Looking for someplace to go this weekend where the vibes are mellow and friendly and the music has a body-moving groove? Cleveland’s most prominent reggae group Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band has hooked up with Washington, D.C.-area pop-reggae septet Jah Works to present the Reggae Blowout at the Players Club at Lost Nation Sports Park on Saturday.
Longtime local college-radio host Charleston Okafor of Cleveland State’s WCSB 89.3 FM’s African Abstract program (which can be heard 7-9 p.m. Sundays) hosts. The event celebrates the imminent national release of the PLUS Band’s new album Leave a Trail, released a few months ago. The show will also be taped for future broadcast.
Next month, Jah Works will return the favor and bring the PLUS band to the D.C. area to play a couple of dates. Doors open at 8; admission is $10.
And if you’re really a big fan of Jones and his band and follow them everywhere, they’ve put together an opportunity for you to go someplace more exciting than Willoughby: Negril in Jamaica.
In the tradition of the old rock and reggae shows Jones’ former band First Light used to do with Jim Miller’s jam-band Oroboros in the ’80s and ’90s, PLUS got together with Columbus jammers Ekoostik Hookah and came up with Jamrock2010.
The two will host a tour from April 17-24 that features three outdoor concerts with both bands plus an informal acoustic bonfire jam session with fans invited to bring their instruments and join in. Packages, which include round-trip airfare, airport transfers, hotel and shows, start at $839. You can find more info here. —Anastasia Pantsios
