REGGAE FEVER INNA BELFAST STYLEE!!!


    Belfast,Northern Ireland,is a city that has seen it's fair share of 
media coverage worldwide over many years,unfortunately more for its 
stories of political and religious turmoil than its tales of 
inspiration....Which is why the following story is not only quite 
unique but also one that tells of fate and the belief in following your 
dreams.. 

     I was a 16 year old youth living in Belfast who grew up with a love and 
passion for Reggae,which in itself was quite unusual as this was 
definitely not a common or popular music within Ireland.From my 
recollections there was never any type of Jamaican settlement in the 
country unlike England which saw not only large Caribbean communities 
repatriate there but also produced some of the greatest Reggae bands 
outside of JA.....Most notably Handsworth revolutionaries Steel Pulse. 
               
    I had become a fanatical Pulse fan after someone gave me the "Reggae 
Sunsplash live" album with a whole side dedicated to the band.So when I 
heard that the band would be performing at a huge festival in Dublin, 
Ireland,I was beside myself in anticipation of seeing my heroes live 
for the first ever time...It was August 14th 1983,on the billing that 
day were,U2..Eurythmics..Big Country...Simple Minds and the only band 
that made my 100 mile journey worthwhile....Steel Pulse. 
               
    The signs were not particularly good that beautiful sunny day,when as 
we waited to enter the festival,I could hear the last bars of Pulse's 
final song...The tour bus had arrived late!!!But something possessed me 
to jump the backstage fence and to say a simple hello and thanks to the 
musicians that had not only influenced my musical tastes but also 
opened my eyes to situations of conflict worldwide similar to my own 
experiences living in Belfast.The band were some of the nicest guys you 
could meet yet I never envisioned that my encounter would birth a 
friendship that has lasted to this very day. 

     It is a friendship that has afforded me the opportunities to not only 
run the bands fan club at one point but also to see the behind the 
scenes runnings of one of the worlds greatest Reggae bands....it is a 
friendship that ultimately influenced me to actually learn music and a 
desire to play guitar.I left Belfast when I was 21 and moved to Los 
Angeles where I continued to cultivate my music and found a lot more 
people with a similar love of Reggae than I had encountered in 
Ireland.I have played with many bands over the years but it was when I 
joined L.A based act,Dread Daze that I finally was convinced that I was 
part of a sound that was original ,exciting and brimming with 
potential.Check it out for yourself @ www.DreadDaze.com...as of course 
my opinion my be slightly biased!!! 

     Hundreds of rehearsals and gigs later,the ultimate reward for that hard 
work takes place when my band Dread Daze take the stage on August 
11th.2004. at the Ventura Theatre,California...as opening act for...Yep 
you guessed it Steel Pulse,exactly 21 years that week from the first 
time I ever met the band in Ireland.Now you can call it coincidence,you 
may call it fate but for me ...I call it a dream come true..... 

Brian Ward.

Dread Daze w/ Steel Pulse .Ventura Theatre .August 11th 2004.       www.dreaddaze.com