Taj Weekes & Adowa play socially conscious roots reggae. Taj’s voice is a smooth tenor, more Jimmy Cliff than Bob Marley. His sound was formed by his family’s musical traditions on St. Lucia, a Caribbean nation in the Lesser Antilles. Taj’s lyrics tell tales of struggling for freedom and respect, while the bass and drums drive a tight groove. The band plays smooth and enchanting reggae, which both educates and chills out the audience.

As demonstrated by all the funky shops, restaurants, and people around town, Iowa City has multicultural tastes. Our local bands are interesting, and our clubs bring in acts from far-flung places to meet those tastes. St. Lucia is 2600 miles away from IC, so that qualifies as far-flung in my atlas. Taj Weekes & Adowa brought some of the culture of St. Lucia all the way to Iowa, and Tribal Momentum showed off a bit of Iowa City’s own crazy culture.