reggae therapy

love.

My Jams

SpIrIt

Reggae shit yeyah

50 Bag of Skunk ft Rita J, Kick Ass Alyssia, & Cee Know (Doodlebug)

This track is from the album All Eye See and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/illuminaticongo2

Machete (feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry)

This track is from the album Green Is All I Need and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/illuminaticongo3

Shiva Smokin

No No (feat. Del the Funky Homosapien)

Another original tune. Live at the State Theatre in Culpeper. 03/08/14

See You

I was inspired to write this song in tribute to the man whose words and music illuminated my mind and heart with the desire to try and do the same for others. The philosophy of positive action and attitude is the same that was instilled in me by my parents, so what I do now to carry on that legacy is just a natural progression of those who went before me. The goal is just to do my part to add some Light into the darkness, and encourage others to do the same. All those who know and feel the One Love vibration, carry that same spark and keep the flame burning for all to see. Pass it on!

TORCHBEARER - Carlos Jones & The PLUS Band

Respect to the man called Bob Marley!  International hero, Reggae prophet. 
Born: 1945 - NEVER DIED!!!. 

Gonna tell you about Bob Marley 
Brother Bob Marley was a torchbearer 
so I've got to carry a flame 
I'm gonna hold my candle high 
praising JAH JAH name
Yes he was a torchbearer 
and he lit the spark to a flame 
Lighting the way for all to see 
so we could do the same 
I and I can do the same

Yes he was a Rastaman 
Congo bongo Niyaman 
Coming with a vibration 
Spreading out across the land 
Coming to us from St. Ann  yeah 
Way down in Jamaica 
I said he was the only son 
of a white man and a black woman 
On the streets he used to run yeah 
with Neville Livingston 
And Peter MacIntosh 
Me said him used to sing 
inna de ghetto would their voices ring yeah 
With the Wailers band 
and Rita Anderson 
The legend soon began yeah 
when they say "simmer down" 
Man they really had the sound 
that really ruled the town 
Chanting all oppressors down 
Nyabinghi shake the ground 
When they say "Trenchtown Rock" 
the roadblock was at three o'clock 

He was the one JAH chosen 
to carry a message in this time 
In every corner of the world - to everyone 
Though they say cancer took him 
it could not erase what he left behind 
The truth goes marching on - on and on

Brother Bob Marley was the torchbearer 
so I've got to carry a flame 
I'm gonna hold my candle high 
and praise up JAH JAH name 
Yes he was a torchbearer 
and he lit the spark to a flame 
Lighting the way for all to see 
so that we could do the same 
I and I can do the same.

JAH know that I and I carry a flame 
JAH know that I and I carry a flame 
cause I feel dem spirit 
feel dem spirit 
feel dem spirit 
Lord I thank you
Lord I thank you 
Cause I'm gonna put it on 
I'm gonna put it on 
I'm gonna put it on 
Good Lord hear me 
Good Lord hear me 
Cold ground was my bed last night 
and rocks was my pillow too 
Cold ground was my bed last night 
and rocks was my pillow too 
Yes Brother Bob say...
So be not selfish in your doings - pass it on
Help your Brother, help your Sister
Just pass it on, pass it on, pass it on
Shine your Light!

From the CD: Roots With Culture  
Little Fish Records  http://www.littlefishrecords.com

Torchbearer

This song was inspired to me by the Rastafarian Elder, Ras Pidow, whom I was blessed to have spent time with back in the early formation days of the PLUS Band (1994 - 96) He shared his wisdom with us through reasoning and music, and we spent many hours drumming and chanting Nyabinghi. I heard him singing this song one day and it always stuck with me. I added some verses of my own and recorded it with my brother Norman one day while he was visiting from California. It's my morning prayer and I-ditation and tribute to the teachings of The Elder. Big up to Daddy Bush, whose presence in my life led directly to that association. 
One Blessed Love Iya!

