Jahworks Magazine
“Brookins A.M.E Hosts Roots Reggae”

By Monica Espiritu - May 2006

I’ve been a fan of Bambú Station since I first met its members at the Monterrey Bay Reggae Festival in 2004. Since then, I have had the privilege of watching them perform at popular Bay Area venues such as Club Dread at Studio Z in San Francisco, Berkeley’s Ashkenaz, Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz, at Dreadstock in Vallejo, and even amidst the ironic setting of North Lake Tahoe’s Biltmore Casino with its drone of slot machine noises and card shuffling.

The greater irony seemed to be their booking at a Christian church, Brookins African Methodist Episcopal Church in Oakland, California.

I distinctly recall feeling confused about the venue. I checked the Mt. Nebo Records website. I contacted people to confirm that this was not some sort of mistake. I scoured discussion forums and found a post on the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival boards bemoaning the possibility that sitting in the pews would prevent dancing. I felt confused even as I was sitting in the church waiting for the band to perform.

When guitarist Tuff Lion was a boy he had a life changing revelation that started him on his path toward Rastafari. As he sat in church with his mother and brothers, he was aghast by the irony of the large stylized blonde haired, blue-eyed depiction of Christ displayed at the altar in a room full of black people. This is God. Man was created in Gods image. What does that make me? Where is MY god? At eleven, he found himself estranged from the church. He gradually made his way to the Twelve Tribes sect.

Fast forward to April 29, 2006: Tuff Lion and his band mates posted up before the pulpit in a room of mostly black people.

Given the history of abuse and persecution founding sects of Rastafarians experienced in Jamaicas predominantly Christian atmosphere and the ongoing cultural tug-of-war between baldheads and natty dreads in many lands, it seemed an oxymoron to posit a roots band singing Jah's praises in a Christian house of worship. But as the evening progressed, lead singer Jalani Horton illuminated the dovetailing of different planks in the shared house of the African Diaspora and the crossing of two seemingly divergent paths leading to a common Spirit.

The band is adept at feeling the pulse of an audience. Their wonderful musicianship is one thing but their ability to find that pulse and use it to pump life and meaning into their performance is overwhelming.

Belinda Osbourne, or Sister Belinda as the band members address her, knows this very well. She is arguably Bambú Station’s most ardent fan on the West Coast. It was her effort that brought this communion into fruition. She introduced Bambú Station’s music to fellow congregation members and many fell in love with the bands message and delivery. They rallied to bring the band to their spiritual home although with mild consternation from their pastor, Reverend Clinton Stancil. The core of the audience consisted of Brookins’ congregates. They displayed excitement and great fervor for the music and the message. I felt privy to a family reunion, a homecoming of sorts.

Jalani set the tone of fellowship in his introduction of Pass It. He made parallels between the African Methodist Episcopal churchs ways of passing down knowledge from generation to generation to writer Alex Haleys familial roots. Tuff Lion alluded to his hair coiled up in his tam as a Rastafarians crown of thorns. With the nod of his head, his tam dropped, his woolen locks cascaded down his back, and he sang a touch of Good Works.

One Day tunes were performed along with selections from their new release Break The Soil. However, it seems trite to make an attempt to list them all because it was the overwhelming spirit that captured my attention. The churchs sound system may have been lacking but the vibrations beyond the aural were amazing. I felt an intense oscillation of energy in that space.

After the set ended, Jalani, drenched in sweat and his chest still heaving a little, struggled to find fitting words to encapsulate his experience in that particular instance. For someone usually so eloquent with his words, he was silent and awestruck. No human utterance can fully articulate wonder.

A couple of nights later, I found myself at Bambú Stations next gig at Club Dread, a place reggae fans are accustomed to catching reggae artists perform. The band settled on stage, began playing, and I felt transported. I was back in church.

By the way, you can dance in the pews at Brookins AME."
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Bambú Station continues to tour worldwide and is completing work on its next album.