Discourse Chronicle

A quick listen to Irie Sol will have you coming away with a smile on your face and maybe a few shakes in your booty. Their polyrhythmic jams are always filled with enough funky bass and keyboard to give even the staunchest school librarian happy feet, but that isn’t where it stops. Pace and Matthews give heartfelt lyrics about war, protest, and living together in uncertain times while horn players Matt Rongstad and Jon Lanctin layer in cerebral jazz licks. When Pace laughs over the phone about trying to describe their influences, it isn’t condescension, it’s empathy. –Ian Jacoby

[Joel Pace is an Irie Sol band member, an undergraduate mentor, and close friend of mine. Irie Sol celebrates its forthcoming debut CD. BK]

category: Life, Popular Culture