The all-original, reggae/rebel/rock music from Vegitation plants the seeds of change for anyone close enough to hear their vibe. The Ocean Beach band’s latest performance at The Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach Friday, Aug. 25, furthered their message of peace for all, respect for life and unity “” the lyrics hanging in the air like spores of positive political progress.
With such a strong voice, it seems as if the group speaks not only to its audience’s ears, but to their souls as well.
Vegitation’s six members planted roots in Ocean Beach four years ago when lead vocalist Dandelion arrived on the Ocean Beach music scene from Massachusetts. Dandelion and longtime friend, band percussionist Jamie, collaborated with Mason on guitar, Mike playing wicked Bass, Japheth’s unique stylings on lead guitar, and Ed on drums. And while music was the mission, an underlying message of peace unified the group and its sound “” still one of the band’s identifying features.
“Vegetation stands for growth of everything; vegetation supplies life and oxygen for us all to breath,” said Dandelion. “So the band, Vegitation, provides a message that’s like oxygen for the soul.”
Dandelion waxes poetic, both off stage and on.
At the Belly Up, the thoughts of a Rastafarian street prophet flowed from this lead vocalist’s blond dreadlocks as if he were channeling some greater life force between sips of his beer. The rest of the band members nodded in agreement throughout the night “” a confirmation that the overarching message, one dressed in a reggae rebel music style that brings its own flavor, is deeply felt by each individual.
Vegitation’s political lyrics appeal to the mind, while the Reggae and funk melodies resonate in the body. Each song in their set builds on the last, growing stronger, braver.
“Surrounded,” the recognizable title track from the band’s second album, was inspired by a “heavy night,” said Dandelion.
“It was kind of like a build up, a bunch of stuff that you just absorb and absorb and then finally it comes out,” he said.
At first listen, the song’s anti-establishment undertone sounds like a subversive rant, but closer inspection reveals it to be a source of individual inspiration “” a challenge to the audience to stay “positive while surrounded by the negative” in everyday life.
Vegitation has created two albums in their four years, and is currently working on a third called “Family Strong,” in which they collaborate with many other local artists and fellow up-and-comers. Homegrown in Ocean Beach, the Metamora Studios production is in its final stages and will release sometime in the next two months, probably around the time Vegitation tentatively plans to embark on a 12-stop tour around California
Vegitation is anything but your corporate, cookie-cutter band. In the true spirit of Reggae, the band reaches to find fruitful minds in which to germinate. As a band with a message, Vegitation hopes to spread their good word to as many people as possible, while navigating the fine line between success and selling out.
“This message is for everyone,” Dandelion said. “But in order for the message to be heard, sometimes it has to be on the radio stations “¦ we normally would down.”
“Sometimes you got to use the tools of Babylon to plant the seeds,” said lead guitarist Japheth.
Like so many other groups, the odds are against them, though Vegitation’s roots run deep and they appear strong enough to weather the storm.