AZ REGGAE TOUR

MESA , AZ

Biography

CASPER AND THE MIGHTY 602 BAND: Well, this is Casper (Lead Vocals) for The Mighty 602 Band and here is my bitch session for those who are interested. I was actually there in the beginning when this band thing became reality. We have been going strong since 1997 when we performed at our first music festival as The Mighty 602 Band. It was at the Sierra Nevada Music Festival in California if I remember correctly. Since that time, we have performed at venues such as "Reggae on the River", The Smithsonian Institute, The Kennedy Center, The New Orleans Jazz Festival, just to name a few. The idea to become a band seemed like the thing to do at the time. We we're just a bunch of friends who shared the same vision of music. Nobody knew what to expect or the amount of work that had to go into making this band the best in the southwest. We eventually started releasing music on our own record label because people could actually have control over every aspect of your music. Check us out sometime and judge for yourself. You'll be surprised what real humans with real issues can bring to the table. Respect to underground music! I'm out ORIGINAL GENERAL SMILEY Michigan and Smiley were a Jamaican singing combo of the late 1970s first wave of dancehall music, consisting of Papa Michigan (born Anthony Fairclough) and General Smiley (born Erroll Bennett). They first recorded at Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One in Jamaica, pressing their first number one hit single, "Rub a Dub Style", which featured their call and response style vocals, overdubbed on the Studio One riddim, "Vanity" (the instrumental alias given to Alton Ellis' Rocksteady classic, "I'm Just A Guy").[1] Their next single, perhaps a larger hit, "Nice Up the Dance" was a version of the quintessential Studio 1 rhythm, "Real Rock". These singles, with four other tracks, also versions of Studio One rhythms, were released as their first album, Nice Up the Dance. The names of these two singles were quickly incorporated into the lexicon of dancehall phraseology. Their call and response style was likewise influential on the future developments of the music, blending together straightforward singing styles and toasting. By 1982, they caught the attention of Henry "Junjo" Lawes, who recorded their biggest hit, "Diseases" over the "Mad Mad" riddim. This track was featured on their second LP, Downpression. They went on to cut an album for Channel One Records, Step by Step. The last of their hit records was "Sugar Daddy", pressed on RAS Records, which featured yet another reworking of "Mad Mad". The duo continues to record and make appearances at festivals and have both released solo recordings. Albums Rub a Dub Style (1980) Studio One Downpression (1982) Greensleeves Live at Reggae Sunsplash (1982) Trojan (with Eek-a-Mouse) Sugar Daddy (1983) RAS Back in the Biz (1991) VP Reality Must Rule Again (1992) VP Uptown/Downtown (1995) VP See Michigan & Smiley original video on you tube: Sugar Daddy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOsHML23Dfs&feature=player_embedded LUPA LUPA, has a reggae style that is rough and roaring holding his own among the best in the world of reggae heavyweights. LUPA started writing reggae music at age 16, realizing a passion for the diversity and strength of reggae music. He started recording in 1992. “ From the first time I heard this music, I knew it was real.. Because of personal experiences in life, I could relate to the message of overcoming hardship”. Artist like Shabba Ranks, General Trees, Chaka Demus and Muziah aka Phillip Famous were early influences. He started out just singing along with his collection of records and tapes, and a natural progression of his voice followed. “Within a year I mastered patois, and the first time a Jamaican producer heard me he could not believe his ears”. This is no “Ja-fakin’ bandwagoist”. LUPA will not converse with you in patois. Yet, in the studio and on the stage, you close your eyes and you’d never guess he’s not Jamaican. “Reggae don’t sound right any other way. I’m not forcing the patois, it’s a force within me”. While in Jamaica he was invited into the studios of legendary producers Bobby Digital, Danny