Reggaddiction’s Ganja Harvest takes iconic Canadian album and gives it a reggae flow

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There is something soothingly superb about the newest Reggaddiction album Ganja Harvest.

Whether it’s the familiar lyrics that somehow fit perfectly with the island sound or the calming vibes that emanate from the band’s flow, the music definitely fulfills its intention: to take Neil Young’s iconic Harvest album and honour it with a reggae twist.

This interpretation of a classic album was inspired by the East Star All Stars’ concept album that is a reggae version of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

Oz Saunds, Reggaddiction’s band leader, drummer and studio engineer, saw them perform that album live in Toronto in 2012.

“I was just blown away by how they interpreted that entire classic album into reggae,” says Saunds.

That sparked a motivation to find a classic album for Reggaddiction to interpret into reggae. Being from Toronto, it was important to find a great Canadian album.

“You start thinking what are the greatest Canadian albums, not just songs, but whole albums,” explains Saunds.

They looked at Rush, Joni Mitchell, The Tragically Hip and others before finding the perfect fit: Neil Young’s Harvest.

In the song, Are You Ready for the Country, there are lines about “slipping and a sliding and playing dominoes” could easily be lyrics about spending time in Jamaica. As Saunds notes, it made sense to choose that album because it translated so well into reggae.

Reggaddiction is performing Ganja Harvest at Hillside Farm in Huntsville on Saturday, July 29. Tickets are $33.15 each for a member of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, $39 each for a non-member, and $20 each for youth.

To get your tickets, visit: Ganja Harvest in Huntsville.

Along with Saunds, Reggaddiction features a vocal team comprised of Dave Matthews aka Dave Vocals, Trish Campbell, and singjay Sunray Grennan. They are supported on stage by Sam Weller on Keys/Organ, Neil “Nemo” Morris on Bass, Jay Cleary on guitar, Kevin Howe on Percussion, plus a revolving cast of horn players.

The Ganja Harvest album features guest vocalists Jimmy Reid, Ammoye, Fergus Hambleton, Hermina George, and Lord Sassafrass. The album is mixed by JUNO Award winner Dubmatix and is released on NuFunk Records. To learn more, check out: Reggaddiction.

As for the upcoming show at Hillside Farm, Saunds offers some very good reasons to be there.

“What we’re going to do for one special night is take you to the island,” he says. “We’re going to make you feel like you’re underneath the sun, on a beach, sipping some rum and you’re just listening to the reggae vibes take you away.”

He adds: “As we do this, we’re going to do it in our own Canadian reggae style. You’re still going to hear these great Canadian influences in the music, but you’re going to feel like you’re underneath the coconut tree in Jamaica, dancing to the reggae vibes.”

Listen to Chris and Oz’s chat