With mellow sentiments such as “These times come and go/ these times go and come,” Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s latest album In These Times (Controlled Substance Sound Labs) bursts open with bright harmonica, mild lyrics and a familiar reggae bob that has made bodies sway around the world for years. But within the past eight months, the five guys who form the squad have not only reaffirmed their reggae roots, they’ve also confirmed their country soul.
Their aptly named CD Country (Controlled Substance Sound Labs) dropped on Jan. 31 (see the review in the Feb. 22 New Times) and their rasta record In These Times just hit the streets on April 10. Some songs make appearances on both albums, providing alternative musical perspectives on the same lyrical themes, including “All Night Music,” “In These Times,” “Far Away,” “Healing” and “Love You More.” The great part is that these songs click from either country or reggae angles.
Drummer Chris O’Brian, who recently returned to the band’s Rochester home between tour dates, shared some thoughts about the new record, experimenting with genres and breaking the rules. “Who knows what the rules are these days,” he declares. “So we figure, we break it if it is a rule and if it’s not a rule, perfect. They’re different enough that a couple tunes overlapping is no issue to me at all.”
The Rochester rockers started making their all-night music more than a decade ago. O’Brian, his brother Matt and bassist James Searl started playing music together back in high school and never stopped. GPGDS took different formations with various lineups (Matt O’Brian is no longer with the unit, for example), but it was just a matter of finding the right fit.
“It’s a pretty tight-knit circle with a bunch of interweaving in and out,” O’Brian explains. “Friends, acquaintances joining and then leaving the band, going to a different band. But we settled on a really great roster and we’re as happy with it as we’ve ever been.”
O’Brian and Searl are joined by Dylan Savage on guitar and vocals, Dan Keller on guitar, percussion and vocals, and the January 2011 addition of Aaron Lipp on Hammond B3, clavinet, piano, percussion, vocals and more. The name Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, however, has stuck since 2001.
“That story is too long for print, I think,” O’Brian says. “But it was a full moon. The ability to have six giant panda full-body costumes became available to us. And there was a very nearby cornfield. So all those things converged into one activity and that was the birth of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.”
Their first studio album was issued in 2006, but the band waited on a second studio effort until Country in 2012. During those years, the squad logged more than 800 concerts, so they felt live albums were more appropriate for their audiences, such as the independent CDs LIVE UP! in November 2009 and LIVE UP!! Volume II in September 2010.
After years on the road, the band had a wealth of acoustic ideas built up from days jamming in their downtime, which culminated in an impromptu jam session in Colorado last year. Country formed quickly as ideas transitioned to music tracks in about three days in the studio last fall. In These Times was a much longer process, involving several studios over a two-year period, but the time and careful effort paid off. The final product is one of produced precision, without being excessive.
In These Times, like Country, is an easy listen. There are no harsh, ragged edges, but the lyrical themes are still firm. GPGDS celebrates life and love, yet doesn’t skirt from current socioeconomic realities. “Pockets” on In These Times and “Kids in the Square” on Country both address the topic of growing up in an era of social unrest. While people stimulate movements in squares and culture wars rage, others are filling up their pockets.
“We try to address real issues that are happening to people like ourselves in these times,” O’Brian says, as he cleverly sneaks in the album’s pointed title in conversation. “The lyric writers {Savage and Searl} do a really good job with that. I enjoy their songs and I feel like the message we’re trying to portray, we’re portraying pretty clearly. Politics in music is an interesting thing. And if you have people watching you or listening to you, you have the ability—some people would say the right or the obligation—to speak your mind on current events that are affecting you. Politics in music and entertainment is something that’s always going to be there.”
On the other end of the spectrum, In These Times bounces along with carefree tunes like “Moonshine,” “All Night Music” and “Healing” that feel ideal for summer soundtracks and warm-weather festivals such as the Sterling Stage Kampitheater’s annual String Fling fest, where the squad will play on Aug. 4. However, O’Brian encourages fans to monitor their website for an additional date: “For everyone that’s made it to the conclusion of this article, keep your eyes on livepanda.com, Facebook and Twitter. There is the possibility that something in the Syracuse area might be coming up before {Sterling Stage}.”
In the meantime, whatever flavor satisfies your mood, be it a banjo twang or an electric bob, the Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad has it covered on two albums that prove their longevity as a band and that breaking the rules can be a great thing.
