Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS) is known fo… Read Full Bio ↴www.LivePanda.com
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS) is known for folding the aesthetics of the jamband scene into the structures of reggae. In the live setting, the band performs extended jams, while their previous studio albums have blended roots reggae with psychedelia (In These Times, 2012) or diverged from the genre completely, journeying into straight Americana (Country, 2012). On STEADY, the band’s fourth studio album (and first on Easy Star Records), GPGDS has synthesized their approach by weaving traditional folk instrumentation into a foundation of reggae, with arrangements that let the reggae breathe in a non-traditional way. While STEADY may not be the first record to find inspiration in both old time Appalachia and ‘70s Jamaica, it may be the best.
Much of STEADY’s power comes from the attention put into the recording process. Craig Welsch (one of the key players in 10 Ft. Ganja Plant) invited the band to his Boston studio, with the intention of “capturing an aspect of Panda that no one had ever heard yet, something totally different.” This rings true on tracks like “Wolf At The Door” and “.45.” Bassist-singer James Searl jokes that the band “has always followed John Brown’s Body (JBB) into studios,” as each studio they’ve recorded in was previously used by the legendary Ithaca, New York-based band. This trend continues unabated here, as Welsch was formerly JBB’s dub engineer and producer on some of their finest sessions, while another song on STEADY – the herb-smoking gem “Mr. Cop” – was produced by Matt Saccuccimorano, who helmed the controls on the last JBB release. The only other track on the record not coming from Welsch – the title track – was co-produced by Danny Kalb, who has worked with The Green, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson.
Giant Panda formed in 2001 in Rochester, New York. A mysteriously fertile area for developing the U.S. reggae scene, the city has ties going back to 1981 when Lee “Scratch” Perry recruited his entire backing band from Rochester. The Upstate NY region became early supporters of GPGDS, while its members were in high school and beginning college, playing weekly gigs to cut their teeth. In these formative years, Giant Panda began to explore their songs with an experimental approach that is stylistically akin to the Grateful Dead, while keeping their roots firmly planted in reggae rhythms and lyrical content. Around 2005 tapers began to notice and soon after one of the band’s first Colorado shows received homepage placement on the popular taper website Archive.org. Almost overnight GPGDS became a mainstay on the jamband festival circuit.
From 2005 – 2013 GPGDS’s three original members (drummer Chris O’Brian, guitarist-singer Dylan Savage, and bassist-singer James Searl) began a touring schedule averaging over 100 shows a year and performing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Jamaica. Their third lead singer, multi-instrumentalist Dan Keller, joined the group a few years back, while keyboardist Tony Gallicchio joined in 2013. (Most of the sessions for STEADY feature ex-keys man Aaron Lipp, though Gallicchio can be heard on two of the tracks.) Giant Panda’s continuous time on the road hardened the players into monster instrumentalists. Their attention to the studio in later years, along with a unique blending of reggae and rural American music solidified GPGDS as one of the region’s most beloved bands. Like their hometown, they manage to unify an intellectual and creative culture with a hard-working blue-collar past.
The three main songwriters’ material is different enough to create a flowing and diverse listening experience. Savage’s inspiring anthems tend to be the most “classically” reggae, with songs like “Not The Fool,” “Whatever Cost,” and “Solution” echoing influences like Culture (circa 1979), early Burning Spear, and Jimmy Cliff. Searl is more experimental, both in form (“Wolf At The Door” could almost be an Elvis Costello song, while “.45” utilizes African and blues influences) and in lyrics: his “Hurt Up Your Brother” is almost Dadaist, taking a few lines and constantly rearranging them to achieve new meanings, imbued with a nonsensical-yet-expressive feel, while one of the most dubbed-out riddims on the record chugs along underneath. Keller’s songs stand illusively in between, and manage to go both directions, with a hardcore reggae groove on “Move” giving way to an unexpected chorus, or with the catchy “Home” being one of the only reggae songs in history to use a banjo so creatively and fittingly.
Giant Panda is one of a growing number of bands that work with both Rootfire (their management) and Easy Star Records. STEADY marks the seventeenth release Rootfire and Easy Star have paired up for, making them one of the most storied and successful partnerships in the modern reggae scene. Release number eighteen is just a few days away…. GPGDS has cut a full Americana album as a sequel to 2012’s Country, which will also come out on Easy Star on May 18, 2015. For now though, sit back and enjoy STEADY – a masterpiece that solidifies Giant Panda’s standing as a groundbreaker in the roots reggae scene.
