The name “Lasta Sound” evokes imagery of ancient Ethiopian culture and civilization. Lasta is one of Ethiopia's ancient regions, having been immortalized in songs and stories both from within Ethiopia and without. So when Lasta Sound exploded onto the scene in 2002, I initially assumed that the group was a new traditional Ethiopian music troupe. To my surprise, the music was ultra modern in its arrangement, and production. It melded elements of Ethiopian music with Reggae, Funk and a dash of Afro-Cuban flava. These boys could ROCK! The core of Lasta Sound consisted of Kirubel Assefa on Bass and Musical Director of the band, Teferi Assefa on Drums and Tsegaye Selassie as their vocalists. Melding a bunch of seasoned LA based musicians, they introduced their debut CD, simply, almost humbly titled, “Lasta Sound”. What the CD did not lack though, was gravitas. They had conscious, forward thinking lyrics, with well thought out hooks and awesome driving bass lines. Lets not forget the drumming, Teferi’s drumming was inspired and fresh sounding. It was an auspicious debut. If that was not enough, the songs from the CD were featured in Wondwossen Dikran's independent movie entitled “Journey to Lasta”. The soundtrack to “Journey to Lasta” was also the recipient of Best Music Award at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in 2005. Kirubel, Tsegaye and Teferi were featured as the principal characters in the movie.
Subsequent East Coast appearances and performances cemented their appeal within their fans. The fans response to the band in Ethiopia was overwhelming, and expectations were high for a follow up CD. But, life intervened in the meantime, with Teferi moving back to Ethiopia, and Tsegaye’s relocating to the East Coast. In spite of the geographic obstacles, Lasta Sound is on the rise again. Kirubel took it upon himself to put together a new line up for Lasta Sound. This time, Kirubel took on a larger role, as Musical Director/Producer/Writer and moved over to fill in as the bands keyboard player. Tsegaye Selassie brings his incredible stage presence, and vocal talents as the bands vocalist. Taking over for Kirubel on bass is Mesgana Mulat, a very talented and musically adept musician. Replacing Teferi on drums is LA veteran, Reggie Spivey. Returning on Saxophone is another core member of Lasta Sound, Kamasi Washington, as is Ryan Porter on Trombone.
The first single from the as yet untitled sophomore effort is entitled “Maraki”. In the context of the song, Maraki means “the girl who has captured my heart”. It’s an ode to this beautiful girl whose physical beauty and charm has rendered, in this case Tsegaye, defenseless, and he professes his love and adoration for her. Sung for the most part in Amharic, it’s infused with reggae, while still retaining its Ethiopian musical sensibilities. The second coming of Lasta Sound is almost here, and with Maraki as its first single, it should capture old and new fans alike!
Maraki will be available for downloads by the end of April 2010, the release of the album is TBA. Check out their Facebook and myspace pages for details and updates
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