Brownie, and Philip “Fattis” Burrell to record some songs. He’s also worked with Red Rose, Bulby, and Sylton Gordon, among others. In 1996 LUPA teamed up with George Nooks to sing "REAL MAN".. The song "Real Man" also won LUPA a Tamika Award. “I’ve realized that I can Give the world some things that reggae’s given to me. Inspiration. Knowledge. Living life. My own words can reflect my experience and impact on someone else”. It’s time to release the Lion…LUPA MIGHTY 602 BAND AND CASPER LOMAYESVA BIO Bio Word, Sound, Power … The Mighty 602 Band … Maximum Respect … Running rhythms for countless years in other systems- Radical Mix, HR/Bad Brains, Sons of the Captivity, Primus- and now united in the so-called united states southwest. The Mighty 602 Band masterfully backs up national/international artists covering every genre of music from reggae to punk rock with each musician a skilled and recorded artist in their own rite. The resume as dub agents includes reggae legend Danny Clarke of The MEDITATIONS, Casper from Hopiland, Michigan and Original General Smiley, the BLACK CINDERELLA Sister Carol, RAS recording artist, the INTERNATIONAL FARMER, Peter Broggs, Isaac Haile Selassie, HR of Bad Brains, international recording artist Abijah, Walt Richardson, Tony Culture, Calypso Rose and have opened for an endless list of todays hottest acts. All have performed concerts utilizing the 602 band, playing in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, DC and North Carolina. The 602 is vigilant in its drive to be among the tightest, strongest backing bands in the country, thereby moving JAH works forward. To all artists, agents and management, The Mighty 602 Band is available for live shows, touring and studio, please email requests through myspace. JAH RASTAFARI! The Hopi Indian Reservation sits atop three mesas tucked away in a remote corner of northeast Arizona. It may be one of the few places in America where religion and culture are a part of everyday life. In many ways, things have not changed much over the last thousand years. Life is simple here. The peaceful calm remains. But in the distance you can hear a new voice. CASPER LOMAYESVA is a Hopi / Diné singer who has created a sound that combines his native roots with the positive vibes of reggae music. Casper’s music is filled with hope and power. The words are a reflection of his own philosophy on life, influenced not only by the sounds of crucial reggae music but of traditional Hopi culture. CASPER cites his grandfather, Sankey Lomayesva as having the biggest influence on his life and his music. CASPER will tell you this is Hopi reality, “I’m just a messenger passing though life, a soldier of this generation. People need to know that oppression and poverty is a fact of life on the rez, just like any big city in America.” It was a little more than ten years ago that a “culture connection” was formed between The Hopi Nation and the island of Jamaica. In 1985 Freddie McGregor became the first Jamaican reggae artist to ever perform on an Indian Reservation. There was a special feeling that developed between the reggae artists that came out to the reservation and the Hopi people. The message in the music was something that people on the reservation understood. As a result, Reggae lnna Hopiland was born. The cultural connection was so powerful that it brought some of the biggest names in reggae music to a place so isolated that it is a two-hour drive just to have a pizza. Superstars such as Black Uhuru, Third World, Steel Pulse, and Burning Spear have all been here. In fact Freddie McGregor has come back five times since his initial visit because he says the Hopi people are the warmest and friendliest people he has ever performed for. Native Music Rocks The Seminole Tribe of Florida & ALL NATIVES PLANET JAM BIO Planet Jam’s Short How did it Start Story:.. For a few years in the nineties, when Marius Todirita was an illegal alien in Italy, Kacy Armstrong was hitchiking, working, and then driving across Europe in an English ambulance with a sketchpad, a guitar, a few human friends and an Irish Wolfhound named Monte, space was tight but written on the ceiling was: “There’s always room and never a problem.”