Roots Archives Forum

what happened to aswad? i have heard an album called chant I chant..do they have a new singer?

Disbanded for some years now as far as I know. Brinsley Forde still does radio and a bit of TV I think. As for Drummie Zeb and Tony Gadd I dont know what they are at these days. Any further info to this tread appreciated.

Aswad still going strong.Drummie Zeb on Vocals,Tony Gad still on Bass,No Brinsley,no new album. But the band still touring strong

hi don instrumental
i think you are really kidding as far as aswad is concerned.can you imagine aswad without their frontman brinsley dan?it reminds me of an argument i went through with some friends about the original line up with some bands.we were talking about steel pulse which i think has not been a band for more than 25 years( since earth crisis)
aswad started out with ras oban on bass(who was really the driving force)donald griffith on guitar,courtney hemmings on keyboards,drummie zeb on drums and brinsley on vocals.tony gad was only a keyboardists backing delroy washington who was from the ladbroke grove area too.you can see a young drummie zeb and a young tony gad in concert at the 1976 notting hill carnival on "aquarius reggae program".you can still play and release a good album,but the spirit of the band that started it out is no more.the problem is that most of the yound reggae devotees never try to trace back the origin of the bands.as far as i am concerned,i haven't appreciated anything from aswad since their seminal "not satisfied".

Ites!

Aswad will be ina Bristol Vegan Fayre 2008:

Main Stage - Saturday 31st May at 2.30pm MISTY IN ROOTS, at 5pm DREADZONE, and at 7.30pm its ASWAD

ITAL BLESS

call it anything but it's not the aswad we knew

This is the roots archives forum so opinions will be heavily slanted toward Brinsley. Drummie vocals are too sugary sweet for the "congo bongo ashanti binghi iya nyah blood & fya" crowd.

Personally, Drummie Zeb is one of my favorite reggae singers and I love the Aswad songs where he sings lead. I'm a huge fan of the Roots Revival and 25 Live albums. Even though I loved their late '80s show that I attended, I'd welcome the opportunity to see Aswad these days.

saw them recently in japan (osaka) at blue note/billboard live alongside janet kay. both were nice in a lovers rock style but lacked any semblance of roots.

my question about aswad is, their first two albums self titled and hulet i dont see the same names on the lineup am i wrong or did the lineup change after the first album?
and as far as steel pulse is concerned they stopped exsisting after tribute to the martyrs, just kidding.
i saw them a the del mar fair last summer, talk about bubble gum reggae, its a shame to see such a rugged sound go down the drain.

Greg, you're comparing their performance to a sound that was fashionable 25 years ago, right?