Is All Irie, Mon

I have had the great fortune to see some of my favorite Reggae artists over the years, like Burning Spear in Providence, Jimmy Cliff in Hampton, NH, Bankie Banx in Anguilla, and Anthony B. in Negril. I missed the late, great Gregory Isaacs by one day, he was performing the night we were leaving Jamaica, and soon after he passed away. Caribbean Islands have great Reggae cover bands like The Reggae Groovers (who may or may not still be around), and Southern New England has The Ravers. There is nothing like a great Reggae show, especially in the summer. With a Red Stripe. So imagine my excitement when perusing the Ocean Mist’s lineup I saw Third World was coming to little Matunuck, RI.

…there was work being done with Cannabis Bud Oil being ingested as leukemia treatment. Sign me up!

 

 

 

 

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Steve was in the living room, a few feet from my office, when I started bleating “HONEY, HONEY, HONEY, HONEY, HONEY!!!!” Steve is not as big a fan as I am, and only knew a couple of Third World’s songs, mostly from me singing them in the shower daily after buying the tickets. But he loves to watch musicians, particularly guitarists, to pick things up, so he was game.

The band actually did well on the US pop charts during the 70’s and 80’s with songs like 96 Degrees In The Shade, and a song co-written with Stevie Wonder called Try Jah Love. They even did a Reggae version of The O’Jays’ Now That We Found Love. Talented and versatile. So it was with great sadness that I read that their awesome lead singer, William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke, died in February at age 65 of leukemia.

When any young-ish person’s cause of death is leukemia I get a little nervous. Did they have what I have? Did the drugs stop working? What happened? But not much was published.

The Ocean Mist in Matunuck, RI is the best kind of dive beach bar. Weathered, added on to, leaning a bit, it has that sand in your shoes relaxed vibe that makes for a great bar. They also serve food. Not having any idea of the size of the crowd or how early they’d start packing them in we decided to go for dinner. I don’t have high expectations of bar food, but I have to say they served some of the best calamari I’ve had, over a tomato, garlic and banana pepper salsa with lime juice and tequila. And they had Red Stripe. It’s all good.

Being a small club the musicians are wandering around before the set, and a member of the crew (probably someone’s wife) was selling tee shirts. I went to take a look, and I offered my condolences on the loss of Bunny Rugs. I told her I had leukemia and I asked if she knew what kind he had. She told me Myelodysplastic syndrome, and that it had come on very quickly and took his life just as fast. Tragic. She asked about my treatment, and I told her I was one of the lucky ones who could take a targeted oral chemotherapy daily, and I was doing well. She mentioned the healing properties in THC, and that there was work being done with Cannabis Bud Oil being ingested as leukemia treatment. Sign me up! Once Medical Marijuana is available in Massachusetts (it’s legal, there’s just no place to buy it yet) I will investigate the possibilities with my oncologist. I think the side effects would be far superior (and a lot more fun) to those I have now.

The venue clears out the tables, chairs and barstools at 9PM, ticketholders get a wrist-band (with hibiscus flowers printed on it, how appropriate!) and everyone else gets thrown out. We struck up a conversation with 3 young guys from Connecticut. Big guys with uber-short haircuts who looked like they’d be happier at a Mighty Mighty Bosstones concert than a Reggae gig. But they were fans, knew all the greats and had been to a bunch of shows themselves. And proved it later in the evening. I told them the story of the photo of Steve sitting next to Bankie Banx I took in 2000 on Anguilla. As I snapped the shot Bankie was lighting up a joint the size of a burrito.

The band started hot and loud! We were dancing from the first song, clapping, singing and shouting. It was the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on in a long time. And a lot drier and warmer than Trombone Shorty at the Newport Jazz Festival. Stephen “Cat” Coore, the guitarist and cello player did a cello solo of one of Bob Marley’s tunes, and one of our Connecticut boys rose to the occasion. Situated close to the stage he turned around, raised his hands so everyone could see him, and led the crowd in Redemption Song, and God bless him, he knew all the words.

While Bunny Rugs will always be missed, the new singer, A.J. Brown, has an amazing baritone and was able to step right in. The energy, the fun, and the vibe in the place was infectious. I smiled like an idiot the entire time, and I was hoarse and deaf the next day.

Third World was actually the opening act for Yellow Man, for whom I have tremendous respect but have never really enjoyed as a performer. One song in an afternoon of Reggae hits is one thing; a set of nothing but Yellow Man was too much. So we stayed for a couple of songs, one being a good version of Shaggy’s 1993 hit Oh Carolina, and I was done.

As we walked out of the event we saw a mountain of furniture in the side lot of the Ocean Mist. So that’s where they put the tables and chairs! The artists’ tent was on the road side of the venue, and one of Third World’s keyboardists was hanging around outside. We got to thank him for the great show. And as we passed the tent I experienced what I knew had been missing all evening: that sweet smell of ganja wafting through the air. It’s all irie, mon.

Irie: (I-ree)- Means everything is alright. Expression of feeling great and cool.