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Kevin Almerico
Professor Shelton
Music-1040-005
30 Oct. 2014
Cultural Term Paper
When you think of Reggae music you probably think of artists like Bob Marley, Burning
Spear, Peter Tosh or Steel Pulse. The places the music originated, such as Jamaica, other
Caribbean Islands or Africa, may also come to mind. Salt Lake City is probably one of the last
places you would think of for Reggae music. You may, however, be surprised at the amount of
local Reggae bands and the following that they have.
Bands such as The Green Leafs, Afro Omega, Funk n Gonzo and Tribe of I are just a
few of many local artists here in Salt Lake City. Many music festivals, such as Reggae Rise Up,
have even begun to make Utah a regular stop for their tours. In addition, some of the local bars
in town have started dedicating certain nights of the week for these reggae bands to play since
they are able to fill up the venues with their fans. With the growing amount of people in Salt
Lake City discovering the local reggae scene, it has started to develop its own sub-culture. For
the purpose of this paper, I have decided to compare and contrast the differences in the local
reggae subculture here in Salt Lake to that of the original culture surrounding reggae music when
it first developed in Jamaica. Some of the social issues being discussed in their music will also be
included.
In an article written for the UN Chronicle titled Reggae, A Force For Dialogue Linda
Ainouche describes what she believes was the origin and rise of Reggae music. Ainouche asserts
that reggae music originated in Jamaica in the 1930s during the emergence of Rastafarianism

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and was used as a form of protest for people of African descent fighting to hold on to their
culture (2012 Web.). During the 1960s is when she believes Reggae began to spread from the
Caribbean Islands to other parts of the world, including the United States (Ainouche, Web). The
lyrics contained in the music of some of the original Reggae artists address a wide range of
social, political and economic issues.
Some of the issues being sung about by Reggae artists are: unemployment, lack of a
national identity, poverty, discrimination, racial intolerance and miserable life conditions among
countless others. Many songs reflect ideas of freedom, strive for human rights, unity, selfsufficiency and empowerment. The lyrics were inspired by community leaders such as Marcus
Garvey, Martin Luther King, Malcom X and Nelson Mandela. In order to find out how the
messages of reggae music have changed since it has taken root locally, I have spoken with and
interviewed one of the local artists that has played in several of reggae bands in the area.
Tyler Hartman has been the drummer for the bands Dub Symptom, Afro Omega and is
currently the drummer for a band by the name of Tribe of I. He first got started playing for
reggae bands, ironically, when he was a member of a heavy metal band, Evisera. Evisera needed
a band to open up for their show, so Tyler recruited two of his friends, Casey and Jeremy, to
learn a few cover songs. Since those two were not interested in playing heavy metal, they
learned a few covers of the popular reggae/California rock band Sublime. In 2010, Tyler left
Evisera and the trio formed the group Dub Symptom. After Dub Symptom broke up, he played a
brief stint with Afro Omega before settling in with his current band, Tribe of I. When comparing
their version of reggae, with that of some of their predecessors, there are just as many differences
as similarities.

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To start with, Tribe of I predominately consists of Caucasian members while nearly all
reggae music, in its beginning, was created by people of African descent. When Tyler was asked
if he has run into any issues from him being a white reggae artist there were a couple of
examples. Tyler believed that, because they were white, they didnt have the immediate
credibility that they may have had otherwise. He also cites the time he was let go from Afro
Omega, a band whose members were of varying ethnicities, for no apparent musical reasons.
One thing that is hard to miss about the Tribe of Is sound is their lead vocalist.
The singer does his vocals in a very African-Caribbean way. When asked if he felt that
his vocal style helped or hurt the band, Tyler believed it depended on who you asked. Tyler said
that some of their audiences liked his singing style-- feeling it set them apart from other bands
and added a sense of credibility when listening to their recorded music. Other listeners felt that
he hurt that band because they saw him as not being true to who he is and essentially faking the
music. Some of the other differences are in what is actually being sung about in the songs.
Many of the original reggae artists sang about racial injustices, repatriation and economic
disparity. These are issues that Tyler addimitingly had not had to face in any form comparable to
those of other reggae artists. When asked about the differences in the issues discussed, Tyler
responded by making it clear you can only sing what you know about. Having never had to
experience some of the issues first hand, they had no right to sing about such things. But there
are issues that they do have in common.
In the song Peace and War, the idea of using war for a nations gain is condemned and
peace is promoted. Multiple reggae artists have sung about this idea including one of the most
well-known reggae artists, Bob Marley, as found in his song War (No More Trouble) featured
on his 1976 album Rastaman Vibration (2014 Web). Another commonality in the social

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messages in their music is the empowerment of women and the appreciation of how a woman
can impact a persons life. The Tribe of Is song Woman tells about how most everyone has at
least one woman in their life that has had a direct and positive influence on them. This sentiment
can be found in many reggae songs. But there is one social idea that seems to be a part of almost
all reggae music no matter who created the music, or what part of the earth it was written in:
unity.
Unity is one message the majority of reggae artists try to promote. The website
Reggaeunity.com was created to promote the Reggae World Unity event that aims to unify
people through reggae music which, according to the site, is a continuation of the movement
started by Bob Marley (2014 Web). The Tribe of Is song echoes this sentiment in their song
Hands in the Air which calls for people to come together and focus on what everyone has in
common and enjoying each others company. Tyler feels that the song encourages people not to
solely see and dwell on the differences in people but instead to see the similarities and unite as
one.
Since Salt Lake City is relatively a new comer in the reggae sub-culture, I asked what
role Tyler felt the Tribe of I and other local reggae bands have played in helping the reggae scene
grow in Utah. He believes that with the popularity and growing fan base of the local bands,
music venues are more inclined to bring in national reggae acts. Tyler thinks the knowledge of a
growing fan base for reggae music has enticed artists like Steel Pulse and Matisyahu to make
Salt Lake City a stop on their tours, knowing that they will be able to sell tickets and have it be a
profitable and worthwhile stop. In the past they may not have been the case with the stereotypes
that have been associated with Utah.

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It is fairly apparent that reggae music has evolved and adapted to the areas where the
music is being made. In its beginning, it was used as a source of empowerment and hope to
those who needed it. Some songs were sung about ignoring what race, gender or economic class
someone was from and others sung about repatriation and moving back to Africa. Many songs
held the message of love for a woman or for all of mankind. Whether the songs were about
going out and having a good time with your friends or about taking a stand against injustice and
intolerance, the idea of social awareness and responsibility was a common theme.
Though reggae music in Salt Lake City may differ from the reggae music coming from
Jamaica, it still plays an important role. The music provides an opportunity for individuals to
come together and unite as one. With the easy to dance to rhythms, catchy choruses and
messages of positivity, peace, and love it is fairly easy to see how and why the reggae subculture in Utah has continued to grow the way that it has.

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Works Cited
"Reggae World Unity." Reggaeunity.com. Effective Entertainment Inc., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Bob Marley Official Site - Media - Studio Albums: 'Rastaman Vibration'" Bob Marley
Rastaman Vibration Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
Ainouche, Linda. Reggae, A Force For Dialouge. UN Chronicle 49.3 (2012). 22. Master File
Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Hartman, Tyler. Personal interview. 30 Oct. 2014.

Tribe of I Hands In the Air

Hands In The
Air.m4a