.. They had met before while busking in the streets of other Italian towns, both being guitarists claiming to be from Arizona. After an eclipse of the moon in Rome, they began to make beautiful music together. .. Years later in Tucson Arizona, it’s an evolving fusion of Eastern and Western music and culture. Planet Jam music has rippin’ rock solos, poppin’ reggae rhythms and fresh Gypsy licks, dubby and tight, modern with ancient tap roots. Planet Jam lyrics say stuff that makes sense. They positively present ideas of change about border issues, political hypocrisy, seven generation awareness, freedom of expression, spiritual and cultural evolution as well as experiences that Marius had in the Romanian Army as a draftee Private during that country’s 1989 revolution. .. In September 2007, Kini Wade joined the band on the drums, and Steven Abramson (from Living Earth and Woody Harelson) sat in on keyboards. Highly highly skilled on their instruments, they add another half a century of music experience to the mix… .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. …. .. ..THE PRESS :…. Wednesday, February 10th 2010 – Tucson Weekly .. Soundbites .. by Stephen Seigel …. REGGAE WITH A HINT OF GYPSY…. The next several weeks are loaded with new local releases and the shows that accompany them, but this week, we’ve got just one such release to tell you about. …. There just aren’t many reggae bands playing around town. The first name that comes to mind is, of course, Neon Prophet, who have been plying reggae in Tucson for almost a quarter-century. But the second name to hit the brain these days just might be Planet Jam, who have been gigging consistently for several years now. …. The band’s co-founders, singer/guitarist Marius Todirita and bassist/singer Kacy Todirita, met while busking on the streets of Italy. Kacy, whose last name was Armstrong in those days, was traveling across Europe with some friends, while Marius, who was drafted into the Romanian Army during the 1989 revolution, was still living there, illegally, according to the band’s MySpace bio. Years later, the pair (moved to) Tucson, eventually adding Steven Abramson on keys and Kini Wade—whom you might know as a bartender at Plush—on drums. Thus began Planet Jam, who this week release a new CD, Word Sound Power. …. Planet Jam doesn’t play straight-up reggae; instead, they infuse it with strains of various types of world music, most often Eastern European gypsy music. In other words, Bob Marley this ain’t (although he does get a shout-out on “Even Higher”), even if they address similar political and sociopolitical issues. …. “Disobey,” which opens the album, contains some of that gypsy flavor in the form of a keyboard melody that runs between the song’s verses. “Crying Wolf,” which places gypsy accents over a cool, Caribbean-inspired vibe, is a pop-reggae tune that features searing guitar-key runs that mimic the sound of dual lead guitars. “Conscious Revolution” is as much jazz as it is reggae, with some delightful playing from Abramson; the music has a slight Steely Dan feel to it, though you’d sure as hell never catch the lyrics “nothing can stop the conscious revolution” coming out of Donald Fagen’s mouth. Meanwhile, “The Riot,” which features a killer chorus that somehow reminds of ‘80s British pop, is the most fun song on the disc, even as the lyrics are about tearing down Babylon. …… Saturday, October 11th 2008, .. Tucson Weekly.. “Tucson’s finest straight-up reggae band ……..Traditional, with a social conscience.” …. Wednesday, July 9th 2008, .. RENASTEREA BANATEANA, Nr. 5623 TIMISOARA ROMANIA…. “From Arizona, to Timisoara”.. .. …“Planet Jam is considered to be emblamatic of the new fusion between eastern and western cultures.”