Cali Island [link to Facebook page] is a band fronted by Deadman Gallardo, aka Dede, who is the lead vocalist. This is the second in the series of Philippines Got Talent. The idea is to feature local musicians primarily, but anyone with talent including writers. When I say “local,” I mean Bacolod. If you wish to be featured here then get in touch and don’t be shy!
Cali Island play reggae music and here is a sample of their music style:
Pretty good eh? The caption on YouTube says:
Published on 9 Feb 2016
taken at Coke Stage, Lacson St. Bacolod City for the Celebration of Bacolaodiat Festival 2016HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
I have no idea why, but I was a tad surprised to find there was a popular reggae band here in Bacolod. I shouldn’t have been really because Filipino tastes in music are diverse. I was a fan of reggae back in the UK especially of Bob Marley.
Indeed I have many good memories of my times spent in some of the illegal drinking clubs of Brixton, south London where the music was turned up loud in an effort to replicate the atmosphere in Kingston, Jamaica. Many of the populace of that London borough had roots in Jamaica and so it was no surprise that reggae was popular there.
I decided to look up on reggae and this is what Wikipedia has to say:
Reggae (/ˈrɛɡeɪ/) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora.[1] A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae,” effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.[2][3] While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, and evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady.[4] Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political comment. Reggae spread into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as ‘Rudie Blues’, then ‘Ska’, later ‘Blue Beat’, and ‘Rock Steady’.[5] It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat, and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rock steady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.[6]
Now Ska I am familiar with and first encountered it in the 1960’s when I was growing up in Liverpool. That British city like Bristol and London, for centuries has had an immigrant Caribbean population, a by-product of the slave trade.
I also note the Wikipedia entry adds this:
It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects.
That patois is virtually indecipherable to the untrained ear especially the ear of a white man. Over a long period of time, I managed to penetrate its outer layers but only Jamaicans can truly understand what is being said or sung.
Back to Dede and here are some photos lifted from Facebook (I am honored that he is now a friend of mine on Facebook) and another YouTube track:
Finally here is another YouTube performance by the inimitable Dede and Cali Island. I’m a fan!
Fan of reggae? Here is a link to Amazon for you to browse.
If you live in the Philippines and wish to ship from Amazon to the Philippines then read about the LBC Shopping Cart so you can Shop N’ Ship Amazon to your door in the Philippines. It works and is inexpensive. I know as I use it.
Disclosure: this post/page contains ethical affiliate links. I promote certain products and services that I have 100% confidence in. If you purchase as a result of clicking on my affiliate links, I receive a small commission. That commission is not added to the price you pay at checkout.
Follow Me On Social Media
[…] in the series of Philippines Got Talent is Aiza. Her full name is Aiza Delos Reyes Tanggote. I am telling you this lady can sing! She has a […]