Dirty Hippie Radio: Sunsets, Suds, and Sounds
Urban Dread’s jam master Jay at Santa Clarita.
Next week the South Bay will anxiously usher in the summer. This means more booze, less clothes, and some serious beach time. It also means super mugs and sunsets; which of course means Naja’s.
Naja’s is well known for the largest and most diverse beer selections in town, as well as being one of the best spots to grab a sunset mug with some live music. House band, the Landsharks, have been rocking sud-suckers for generations, but there’s been an additional sound coming from Naja’s these days. While reggae and summer at the beach go together like snow and skis, it’s worth noting that Urban Dread has taken up a Saturday residency at Naja’s as well.
For over 20 years Urban Dread has been blending roots reggae, dub, rock, dance-hall, funk, soul, ska, hip-hop, and reggaeton. Mixing with a collage of original tunes, they also get the audience moving and shaking with reggae renditions of familiar classics by the likes of The Rolling Stones and Sublime. It’s a good one to remember when your hunger for reggae music overlaps with your thirst for beer; the sunset behind the sail boats is just the icing on the cake (or the foam on the mug).
Lighthouse Brightens Week with World Music Festival
Like an ancient Redwood tree silently observing the passing of time and enduring the ever-changing decades, The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach has watched over the ebb and flow of life bubbling around it. Except, this tower of power has not bided its time so quietly.
The Lighthouse has stood as a beacon for live music since the 1940s, and was known as one of the most important jazz venues in the world throughout the ‘50s. It became one of the hippest scenes in the ‘60s, and still continues to make great noise into the 2000s.
The club is hosting its Second Annual World Music Festival June 21 to June 27. This year’s festival is broader and more international than last year’s, and over 20 bands will perform.
The music will include an amalgam of rock, jazz, acoustic, reggae, Cajun, dub, Zydeco, rap, Latin, funk, pagode, calypso, ska, and samba.
“We’ve got a great line-up; it’s gonna be a great festival!” says CJ Chiappinelli of The Lighthouse Cafe. “We’ve got a couple of really good international artists as well.”
True to CJ’s word, The Collectibles – featuring Santa Davis on drums, who has toured with Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, and Peter Tosh – perform June 22. Reggae legend Pato Banton takes the stage on June 26. Detour, who has backed Barrington Levy and Gregory Issacs, will also be present. Other performers include The Bonedaddys – L.A.’s original world beat band, The Untouchables – Rocksteady/Ska masters — and Brasilidade, playing the best of Brazilian samba and pagode.
All access passes for the full seven days can be purchased for $50, and this includes a commemorative T-shirt; otherwise the event is $10 each day. For tickets and a complete schedule see www.thelighthousecafe.net.
Urban Dread will perform Saturday at Naja’s Place, on King Harbor’s International Boardwalk, and most Saturdays throughout the summer. For more on the band, go to www.urbandread.com.
Praises above, criticisms below, all else to dirtyhippie@dirtyhippieradio.com. ER