Last night I had the chance to see one of my favorite reggae bands, Easy Star All-Stars, at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. Known for bringing some of the best reggae acts to San Diego, the Belly Up’s relaxed and intimate atmosphere mixed with superb sound quality is a great pick for seeing any concert. After indulging in a Red Stripe and some soul fries, I was ready to chill out and experience an amazing first set by Australian roots/reggae band Blue King Brown before the main event.
Best known for their reggae covers of albums by Pink Floyd, Radiohead and The Beatles, the All-Stars quickly won over the audience with their amped up energy, impressive vocal and music talents and uncanny ability to create music from other bands that sounds like it should have been an original reggae song. As a self-proclaimed music snob, I don’t usually throw around phrases like “the best reggae concert I’ve ever seen,” “two thumbs way up,” or “a must-see for any reggae fan”. In fact, Easy Star All-Stars left me completely speechless (a first for me), so instead of explaining how great it was and how superb the San Diego reggae scene is, I thought I’d add a video from their previous Belly Up performance.
Now that I’m back on a reggae kick, I’ve investigated weekly reggae happenings throughout San Diego County so that everyone can get their fill of the chill vibes and irie jams:
- Canes Bar and Grill – Reggae Sundays featuring local reggae artists. Most Sundays from 4-6 p.m.
- RT Longboards Grill – Live reggae with The Devastators every Sunday at 10 p.m.
- Zen 5 Sushi – Reggae music and delicious sushi all night long.
- Gallagher’s– Reggae night every Thursday at this Ocean Beach pub.
- Wavehouse – Laid Back Fridays with rotating reggae groups starting at 6 p.m.