A Dub Take on Radiohead and Pink Floyd

Reviewed by Matt Kettmann/Photos and video by Joanna Yates

easy%20star%201There was a ton of happenings going down
last night, October 19, in Santa Barbara. Coinciding with The
Indy
‘s colossal “Best of S.B.” issue—at 240 pages, our buggest
ever!—there was a Jimmy Buffet concert at the Bowl, a Downtown
Organization mixer at Restaurant Nu, a one-year Third Thursdays
anniversary for the folks at Frameworks/Caruso Woods (complete with
spinning from Lush Productions and a performance from Al Howard and
the K23 Orchestra), a lounge affair at the Contemporary Arts Forum,
and a whole slew of regular goings-on for a Thursday evening. But
topping it all off was the performance at SOhO by the Easy Star
All-Stars, a dub collective that’s risen to fame on the back of two
“cover” albums: Dub Side of the Moon (that would be a Pink
Floyd tribute, for y’all unawares) and Radiodread, a bass heavy
twist on Radiohead’s OK Computer album.easy%20star%202

The latter was the vehicle for this swing through town, so
Thursday’s concert featured the bulk of that effort. Many in the
crowd were curious as to how they picked Radiohead as their latest
entree. But since that band echoes the sonic lushness and whimsical
flow of Pink Floyd, the contemporary move seems a perfect fit. And
like the band’s Dub Side concert a few months back on the
same stage, audience members were left wondering whether these guys
weren’t better than the originals.easy%20star%203

But sometimes words just get in the way. So check this video and
these pictures, visit their website by clicking here, and buy their
albums. But most importantly, make sure to show up for their next
show, because with multiple singers, tons of instruments, and
tactful musicians, the Easy Star is shining bright these
days.easy%20star%204

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