Description

The Royal Hammer is a seven-piece roots reggae group from Portland, Maine. Heavily influenced by Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, and Roots Radics, Royal Hammer takes pride in the authenticity of their sound. Mike Taylor (The Awesome, Rustic Overtones) is backed-up by a heavy rhythm section including Gary Gemetti (Rustic Overtones) on drums, Tyler Quist (Jaw Gems) on keys, and bass player Stu Mahan (Nat Osbourne Band, London Souls), and with Ryan Zoidis (Rustic Overtones, Soulive, The Shady Horns) and Lucas Desmond (Model Airplane) on saxes and Dave Noyes (Rustic Overtones, The Plains) on trombone, Royal Hammer's grooves are deep and infectious. The Royal Hammer has shared the stage with reggae legends Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Barrington Levy and has backed up international reggae artists Marty Dread and Legendary Glen DaCosta of Zap Pow and the Wailers. Royal Hammer recently released their debut album 'My Bubble'.

Raging Brass Reggae is a 7-piece brass band from South Portland, Maine, formed in the summer of 2014 by trumpeter, composer, and arranger, Marc Chillemi. RBR is dedicated to the classic instrumentals of Jamaican Ska, Rocksteady and Roots Reggae, made popular during the 1960s. This group of all-star musicians was hand-picked by Marc that includes members from the Portland based bands, Primo Cubano, Rustic Overtones, Sly Chi, and the Fogcutters Big Band. Featuring tubist Rafael Fryre, alto saxophonist Mike Ayotte, tenor saxophonist Kyle Hardy, trombonist Dave Noyse, singer and guitarist Matt Wazowski, drummer Gary “double G-threat” Gemitti, and bandleader Marc Chillemi on trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals and percussion. Cleverly blending roots reggae with the spirit of New Orleans jazz, RBR sonically warps their sound by creating a version of dub through the art of collective improvisation they refer to as Reggae by Design. Vocalist Matt Wazoski also pays tribute to some of the legends including Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, and Alton Ellis. In addition to the Jamaican roots, the septet expands their repertoire with popular West African styles such as Soukous, Afro-beat, and Highlife. Their debut album, Live at the Bayside, which was recorded direct from the soundboard, is a strong representation of how the band’s cacophony of brass and collective improvisations easily sets the good vibes at every show. - Out of many of sound.