For 15 years, Lujan has lent his talents to an all-star list of Reggae talent.
Now, it's his time to shine on his own.
The Salinas reggae artist, founder of the seminal local reggae band Dubwize, has performed with Mikey Dread, Eek-A-Mouse, Dub Congress, Cali Nation and many more. He released his first proper solo album "Journey In Song" on New Year's Day. Buy the album here.
To celebrate, Lujan performs Friday, Jan. 2 at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz. He will be backed by his Yard Stylee All-Stars band. DJ Dread Ramas of Bless King Sound, One-A-Chord, and Militia of Love will open. Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7 advance, $10 at the door. For more info, go here.
Lujan talked to "The Beat" about the new album and the journey that got him to this point.
Q: Talk about the album title:
A: “Journey in Song.” After all these years of playing in
Dubwize, playing in so many other bands, it’s been a long journey to get to
this point. The people can get a little feel of that journey in this album. The
lyrical/musical content, they can feel it, they can relate to it and get a feel on
that journey. Hopefully, it might touch their own journey. A lot of people can vibe with
it.
Q: You mention the artists you have worked with. Give us a list of all the bands you have worked with the past 15 years.
A: The main one would be my 14 years with Dubwize. (We started) even before that. Also, backing people like Dub Congress (on bass). I started backing
Mikey Dread, Million Styles, The 7th Street Band, Cali Nation,
Wasted Noise (on trombone). It’s all part of the journey. Danny I, Army from St.
Croix, Louie Culture, Eek-A-Mouse.
Q: Mikey passed a few years ago. What was it like playing with him?
A: I got to play bass with him. Dubwize backed him. He called
us for random things. That was pretty cool. We got a lot of learning experience
from that.
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