Die Reggae Workers Of The World sind eine amerikanisch-belgische Mini-Superband, die aus drei Musikern von vier unserer absoluten Lieblingsbands bestehen: Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers), Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites) and Nicolas Leonard (The Moon Invaders/The Caroloregians). Zusammen haben die Drei gerade ein Album veröffentlicht, das sie uns live vorstellen werden. Darüber hinaus werden sie bestimmt Songs ihrer Hausbands im Angebot haben sowie Coverversionen quer durch die Musikgeschichte, je nachdem wie der Abend so verläuft. Und der wird lang, denn die Reggae Workers werden am Freitag ein frühes Set auf der Akustikbühne spielen sowie die Spätschicht auf der Hauptbühne. Zwischendrin könnte es auch einen Gastauftritt bei einem der anderen Acts geben. Wir werden sehen und hören!

The Reggae Workers Of The World are an American-Belgian mini supergroup featuring members of four of our favourite ska bands: Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers), Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites) and Nicolas Leonard (The Moon Invaders/The Caroloregians). The Reggae Workers recorded an album together which they will present live, in addition to songs from their mother bands and a handful of cover versions, usually chosen by the audience on the spot. The RWW will play an early set on the acoustic stage and the late slot on the main stage. Maybe they will also guest with another band in-between. We will see and hear!

How the Reggae Workers came to life

Vic sought out Jesse and Nico for a recording session last summer in Belgium. While on the road last year, between a busy Slackers‘ schedule and his own solo gigs, he began to think of a way to work with two of his favourite modern musicians—singer, Jesse Wagner, and drummer Nicolas Leonard—and how a collaboration with both could be made possible.

In June 2013, Jesse & Vic ventured across the globe to meet for a short series of shows in Oahu, Hawaii. As the natural course of learning to play and sing together proceeded they began to find an intriguing repertoire. During one short week, they harmonized on everything from ska and calypso standards like “Shame & Scandal” to early rock’n’roll hits of The Everly Brothers and The Beatles .

A request from the audience for The Righteous Brothers took both singers and the crowd by surprise when they found it worked perfectly. It’s obvious the two singers share an unequivocal reverence for reggae, rhythm n‘ blues and rock n‘ roll classics, (and the sentiments sung and the styles which they impart).

It’s this range of possibilities that neither Vic nor Jesse seem deliver with such ease even in their respective bands or as separate solo acts. Enter Nico Leonard. In November 2013, with Nico at the recording desk, he and Vic recorded 4 songs at his Pum Pum Hotel recording studio in just a few spare hours. As busy working drummer, Nico played everything from ska and skinhead reggae to surf, garage rock and rare exotica 60’s beats, and he’s produced other artists of the same wide variety. He is widely respected for a breadth of skill as a drummer and producer/engineer which fits the stylistic latitude of this group perfectly.

Vic Ruggiero … lives in New York City. When not with The Slackers, Vic tours solo. His act originated as a venue for songs he’d written for The Slackers. Tunes they did not want like “The Animals Run the House” and “Eye of the Beholder” have become popular staples of his solo set.

Nicolas Leonard … lives in Charleroi, Belgium. Nico is busy with two bands at the moment, The Left Arm of Buddha, an exotica review, playing 50s oriented music, mixing early rock n’roll, jazz and latin beats, and Adolphe Sex et ses Machines, a 60s garage band singing in French. He is the engineer at and owner of The Pum Pum Hotel Recoding Studio. The Moon

Invaders don’t play anymore, and the Caroloregians play only a few gigs now, but Nico has been involved as a drummer for both.

Jesse Wagner … lives in Los Angeles, California. Vocals and frontman of the Aggrolites, a Ska Reggae band that has spent twelve years on the road and has released five full length albums while carrying a heavy touring schedule. Has just released an EP as Jukebox 101 with fellow Aggrolite Jeff Roffredo.

Quelle: Freedom Sounds Festival