Tom Chasteen's Dub Club Tomorrow Night

14 Jul

Screening Of The Documentary, Return Of The Rub-A-Dub Style

I’ve had some pretty amazing musical experiences in my life—Ibiza, many Moontribes in the So Cal desert, Zouk in Singapore, Winter Music Conference for over a decade, partying with X-Press 2 in Tokyo, but a night out in Cape Town, South Africa at this dub/dancehall club slays all other experiences. I was one of the only white guys in a room of 200 or so pogo dancing Africans. Everyone was going nuts non-stop. One person would take the mic, say a few words before someone else with something to say snatched it out of his hand. The process just kept repeating. The smell was so bad that the BO just lingered like a mist in the air. There was no need for a machine to make smoke—everyone in the club seemed to contribute to that cause. The beer was warm. And it was amazing.

If you appreciate the reggae sound and experience, tomorrow night’s Dub Club (Echoplex, 1154 Glendale in Echo Park) should be pretty amazing too. Tom Chasteen is bringing in Trinity, one of the top DJs from the ‘70s era of reggae, for a rare live performance. He can go from a Big Youth influenced testifying style of toasting to lyrics with a wicked sense of humor to singing a few bars. His tune “Three Piece Suit” was the basis for the huge hit “Uptown Top Ranking” by Althea and Donna. Truly a great live performer who hardly ever plays in the states, let alone LA. Maybe he will jump off the stage with the mic and start chatting in the middle of the crowd. Plus long time Dub Club favorite Tippa Lee backed by Echodelic Sound. Tippa had several huge Jamaican hits in the ‘80s, including “No Trouble We”. If you’re not sold yet, there’s a screening of the new documentary film Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style. The film, directed by Steve Hanft and produced by Tom Chasteen, starts at 9pm and the admission is free before 9:30!

Return Of The Rub-A-Dub Style