{"id":9806,"date":"2014-12-21T23:01:47","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T04:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochestersubway.com\/topics\/?p=9806"},"modified":"2014-12-22T15:42:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-22T20:42:07","slug":"giant-panda-guerilla-dub-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochestersubway.com\/topics\/2014\/12\/giant-panda-guerilla-dub-squad\/","title":{"rendered":"DO NOT MISS……… Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, New Year’s Eve"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Giant<\/a>
\nBy Mike Governale<\/a><\/i><\/small><\/p>\n

Being called one of the most innovative reggae bands out there today \"external<\/a>, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is rocketing into 2015 with momentum. The group’s previous album In These Times<\/i> earned a spot on iTunes “Best of 2012” list. And their new album, Steady<\/i> debuted this fall at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart, iTunes’ Reggae Chart, and Amazon’s Reggae Chart. Cider Magazine called it, “one of the best reggae albums ever made.” <\/p>\n

Without a doubt, Giant Panda has become one of Rochester’s hottest musical exports…<\/p>\n

\"Giant<\/a>
\nDescribed by many as “psychedelic”, I’d also say Giant Panda’s sound is uplifting and relentlessly energizing. Their explosive live shows have also received widespread acclaim. And on Wednesday, December 31 \"external<\/a> you can dance your way into the new year along with Giant Panda at Rochester’s historic German House. Details<\/a> are posted at the end of this story. But first, a little background.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
\nGiant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS) was formed in 2001 in Rochester, NY by brothers Matthew & Christopher O’Brian, and mutual friend James Searl. Their web site \"external<\/a> calls Rochester “a mysteriously fertile area for developing the U.S. reggae scene” and goes on to explain:<\/p>\n

\n…the city has ties going back to 1981 when Lee \u201cScratch\u201d Perry recruited his entire backing band from Rochester. The Upstate NY region became early supporters of GPGDS, while its members were in high school and beginning college, playing weekly gigs to cut their teeth. In these formative years, Giant Panda began to explore their songs with an experimental approach that is stylistically akin to the Grateful Dead, while keeping their roots firmly planted in reggae rhythms and lyrical content. Around 2005 tapers began to notice and soon after one of the band\u2019s first Colorado shows received homepage placement on the popular taper website Archive.org. Almost overnight GPGDS became a mainstay on the jamband festival circuit.\n<\/div>\n
\nFrom 2005 \u2013 2013 GPGDS\u2019s three original members (drummer Chris O\u2019Brian, guitarist-singer Dylan Savage, and bassist-singer James Searl) began a touring schedule averaging over 100 shows a year and performing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Jamaica… Giant Panda\u2019s continuous time on the road hardened the players into monster instrumentalists. Their attention to the studio in later years, along with a unique blending of reggae and rural American music solidified GPGDS as one of the region\u2019s most beloved bands. Like their hometown, they manage to unify an intellectual and creative culture with a hard-working blue-collar past.\n<\/div>\n

\"\u2028\u2028Giant<\/a>
\nThe release its fourth studio album, Steady<\/i> \"external<\/a>, on September 30, marks the first time this Rochester, NY-based quintet has reached the #1 spot. \u2028\u2028Giant Panda celebrated the release of its new album with a sold-out hometown show at Zeppa Auditorium on October 4. The album’s title track Steady<\/i> is currently in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s Jam ON.\u2028<\/p>\n

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