Fans of the
Nickelodeon children’s show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” may wellremember an orange-clad quintet rocking out a funky
reggae tune called“Banana” on an early episode.Littered with giant banana props and dancing extras, a video
of the songhas more than 1.6 million views on YouTube and has served as anintroduction to classic reggae and
ska music for young (and old) fans ofthe show.While joining the guest cast of a kids television show was
probably noton the “to do” list for The Aggrolites when they formed, taking reggaeand ska music to the
masses has long been on their agenda. With one footin the roots of early Jamaican and British reggae, and
another in thesounds of American soul, R&B and rock, The Aggrolites continue toblaze a trail across
the reggae world honoring the traditions of theirmusical influences but finding their own sound.Dubbed
“dirty reggae”, a term coined by the band and often applied toother bands mimicking their style, The
Aggrolites’ sound pays homage tothe early days of Stax Records and Studio One.Raw, pulsing, live and fun.“We
have always been inspired by early American soul music and reggaemusic from the late 60s and early 70s,”
lead singer Jesse Wagner said ina recent telephone interview. “The way that it sounded to us was dirty,that
gritty sound.”“You hear that energy and the mistakes in the songs, sometimes theguitar player might be
slightly out of tune or sometimes the drummermight be a little late … that created character that couldn’t
beredone,” he added.In some respects The Aggrolites were a band born out of coincidence.They formed in 2002
as a live support band for Jamaican’ reggae legendDerrick Morgan, and later recorded an album with Morgan.
While the albumwas never released, the experienced prompted the group to continue toperform together.Drawing
influence from European bands like The Specials that wereinfluenced by early Jamaican reggae rhythms, but
that defined their ownsounds in the genre halfway across the world, The Aggrolites bring adimension of punk
and rock to the roots of reggae, ska and soul musicthat is a product of their American experiences.“When we
started as a band we wanted to get out of pigeonhole and wedidn’t want to do what everyone else was doing at
the time,” Wagnersaid. “It comes down to the fact that the Jamaicans did a particular wayand we are American
guys that grew up totally different and we couldnever do what the Jamaicans did, so we might as well come up
with ourown sound and call it dirty reggae.”With five critically acclaimed studio albums under their belts,
TheAggrolites have continue to be prolific live performers, touring acrossthe country and conducting an
annual European tour that included a stopin Russia earlier this summer.Wagner noted that the influence of
reggae music continues to expand globally, with fans springing up across the world.“I have always known that
reggae I worldwide, but it is shocking to seehow big reggae is some parts of the world, Russia being one of
them,” hesaid.The live show has long been a foundation of the band’s music. Thecontagious beat, coupled with
strong instrumental support and catchylyrics have enabled The Aggrolites to build a growing army of fans.
Forthe band, a growing fan base has also been an evolving fan base,starting with “rude boys and rude girls”,
expanding to “punk rock kids”and continuing to expand to diverse audiences of all ages – even soccermoms as
a result of their appearance on children’s TV according toWagner.For Black Swamp Arts Festival fans
interested in getting a preview ofthe band’s live sound, a recently released album “Unleashed Live”provides
a strong showcase, captured across two shows in Los Angeles andSan Diego in 2012.With sets on the Main Stage
and the Youth Arts Stage at BSAF this year,there is a good chance “Banana” will be on the set list, both for
theyoung and the young at heart.“We have been told since we started that the live show is a lotdifferent
than the record and studio albums we have put out,” Wagnersaid. “It is an energetic and entertaining show,
there is a lot of crowdmoments. It is kind of like going to a punk rock show, but at the sametime listening
to soul and reggae music all combined.”http://www.aggroreggae.com/main.html