BAND MEMBERS:
James Searl (Bass, Vocals),
Chris O'Brian (Drums, Vocals),
Dylan Savage (Guitar, Vocals),
Dan Keller (Guitar, Vocals),
Tony Gallicchio (Keys)
Buffalo
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hurt in my heartache when I meditate
And find a million murdered buffalo-o
All these souls die slowly on my frame
All them streetlights at the edge of my brain
Dance to beats of infinity(?)-yeah
Showin' my eyes to recognize only most beautiful things
I must give over thanks
I'm givin' up over
Oh whoa woo woo woo woo woo woo
Yeah
My hea-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-art!
Does, does, does, does, does!
Hur-ur-ur-ur-ur-ur-urt!
Yeah yeah eh-eh-ah
Ah my
Ah my
Ay my
Ay my, heart!
Does ache!
Mine mine mine!
Oh mine does
Oh mine does
Oh mine does
Over
I bring, my pain!
(??) to the seam!
Oh mine does, oh mine does!
Does (??)
Oooh
Oh I know that before them dust to bo-o-o-ones
It must-a stunk greatly over the plains
(??) over the plains
Before them buffalo dust off to bones
Over the plains
Well I'm sayin'
Givin' up over thanks
And I'm givin' it up over
Givin' over thanks
I'm givin' over, mm
Chicka
Mm, ah
Ch'ck-ch'cka, mm, ah
Hn, mm, ah
Ch'cka, ch'cka
Hn, hunh, mm, ah
Mm, ah, mm, ah
Oooo over my frame(?)
Ooo-oo-oo over my, over my (?)
The song "Buffalo" by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is a powerful and contemplative meditation on the relationship between humankind and nature, specifically the plight of the buffalo population in North America. The opening verse speaks to the simple desires and goals of the singer, but the melancholy tone turns to profound pain when they attempt to meditate and are confronted with memories of the millions of buffalo that were murdered by settlers and decimated by hunting in the 19th century. The singer feels the weight of this great loss on their own being, with the souls of the buffalo dying slowly within them.
The following verse turns to the theme of recognition and gratitude, with the singer reminding themselves to look only for beauty and to let their own light shine in the darkness. The repeated chorus of "Oh my heart does ache" underscores the pain of recognizing that something so grand and noble as buffalo can be destroyed so swiftly by humankind's greed and cruelty. The closing verses speak to the power of giving thanks, of recognizing the losses of the past and working towards a more hopeful and sustainable future. Overall, the song is a powerful reminder of the deep interconnectivity of all living things, and the responsibility we have to steward the natural world with care and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
Devoted my mindscape to accomplishing only most simplest things
I choose to keep my mind clear and focused on doing small, simple tasks
Hurt in my heartache when I meditate
I feel a lot of pain when I meditate and think about things deeply
And find a million murdered buffalo-o
When I think about the past, I see millions of buffalo who were killed
All these souls die slowly on my frame
I feel the weight of all these lives that were lost and it hurts me
All them streetlights at the edge of my brain
I have a lot of thoughts and ideas constantly coming to me like lights at the edge of my mind
Dance to beats of infinity(?)-yeah
These thoughts and ideas seem to go on forever and never stop
Showin' my eyes to recognize only most beautiful things
I try to focus on seeing only the beautiful things around me
Showin' my heart to shine on through even the darkest inch
I try to let my inner light shine even in the darkest moments of life
I must give over thanks
I give thanks for everything I have
I'm givin' up over
I am surrendering myself
My hea-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-art!
My heart is deep and complex with many layers
Does, does, does, does, does!
It beats and pumps blood to keep me alive
Hur-ur-ur-ur-ur-ur-urt!
It hurts when I think about all the pain in the world
Oh whoa woo woo woo woo woo woo
These are sounds of pain and struggle
Ay my, heart!
My heart is important to me
Oh mine does
It is connected to the larger issues of the world
I bring, my pain!
I confront my own pain and try to process it
(??) to the seam!
I try to find ways to put the pieces of myself back together
Does (??)
Even though my heart hurts, I know that it still beats and keeps me alive
Oh I know that before them dust to bo-o-o-ones
I recognize that things change and that events from the past can sometimes be hard to understand
It must-a stunk greatly over the plains
I imagine that the smell of death and decay was strong when the buffalo were killed
(??) over the plains
I feel a strong connection to the land and the history of this place
Before them buffalo dust off to bones
Before the buffalo were killed and their remains scattered across the land
Well I'm sayin'
This is what I'm trying to express
Givin' up over thanks
I am surrendering myself and giving thanks for everything I have
And I'm givin' it up over
I am letting go and surrendering myself to a higher power
Mm, ah
These are sounds of peace and surrender
Ch'ck-ch'cka, mm, ah
These are sounds of music and rhythm
Hn, mm, ah
These are sounds of struggle and pain
Ch'cka, ch'cka
These are sounds of hope and resilience
Writer(s): O'BRIAN MATTHEW
Contributed by Ian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.