…. Monday, July 14th 2008, AGENDA TIMISOARA – ROMANIA (in Romanian) http://www.agenda.ro/news/print/9072/ritmuri-reggae-cu-planet-jam.html …. Reggae Rhythms with Planet Jam …. “Saturday night on the terrace of the Cafe Papillon, music lovers and the people that just happened to be passing by had the opportunity to enjoy a very special event: The music of American band Planet Jam, with a mix of roots reggae combined with Balcanic sounds and other goodies. .. Above all, one of the most surprising things which everyone could see was the ease with which the band came before the audience. The fussiness and other such things which unfortunately are often present at the shows played by Romanian musicians, were completely absent… The band has its roots in our country and their music represents a fusion between east and west with reggae, gypsy, rock and roots influences. .. … It was an interesting and very special concert which left a question hanging in the air – Why don’t we have any other reggae bands in our country?” …. ..LUPAMEA.RO.. Weekly newspaper from CRAIOVA ROMANIA…. http://www.lupamea.ro/articole.php?numar=2&rubrica=1&id=2249…. Planet Jam: Reggae and Dub – Romanian American Version.. Fans of Jamaica straight from Arizona Live at Play.. by Cosmin Stoian…. "Sunday night is a discouraging moment for the people that have to go to work the next day. But Play organised a concert, sticking to trouble just like velcro would on the hair of the singer. .. The 13th is an unlucky day for old women who believe in superstitions, but not for the customers of Play,to whom reggae band Planet Jam induced a wonderful state of optimism and relaxation, ‘cause that how reggae is. A joint was missing for the recipe to be complete. The song “Jamming” by Bob Marley, covered by Planet Jam arrived just like a full tank of gas when you have no money but you want to go to the beach. It put an automatic smile on everybody’s faces….. . A1 BIO MY NAME IS JARED KOEPPEL. ON MOST OF THE EARLY TRACKS I’VE PRODUCED, I PLAY ALL THE PARTS. THE NEWER TRACKS FEATURE THE MEMBERS OF THE A1 BAND, MIKE SORRENTINO (BASS) AND/OR DANNY MILLER (BASS), JEFF KARGER “CONGA” ON GUITAR, JUNIOR JAZZ, AND ALSO SEAN MILANO. A1 STUDIO IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN NJ, 15 MINUTES OUT OF NYC. I HAVE BEEN IN NYC FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS. I PRODUCE THE TRACKS AND RECORD MANY JAMAICAN ARTISTS. I HAVE PLAYED KEYS IN NUMEROUS REGGAE BANDS SUCH AS ONE BLOOD, NEON PROPHET, SMOKE, AND OTHERS NOW CURRENTLY A1. PLAYING FOR ONE BLOOD BASED OUT OF TUCSON, AZ. I BACKED UP MANY WELL KNOWN JAMAICAN ARTISTS AND TOURED WITH SOME. I BACKED UP SISTER CAROL, FRANKIE PAUL, DANNY CLARKE OF THE MEDITATIONS, CARL MEEKS, BRIGADIER JERRY AND OTHERS, MOST OF THESE TRACKS ARE PRODUCED AT MY HOME STUDIO (A1 STUDIO). BANKS TO THE RIVER WAS NOT RECORDED HERE BUT I AM PLAYING KEYS IN THE SONG. MARLON SOBOL IS MY FIRST COUSIN. HE’S A MUSICAL WHIZ AND WE MAKE SOME CRAZY MUSIC TOGETHER. I AM CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH CASPER AND THE 602 BAND, PLAYING AT VARIOUS HARD ROCK CAFE’S ALL AROUND THE WORLD ON THE NATIVE MUSIC ROCKS TOUR. I’VE ALSO RECENTLY BEEN PLAYING WITH LUPA AND ORIGINAL GENERAL SMILEY OF “MICHIGAN AND SMILEY”. KING ROACH BIO WILLIAM BANKS (WASHINGTON DC)…..William grew up in the Washington DC area. He began playing drums, keyboards,guitar and bass in his late teens and early twenties. He was also a member of the first Go-Go band in the DC area, Brookland Hi-Lites, which won several showcase awards. William has performed professionally with Black Acid, Bobby Lester & The Moonglows, Dea Clark, Ras Michael, Michael Enkrumah, Bad Brains, H.R., Ruff Cut, Press Mob, Englishman, Soup, Joe Higgs, Zion Train, Supa Wess, Tenor Saw, Tony Allens, Junior Bapp, Ras Kidus, Jawge Hughs, Feddy Flint, T.R. Press, Boom Shaka, Stranger Cole, Steve Ferrone, Itals, One Blood, Danny Clarke, Dee Dread, Jah Levi, Radical Mix, Isreal Vibraitons, Meditations, New Birds, Sister Carol, Rising Lion Frankie Paul, and Judy Mowatt. He has also recorded on the following record labels: SST, Tashi, Shanachie, Kibwe, OliveTree, Fetal, Ras Records, Railroad, Positive Sound, Massive Records, and Third Mesa Music. William is also featured on these albums: Jah Jah, Stop Aparthied, Know Now, Man in Desperation, D.C. Rox, Fetal Records .5, Ras Michael & Zion Train, Supa Wes, Junior Bapp, Singing in the Heart (by H.R.), Our Faith, No Bow Down, Clap Your Hand, Mediator, 1st Family of Reggae (by Shanachie), and The Anthology (by H.R.)Staying true to his musical heritage, he is now working on his first solo project as “King Roach”. His original music has captivated live audiences and created a buzz throughout the industry.