I was thinking recently about who I’d like to play with on stage if I could play with anyone who is currently out there touring. Interestingly enough the list boiled down to less than the five fingers of my left hand. Call me old school but I still prefer older more timeless artists like Bob, Stevie, Led Zeppelin and the Doobie Brothers. Some of my favorites are based purely on music and some a combination of music and reputation. So the next few posts will be dedicated to who I’d like to play with and why. Feel free to comment below with suggestions if I’m missing some other like-minded bands.
1) Ziggy Marley
First, I’m a huge Bob Marley fan and consider him one of my greatest influences second only to Stevie Wonder. But since I can’t play with Bob the second best option would be his eldest and in my opinion most talented son Ziggy Marley. Of course I would love to play locally here at Viejas with all my San Diego friends, but would also welcome a summer festival situation like Wanderlust or Bonnaroo.
Ziggy has been rocking the charts and the stages going back to the days before I ever picked up my first guitar with Conscious Party and recently with jams like True to Myself. While he’ll never replace the genius of his father, Ziggy still upholds many of the same values as his father and deserves a lot of respect. He’s also managed to carry on the “real music” vibe of Bob with a full band which includes female harmonies… rare in this day and age of digital impersonation.
As a baritone, there aren’t many people in general that I can do cover songs for, as the majority of male singers are tenors, but Ziggy’s song “True To Myself” seems to fit nicely at the top of my range. This song resonates with me as the lyrics are all about personal power and honoring who you really are. Here is a snippet of my band playing it last summer at the Wavehouse in San Diego.
Please feel free to comment below.
Lots of love, Chad