Can musical taste be a seasonal thing? For me it definitely is. As we ease into Summer (and by living in Dunedin I do mean ease...) I find myself reaching for the reggae...Reggae surfaced on my musical radar relatively late compared to other sounds. My tender teenage years were more 'angry young men with guitars' or 'windswept and pensive looking moody types'. At that time reggae was what the Polynesian kids had blaring from their ghetto blasters up and down the main street of Otahuhu in South Auckland where my parents owned a bookshop.
I think it was Bob Marley's death and the endless repeats of his mass appeal reggae on the radio that started it all off. That, or the fact the record labels would release those tacky looking compilations as Xmas stocking stuffers every year. Either way, to a suede-headed boy in Otahuhu, it was a guilty pleasure to keep on the quiet.
Ska music helped ease reggae from the shadows. 2 Tone's stable of punk infused rocksteady ska reggae bands bridged that gap. They encouraged me to explore further... Third World, Desmond Dekker, Toots and The Maytels... So, where does reggae sit with me and my Summer? In my humble opinion there is no finer reggae to spice up a hot day than homegrown Kiwi reggae. Katchafire and Trinity Roots play kiwi infused reggae without any hint of cringe factor. Excellent musicians playing great songs that I'm sure Bob would approve of. Try it, if you like reggae even a little bit, you'll love them both.
