Saturday, Feb. 1st @ the Date Shed in Indio
By Lisa Morgan
The Date Shed in Indio is bringing award winning, rocking, roots reggae to the Coachella Valley. Tribal Seeds, the hugely followed, San Diego based band, will perform at the infamous venue mere weeks before the release of their third and newest album, Representing. The band’s vocalist, keyboardist and producer, Tony-Ray, hints that this may be their best compilation to date. “It’s a big step up, as far as production goes…” he shared. “We spent a lot more time on the details and the sounds we wanted to use on this album, more than on any other album before. I don’t want to give too much away, but we’ll definitely be playing songs from the new album. It’s going to be a great show.”
The band, founded by two brothers, Tony-Ray Jacobo and Steven Rene Jacobo (lyrics, vocals, guitar) have been playing throughout Southern California since 2005. “My brother (Steven) and I grew up with Reggae being played in our house since birth, so we naturally developed a love for it. As we got older and began to understand the message more, and as we were inspired by live shows…there was just no other genre for us to pursue.” The band’s self-titled, debut album, Tribal Seeds, was released in 2008, followed by their second album, The Harvest, in 2009. Both of these were named iTune’s “Best Of” in the Reggae genre. Tribal Seeds won the “Best World Music” title at the San Diego Music Awards in 2008, and The Harvest, debuted at the number 5 spot on the Billboard Reggae Charts. In 2011, the EP, Soundwaves was released and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Reggae Charts. Three new singles, “Run The Show”, “Did Wrong” and “Night & Day” are currently available for download. The band’s dedication to the roots genre, their work ethic and constant touring schedule have much to do with their success in growing their own national and international popularity. Local favorite, Mikey Reyes (Soundcloud.com/themikeyreyes) of the reggae band Soul Opus (www.facebook.com/SoulOpusMusic) shared, “They are definitely a huge inspiration to me and Soul Opus; they are young Reggae musicians on the path to righteousness. They are one of the hardest working Reggae bands out there, and I only see them creating an even bigger and stronger vibe to follow for the masses.”
Throughout the years, the band has experienced personnel changes, but as Tony-Ray explained, “that’s normal with any band. Right now, we have a solid group that is focused on touring and passionate about the music.” The band including the two brothers also includes Carlos Verdugo (drums), Victor Navarro (bass), E.N. Young (keyboards, vocals) and Ryan Gonzo (guitar, vocals). For the two brothers, it’s been a life long partnership that just comes naturally. Tony-Ray credits this to the fact that they have always had “the same goal in mind, the same vision for the sound of the band, and like the same things.” While the guys are all about the music and rocking the reggae vibe, they are constant encouragers to their listening community to stand up and be heard regarding the wrongs they see in the world, a tradition that echos the genre’s spiritual and political foundations. Their music reaches out to all ages and backgrounds with no specific agenda or target. “We just write music that we love, lyrics that we love…we don’t aim our messages to any specific group. We just play the music that we love.”
The band has an incredible resume of internationally known bands with whom they’ve been honored to share stages with all over the United States, as well as Mexico, Guam and Aruba. That resume includes artists such as the Dave Mathews Band, Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Skrillex, MGMT, Cee Lo Green, Jason Mraz, Matisyahu, Sublime with Rome, Taking Back Sunday, O.A.R., Pretty Lights, Pepper, Collie Buddz, The Wailers, Julian Marley, Stephen Marley, Gregory Isaacs, SOJA, Rebelution and topping that list, the band, Midnight, whom they’ve had the opportunity to work with on a few occasions. But November provided an especially epic moment in the band’s musical history when they were invited to open for Steel Pulse. “They have always been our biggest inspirations as far as sound. My brother and I grew up with them, and it was a dream come true to share the stage with them and watch them from sidestage. It was an unreal experience.”
Tribal Seeds are set to deliver their own unreal experience to the listening public of all ages at the Date Shed this Saturday, Febuary 1st. Doors open at 7:30 pm and tickets prices start at $15. This will be the last date on their Winter West Coast Tour and you will not want to miss it. The Date Shed is located at the Indio Polo Grounds, 50725 Monroe Street, Indio. Tickets can be purchased at the door, on the web at www.dateshedmusic.com, or you can call the ticket office at 760.775.6699
Tribal Seeds music and tour dates can be found at the following links:
http://www.tribalseeds.net/
http://www.twitter.com/tribalseeds
https://new.myspace.com/tribalseeds
http://www.instagram.com/tribalseeds
http://www.reverbnation.com/tribalseeds
