WeedTRACKER Music

Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 9:00pm
Location: Beta Lounge
Street: 2129 Durant St.
City/Town: Berkeley, CA
Email: get@thebetalounge.com

Description:
Come out and party at Berkeley’s newest hot spot, BETA LOUNGE! Dance, Drink and network with some of the Bay Area’s finest new artists and musicians and get to know other members and staff from the northern California WeedTRACKER community.
- Featured Canvas Paintings by Raymond Sanchez
- DJ MRC from 104.1 Oakland’s “The Slap Hour” & Citizen from The Understudies/104.1’s “The G.O.D. Hour” in the mix all night playing everything from a MJ tribute(RIP) to jazz to bay slaps to oldies!
- Venture Capitalists (Self Ad & Welsed of WeedTracker Music artists The Understudies) “Rate of Exchange” Bay Area album release party

July 11th

http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/music/2009/06/scene_jah_warrior_shelter_hi_f.html

Reggae: still fresh? Yes. A lot of stereotypes have attached themselves to reggae over the years, not all of them good or true. But this is the Bay, a blazing nexus for the sound, and a spirit of liveliness and innovation can always be found here — especially if members of the classic Jah Warrior Shelter Hi Fi sound system are twisting it. Since 1988, the crew has been rocksteady on the roots scene — and hardly a evening goes by that you won’t find Rocker T, Jah Yzer, I-vier, or Irie Dole lighting up the decks or the mic with his unique approach somewhere. Serious with that: besides Jah Warrior Shelter’s weekly Bless Up joint at Milk every Tuesday (celebrating its five-year anniversary July 14) and Toppa Top blast at Club Six every Thursday night, the crew brings the fire to EndUp, Laszlo, Luka’s, Pier 23, Oasis, Jelly’s … I-Vier co-helms KPFA’s Reggae Express show with Spliff Skankin, the sound system has snagged numerous soundclash competition titles, and Jah Warrior Shelter mixtapes flow like rolling verbiage throughout the scene. Check out their mad productivity at www.jahwarriorshelter.com.

SFBG Why do you think reggae has found such a home here?

Irie Dole San Francisco has always been a hub for reggae music and performers. The hippie movement’s peace and love vibration naturally attracted Rastas — foundation artists Jacob Miller and Hugh Mundell were known to be around the city quite a bit. With San Francisco’s beautiful landscape, healthy food, and lax weed laws, reggae just fell into place with a lot of people of our generation. California is the ganja capital of the world, the Bay Area is the reggae capitol of California — San Francisco is the place to be.

SFBG Have you seen the scene evolve at all?

Irie Dole It has definitely evolved over my short career — there used to be more Caribbean folks here who fed the scene with personal and social interests and raised the demand for events and goods. Without the core Caribbean [being so] massive anymore, and the city cracking down on the nightlife, central venues like Maritime Hall and events like Reggae in the Park have fallen by the wayside. But the reggae community is always there, always younger folks who have been brought up on the One Love mentality, with motivation to make things better.

I-Vier It’s good and growing. I’m always surprised by how many people are in tune with Jamaican and reggae dancehall out here. It seems as though every day there’s a new person that connects. It’s all about the youth, because they are obviously the future. One of my favorite things is to hear friends say that their little brother, sister, and even students borrow/steal one of our mix CDs. It’s good to know that positive music is reaching Bay Area youth.

SFBG What do you think of dubstep, which has its roots in reggae and dub music?

Irie Dole Reggae has spawned so many variations that I wasn’t shocked when I heard about dubstep — but I was surprised when I heard how unique it is. Someone really stretched the boundaries with that one.
I-Vier Dubstep is a newer subgenre of reggae that is gaining huge momentum.
I think of it as wicked hardcore steppers-style infused with house. Definitely influenced by roots reggae, but there’s also lots of classic and current dancehall dubstep remixes too.

