Alborosie Returns to the Mateel Saturday; Volunteer Opportunity for this Show

Alborosie [photo submitted]

The Mateel Community Center presents Alborosie & the Shengen Band, Saturday January 25, 2020. Sonoma County sound system DJ Guerilla Takeover will open up the evening. The Mateel kitchen will be open serving meals for purchase and a bar will serve those 21 and over. This all ages show takes place at the Mateel, 59 Rusk Lane in Redway beginning at 8pm, tickets are on sale now for $25 at mateel.org. Tickets are on sale now at regional outlets: Blue Moon Gifts in Garberville, Mendo Trim Tools in Laytonville, Main Street Music, Willits, Redway Liquor, Redway, People’s Records Arcata & Ukiah Natural Foods.  

Alborosie & the Shengen Band headlined Reggae on the River 2015 with a scorching set of originals to close out the 31st edition of the iconic Humboldt County event.

Alborosie produces his own material in his Shengen studio in Kingston, Jamaica where he relocated from Italy. Using traditional recording techniques, he has created timeless reggae music with 7 albums and 11 dub, EP and reissue releases in his discography.

Staying true to reggae’s roots in Rastafari culture and resisstance, while adhering to the highest standards in Jamaican vintage recording techniques, Alborosie notes the genesis of Reggae by stating, “At the end of the day, what’s changed about reggae music is why and how people play it,” he explains. “During the sixties and seventies, reggae music was coming from the Vietnam War, the hippies and ganja, as well as Marcus Garvey and Emperor Haile Selassie I. Black people were searching for their own spirituality and so reggae had a meaning, but everybody is jacket and tie now. It’s not like before, when reggae artists used to fight the system, but when you listen to this latest album, you will see that the revolution is still in there. I’m still on the same mission and I’m still sticking to the cause because I will never switch.”

Born Alberto D’ Ascola, he was born in the Sicilian town of Marsala, Italy. After relocating to Milan during his teens he played in a variety of bands before joining Reggae National Tickets, who regularly toured Europe during the mid-to-late nineties. Reggae National Tickets were invited to perform in Jamaica – an event that inspired Alborosie to quit the band and change his life around. Soon, he was living in Jamaica and working as an engineer at Gee Jam studios in the parish of Portland, where he worked with many leading foreign and Jamaican artists. Twelve years later and he’s at the vanguard of an exciting new era for reggae.

As for his courage to relocate to Jamaica and explore reggae’s true origins as a student Alborosie explains “It is better to live as a warrior for a day, than a rabbit for life, II still try and keep myself strong. I stick to my roots reggae and put real feelings into it, but there are very few people doing that right now. Reggae music has become globalised, yes, but people nowadays want to make it. They want to be somebody. They want the dollar sign. Don’t get me wrong. I need money to pay my light bill and maintain the studio, but I don’t do music for money and I don’t believe that you can make good music that way. You have to do music for its own sake and then eventually money will come, y ‘know? I believe that, but if money nah come, well then I will be a carpenter. I will survive.”

And the Mateel is putting out a call for extra volunteers for this show:

 Call for Volunteers:  

Volunteers are needed for the Alborosie show this Saturday, January 25th. Volunteers are needed for load in/ out and to work in the Mateel kitchen and for clean up afterwards. Please call Volunteer Coordinator Tiphaine at 707-572-7707 to secure your spot