Photo by Dawoud Kringle
Date: September 2, 2014
Venue: Drom (NY)
Concert review and video by Dawoud Kringle
On a hot muggy early September night, Sweetcane brought their distinctive and innovative reggae to Drom. To quote their bio, “From vintage beginnings in Jamaican group Waterhouse/Chicago, rocking an early guitar skank, to the depths of the Haitian “Racine” movement, where the debut classic ‘Roots Carnaval’ is embraced by the Vodou intelligentsia,”
Fronted by lead guitar playing singer-songwriter Marko Pankovich, Sweetcane features drummer Harvey Wirht (Angelique Kidjo, Hassan Hakmoun etc.), bassist Ancelmo James (quickly quietly & SoSaLa), and keyboardist Pablo Vergara.
The band began their set with a song that, while the reggae was clearly dominant, there were dissimilar styles and genres that grew within the reggae essence.
The following song was more of a “pure” reggae. The slinky and hypnotic rhythm and religious lyrics held the audience in its undertow. Suddenly, the band shifted gears mid-song, and a driving funk manifested. Here, again, jazz elements appeared to flavor the music.
A sweet and danceable song followed that got people on their feet moving dreamily. Then, they did a very old school reggae song whose lyrics celebrated Brazil. With both songs, there were always breaks that had shimmering extended harmonies that one doesn’t normally hear in traditional reggae; and it worked nicely.
For the next song, Marko announced he was taking us “way back.” It turned out that this dong is evidently called “Way Back.” There was a romantic vibe in this song that evoked imagery of celebratory times.
They continued with one of those religious reggae songs that made declarations of Rastafarian prophecies. The song built to a beautiful climax.
Next, they presented a somewhat African style song. Yet the band somehow moved it back to a Caribbean/American sensibility. As this ended, they went into one of those spooky “Smoke A Cigar Size Spliff and Read The Book of Revelation” dubs.
Their final songs brought back that jazzy feel that seemed to always be lurking on the background, waiting for the right time to make their appearance, and had never been entirely absent from their music. It had an almost Steely Dan approach to mixing jazz elements in a pop genre.
The band was tight. The slick arrangements and syncopated rhythms were executed with absolute precision. The sonic textures of the guitar and keyboard added a unique personality to the music. I was particularly impressed with Wirht’s powerful and imaginative drumming.
Somehow, this music is appropriate for this last blast of summer, before the earth settles into its period of rest, and the people begin to turn their gaze inward against the cold. It is music that invokes the setting for friends and lovers to celebrate and enjoy life.
Here is a video of the whole show: http://www.gander.tv/event/drom-sweetcane-92-1030pm-1230am
