AGGROLITES HELP REGGAE HIT L.A. IN A FUNKY, FESTIVE WAY.Byline: FRED SHUSTER >MUSIC WRITER Fast, danceable reggae music -- or whatever passes for it these days -- is still a popular fixture on the club circuit. Ever since U.K. acts like Madness, the Specials and the English Beat broke through to the KROQ crowd in the early '80s, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has welcomed rock-oriented ska and reggae outfits, and the region has spawned a crop of formidable acts of its own. Chief among them lately is the five-member Aggrolites, which incorporates r&b and soul while sticking close to the pop-oriented rootsy sound of Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label specialising in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Beginnings and heyday , the label that fed the U.K.'s skinhead skinhead Member of an international youth subculture characterized by hair and dress styles evoking aggression and physical toughness. Typical skinhead style includes shaved heads, combat boots, tattoos, and prominent body piercings. ska, rocksteady and reggae craze in the late '60s. Led by singer/guitarist Jesse Wagner, the Aggrolites backed Rancid's Tim Armstrong on his recent solo record and have just released its third album, "Reggae Hit L.A." Tonight, the group headlines "The Aggrolites' Funky Fiesta" at West Hollywood's Key Club, co-starring local acts Breakestra, the Boogaloo Boogaloo (shing-a-ling, popcorn music) is a genre of Latin music and dance that was very popular in the United States in the late 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans and Puerto Ricans. Assassins, Police & Thieves, the Misguided and others. Next month, the Aggrolites open for Social Distortion Social Distortion (sometimes referred to simply as Social D) is a seminal punk rock band formed in 1978 in Orange County, California.<ref name="history" /> The band currently consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitars), Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham (guitars), Brent on Dec. 11 at the House of Blues House of Blues (HOB) is a chain of music halls and restaurants founded in 1992 by Hard Rock Cafe founder Isaac Tigrett and his friend and investor Dan Aykroyd. It is a home for live music and southern-inspired cuisine, whose clubs celebrate African-American culture, specifically Anaheim. We called Wagner at home in Orange County for his take. What's the Funky Fiesta? It's a party we're throwing. There are two rooms with bands ranging from punk to reggae to old-school soul to hip-hop. We wanted to play with bands whose music we enjoy. It's a vibe of different scenes coming together. Have you been to Jamaica lately? I went there on my honeymoon. It was strange because a lot of the locals didn't know that their music had taken off in such a big way in the U.K. But there's not much left of that scene where Kingston studio bands like the Upsetters and the Skatalites were pounding out 20 and 30 songs a day. You could probably go your entire life and never be able to hear every single reggae track recorded during that period. I heard you got evacuated during the fires. Before we had to leave, the house was filled with smoke. They told us we had to bail, like, right now. It's been a weird couple of months. Fred Shuster (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster@dailynews.com AGGROLITES >Where: Key Club, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd Sunset BLVD is unreleased material and remixes by the rapper 2Pac. It was released on September 12, 2005 internationally and the United States. Track listing
A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. . >When: 8 tonight. >Tickets: $20. www.ticketmaster.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Aggrolites are bringing their brand of fast, danceable reggae music to the Key Club tonight. They will be holding "The Aggrolites' Funky Fiesta." |
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