Crucial Substance

Two words:

Crucial Substance.

Wicked name for a band, right? One group of guys in the tiny city of Harrisonburg, VA recognized the potential for a brand in the name and claimed it. I just happen to have seen these guys tonight live for the first time. To clarify, they have been performing for a while, this was just my first time seeing them.

At about 9:30 last night at the Artful Dodger, Crucial Substance made a crucial appearance at the Artful Dodger and, in so many words, rocked the house. Laced with little Spanish quips, essential for a Cinco De Mayo set, 5 guys led a room full of people of all ages in a musical experience that made it impossible to keep your feet still. Joel, the lead guitar/vocals man, displayed effortless vocal acrobatics in orginal versions of hit songs. Despite Joel’s vocal prowess, the soulful rhythm parts and intricate keyboard solos, the performance is far from gawdy. The down-home grooves these musicians produced were just so undeniably solid that it carried them through 3-minute jams in the middle of well-known songs. The set included unique versions of the 1963 hit “On Broadway,” Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” the more modern “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon, and a song that holds very strong personal meaning for me, “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash.

**Personal Obligation To Tell This Story :!: **
Beware: I digress from the point entirely. As we all know, the inspirational lyrics go something along the lines of I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that held me blind, it’s gonna be a bright, bright,,, blah, blah blah… You know what song I’m talking about, though, right? Anyway, My mother and I were riding along in the car one day with my little sister, who, at the time, was probably about 3 years old. This song came on the radio and my mom started singing along with it. (She has a lovely singing voice.) ☺ She began the song and sang, I can see all icicles in my way- Icicles instead of obstacles. Immediately, my sister called her out on the mistake in the most condescending tone possible. “Mom, those are the wrong words. It’s obstacles. Did you really think it was icicles?” She was 3!! Incredibly funny story, in my personal opinion.

Digressions aside, Crucial Substance was really awesome tonight. You should definitely check them out, say, on Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/reggeabluesfunk

Doug Mason

Doug Mason, a Harrisonburg, Virginia native, could simply be described as a man in which music and soul have formed the most pure union. The second youngest in a family of fourteen children, music has been an integral part of his life from birth. He remembers being inspired as a youngster by James Brown, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix as he developed his own musical style. As a teen in the 1970s, Mason worked for a Summer to earn his first guitar, literally paying for it with blood, sweat and tears. Every day after school, Mason could be found in the local music store, what is now Adona Music, using the area as a practice space while picking up tips from the store clerks and various passers-by. Aside from the few tips and pointers, Mason taught himself the fundamentals of music composition and also how to play guitar, keyboard, and bass guitar.

If you'd like to take a trip down the rabbithole into all of Doug Mason's influences, you would get to his youth and come face to face with the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King's message of love, peace, and tolerance burrowed itself deep within young Doug's heart and shaped his future outlook on life.

A few years ago, Doug was the victim of racial intolerance when co-workers assembled several noose displays in the work place. At the time, noose displays were not recognized legally as a hate crime. Seeing a gap to be filled, Mason created Sincere Citizens Against Racism (SCAR) and with the help of Senator Mark Obenshain, successfully passed a bill to recognize noose displays as a hate crime.

Obviously, Doug Mason is far from a dreamer- - he is a doer. He will stop at nothing to advance his two loves, music and humanity. Rather than acting for personal recognition or fame, Doug quietly revels in his role as "the glue." He says of this position, "I just like to make them think. Like, 'Hey, what if we do that part here and then put this part right in like that and roll into that...' I love that." Though he adores performing, Mason is far from a front man. He currently plays rhythm guitar for a reggae band, Crucial Substance. In the group, influenced by such greats as Steel Pulse, he tries to recognize the cultural roots of reggae, as well as the original music formula of doo-wop and raw rhythm & blues. Mason works tirelessly to allow his music to help others achieve oneness with themselves. When asked what he loves about being in a musical group, he simply responded, "I just want to give what I know about music to these younger guys."

