Gizzae at the Redstone Room -- September 15.
Friday, September 15, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Their musical experiences having collectively earned them Grammy Awards, Chicago Music Awards, and opening sets for some of the biggest names in reggae, the Midwestern world-music artists of Gizzae headline a September 15 concert event at Davenport's Redstone Room, these talents having previously collaborated with the legendary likes of Ziggy Marley, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, and Talking Heads.
Presently composed of six gifted musicians whose full biographies can be found at Gizzae.com, the band features Brian “Rocket” Rock (singer/bass). "Born in Roseau, Dominica, before the Bob Marley days of reggae, Brian Rock grew up listening to the exotic sounds of local musicians from the streets and beaches of his homeland. As reggae developed and soon became popular, Rock was already playing any instrument he could land his hands on. Writing, composing and arranging music was what came next. 'I was always eager to learn how to play music, different types of music, then different instruments.' Rock began singing and performing in the U.S. with several bands in the '70s and was doing odd jobs during the day to make ends meet. The gigs started coming more often, and the drive to make it professionally took over.
"Working as an accomplished bass player and singer enabled Rock to work with: Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Judy Mowatt, Culture, and Moja Nya, to name a few. 'The '70s was a wicked time to be playing,' he says. Rocket was touring with Moja Nya at the time, playing gigs alongside Dallol, which housed Ruphael, Asrat and former Gizzae keyboardist DJ. Eventually, Dallol split up and started forming a Chicago based band named Gizzae. Rocket was asked to come and play drums and to possibly sing. As it all worked out it was Rock moved over to bass and was singing the lead. He also has written most of Gizzae’s original music, but he would never tell you that, instead saying, 'It all just came together.' Rock has been pulling double-duty singing and playing bass for the last 7 years with Gizzae and wouldn’t have it any other way."
Formed in 1992 after the breakup of Dallol (Ziggy Marley’s Touring Band) and Moja Nya (New York), Gizzae soon became a fan favorite in the Chicago and Midwest reggae scene. A Sunday-night staple at the fledgling Wild Hare, fans started to come out to hear this new reggae band in force and 29 years later, they still rock the house. Working and playing with such a vast array of musical styles and talents has enabled Gizzae to create a unique blend of Roots Reggae. Rocket and Gizzae’s brand of jam-reggae is always backed with strong guitar solos, riffing-warm pads and ambient vibes from their lineup. Some songs are heavily influenced by Soca, Cumpas, calypso, and other genres such as jazz, rock, and blues. Just when you think you’ve heard everything Gizzae has to offer, the band instinctively and seamlessly transitions into Bob Marley reggae/blues finale to satisfy the keyboard and guitar solo fans.
Gizzae plays their Redstone Room engagement on September 15, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $12-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
