There was more than beer being consumed downtown at Capital Ale House on Sunday, October 27. Reggae rockers Passafire and Ballyhoo! brought their co-headlining tour to our fair city and, like a fine India Pale Ale, their music was filled with golden copper tone, smooth effect, and the highest quality ingredients.
There was more than beer being consumed downtown at Capital Ale House on Sunday, October 27. Reggae rockers Passafire and Ballyhoo! brought their co-headlining tour to our fair city and, like a fine India Pale Ale, their music was filled with golden copper tone, smooth effect, and the highest quality ingredients. Both bands have been on LAW Records and played many of the same festivals together, so it was just a matter of time before these two bands crossed paths and began touring together.
Passafire held a CD listening party for a handful of fans to promote their new album Vines, slated to be released on November 11. The album is their debut with their new record label Easy Star Records. Band Members Ted Bowne (vocals/guitar), Nick Kubley (drums), Will Kubley (bass/vocals) and Mike DeGuzman (Keys/Melodica) were more than hospitable, creating a relaxed atmosphere, singing and playing fan requests, posing for pictures, and unveiling the songs from Vines for our listening pleasure. “Phony Imposter,” with Will Kubley taking over lead vocals, got my attention, and it was a delightful surprise to hear the band moving in yet another direction.
“Tonight we’re gonna sing with the power of a thousand tongues,” sang Bowne, belting out “Kilo” from Submersible to proclaim the band’s intentions, infusing progressive rock runs in the reggae song amidst the militant key strokes of Degusman’s and Will’s syncopated bass lines. “Rubber Bands” off of Start From Scratch delved deeper into alternative music, as Nick’s drums delivered a great balance of resonance and depth, while his brother Will’s ubiquitous use of a guitar pick on bass was articulate and precise. On the song “Dimming Sky,” DeGuzman’s talent on keys and the melodica created a harmonic accordion effect that had folks singing to this fun cheery song. When the band played “Souvenir,” also from Vines, fans intently listened to hear each word Bowen sang: “As long as it takes, we’ve come to control you. Don’t make a mistake and turn down the volume.”
Make no mistake – the fans in attendance were absolutely ready to turn up the volume. As “Here In Front Of Me” from Everyone On Every Night was played, the audience cheered and responded by echoing every word. One fan later proclaimed, “I want you to know Passafire played ‘Here In Front Of Me’ last night in Richmond! I may or may not have peed myself a little. Yes, Passafire is that good. This is definitely a co-headline show!”
Mike DeGuzman answered a few questions:
What does the band name “Passafire” mean?
The name is a play on words based on Bob Marley’s album, Catch A Fire, but has taken on many other meanings through the years.
How do you describe your music to fans?
While many people classify us as reggae, I like to think we’re more a rock band with reggae influences. We’re influenced by all genres and try to incorporate them with our sound.
Who are your musical influences?
I grew up listening to classic rock and ‘90s alternative, so that will always have an influence on me. From a piano-playing perspective, jam bands have influenced me the most, since players in that genre tend to be the most versatile. Some keyboard players that come to mind as my influences are Page McConnell, Kyle Hollingsworth, and Joel Cummins.
How is your new album Vines different from your other albums?
Vines might be considered our “heaviest” sounding album and may actually stray more away from reggae than past albums, but I think fans will pleasantly find it to still retain the classic Passafire sound. Although this is our least reggae-sounding album, we will be releasing it through our new relationship with world-renowned reggae label Easy Star Records. It is a great partnership that helps better position us to achieve our goals as a band while diversifying Easy Star’s roster with a progressive reggae band.
Showcasing their latest studio album Pineapple Grenade from their new label, Right Coast Records, Ballyhoo! offered a crisp, robust and balanced mix of punk, rock, and reggae at Capital Ale House, much like a Guinness Stout.
Bottled-up pressure and emotions erupted as Ballyhoo! – Howi Spangler (Vocals/guitar), Donald Spangler on drums, J.R. Gregory (bass/vocals), and Scott Vandrey (Keys/vocals) – took the stage with “Battle Cry” from Pineapple Grenade. “I’ve been saying this for a long time. Don’t let life pass you by. Dream a little dream and take it to the world. Maybe I should take my own advice, and not get left behind. Hands into the sky and scream your battle cry!”
The song starts with an upbeat sliding synth theremin patch created by Vandrey, reminiscent of a sci-fi movie score. It is eerie yet fun, and quite appropriate for the Halloween season. Howi declares that life will be okay if one presses on. He played great runs on the guitar, along with Gregory’s bass line riffs and Donald’s drum accents, creating a sense of urgency to not let life go on without you. The fans sang back the chorus in triumph, echoing the band’s message.
The song “No Good” off of Pineapple Grenade, produced by Rome Ramirez and featured on FuseTV this week as “The Song Of The Day,” had the fans crooning along with Howi. “I don’t want to see your face for the rest of my life…” This catchy pop tune has an electric synth dub effect that fuels the chorus and is carried along by J.R.’s driving bass vibrations. Fan favorites like “Scarlet Blue,” Medium Rare’s “Bad Credit,” Do It For The Money’s “Last Night,” and Daydreams received the most vocal appreciation from the audience, with everyone reeling in their familiarity. People were up and moving, just in time for the last song of the set, “Outta My Mind.” This punk rock song is upbeat, fun and, appropriately from its title, more than a little crazy. Ballyhoo!’s set included a variety of songs from all of their albums and was filled with their unique blend of reggae, punk and alternative rock – and the fans absolutely loved it.
The BrewHaHa Tour with Passafire and Ballyhoo! is an aggressive, balanced body of complex and detailed musical viscosity melding and stretching the boundaries of reggae music which make you thirsty for a full bodied brew of Victory Dark Intrigue. These two bands can’t be pigeonholed into a single genre; they are just too versatile musically.
If you should come across The BrewHaHa Tour with Ballyhoo! and Passafire in the future, here or anywhere, be sure to sign up for the Vines Listening Party on Passafire’s Facebook page, and then go to see and hear this clean, intense progressive reggae/punk/alternative/rock show. You will not be disappointed.
Scott Vandrey answered a few questions.
How have the fans reacted to Pineapple Grenade?
So far it’s been pretty much positive from fans. It is a little lighter than the previous Daydreams album, but it still has the Ballyhoo! sound, despite the variety of styles incorporated into the album. We’re very proud of it and people seem to dig it so far.
After The Summer Sickness tour with Authority Zero, how is the BrewHaHa Tour different?
We’ve been hitting a lot of secondary markets, places we haven’t been to much or have never been to; whereas Summer Sickness was mostly primary markets.
How do you keep the writing process fresh?
This time around we all had our own mini recording studios. So, after four or five days of pre-production while Donald recorded drums, the rest of us could go to our separate areas and hash out our own parts as much as we wanted. Was nice having the extra time to work out the details and practice the parts before actually tracking began.
Any exciting plans for the band in the near future?
We are planning on taking the BrewHaHa Tour with Passafire to the west coast next January/February.
