Taj Weekes

Root Cellar Greenfield, MA

August 13 2016

 

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It was a busy day of music for me, performing at the Alive and Dead festival in Woodford Vermont, catching the solo acoustic benefit show by Adam Ezra, and finally sticking around Greenfield’s newest music venue the Root Cellar.  I had been familiar with Taj Weekes and Adowa for about ten years, but this was my first opportunity to catch the band hailing originally from Saint Lucia but now residing in New York state.

I had some very nice conversations with Taj before the performance about his work with charities in St Lucia including Unicef and his current mission of educating everyone about the incredibly high rate of diabetes on the island.  We talked about his world travels, and how difficult it was for him as a young man to come to the United States and get used to the winter weather.

There was a nice crowd building for his set and they received the band with warmth and expectation.  The lineup consisted of drums, lead guitar, bass, keyboards, a backing vocalist and Taj on vocals and rhythm guitar.  Their music could easily be described as reggae but that would miss the myriad influences that infuse the sound.   At times there were diverse yet directed references to latin jazz, world music and jazz spread liberally but carefully into the set.  Meticulous in composition and  execution the band wound their way through two sets and captivated the crowd.  

The band was great, complimenting Weekes’ vocals and songs really well. In particular the keyboard player really jumped out as an amazing player, oftentimes covering two keyboards parts simultaneously, she was captivating to watch. Supplemental vocals supplied by Jennifer Schulteis were also excellent and the blend between her and Weekes enhanced both the sound and the delivery of the song’s meaning. The rest of the band were excellent from top to bottom, able to supply both the foundations of the music and to be able to inject the other requisite sounds to diversify style and content.

taj

The Root Cellar was also a joy, with quality craft brews, attentive and congenial staff, a nice dance floor and welcoming atmosphere.  The club has only been open for a few weeks but is already distinguishing itself as a place to go and easily enjoy high quality music at an affordable rate.  Greenfield has ached for a quality music venue and the size and atmosphere of the Root Cellar make for the perfect answer.  I enjoyed the cold brew coffee that they have on tap, once straight and the next one as an alcohol drink of the house.  They also have kambucha and juice infused cocktails.

There are a ton of great shows coming up there and I will be returning to see them!

 

Root Cellar Upcoming Shows

Performer

Date

Rhythm Inc

Friday, August 19, 2016

Rev Tor

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Eggy

Friday, August 26, 2016

Old Soul Revival

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Rebel Alliance

Friday, September 02, 2016

Flux Capacitor

Saturday, September 03, 2016

Matt Valentine

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

Shakedown

Friday, September 09, 2016

Jeff Bujak

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Soul Magnets

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Home Body

Friday, September 16, 2016

Opel

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Big Mean Sound Machine

Friday, September 30, 2016

Walking Ghosts

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Creamery Station

Friday, October 07, 2016

The Marks Brothers

Friday, October 28, 2016

 

To Submit a review or story for consideration hit us at [email protected]

Check out the Live Music News and Review.com Facebook page for updates and announcements.