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I continually marvel at the far-reaching influence of reggae, particularly how adeptly bands based nowhere near Jamaica, the Caribbean or reggae's spiritual homeland of Africa have picked up on the authentic roots style. The outfit here- hailing from U.S. Pacific Northwest- don't skimp on or try to water down that reggae sound known the world over. They may not get rich doing it, but they do right by their Jamaican predecessors and listeners who like it real.
According to my handy dictionary, to "instigate" is "to goad or urge forward." And as a flourish of horns and a cry of "yes, this is a conscious time !" signal at the start of Living Gift, the latest CD by a band out of Portland called Instigators, there are urgent messages of love, unity, respect and environmental concerns to move towards. The musical expertise with which the band addresses such messages is tight, catchy and heartfelt as chugging reggae tempos bolstered by funky keyboards, horn and guitar accents punctuate understated lyrics. The sound is both fresh and familiar, and these Instigators fully succeed in capturing the forward-moving spirit that the best reggae has always been all about.
Tom Orr 11/22/06 - World Beat Central
rating: 4 reggae heads (out of 5)It's great to see another album from Portland, Oregon's Instigators come out. Those whose whistle were whetted by their 2002 release "Live on KBOO" should rejoice over "Living Gift" have no reason to not check out cracking studio album. About half ok
livi gift consists of songs from Live on KBOO, providing the opportunity to compare the live to recorded versions (generally not much difference- an indication of either the honed quality of their live performances or the organic nature of their recordings). The Instigators bring infectious, sing-a-long vocals and swaying roots music buoyed by a lively horn section. It's the hard-to-resist sound should appeal to casual listeners (who will eat up gems like "Footprints" and "Clean Air",) and hardened reggae aficiandos (who should relish "Bright & Sunny Day" and "Star Shine") alike. Conscious Time, which appears on the live album as well continues to be one of the most gorgeous roots jams in years, harkening back to the heyday of Steel Pulse. The tranquil "Make A Change" and the groovy roots of "Peace & Overstanding" provide ample support, giving us hope for the future of this band. The Instigators are trult starting something here.
http://www.reggae-reviews.com/instigators.html - Reggae Reviews
Discography
"Live on KBOO" - 2002 by Instigators Music available through cdbaby.com
"Living Gift" - 2006 on I-Sight Records IRS-101 available through cdbaby.com and distributed by IDC nationally.
several tracks from Living Gift are getting local and regional radio support as well internet radio (skyfm.com roots reggae, big up radio)
"White House Sez" (single) appears on Natural Mystic Music release “Dread in America” volume II - Babylon Burns
Photos
Bio
Instigators was formed in 1996 by Daniel Lamb. Original members Scott "One Drop" Valpey, Daniel Lamb, Newel Briggs and Zelly Rock were playing together in other groups and decided to create something new yet familiar.
While touring with Mikey Dread & Jah Levi & the Higher Reasoning, Daniel wrote over 200 songs with the idea that the music would someday be performed live. Instigators is the vehicle for the performance of these songs.
The band has remained a strong presence in the Pacific NW and has been recognized as one of a handful of US reggae bands who keep it real. Their new CD Living Gift is one of the best U.S. reggae albums of all time, ranking with bands like John Brown's Body and Groundation.
Hailing from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Instigators don't skimp on or try to water down that reggae sound known the world over. They have been compared to Steel Pulse and Burning Spear and do right by their Jamaican predecessors and listeners who like it real.
With a flourish of horns and a cry of "yes, this is a conscious time!" signal at the start of Living Gift, (the latest CD) there are urgent messages of love, unity, respect and environmental concerns to move towards. The musical expertise with which the band addresses such messages is tight, catchy and heartfelt as chugging reggae tempos bolstered by funky keyboard, horn and guitar accents punctuate understated vocals singing uplifting lyrics. The sound is both fresh and familiar, and these Instigators fully succeed in capturing the forward-moving spirit that
the best reggae has always been all about.
Instigators play real reggae with conscious lyrics.
They have performed at many venues in the NW such as:
Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
Hornings Hideout, North Plains, OR
Roseland Theatre, Portland OR
NW World Reggae Festival, 2005 & 06
Reggae on the River Oregon at Champoeg State Park, 1998
Musicfest NW, Portland, OR
Berbati’s Pan, Portland, OR
Oregon Country Fair
Mateel Community Center, Redway, CA
Island Earth Fair, Vashon Is, WA
and many more.
They have shared the stage with Burning Spear, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Steel Pulse, Bunny Wailer, Lucky Dube to name just a few.
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