - but in this case, it was more fun with her. Cool thing about her is that a long time ago, I totally blew trying to ask her out and putzed it, and because of that, there is no longer that nervous expectation in my head. Sounds odd, but then again...
Anyway, they start playing slowly, sharply, jaggedly, stopping and starting, calling out changes, and then a rhythm sets in. drums and bass connect, keys follow, guitar starts up, and they begin with Natural Mystic followed by Positive Vibration. And I start laughing. Cant stop laughing. Am I really here? Is this what it felt like to sit in on Bob's rehearsals in Kingston? I closed my eyes, and Julian's gruff voice resembled Bob's, but his energy and love for the songs seemed identical. And I listened for a few hours, lost in the classic melodies. And a story was born.
