The Busiest Band in Reggae

           Not many bands have the privilege of starting off playing with their idols the way that The Aggrolites did. A conglomeration of two reggae/ska bands in Los Angeles, The Vessels and The Rhythm Doctors, they originated in 2002 as what Jesse Wagner, their lead singer, describes as “a bunch of dudes from the same scene,” backing reggae star Derrick Morgan live as well as in the studio. The Aggrolites have also backed Phyllis Dillon, Joseph Hill from Culture and Prince Buster among others. In fact, Prince Buster encouraged them to be their own band, which Jesse mentioned as being like playing with a rock star such as Dave Grohl and having him tell you to start a band. They coined the term “dirty reggae”, pulling from old ska, rocksteady and early reggae, as well as modern ska/reggae like Hepcat. They also wanted to go a different direction from many of the ska bands at the time by focusing on reggae.

The Aggrolites recorded their debut album, Dirty Reggae, in 2003 on Axe Records, an L.A. reggae label. This was accomplished in one day, with songs recorded in one take and many improvised lyrics. Despite focusing so heavily on Jamaican music, they’ve spent much of their time on punk label Hellcat Records. The Aggrolites appeared on Hellcat’s Give ‘Em the Boot IV compilation in late 2004, signing to the label about a year later. In 2006, they released their first self-titled album and supported Madness on tour at the end of the year. For The Aggrolites, this punk label was, as Jesse puts it, a “perfect fit.” Tim Armstrong, member of Rancid and founder of Hellcat, is a huge ska/reggae fan. This doesn’t surprise The Aggrolites, since punk and reggae go hand in hand, especially with bands like The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers. The following year, they collaborated with Tim Armstrong on his first solo album, A Poet’s Life. The Aggrolites loved every minute of it. He wanted their input on the recording. According to Jesse, Tim told them to "make it dirty reggae."

About two weeks later, The Aggrolites released Reggae Hit L.A., which, unbeknownst to them, won an award from IGN for the best reggae record of 2007. They had the pleasure of appearing on Yo Gabba Gabba!, created by The Aquabats’ frontman Christian Jacob. For them, this popularized old school reggae for youth. It broadened their fan base from skinheads to mothers. Around this time, The Aggrolites lost their original bassist, J Bonner, and replaced him with Hepcat’s David Fuentes, who unfortunately passed at the end of the year. Not only has Hepcat shared members with them but they’re also close friends who introduced The Aggrolites to traditional ska. They wouldn’t exist without Hepcat.

In early 2009, The Aggrolites went back into the studio, releasing their fourth record, IV,mid-year. Towards the end of the year, they began touring and joined up with Slightly Stoopid about a month later. Contradicting my expectations, Jesse thought of them as “freaking cool” despite not knowing what to expect. The Aggrolites give them a huge amount of credit, seeing them as good musicians. Slightly Stoopid treated them like brothers and are humble, nice people. The Aggrolites also opened for The Pogues but, shy of a couple times, didn’t really get to meet their singer Shane MacGowan. Jesse says that The Aggrolites were “lost in time,” and felt like teens in the eighties. Rugged Road, the fifth and latest release for The Aggrolites, was recorded in early 2011, their first album on Young Cub Records.

Over the years, The Aggrolites have played with many reggae acts. As far as ska and reggae acts go, they’re up there with the Slackers when it comes to how often they play. Some bands like this make a decent living off of their music if they’re lucky. Yet, for many of them, it’s not about the money so much as their love of Jamaican music. For Jesse, if there’s any ska and/or reggae artist that he could bring back from the dead, it would be Delroy Wilson. As far as the future for The Aggrolites, they hope to be working on another record soon. They would also like to take some time off from touring. Their members have other various projects that they’re working on. Jesse, personally, would like to work on a kids album.

    When I arrived at The Aggrolites show at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, I had just missed local 2-Tone ska/new wave band Liam and the Ladies but what I heard from outside the venue was just what I expected to hear from one of my favorite high-energy Phoenix bands. DJs Beat Betty and Fullstop were spinning their usual mix of awesome ska and reggae tunes as I walked into the packed venue. Along the way to grabbing a brew, I ran into several friends along the way, including Mark Allred from The Haymarket Squares. Before I knew it, The Aggrolites began their set.

    As they started, it felt like the typical Aggrolites' show that I've experienced a couple of times prior. Yet in no time, their soul started shining through with classics like "Funky Fire," "Banana" from Yo Gabba Gabba, and "Dirty Reggae". One of my favorite parts of their live show centers around Roger Rivas’ mind-blowing skills on the keys as he slams the melody home. Who really surprised me was Sean Rainy standing out by thrashing out the soul on the drums, reminescent of many Slackers' shows I've seen. Even Jeff Roffredo hopped along the bassline while pogoing in the air. Ricky Chacon rocked out the rhythm on guitar for everyone on the dancefloor while shaking it onstage. And, like always, Jesse Wagner serenaded the crowd with his heavy voice as he bounced from center stage to stage right and left. Occasionally, he'd take a break to shred on lead guitar. They even had a guest reggae vocalist that they pulled up onstage to sing with them that made the show that much more interactive and incredible. One would think this was done for a second wind but it seems more like the spontaneous kind of fun that a band like The Aggrolites enjoys.

If that wasn't enough, my friends Marcia Leach, a local DJ, and Katie Lawrence, AKA DJ Beat Betty, took to the stage to skank it up with a friend of theirs named Tori. At one point, The Aggrolites played the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down," while Mark Allred and I belted out the lyrics with them from the crowd. On top of all of this, they wrapped up and left the stage, leaving the crowd in a frenzy. As we all chanted for them, they returned to the stage to give us a few more killer tunes before ending the night.

All in all, The Aggrolites brought their A-game, taking me back to what ska/reggae bands like The Slackers were throwing down back in the late nineties to early 2000s, when their horn section would parade off stage to "The Saints Go Marching In" before their encore. Reminding me of the clash of "Season" battle songs between Skinnerbox, Hepcat, The Stubborn Allstars and Dr. Ring Ding and The Senior Allstars around that time period, I can't say that this is a challenge that The Aggrolites are giving the ska world. Regardless, anything that can help contribute and increase energy and ideas throughout the ska and reggae communities should certainly be embraced by all of us who love this music.

   

~Garyn Klasek