Resin Music Presents: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad with The Simpkin Project, The Expanders, and Mikey Reyes

PANDA! is a quintet from Rochester, NY. Their psychedelic roots reggae album "In These Times" made iTunes Best of 2012 list. Over the past six years, PANDA! has performed 800 shows, put out a collection of live albums, and released a roots Americana record titled "Country".

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Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (PANDA!) is a quintet from Rochester, NY. Their psychedelic roots reggae album “In These Times” made iTunes Best of 2012 list. Over the past six years, PANDA! has performed 800 shows, put out a collection of live albums, and released a roots Americana record titled “Country” (2012). "The band's five masterful musicians weave layers of complex music within a reggae framework and may be one of the most diverse bands in the genre." - JamBase http://livepanda.com https://www.facebook.com/giantpandadub

The Expanders: The Expanders began playing reggae music together in the summer of 2003, and today are one of the most respected and hardest working reggae bands in Southern California. They have come to be known for their vintage “rockers” style of reggae, played in the tradition of classic 1970s Jamaican groups like The Ethiopians, Culture, The Mighty Diamonds, etc. Their music emphasizes three-part vocal harmonies and strong song writing. In addition to performing their own original material and rare Jamaican scorchers, since 2006 The Expanders have been the backing band of choice for legendary Jamaican singers when they come to California to perform, having backed such classic artists as Alton Ellis, The Maytones, The Ethiopians, The Wailing Souls, and many more.

The Simpkin Project: Simpkin Project plays a multi-faceted blend of reggae and Americana that varies greatly on its exterior layers but only atop the organic rhythms of reggae music. Their sound has been described as “uncompromising… blend[ing] authentic roots rock rhythms with a wall-of-sound production style,” and the lyrical compositions of frontman Phil Simpkin range “from the simply truthful to the stirringly an...themic.” Their dedication and respect for reggae music is both seen and heard through their non-stop, enthusiastic live performances, songwriting style and studio recordings. Rich guitar work that draws from influences in blues and rock ‘n’ roll is rarely in dull company, propelled steadily forward by the band’s thumping drums, bass and percussion, and the clockwork sound of rhythm guitar that defines Jamaica’s most culturally celebrated music. Their keyboard arrangements are lush and vibrant, providing a melodic backdrop against which three-part vocal harmonies shine brightly. These pieces come together to form a kind of living machine comprised of seven cogs that change shape and size and tempo, and it moves not only bodies on a dance floor, but the hearts and minds inside them. Simpkin Project’s music can be likened to a dialect of its parent language – culturally adapted to make sense in its place and time. It is music that addresses the struggles we all face; showing us that there is beauty in all things, from love to loss to injustice, and thus remaining true to the messages of traditional roots-reggae without which it would not exist. “We love reggae music period. It is what we were all raised on. Strictly roots, rock, reggae music. What other genre of music exists solely as the vehicle that carries within it messages of peace, positive vibes, respect, love, empowerment, and spiritualism?”