It was a college radio station in Mendocino, Calif., that launched local musician Larry Hinkle into the world of reggae.
Hinkle was a college student in 2001, soaking up the music scene.
“There were two radio stations you could get,” he recalled. “There was an oldies station and then Mendocino Public Radio. Every Friday night on KZYX they would have a show called Heavyweight Sounds, and they would play from 9 to 11 all rocksteady stuff, obscure 7-inchers (a vinyl record style) from Jamaica.”
A lot of popular Jamaican music tends to get labeled reggae, but the genre evolved from earlier styles such as ska and rocksteady in the early to mid-1960s. Rocksteady tends to be a slower tempo with a bit more of a soul vibe, a Jamaican response to American soul music that features a unique rhythm.
IF YOU GO
The Transmitters 20th Anniversary Party, Saturday, Aug 23, 8 pm, J. Brian’s Tap Room, 200 Hanover St, Fredericksburg.
“They had a couple of guys who were really scholarly about all of that stuff,” Hinkle continued. “They would tell stories about who was recording, the bands, and all this stuff. And then on Saturday nights, there was a similar show called The Blue Beat Lounge that played a very similar genre. All I had was an old box radio with a cassette deck. So I would put cassettes in and record the shows every week because they were awesome.”
When he returned to Fredericksburg, Hinkle shared those cassette tapes with drummer Mark D (Doran). They learned some of the songs from the cassette tapes and wrote a few in the same style.
Submitted photo.
Dubbing themselves the Transmitters, they played their own interpretation of the rocksteady sound. The goal was to try and recreate the sound and feel of rocksteady artists like Ken Boothe, The Heptones, and The Maytals. They recorded their efforts on what became the first Transmitters CD.
During those sessions, they decided to add harmonica, percussion and vocals from Alan “Mo” Marsh from the group McLaws Drive. When he came to the recording studio, Marsh brought his friend, bassist John Buck.
Up to that point, Hinkle had been playing bass, but he reluctantly deferred to Buck for that session.
“I really wanted to be the bass player,” said Hinkle, “and I think I said something to Buck like, ‘I’m the bass player in this band.’
“So we’re playing and somebody said, ‘Let’s do “Legalize It” by Peter Tosh.’ We started doing it and Buck started singing and we were like, ‘What the f***!’ and it was like right at that moment: OK, you’re in the band. So he sealed it by singing.”
The final element to be added to the lineup was keyboards. The organ plays a vital part in the rocksteady sound they knew they wanted. Fortunately, multi-instrumentalist Jay Starling had recently moved back to Fredericksburg. They brought him in for a session.
“Jay bought in hook, line and sinker,” Hinkle said of the fit. “He just got all geeked out on the genre of music. I think it was Jay who turned us onto bands like the Aggrolites and stuff like that.”
Submitted photo.
On July 31, 2005, the Transmitters played their first big gig, a reggae show sponsored by Natural Mystics smoke shop. They played at Wings On The Water on Sophia Street and opened for DC band SOJA.
Over the past 20 years, the Transmitters have continued playing, albeit with some lineup changes.
Starling left Fredericksburg and eventually joined national jamgrass sensation Leftover Salmon. Julia Robey Christian from DC ska band The Fuss filled in on keyboards. Mark D moved away from the area and was replaced by Brian “Piper” Barbre on drums.
But the core of Hinkle, Marsh and Buck remains and still plays occasional gigs around Fredericksburg.
While they often get requests for popular reggae songs (especially Bob Marley), the band has stuck with their purely rocksteady repertoire. Hinkle emphasises the distinction.
“We like the rocksteady feel but we’re not Rastas; we’re not reggae guys,” he said. “We’re not singing about Jah or anything like that. In that rocksteady era, they were listening to Motown love songs and then covering those in their Jamaican one-drop (rhythm) style. That’s what our focus is.”
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of that first gig in 2005, The Transmitters are playing a free show at J. Brian’s in downtown Fredericksburg on Aug. 23. All previous members will be playing, plus a few special guests who have dropped in over the years on guitar and horns.
“We want it to just be a big old family celebration,” Hinkle said. “I said on our band chat, ‘Once a Transmitter always a Transmitter’, and that includes horn players. Hopefully people like John Lee might be able to make it because he’s played lead guitar with us. Anybody who’s played with us is welcome to join us.”
