The guitar greats hitting the stage at Cali Vibes 2022
Photo courtesy of The Expendables.
The eyes of the reggae world are all on Long Beach this weekend for the 2022 Cali Vibes festival. The community's best artists, producers, and creatives will come together with fans underneath the California sun to celebrate the music, culture, and ethos of the beautiful genre we all hold so dear. As the date approaches, perhaps what we are most excited for is the high level of musicianship that will be on display all weekend; and to be more specific, the epic guitarists that will be making strings sing and setting fretboards on fire on the Cali Vibes stages. For anybody that loves the greatest instrument that has and ever will be created (bias admitted), these are the guitarists you won't want to miss at Cali Vibes 2022!
1. Eric Rachmany of Rebelution
Perhaps the biggest band in all of American Reggae, Rebelution has garnered a loyal fan base since their inception in the coastal California town of Isla Vista with heavy bass, well-written songs, and catchy melodies. Perhaps their greatest weapon of all is frontman Eric Rachmany's talent on the guitar. While some guitarists excel at one certain aspect of playing, Eric is able to craft wonderful rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and leads on his guitar that has become a staple of the Rebelution sound. Like most musicians who rise to the top of their craft, Eric is humble and loves to see other musicians improve as well. Eric and the band have a jam contest semi-annually where they invite fans to upload covers of Rebelution songs and those with the best videos get to jam with the band. It was from one of these jams that Eric met Kyle Ahern, an incredible musician who is now a touring guitarist and producer for the band. Kyle is an incredible guitar soloist, giving double the reason to catch Rebelution on Friday night February 4th at Cali Vibes headlining the Koi CBD stage.
2. Raul Bianchi and Geoff Weers of The Expendables
Santa Cruz band The Expendables have been a staple of the reggae, ska/punk scene for the past two decades and are known for mixing laid-back, surf-oriented songs with a punk rock edge. In addition to melding these genres together, The Expendables also infuse heavy rock, Iron Maiden-esque riffs into their songs and have made a habit of melting faces at their live shows. Raul and Geoff are excellent at playing harmonized leads similar to the classic metal greats, and if you have yet to see them live your jaw will be guaranteed to drop when lead guitarist Raul steps forward to rip a solo. With metal grade sweep picking, Van Halen whammy bar chops, and the speed of a virtuoso, Raul is one of the best guitarists in all of reggae. The Expendables will be bringing their brand of reggae-rock to "The Greens" stage at 6 pm on Sunday, February 6th.
3. Kyle McDonald and Miles Doughty of Slightly Stoopid
The now-legendary San Diego band Slightly Stoopid began when Kyle and Miles were in high school and were discovered by Sublime's Bradley Nowell. The two share duties as lead vocalists, guitarists, and bassists for Slightly Stoopid and are known for their ability to write beautifully catchy songs and create live jams that live up to the standard that fellow Californians the Grateful Dead set before them (we recommend checking their live collaboration with Bob Weir). The two have the ability to sit back in the pocket when necessary, take leads when the inspiration strikes, and write riffs that have become legendary in their own right. Case in point, the acoustic guitar stylings of their tracks "Closer to the Sun". Catch Kyle and Miles with their epic band at the Koi CBD stage on Saturday, February 5th right before the Marley brothers hit the stage for the Bob Marley birthday celebration.
4. Nathan Aurora and Nick Sefakis of Iya Terra
The new and rising stars Iya Terra have certainly made a name for themselves over the past few years. With collaborations alongside Stick Figure, The Movement, Tribal Seeds, and Mike Love just to name a few, reggae fans have been introduced to their wonderful sound that features heavy rhythms, well-executed production, and killer guitar work. Guitarists Nathan Aurora and Nick Sefakis are able to compliment the vibing pulse of the rhythm section at one moment, then pull up into dueling guitar shredding the next. Both Nathan and Nick are excellent songwriters and singers, which helps explain how they can execute exactly what a song needs while also letting their guitar talent shine through. Fans at Cali Vibes can see the band that everyone is now talking about on Sunday afternoon February 6th on the Koi CBD stage.
For tickets and set time info go to www.calivibesfest.com
Keep Up by The Expendables is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.
By Chris Lawrie.