Give Thanks

Available on iTunes

ILOVEMAKONNEN ~ Tuesday Feat. Drake

Inspired by the quiet of the first early morning hours, as the birds are just starting their song announcing the new day, full of hope and possibilities. I give thanks for the blessing of being - to be able to come to that place where I find my connection to the ONE/ALL, knowing that there is no separation - therefore the concept of "I" being singular and at the same time all inclusive and encompassing.

MORE IDITATIONS

So early in the morning - sun coming over the horizon
That's when I wake up and give thanks and praise
Smell the air so fresh and clean
It's so quiet I can hear the birds singing
That's when creative inspiration is at a maximum

I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations
I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations

Later in the evening when the rain is falling
I blaze up my chalice and I meditate
Giving thanks for all Jah Jah blessings
For life and health and strength and so many things
Takes me to a higher place to where my mind can concentrate

I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations
I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations
When I can get it
I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations
I want more Irie Iditations
I need more Irie Iditations

More Iditations

Dark Sky Paradise

I Don't Fuck With You (feat. E-40)

Download

Usher - I Don't Mind feat. @JuicyJMusic on iTunes http://smarturl.it/UsherIDMiT

#URXTOUR EUROPE is on sale now!! See all dates below and for complete tour, ticket & VIP information, visit: 
http://www.usherworld.com

EUROPE 2015 WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NICO & VINZ
Feb. 27   Copenhagen, DK   Forum
Feb. 28   Hamburg, DE   O2 World
Mar. 2   Koln, DE   Lanxess Arena
Mar. 3   Antwerp, BE   Sportpaleis
Mar. 4   Amsterdam, NL   Ziggo Dome
Mar. 6   Zurich, CH   Hallenstadion
Mar. 9   Munich, DE   Olympiahalle	
Mar. 11   Paris, FR   zenith de paris
Mar. 12   Mannheim, DE   SAP Arena
Mar. 14   Nottingham, UK   Capital FM Arena
Mar. 15   Sheffield, UK   Motorpoint Arena
Mar. 17   Glasgow, UK   The SSE Hydro
Mar. 18   Newcastle, UK   Metro Radio Arena
Mar. 20   Dublin, IE   3Arena
Mar. 21   Belfast, UK   Odyssey Arena
Mar. 23   Manchester, UK   Manchester Arena
Mar. 24   Birmingham, UK   Barclaycard Arena
Mar. 26   London, UK   O2

For complete tour and ticket information, visit: 
www.usherworld.com #URXTOUR

Follow Usher
http://www.usherworld.com/
https://www.facebook.com/usher
https://twitter.com/usher
http://instagram.com/howuseeit

I Don't Mind

I Don't Mind (feat. Juicy J)

Celestial Frequency Shifter

Anakin - Satellite

Have Mercy - Somebody's Baby (Jackson Browne Cover)

I wrote this one while staying here at Catcha Falling Star in Negril, Jamaica in 2007. My wife and I were celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Wouldn't you feel inspired if this is what you woke up to every day?

Catcha Falling Star

I was inspired to start writing this one day right after I had finished reading this huge book about the Beatles (by Bob Spitz), who were one of my earliest exposures to music, growing up through the 60's - 70's.  And I would have to say that John Lennon is one of my top 5 people that inspired and influenced me as a musician and as a human being. Reading the book really gave me some perspective, as to what their personal lives were really like behind the commercialized image that was created for them, and what was going in our society at the time and what inspired the songs they wrote. For years I had always had this feeling, that seemed to lurk somewhere right on the edge of my consciousness, that there was something I needed to try and somehow capture and express in words and music - what I felt about music's place in my life and how it has carried me from childhood to now. I guess you could call it my "life's opus". It seemed like it would have to have orchestral movements, since life goes through so many gradual and sweeping changes over the years, but how long would a piece of music like that be, and how long would it take to write something like that? If I were a real composer, I guess I could sit down and just write it all out on the page, note for note, but I never had that type of training. But what I'm able to hear, and feel;  I have somehow I've been able to translate - it's like a painter who can reproduce what he or she sees, in all its intricate detail and color. That's how I see music, like colors that come together to paint a picture and tell a story.  So, at a very pivotal point in my life, after reading that book, which seemed to assemble some puzzle pieces for me, and illuminate foggy corners of my own story, I finally found this song rising to the surface, and I just started painting as fast as I could before the image went away. What I wrote that day could fill pages and the song would go on and on. Trying to boil it down to 5 minutes and still get my point across was a challenge, but that's what you do, right? Distill it, chip away until you get to the  finished shape and let people see what it is you're trying to say. This was my first attempt - it's a work in progress... but isn't life?  Thanks for listening.  
Peace and Love,
Los

