Veteran Halifax party band Rasta Gumbo make their first spring appearance at The Carleton on Friday, May 22nd. Show time is 9:30 PM and admission is $10 at the door. This’ll be a “prepare to dance” kinda night!

Rasta Gumbo is a seven-piece Rhythm & Blues band that was formed in the mid-nineties by co-front men Bruce Vickery and Stu Mclean. The band consists of musicians who all, at one time or another, have fronted their own projects. Bruce Vickery, lead vocalists and percussionist, along with Andru Lordly on saxophone, co-fronted the popular Canadian Reggae Ska band “The Hopping Penguins” in the 80s and 90s. Vickery also fronted the very successful Halifax dance band “Urban Renewal” in the 90s.

Guitarist Stu Mclean has fronted many of his own groups, the most recent being “The Road Runners”. Drummer Tom Roach (2006 ECMA Jazz Album Winner) has played with the likes of Natalie McMaster and the Barra MacNeils as well as leading many of his own projects. Johnny Theodore, along with heading up many of his own solo projects, was featured with the highly entertaining “Mark Hanes and the Zippers” in the mid-80s and 90s.

From its inception in the mid-90s, Rasta Gumbo has played a mix of Soul, Funk, Reggae, and Zydeco music that has made them one of the busiest bands on the local Halifax club and Convention scene. Although the band’s mainstay is in Funk and Reggae, they adjust well to any given situation. With a repertoire of over two hundred songs, the band can play anything from Motown to Rock ‘n Roll, as well as Jazz and Rhythm & Blues classics.

From clubs and dancehalls to conventions and weddings, Rasta Gumbo has filled dance floors and entertained crowds for the past ten years with an honest and energetic approach to performing.