GGD Interview: An Irie Journey from Mankato, MN, to Galactic Get Down, And Beyond
Irie Minds is a six-piece reggae band consisting of Brody Schell, Carson Raethke, Cayle Wendorf, David Ostrom, Jacob Erkel and Sam Licari. They hail from Southern Minnesota with a simple and powerful message: Stay irie. (Pronounced like eye-ree)
The word has Jamaican origins. When spoken casually, “irie” generally means “nice,” “good,” or “pleasing.” The most comprehensive definition of the word is “the ultimate positive, powerful, pleasing, all encompassing quality.”
In Ostrom’s words, “It’s Jamaican hakuna matata.”
Each member of Irie Minds’ unique introduction to reggae gives the band a blend of different styles, allowing them to create a sound that is all their own. Their influences include Rebelution, Jon Wayne and the Pain, The Expendables, and Bob Marley.
“We currently compare ourselves most closely to Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad,” said Raethke. “It’s a clean, American take on reggae.”
The easy-going spirit Irie Minds embodies becomes immediately apparent in the presumably paraphrased tale of their unexpected formation as a band.
“It all started with Dave writing ‘Unbreakable.’ He had Cayle on the drums. Then he invited me to come lay a bass track down. Then he used the song for a class project. And then we were like, ‘What the heck are we doing? We should get a reggae band together,'” said Licari. “It was the moment that we all realized our collective love for this genre and what we wanted to do,” Ostrom confirmed.
Originally, Irie Minds consisted of just Licari, Wendorf, Ostrom and Raethke, which was a bassist, a drummer and two guitarists, respectively. It wasn’t too long before Erkel and Schell joined the team, adding their trumpet and saxophone to the mix.
Although every member of the band has their primary role, they are not shy about swapping roles to better suit a situation, or for personal preference. For instance, Raethke will occasionally swap his guitar for Licari’s bass. Erkel sometimes puts down his trumpet to play the hand drums.
“I imagine it’s interesting for the audience to see all of us do different things and play different roles,” said Ostrom.
Likewise, all members of the band contribute to vocals. They often switch out the lead singer position to whoever has the vocal range to most appropriately match a song. This versatile, jack-of-all-trades, sharing-of-the-spotlight mentality is a characteristic that truly sets Irie Minds into a unique category amongst its peers.
“We don’t want to constrain ourselves to one person’s vocal range,” said Erkel. Raethke continued, “We’re not relying on one person to be ‘that guy.’ We’re a unit.”
For just shy of two and a half years, Irie Minds has been making a name and a place for itself in the Minnesota music scene. The band has released two EPs and has been playing shows consistently over this period of time.
When a band unexpectedly dropped out of this year’s Galactic Get Down lineup, it became very clear that the band’s efforts had been adding up to something significant.
“I was talking to John Mehren and Joe Scarpellino at Galactic Get Down on July 18, and they told me that when they had another band drop out, they both thought of Irie Minds to fill the slot without any prior discussion between themselves,” said Licari. “We were immediately thought of.”
They were thought of with good reason. Early afternoon sets have the potential to be lackluster for various reasons. Perhaps it’s too hot. Or it’s too early. Perhaps some people only travel in packs, and despite wanting to catch an incredible set, they refrain, because their friends don’t like reggae.
Obstacles aside, Irie Minds lit up the “Sun Stage” at 1 p.m. with an array of moods, ranging from light and tropical, to deep and groovy. Naturally, some folks sat in the back and around the edges. Others could not resist the urge to move to captivating instrumentals, inspirational lyrics, and the sight of Licari removing his Superman costume to reveal his Superman undergarments.
Before its unexpected invitation to Galactic Get Down, the band had no festivals lined up for the year. However, next year is a different story.
“We’re looking forward to Galactic Get Down in 2020, and hopefully we’ll be able to hit up Solstice in Mankato, MN. We’re also looking into some reggae festivals and Wisconsin festivals,” said Licari.
With plans for the future already in the making, Irie Minds will continue to make an impact and spread their message.
So stay tuned; and stay irie.
Photos by Shane Adams and Jenna Lee
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