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Like countless Ontarians before him Brent Hongisto made his pilgrammage west to B.C. after graduating high school in London, Ont.
The promised land was the destination as he planned to explore B.C.'s magical mysteries and see what so many people had spoken so reverently about.
The mountains, forest and eclectic West Coast culture were sights he had to see and experience first hand; he was not disappointed.
As he wound his way back home he passed through Nelson, became enamoured with its energy and vibe, and knew he had to return. With his sights set on Selkirk College School of Music, he packed up his guitar, amp and the other four members of Kangaroo, his hometown band in London, Ont., as the whole group enrolled in the school in the pursuit of the groove.
Ten years and two well-absorbed terms of musical tutelage later, Kangaroo is disbanded and the now Wassabi Collective lead guitarist sits poised to release his first solo album — after four albums with Wassabi.
Called Just the Beginning, the reggae-infused album has been in circulation for six months but will see the light of day this Saturday in its official release at the Spiritbar (10:30 p.m.) — for Bob Marley’s birthday.
It’s an appropriately aged and seasoned selection of some of the best music the veteran musician has produced over the years in Nelson. The time had come, he said, to record the music that has been developing in his work with his alter Wassabi ego, the Reggae Allstars.
For anyone familiar with his live performances with the band, this is the best of Hongisto, the distillation of the beat within, marinated heavily in reggae and a journey to the roots of music.
"It's a little overdue," Hongisto said matter-of-factly about the pending release of his album.
The album itself contains some of the best reggae musicians in the area, including legendary drummer John Godard. Also appearing are Jonathan Rash (guitar), Kyle Reid, Rahj Levinson (keyboards), Juan Paris, Chris Shortall (guitar), Jim Lewis (percussion, drums, background vocals) and Andrew McCormick (bass).
Even with all of those guest musicians, Hongisto still plays most of the instruments contained in the songs, including guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, drums as well as vocals.
The album is homage to the musicians that have helped shape Hongisto's music, since it was with many of these players that he developed a great love for reggae music, its message and ability to educate and uplift people.
"At first (reggae) is definitely hard for North Americans to relate to, but it's the type of music that goes beyond skin colour," he said. "It's a roots music and any person could relate to it because we all come from the same source."
The fundamental idea behind reggae is that life should be simpler than we make it out to be, he said.
The simple life first began to weave its way into Hongisto's music while he was still enrolled at Selkirk College. His band, Kangaroo, had dissolved and other musical explorations filled the vacuum, like the Thursday night jam sessions at the Wild Nectar.
"That's where the whole reggae thing started," Hongisto recalled. "One week a few of us played a some reggae tunes and the reaction was just overwhelming."
What normally was a fairly academic session turned into an energetic affair as the music drew people to the dance floor. Hongisto and several other musicians decided to continue with the experiment and began to delve deeper into the music.
The Koots Roots Allstars were born and eventually became the Reggae Allstars, a loose collection of musicians and friends that shared "the vision" and were able to switch up instruments and keep the music fresh.
For a few years the reggae music grew and flowed out of the Wild Nectar, aided, abetted and flourishing when Jamaican-born John Godard arrived on the scene. He taught many aspiring reggae musicians, including Hongisto, in the ways, nuances and history of the music.
Godard was able to lend an authenticity to Hongisto's music, so he wasn't just seeing it "out of some North American white kid's eyes."
When the scene at Wild Nectar faded it was replaced by a similar jam and regular set every Wednesday night at the Rezavoir for the Allstars. It was during that time Hongisto began to write his own songs.
Structurally speaking, reggae has laws that you have to follow when you play, said Hongisto.
"It's the type of music that's really in the moment," he said. "As a player, you follow the vocals of the singer and you stay in the groove."
But to appreciate it there isn't as much effort involved.
In fact, the reason reggae appeals to so many people across a broad spectrum is it is written with a message for everyman, wrapped within a primal beat.
Hongisto will be playing all of the 13 tracks from the album on Saturday, including many of the songs which will carry over to his forthcoming second release. CDs are available at Eddy Music.
