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Tonight: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

October 29, 2015

Fresh off the May release of their fifth studio album Bright Days, Rochester’s favorite live reggae jam band, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will be returning to Buffalo’s The Tralf tonight. While Bright Days was mostly an exercise in finely crafted, laid-back roots-rock, the band’s usual live sound is a funky, low-end heavy mix of jam-band rock and dub reggae. It’ll be anybody’s guess which style they decide to bring to tonight’s show. My hope is a little of both. Bright Days is an amazingly natural-sounding, with the Eagles-esque soft rock of tunes like “Trust In Time” and the country ballad “Humboldt County Gold.” You’d think they took more influence from the Band than the Wailers. Still, it’s things like the electronic-tinged reggae rhythms of “Missing You More,” the funky wah wah bass of “Love You More” and the 420-friendly lyrics of “Mr. Cop” that the band is best known for. Opening[...]

Tonight: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

April 11, 2015

To the uninformed, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad is Rochester’s premier dub reggae crew. That may sound like a particularly narrow and unessential niche to reign over, but the decade-old quintet is, in fact, one of the most popular and skillful live acts to emerge from The Flower City in recent years. With their mix of chill Caribbean rhythms, spaced-out soundscapes, and heavy low-end sounds, it’s easy to see why the band is so well loved by everyone from dub fanatics (as in the sub-genre of reggae, which is a world apart from the EDM atrocity that is dubstep) to college-aged stoners and reggae aficionados. Though Giant Panda has only put out a handful of studio LPs since their 2004 formation, the group has nursed a sizable and much-deserved cult following due mainly to the strength of their live shows. You can hear tons of their performances for free, and[...]

Tonight: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

October 2, 2014

Catch three of Rochester’s best acts on one bill tonight at the Tralf to support Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. The boundary-bending reggae act is known for their live shows, and they truly put the jam in jam band. Their latest album, Steady dropped September 30th on NYC-based indie label Easy Star Records. The release party also features 585 favorites Maybird, a five-piece compilation of BK and Rochester artists, including Overhand Sam Snyder, and Josh and Adam Netsky. Special guests Occupanther round out the bill. Tickets for the event are available for $15 online, at the Tralf Box Office (716-852-2860), Terrapin Station, and Walmart. Doors for this 21+ show are at 8pm, and music starts at 9pm.