SFBG Your events are more lively than some expect …

Irie Dole Our parties our always high energy and positive. We pride ourselves on pleasing the crowd — they come first. People also check us out to hear what’s new or what’s poppin’. Jah Yzer keeps it nicer, mixing all the classics just right, I-Vier busts the newest tunes, and Irie Dole makes sure the party never stops.
I-Vier What sets us apart from a lot of other reggae and dancehall DJs is our ability to read crowds and mix new with old. You can find us playing all kinds parties from dub to hardcore dancehall, hip-hop, even salsa.
Jah Yzer We mix with the fire. People know when they come see us, they’re gonna dance.

BLESS UP
Tuesdays, 9 p.m., $7
Milk
1840 Haight, SF.
www.milksf.com

TOPPA TOP
Thursdays, 9 p.m., $5
Club Six
66 Sixth St., SF.
www.clubsix1.com

CHECK IN WITH CITIZEN (of WTM artist The Understudies): “Whatup Weedtrackers??!?!,
We’ve been busy out here at the Scumbag Complex working on the all new understudies crew album, and getting ready to head out on tour(Citizen w/ Cobbo, Influence & Ro Knew and Venture Capitalists) in support of the next two releases on WeedTRACKER Music: Citzen’s “In Search of Her Soul” EP & Ro Knew’s “High Times In Low Places”. We’ll be heading out all over the west coast and bringing our comrades Venture Capitalists, fresh off the release of their new album “Rate of Exchange”, along for the ride. Stay tuned for details, cities and dates and photos of our new t shirt designs we’ll have on tour.

PLAYING IN THE DANCEHALL AT SIERRA NEVADA WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Jah Warrior Shelter High Fidelity is an award winning sound system based in California’s Bay Area.

Selector Jahson Reuben, alongside MCs E-Dom, Quality and Monty Irie, originally ran the sound out of Free Port Long Island, NY in 1987. In the summer of 1988, Rocker T, hailing from Brooklyn NY, linked with the crew and became the official Singjay for Jah Warrior Shelter. Over the next 4 years Rocker T continued to build JWS, adding DJs and MCs including Puppy Ranks, Major 1, Jamalski, GT English, Lenky Don, Ronnie Dread and Smoki. With regular resident dances in Manhattan, NY including The Wetlands, Lonestar Café, S.O.B.’s, Tramps and The Z-Bar, JWS was a fixture on NY’s reggae scene. In 1992, Jahson Reuben officially handed the sound to Rocker T.

Teaming up with Daddy B and International Hi Power, JWS ran the legendary Lions Den in Manhattan from 1994-1996. In 1996, after linking with Monty Joe (Culture Yard), Jah Warrior Shelter had its first clash at Culture Yard in Spanish Harlem. Held at a Twelve Tribes of Israel Dance with Freddie McGregor and Jah Faith, JWS played the few dubs that they had and gained a reputation as the “likkle big sound”.

Rocker T moved to California in 1997, toured the West Coast, released several albums and established himself as a top selector in the area. After being introduced by Jamalski to selector Jah Yzer, Rocker T began MCing for Jah Yzer across The Bay Area.

In 1998 Rocker T invited Jah Yzer to join him for studio production work in NY. Bringing along DJ I-Vier, Jah Yzer headed East. After running a few dances in Manhattan over the course of that summer (Spoon, Coney Island High), Rocker T added the two rising DJs to Jah Warrior Shelter. All three returned to the Bay Area and in 1999 DJ Irie Dole joined the crew.

Throughout the 2000’s Jah Warrior Shelter has established itself as one of California’s leading sounds, winning 9 Sound Clash titles.

Each selector in the crew has his unique style, earning well deserved recognition, not only as a clash sound, but a top juggling sound as well. In The Bay Area, you can always find a Jah Warrior Shelter Hi Fi dance to go to and have a good time, either with individual selectors or together as one sound.

http://www.snwmf.com/jahwarriorshelterhifi.html