Date: June 4th, 2011
Location: @ Marquee Theater. Tempe, AZ
Line-Up: Tribal Seeds, Through The Roots, Fayuca & RAC
The temperature might have read 107 degrees, but the heat was turned up even higher inside the Marquee Theater Saturday night in Tempe, AZ. After all, the bill was loaded with hot roots, reggae-rock bands heating up the Arizona sound waves. The Spring Harvest Tour was headlined by San Diego’s roots, rock-reggae band, Tribal Seeds, along with Through the Roots, their fellow sun, sand, and surf lover group.
The night began with a taste of local flavor for the Marquee crowd, as Glendale’s own, RAC, opened the doors, along with neighboring Valley of the Sun rockers, Fayuca, and The Wiley One.
Before the first bass line dropped, RAC was kind enough to take time out for The Pier. The five members could not have been more personable and upbeat before their set. After their latest EP, “In-hab-i-tants”, released in April, Ben Florine, the lead singer and guitarist, hinted at a summer complete with recording a third album. Although none of the members would hint at a name, Ben explained, “In-hab-i-tants” is an expanding sound from our past, but we are getting even more creative.” RAC was certainly creative as the early arrivals at the venue began to sway to easy listening vibes and off the cuff jokes by their front man.
The crowd began to grow as the night rolled on enjoying the sounds of Fayuca and The Wiley One, but anticipation built for the Southern California outfits scheduled to perform later in the night. No one was disappointed by the fast paced, punk/ska/reggae infusion that Fayuca possesses.
The fans that came to dance were in for a treat as The Wiley One brought a bouncy-bluesy sound to the Spring Harvest, and the response was electric!
Fans began jumping with the vibe that The Wiley One’s drummer, David Bedell, pounded out
from center stage. Not only was Bedell clean while keeping the time, the man had charisma and character with the sticks. It was an impressive spectacle for percussionists.
As Bedell exited the stage, he politely declined even a brief interview, as he was playing at yet another show later in Phoenix that night. Talk about loving music!
Now it was time for So Cal kids, Through the Roots and Tribal Seeds, to step up to the microphone in Tempe. As excited as the fans were once San Diego’s finest took the stage, Bryan Jackson, Through the Roots’ bassist also echoed that, “With The Pier here, it has to be a great show!”
And it was. The young San Diego group provided easy listening, and head bouncing tracks like “Stay Positive” and “Best Friend”. This was my first encounter with Through the Roots at a live show, and I must say, they lived up to the hype.
The entire night grew in anticipation of the main act: Tribal Seeds. With the venue nearly full, the crowd erupted as the band belted out the fan favorite, “Love Psalm”. 
From that point on, the madness at the Marquee had the ultimate soundtrack with roots, rock-reggae bouncing off the walls. More importantly, the crowd was bouncing, too.
The essence of the night continued on as Tribal Seeds performed their new single “In Your Eyes” before closing out their set with truthful, yet soul-searching ballads, “Vampire” joined by members of Through the Roots, along with “The Garden”, and “Dark Angel”. It certainly was madness at the Marquee, but at some point the night had to end.
The clock struck midnight, and the lights in the house turned on, but the fans wanted more. As the crowd began to exit, Joe, the percussionist and keyboard player for Tribal Seeds reassured the crowd, “We will see you all again in August, for another great night.”
Arizona will be anxiously waiting their next show, as will fans across the country on Tribal Seeds upcoming 30-city tour beginning July 9th, in their hometown of San Diego.
Written & Photography by: Kris Siuta
