Soundcheck, a new live-music experience in Kingston

The newest live music series in Kingston, Soundcheck, kicked off last Thursday at the Dubwise Café. The stage show, headed by event and content producer Carleene Samuels, is the first instalment of a monthly series featuring the hottest young talent in dancehall.

Samuels hopes to give them the opportunity, in a low-stakes environment surrounded by friends and the most loyal of their supporters, to perform with a live band, an opportunity generally reserved for a higher calibre of artiste and usually taking place under more major circumstances.

“I want to give the younger artistes a chance to work with a band in a setting where they have fans and there’s no judgement and they’re just having a good time ... I feel like in places in the world where there’s a (focus on the] music industry, there’s lots of options for those kinds of presentations where they can have a live band, and it’s not like the big stage, you know? It’s a small stage, it’s a little vibe, friends are here.”

Showtime came promptly as advertised and cellphones were raised into the air as not one moment of Rahjah Wild’s entrance was to be missed by his fans packed tightly into the Dubwise Café, which was aptly renovated for the style of event that was being hosted. The self-christened Rat Bat in charge appeared on stage, and his raspy voice grated through loudspeakers and washed over the crowd. He began his set with his definitive tune, Another Dollar, and the crowd was beside themselves to see him perform it live. He made his way quickly through his performance, rarely acknowledging the audience in front of him. Spirits were high nonetheless and the crowd steadily pulsed in time to songs like Wild Out, 100 Mile and GoGo. Accompaniment was provided by Dub Squad, the four-piece band of choice for a fast-increasing number of artistes. The band’s rock-leaning renditions of the ‘sinful’ deejay’s tracks matched the rising star’s grungy appearance in safety pin-laden sweater and opaque wrap-around sunglasses.

Soundcheck’s début with Rahjah Wild was a music experience expected to be given by a developing artiste, and one might have left the show comparing it to someone more seasoned in the entertainment industry. Following this performance, expectations of his next one would be high given the deep end of love music accompaniment he was thrown into so early in his career. Samuels remains determined to give more rising artistes this venture, partnering with the Dubwise Café for the rest of the year and, hopefully, onward, teasing future headliners of both dancehall and reggae genres.

“We want to really surprise people [with the headliners to come], but we’re definitely talking to, in no special order, Shaneil Muir, Armani, Bayka, we’re talking to different people. We’re set for six months at least. Every third Thursday, fans can just look forward to a little vibe.”