Reggae frontmen like to travel light. Packing ones toiletries, tri-colored Bob Marley T-shirts, and dreadlock cozies is enough workpacking an entire entourage of backup musicians is a major undertaking.
Thats why, when titans of reggae pass through Arizona, they call The 602 Band. The ever shifting lineup of The 602 Band is composed of some of reggaes finest mercenaries, on call to lend their mighty backbeat to those light-traveling sons of Jah.
One of the bands revolving members, guitarist Rand Anderson, recently attempted to explain the 602s roster and history.
The 602 Band is a large, anonymous organization which at times Im employed as a member of, he says, and at others, Im a friend or a guest.
Banks is the bass player. The other guitarists name is Slew, and thats a nickname. Ive never seen it on a check or a piece of paper. I know him by Black Trash, or B.T. I think his real names like Ernest, ya know Rothchild WinthropWinston we just call him Black Trash.
He wears a whats the thing you drain pasta through? A colander over his face, or if he cant get that, a French fry basket. Ive seen him wear a cape sometimes, a la P-Funk. Hell wear diapers onstage. You never know how hell show up, or with what kind of entourage. When we played with The Wailers, he was showing their backup singer girls, who were some really nice girlsI think from Africa, like Kenya or South Africa; they werent the original Wailers backup singers, the I-3ssome polaroids that he carries around, of white girls spanking him or something. So you dont know whats going to happen.
Those guys, Banks and Black Trash came out from Washington, D.C. They were part of the scene in the late 70s, early 80s, where they were in Bad Brains. They grew up together. I dont know how they ended up in Phoenix, but people from all over the reggae scene know those guys. Like, The Wailers knew them all by name.
A lot of bands are from Jamaica, and its not practical to fly a whole band around, so someone like Jimmy Cliff, when hes playing in the States, rents a band out from wherever hes playing. Maybe (theyll bring) key members, but some of these guysll pick up bands here and there. It makes it more lucrative for the front people. Even Casper (Lomayesva) does that. When he goes to D.C., these guysll hook him up with players there. So 602 does the same thing when artists come to perform in this region. This is kinda their zone there are people in L.A. who handle that area, and these guys handle the Southwest. I noticed the last time that we were down in Tempe, playing for Walt Richardson, that the reggae scene was getting stronger, and more bands were popping up. So (602 drummer) Vinnie, Banks and Slew are kinda the Sly and Robbie (two reggae workhorses known for playing with Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru, among others) of that scene. Theyre the backbone for a lot of these bands. Everybody wants that rhythm section.
The real guythe sleeper in The 602 Band is Dumi. Hes like the eldest lion of the bunch. Hes Zulu. Hes a Zulu guy. When we were on tour, I roomed with him, and he showed me all this crazy West African guitar stuff. He can play kit, he can play bass, guitaras well, if not better than anybody else in the band. But hes just happy to sit and play percussion. But if you hit a wrong note, hes the guy whos going to look at you and give you the first sneer.
Then theres Philly Blunt.
Vincent and her are sort of a team. She does a lot of the backup singing, and she also does her own thing, which is more R&B and Gospel. Its like a built-in opening act. When were with Casper, we do one set as Lady Philly, doing this R&B, Gospel stuff, then Casper comes out and we do two or three sets of the Casper repertoire.
The other guy would be the keyboardist, Rodney. Casper needed a keyboardist in D.C., and these guys knew about this Rodney guy and hooked it up. And they talked him into moving to Phoenix.
Anderson first played with The 602 Band when the unpredictable Black Trash went M.I.A. for a spell.
Once I got there and rehearsed and learned everything, he showed back up, he says. So they said, Lets have two guitar players: White Trash and Black Trash.
The Winds of Change Tour, benefiting the Sierra Club, with Casper and The 602 Band and Aaron White (formerly of Burning Sky), will be on Fri, Oct. 15 at the Orpheum Theatre, 15 W. Aspen. Doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m. For more information, call 556-1580 or see www.orpheumpresents.com.