Rebelution’s Winter Greens Tour arrived at the NorVa for two sold-out shows on February 14 and 15.
Rebelution’s Winter Greens Tour arrived at the NorVa for two sold-out shows on February 14 and 15. The bands shared their Valentine’s Day love with the fans through their mixture of alternative jazz and roots, reggae music, delighting the audience and proving that Virginia is indeed for (music) lovers.
New Orleans native Khris Royal’s alternative/jazz-fusion group, Dark Matter, opened the show with an impressive mix of funk, jazz and hip hop. I have heard Khris’s sax playing with Rebelution and knew he was quite talented, but I had no idea how diverse his talent was until this weekend. At age 24, this young man is going places. Fellow members Terrence Hurston (drums), DJ Raymond (bass), Kyle Roussel (keys), and Danny Able (guitar) complete the band and perform a high-energy instrumental alternative jazz fusion.
The band’s signature song, “Kendrick’s World,” offered shades of sounds reminiscent of jazz greats Spyro Gyra and Wayne Shorter, with a little of Mike Oldfield’s “Clear Light,” from Tubular Bells II, mixed in. Then, when you least expect it, they drop in a hip hop cadence added just to impress the youth. One audience member said the song “Dark Matter” reminded him of the Power Rangers theme song. This band really appealed to this diverse crowd of fans.
At age 20, reggae-rocker Cris Cab might be viewed as inexperienced, but he has had guidance and mentoring from the likes of Pharrell Williams and Wyclef Jean. Cris started playing the guitar at age 10 and recording in the studio at age 14, so he has a few years under his belt. He began the evening set with “Rihanna’s Gun,” a reggae song about love gone awry, that asks “Why do you bring roses to a gun fight?” The song brought the crowd to their feet to chant the chorus: “She shot me one time, she shot me two times…” It’s clear that the teens and twenty-somethings know who he is! Cris has a mature warm voice that belies his age, as can be heard on the songs “Liar Liar” and “Heaven.” This hard-working and dedicated musician shows great promise. Give him a listen and then go see him.
“Paradise”- Cris Cab (Official) from BRTHR on Vimeo.
The climax of the evening was headliner Rebelution. Founding band members Eric Rachmany (guitar/lead vocals), Rory Carey (Keys), Marley D. Williams (bass) and Wesley Finley (drums) hail from Southern California and all met in college. They have been performing for the past 10 years, building a huge fan base. Recently Khris Royal (sax) joined the band on the road, adding depth and a funk-soul quality on sax.
It was absolute joy to see Rebelution perform both nights. I wanted to listen and just enjoy the show on Friday night, and shoot pictures of the Saturday show. Most bands might play the same songs both nights, but Rebelution surprised me with two different sets. It adds so much to the performances when a band has a lot of songs from which to choose.
On Friday night, the audience was given a Valentine’s surprise treat. Rebelution played three new songs from their upcoming album, to be released this spring. If “Counterfeit Love,” “DeStress,” and “Roots Reggae Music” are any indication of what the entire album has to offer, reggae fans will be as overjoyed as the audience was this night. I am loving Marley’s bass runs and Wes’ prominent drum beats, finished off by Rory’s keys and Khris’ sax on “DeStress.” This song picks it up a notch and really rocks! These band members are a true tour band and sound fantastic live. Their musicianship is spot on.
With songs like the title track from Bright Side of Life (“Show me love and I’ll come through”) and “Feeling Alright,” from Courage to Grow (“I’m gonna pick up that soul’s intention to soak in music relaxation. We’re feeling good. We’re feeling all right”), you truly believe Eric as he sings, and then you begin to feel it yourself. If you want positive feel-good vibes, this band is for you. They know how to lift you up, counsel you, help you meditate and rock your world. Their new album can’t come out soon enough.