Joel E Delgado

Several years ago, a 6-year-old boy from upstate New York and raised in Puerto Rico followed his uncle, who played trumpet for a "big band," to one of his performances. Like any good uncle would, he took his nephew backstage to show him a glimpse of the other side of the music business and introduce him to some big-name musicians. This little boy's name was Joel Delgado, and that moment of awe he experienced standing in the dimly lit wings of a stage was the spark that ignited a lifelong passion for music. Twenty years later, Joel is an incredible singer-songwriter and the epitome of the phrase "aspiring musician." He has taught himself everything he knows about music, including basic music theory, and how to properly use his voice to make any type of sound he desires. He plays a grand total of 17 instruments, ranging from woodwinds (clarinet, flute, oboe) to string instruments and even percussion. He also specializes in building instruments for use in folk bands, mainly string instruments. For example, Joel assembled an upright bass using the basin of a bathtub - wrap your mind around that one. Yes, he took a standard washtub, tipped it up on its end, and attached strings across the open cavity. When I first met Joel, he was described as "the personality of the group," which was followed immediately by his reflex comedic reaction, "Wakka wakka!" You can't deny that the man's personality is as big, if not bigger, than he is.

"Yes, yes, that's all fine, but what style of music does he play?" The answer to this question is simple: "yes." For the first part of his life, his exposure to music was seriously limited, so up until recently, the names Carlos Santana, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix meant nothing to him. Moving to Texas as a teen introduced him to the wide world of country & western music, as well as its roots in blues and folk music. When he started asking himself questions concerning religion, Joel found himself in the congregation of a soulful Southern Baptist gospel church. Once again, he was awe-struck at the experience: a choir allowing themselves to be moved by the music and, in turn, move others, complete participation of the audience in a performance, and leadership by one spirit-filled person. He has a natural ability to bring out the power and spirit in musical performances, which served him well when he toured with a country band up the east coast. As time went on, he discovered more modern styles like the R&B of the 1990s and also harnessed his latin roots to create the "de la Joel" genre. He prides himself in his ability to vocally mimic almost any other artist and his range is far from unimpressive.

Joel also has some very interesting goals for his musicianship. Rather than focus on getting a performance or recording contract, Joel simply wants to make music every day for the rest of his life. "Music is my greatest weapon," he says, acknowledging that even though unexpected or unfavorable things happen in life, music is the one thing that can fight any problem. When he witnessed the power that is behind the music of the gospel choirs of the South, he noticed how even a person deep in grief can understand and feel a song in her heart. Sometimes, in moments of hardship and trouble, music is all a person has to relate to. Few people actually realize their ability to use music as both a weapon and a healing medium, but Joel is fully aware of his gift and plans to use it to benefit others. He says, "It's all about interacting with people. I want to learn from them, take their experiences, and turn them into songs. The whole point of music is to connect with people, you know? Music is just spiritual like that."

Ultimately, of course, Joel would love nothing more than to have a fan base for his music and be able to move people lyrically and melodically every day. His musical influences include Carlos Santana, Lauryn Hill, Raul Midon, and Julio Iglesias, and he will defend his preferences valiantly against any raised eyebrow or doubt of musical worth. Joel will probably never categorize the world into genres because he, himself, operates without those boundaries, so to speak. He brings everything he knows about music into every song he plays, and if that means throwing a hard rock power chord riff into a light and solid reggae song or performing soulful vocal acrobatics in a twangy country song, so be it. He brings this newness into any band he works with. Of course, any band should covet Mr. Delgado as their frontman, but at the moment, his interest lies with a reggae band, Crucial Substance. Reggae? That's not a very popular genre. Why is Joel hiding his talents there? Speaking from experience, Joel does anything but hide his talents in this band, bringing a new, more mainstream feeling to the shows. "When we do reggae, it's not the same thing. It's got a crucial edge. It's fresh." Joel still works tirelessly to become an established musician, though the name Joel Delgado is anything but meaningless in the venues of the downtown Harrisonburg music scene.

May 6th, 2010

Two Words: