Matisyahu shines his “Light” on Vancouver

Pictured: Matisyahu

Yes, I know that Matisyahu is not a Christian, but as far as religiously-inflected music goes, the guy is at the top of the Rock of Ages.

If you've ever read an article about him, you'll know his full name is "Matisyahu  The Hiphop Reggae Beatboxer Who Just Happens to Be a Hasidic Jew."   Since his breakthrough surprise Top 40 hit "King Without a Crown", the New York-based musician has been channeling his spirituality through his music, while shattering preconceptions and genre boundaries along the way.

His latest release, "Light", finds him pushing the limits of the reggae genre even further, combining rock, jazz, funk, electronica, and a deepening sense of communion: not only with God, but with anyone else who may be listening.  Backed by mainstays Aaron Dugan and Rob Marscher,  the album covers the spectrum of many genres but stays focused on a central theme of positivity and love.  If you can listen to "For You" and not feel like everything is awesome, you really need to lighten up.

 

Pictured: Stu Brooks (Dub Trio)


I can only imagine the crowd's reaction as openers Dub Trio launched into "Illegal Dub", which kicks off with full-on punk/metal flurry of drums, distorted guitar, and breakneck stops.  In a somewhat unusual stage setup for the Brooklyn band, bassist Stu Brooks was set up beside drummer Joe Tomino on a riser at the back of the stage, leaving guitarist Dave "DP" Holmes all by himself up front  (the Dave Trio?).  Anyone not familiar with the band might have thought they'd wandered into a metal show by mistake, as Holmes pounded, twisted, and abused his guitar, driven by the frantic rhythm section in the darkness behind him.

Pictured: DP Holmes (Dub Trio)

However confusing and chaotic this introduction may have been, it was short-lived.  As Dub Trio are prone to do, they dropped into the slow, spacey, bass-driven dub groove 30 seconds into the song, drawing an immediate round of seemingly relieved applause from the room.  For the next 30 minutes, they proved exactly why they were chosen to be part of Matisyahu's touring band, as a "dub trio" extraordinaire, who also just happens to be able to rock your face off with riff-intensive heaviness.  With a short, focused set that included "Jack Bauer", and a few songs from their last album  "Another Sound Is Dying", ("Jog On", "Not For Nothing", and "Felicitation"), they kept it short, sweet, and for the most part, heavy.

Pictured: Joe Tomino (Dub Trio)

 A new, as-of-yet-untitled track was a clear indication that the band, while still rooted in the dub sound, are getting even heavier.  Judging by the crowd's reaction, this is a good thing.  These guys have toured with a lot of bands (see "Dub Trio: Exploring The Highways Of"), and always get a mixed reaction, but this was by far the best response I've ever seen them get.  I was truly looking forward to their set with Matisyahu.

Pictured: Matisyahu

After a short break, the trio returned to the stage, this time as Matisyahu's band, alongside guitarist Aaron Dugan and keyboardist Rob Marscher.  As Matisyahu strolled onstage in a casual suit, t-shirt and sneakers, the smile on his face showed his appreciation for a very warm Vancouver welcome.  Granted, every rock star gets a loving reaction when they walk on stage, but this felt different.   It felt like the room was welcoming a close personal friend back home.

Pictured: Rob Marscher (Matisyahu)

In a set that lasted well over two hours, Matisyahu brought worlds together, fusing dancehall reggae with tongue-twisting rhymes, Nigun-like chants over spacey tapestries of delayed guitars, and crowd-participation chants over soaring rock anthems.  Perhaps a large part of Matisyahu's appeal is that he is truly unique: not only musically, but visually.   It's not every day you see someone with a kippah, payat, and full beard, spinning and hopping wildly around a stage, seemingly in a state of blissful rapture, leading a thousand people in song, dance, and soul-shaking bass grooves.

Pictured: Aaron Dugan (Matisyahu)

While much of Matis' vocal magic can be attributed to effects like reverb, pitch shifter, and delay, it's his ability to use those effects to push the limits of the human voice to new territories that shows his true creative power.  During a particularly hypnotic jam, with layers of delayed vocals and trippy guitar textures, he seems to have the room in a trance as he chants and drones a wall of sound that resonates with something deeply and profoundly spiritual.  Until some jackass starts yelling "BEATBOX! BEATBOX! BEATBOX!" over and over until the end of the song.  Thanks for that, whoever you are.  I was really getting into that.

As if on cue, Matis unleashes one of the most amazing displays of vocal ability that-straight up-I have ever seen: a five-minute beatboxing jam that has me looking back and forth across the stage in disbelief: it sounds like a full band, plus a scratch DJ.  I have no idea how one can simultaneously emit a low bass frequency over a kick/snare-sounding beat and still manage to sing, but it sounds awesome and I want to learn how to do it.  Get yourself over to YouTube and do a search on "Matisyahu beatboxing".  Seriously.  Go look.   Right now.   It's amazing.

Pictured: Matisyahu

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and by around midnight, the band is ready to pack it in.  The crowd isn't.  Once the music stops, they don't stop cheering, hollering, and stomping the floor until the band returns for two more encores.  Although the Dub Trio guys have been playing for about three hours, they look like they could go all night.  You have to hand it to them for the job they did with Matis' tunes, particularly DP Holmes, who, as a second guitarist, can't exactly play like KK Downing to Aaron Dugan's Glenn Tipton, but the two meshed perfectly.   I was hoping to hear the Lennon song "Watching The Wheels" that the two bands collaborated on for the "Instant Karma" album, but no such luck.  If you're a fan of either band or the genre, you really don't want to miss this tour.

For those of you keeping track:

Visit Matisyahu's site: http://www.matisyahuworld.com/

Visit Dub Trio's site: http://www.dubtrio.com