Israel Vibration.
There isn't a more hypnotic voice than the lead singer in Izzy Vibe.

They've been around forever. Meaning, they're old -- how old, I have no idea. Just look at their Something About Mary "Tucker" crutches. Here is the question: Are those supposed to be a joke highlighting the fact that they know they're as ancient as petroleum, or do these guys really need Tucker crutches?

Judging by the fact that one of the guys -- twice, not once -- mistakenly thanked the lively crowd in Amsterdam for coming out, I'd guess they really might need them.

No matter. With that many years under their belts, it's just like my favorite Izzy Vibe song says: They've got to "give thanks to Jah they're still around."
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Don Carlos (formerly of Black Uhuru).
Black Uhuru is truly one of the most influential groups this genre of music has ever known. From the moment my NOLS Alaska instructor told me to check out their album Liberation Anthology in the summer of 2002, they have been one of my favorite bands.

But the first thing that comes to mind when I hear their name mentioned isn't dreads, or my NOLS course, or a bass guitar, or anything you might guess.

I think of Nick Pigneri, Miguel San Juan and Tony Kamel -- three friends from my days at Strake Jesuit.


It's because the first song I hear in my head is "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" -- a Black Uhuru take off of the Sidney Poitier classic, and also the title of one of my Life columns for the Cav Daily (which my mom brazenly copied just a year later, in a shameless display of theft).

The Pig and the Cuban dictator just think it's a hilarious song, and love to serenade me with it every time I see them.

Guess who's coming to dinnuuuuuuuuuhhhh, NATTY DREADLOCK! Guess who's coming to dinnuuuuuuuuuhhhh, NATTY DREADLOCK! (And so on and so forth, until I tell them to shut the hell up).

Tony Kamel, on the other hand, actually likes the song. In fact, he's had it periodically stuck in his head ever since he was a little kid, when he heard it on some movie that he cannot remember. But for a kid born to a very Italian mother who cooks for the entire nation of Sicily on a daily basis, the song stuck in little Anthony's brain for a reason.

He remembered it as a song that was singing about food.

Guess what's cooking for dinnuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh, NATTY DREADLOCK!

Last summer, when we were living together in Austin, Tony finally heard the song again after going so many years without being able to get it out of his head. It was like letting a cat out of the bag after keeping the zipper shut for 15 years.

"I can't believe you have this song!!!!! WOW!"

Well, guys, you're never gonna guess which song Don Carlos played at the Sundance. Only, since he didn't have his original group with him, it was a little different this time around.

"Guess who's coming to dinnnuhhhhhhh, DON CARLOS!"

To say that it brought a smile to my face would be an understatement. I would have paid millions to have seen Nick Pigneri in the crowd, just to see him going NUTS among all the heads and Rastas in his midst. And then, we would've gone to pick up Tony so we could meet up at Miguel's. Along the way, we'd have Tony call "Mom" San Juan and say "What's cooking for dinnnuhhhhhh?"

"PA-ELLLLLL-AHHH," the Cuban would reply.
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Steel Pulse.

Steel Pulse is twice as famous as Black Uhuru and Izzy Vibe combined. Like Gentleman, they have proved to be extremely elusive from ever allowing me the joy of seeing them play live. I had a ticket in hand to see them in February 2005 in Falls Church, Va. -- a little run-in with the traffic cops prevented that from going down. Then, last spring at UVa I had another ticket to see them at StarrHill -- and they cancelled the show.

My Redemption Song came in Eindhoven.

I don't really have anything else besides that to tell you, except to say, they were as good as billed. But it was nothing compared to what was the come after them -- the headliner of the festival, Alpha Blondy.