Guerrillafinga

On Thursday I went to Sully's and caught a good set of reggae from Guerrillafinga , which deserved a much better reception than it got. The people who did vacate the Tiki Bar to catch the band really liked them. The band played a slightly smoothed-out version of reggae, that prominently featured the sax work of Peter Gualin, whose soulful wailing gave the songs a chilled-out cool, perfectly suited to the balmy weather outside.

They also mixed styles a bit, playing it laid back at times, or picking up the pace to a ska-like shuffle, which worked wonderfully on "Woe Is Me." They also did an ace cover of Max Romeo's "Iron Shirt," which featured guest toasting from Sully's regular Miss Angie. A good job all around.

- Hartford Advocate

by Brita Brundage - February 19, 2004

Since the last ska cycle known as third wave died down, scant attention has been paid to King Django , a man instrumental in ska's last swell. Django (real name: Jeff Baker) was born a Jewish-American with reggae roots in his blood, an MC with fast skatting ability. Through groups such as The Boilers, Skadanks, Skinnerbox, and The Stubborn All-Stars, and his studio--Version City Studios--and label--Stubborn Records--he's known as a one-man ska empire.
Tomas King, lead singer of local reggae band Guerrillafinga , he with the signature chin-reaching mustache, has been following Django's musical shifts for years. Two years ago, he emailed him. The self-titled record Guerrillafinga would later cut in Django's New Jersey studio is one of the area's best, featuring one clean reggae track after another, with insightful lyrics highlighted by King's deep, smooth voice. Unless they saw the group live, listeners would never know all members were white. In King's mind, and the mind of those who play with artists like Django, such distinctions hardly matter.

Guerrillafinga are more interested in uniting the various factions of the reggae scene and introducing Fairfield County audiences to all the sounds they're missing out on. On Feb. 27, they're bringing King Django and backing band The Jammyland Allstars to Jimmy's Seaside in Stamford. Jammyland is an old-style reggae group that can play nearly any song in the genre along with their originals. They are the record to Django's DJ, playing a style together known as "Sing-J," a sort of reggae rapping. According to King, Jammyland Records, located in Greenwich Village, is also the biggest reggae store in New York City. Jammyland's connections run deep, and if Guerrillafinga finds an audience for their reggae shows, they'll be able to pull in other major reggae acts like Sister Carol, The Congos and Kimani Marley. King's still feeling out other venues but wants to grow the shows at Jimmy's first, and hopes that, by the summer, locals will be demanding more reggae.

For the uninitiated, a new Version City Records compilation called Version City Sessions is a good launching place. Produced by Django, the disc has many incarnations of his performing groups as well as Soul Merchants, The Klez Dispensers, Steady Ras and "Kali Would" by Guerrillafinga. It's available at www.stubbornrecords.com. Guerrillafinga is also opening for local Latin groove rock band Cosmic Jibaros at Acoustic Café on Feb. 21, providing everyone plenty of time to learn all their songs for the Feb. 27 reggae-ska throw-down at Jimmy's.

- Fairfield county weekly

It was my first time in Tuxedo Junction in four long years of living in Fairfield County and the first thing that hit me was the sound. That heavy bass, right in the ribcage, right in the esophagus. It took me a while to inhale the whole place slowly--the bigness, the lights, the airiness, the giant stage and that huge sound. . . sheer rush. Having missed local openers Guerrillafinga, I grabbed their new CD, Citizen's Arrest, which offers incredibly polished reggae with the right touches of sax and almost-ska guitar. Tomas King's voice is so purely Jamaican-sounding he seems born to be a rasta-man. What's more, the lyrics are socially conscious, addressing everything from executives-gone-bad to reggae posers. - Fairfield county weekly

Best Reggae Band


Guerrillafinga

It may be surprising to some that Guerrillafinga, an all-white band, beat out some area Jamaican musicians for the reggae band honors, but not to those who've seen them play. Lead singer Tomas King is a natural roots singer with a buttery smooth voice perfect for the band's slow-dropping beats. The group features Marten Ostensen on guitar, Joe Pierson on drums, Pete Gaulin on horns and Jake Nest on bass. Guerrillafinga provides an easy-flow vibe laced with political commentary and pro-marijuana messages. Their songs are almost entirely originals. "We play at a lot more varied places," says King, explaining the win. "People more into the music scene as opposed to seeing a reggae cover band." Guerrillafinga has been instrumental in building a reggae/ska scene in the area, bringing in featured vocalists like King Django and the Jammyland Allstars for regular shows at Jimmy's Seaside. They've also decked out their studio space in an industrial warehouse in Bridgeport with a giant bar and a stage, throwing music parties that uphold their raw, DIY spirit. - fairfield weekly