Santa Cruz roots reggae band, Ancestree, has stirred the pot of multicultural appreciation since 2010. Devoted to the sounds of early 1970s reggae music, Ancestree strives to live an authentic life, spreading joy and the message of unity.
External symbolism associated with roots reggae includes dreadlocks and marijuana. “Tomás (Gomez), our guitarist and lead singer, was locked up for 13 years,” says Christopher “Smiley” Carr, who holds down the bottom end of the band on bass. “It’s a state of mind, you know? You don’t have to be dreadlocked to be Rasta. We live in Rasta Cruz and my other world is stewarding ganja. Ganja is how I’ve supported myself. I’m a friend of cannabis personally, and as a band.”
Ancestree has always acted with intention and a desire to invite everyone to the party. The band’s music has its own personal twists and takes on what roots reggae means. “We’re not trying to be anything we’re not. We respect the reggae culture. We respect the heritage and the legacy of Jamaican music and Jamaican artists,” Carr says.
Ancestree has put in its due diligence through endless gigging and constant refinement. Carr, who also works at Moe’s Alley, remembers the band’s first gigs there.
“We were a seven to nine-piece band getting paid $200 to open for Black Uhuru, Michael Rose and Israel Vibrations. We’ve definitely been grinding and putting in the labor of love for the music. And the biggest thing with our sound, and the biggest thing for reggae in general, what I want to emphasize is that it’s music with a message. And that’s a very timely call to action. We have a song called ‘Organize’. And that’s a lot of the genre of Roots music is that it’s very prophetic.
“One step forward, two steps backward, and living in Babylon. I feel these messages, and these hooks, and this music is very prophetic and it comes back around and then we have to stay vigilant, and we have to stay united. And the biggest thing about reggae music is the heartbeat. I’m a bass player myself. I’m all about the rhythm section. I’m all about locking in with the heartbeat. And so that’s what really drew me to the sound and continues to inspire me because it is a timeless genre. I could be 80 years old and still touring playing roots,” Carr says.
Ever since Bob Marley barnstormed the United States on his first tour in 1973, the power of reggae music has burned through the souls of fans and musicians of all colors and origins. For Ancestree, the music comes through a more homegrown filter. “I use the music as a medium to paint the picture of what we’re going through. A lot of our songs are multicultural.
“I’m Jicarilla-Apache Nation. Tomás and I share heritage with the same ancestors in New Mexico. So we speak a lot about First Nation struggles. Whether it be in North America, in our families in New Mexico, or thinking about the Maya, the Inca and the Olmec. We have a lot of songs speaking to our ancestry. That’s truly like our name is encapsulating the message. Know your roots, know your roots. We’re not trying to sing about Haile Selassie because that’s not necessarily where we’re from,’ says Carr.
Carr and Ancestree use the music of Kingston, Jamaica in 1972, to convey the message to fight Babylon. And Carr can see how things are playing out locally in Santa Cruz.
“We’re very concerned about the changing landscape of downtown. I don’t recognize my community. I don’t recognize what’s right in front of me. We use music as a platform to express ourselves artistically, but also try to heighten the awareness of the audience in such a way like that it’s coming from the heart and goes to the heart,” says Carr.
The modern wave of Cali Reggae, which combines reggae with all types of rock and hip-hop spitfire, is not what Ancestree is about. Call them purists, but they adhere to a deeper, more transcendent ethos.
“We are Santa Cruz roots. We’re not a bubblegum, pop style. We keep it heavy, keep it strictly roots. And I think that’s kind of what differentiates us. We’ve blown up over 16 years because we stuck to that approach and because we have such a reverence for the sound of the heavy, heavyweights like Judy Mowat, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley,” Carr states.
Ancestree will play on April 18 at the 420 in the Park Celebration at The Plaza, 194 S. Market St, in downtown San Jose. Showtime is 2pm-9pm. Tickets are $44.69 and available at mitpsj.com/420-in-the-park/april18
