Dressed in a mustard-colored suit and swaying freely on stage, a
passionate Mikey Dread brought the political, spiritual and musical
positivity of reggae to Westwood Plaza Monday at noon.
“A lot of people don’t know what reggae is all
about, all they know is Bob Marley and ganja. Bob Marley and ganja.
But there’s more to it than that,” he said.
The seminal DJ, producer and performer was intent on proving his
point, singing age-old themes of freedom and individuality, and
applying them to the audience to make them sound more immediate.
Though he’s a living legend in Jamaica, Dread played to a
noticeably modest crowd. That didn’t stop him from rallying
those around him with the sounds to which he’s devoted his
life.
Musically, Dread hit a familiar note. To the uninitiated ear
reggae is less varied than most other musical genres, with its
typical rhythms and horns. Dread’s backing band of guitar,
drums, keyboards and a sampler rounded out the sound, and the deep
rumbling bass left no doubt as to the kind of music being played on
Bruin Walk.
“Are you enjoying yourself so far?” he asked,
getting an enthusiastic crowd response.
His next question was typically subversive: “Are you ready
for war?”
But he wasn’t into focusing on the nitty-gritty politics
of the issues at hand. A veteran activist best known in the United
States for his work with British legends The Clash, Dread aimed to
liven up the masses a bit, politically as well as musically ““
he even felt compelled to jump out into the crowd and encourage
singing along.
“Show them you can get straight As even when you
skateboard every night or burn your bongs,” he said.
He preached the typical rally cries of disenchanted young adults
““ nothing too revolutionary, but consistently satisfying.