Music Of My Life

Crystal Moments - 

As life is rushing us downstream with nothing to grab and hold onto
the scenery on the shore a blur as it goes by
time goes rolling on and seems to go faster and faster
but every now and then an image will catch your eye 

we get a crystal moment - burned into our brain
that will stay forevermore

As we grow older with so many things to attend to
our worries and our problems like sand washing to shore
a pure moment of clarity washes over you
and you're suddenly in the center of the storm

we stop and get a crystal moment to take us away
and relieve our troubled hearts
Yes I said a crystal moment to have and to hold
a jewel of time that enriches your life
like when we stop and realize just how blessed we are to have these moments together
like the beauty of a rainbow that burns across the sky

And those crystal moments
will not fade away
They'll remain part of your soul

Yes those crystal moments
will not fade away
They'll remain part of your soul

Like the first morning rays of a new sunrise
or the very first time you hear your baby cry
It is a crystal moment...
_____

M. Eger / C. Jones


Crystal Moments

Leave A Trail

Lo-fi acoustic version of Marley's classic, recorded on my Yamaha 4-track cassette tape deck around 1991. Big up and respect to Bob Marley! His positive words and music set me on a path I walk to this day. 1 <3

Positive Vibration

Music track courtesy of Mantis TanTan Productions - 
 *Vocal - Resinance
 - Nyabinghi drums, vocals and readings - Carlos Jones

Congoman

This song has always fascinated me, back from when I was a kid. And I have always related to it, being that drums have always been my passion. I recorded it around 1998 on a Yamaha 4-track cassette deck and played all of the instruments and did all of the vocals with a little accompaniment by my daughter, who was 9 years old at the time.
I wanted to try and create an atmosphere of a time long ago, in keeping with the story that the song tells, using acoustic guitar, percussion and kalimba (African thumb piano), at the same time incorporating modern instrumentation and melodic variations that have come along in more recent times. Some may recognize the melody played by the horns in the middle of the song from the version sung as a duet by Bing Crosby and David Bowie several years ago ("peace and love, can it be?") 
Whether or not you believe that the scenario proposed by the song actually happened, I don't think anyone can deny the beauty of the sentiment, and it always pulls me back to the simple meaning of this holiday that so many celebrate.
I personally, have totally rejected what "Christmas" has become, as far as what we're being force-fed through our modern media. I refuse to buy into the commercial focus that drives what started out as a reverent holy-day. Not that I mean to diminish anyone's joy of gift-giving or getting, and I also know that businesses need the infusion of dollars in this crippled economy, but things seem to have definitely crossed a line. What was once wood and stone has turned into plastic and styrofoam. 
I just prefer to concentrate on "the reason for the season", and I know that many may argue that - but hey, that's just me.
Okay, I'm gonna go hug a tree now.
Peace... and Merry Christmas!

Little Drummer Boy

Frontier Ruckus performs "Rosemont" live in the Magnolia Avenue Studios of 88.1 KDHX. St. Louis, Missouri. July 14, 2010. Sound by Dan Kinney and Mike Murano. Discover more great music (streaming audio, photos, video and more) at http://kdhx.org.

Frontier Ruckus "Rosemont" Live at KDHX 7/14/10

I woke up one Easter morning many years ago and turned on the TV, and Rev. Jesse Jackson was on, conducting an Easter service. When the choir went into a song, this vibration just hit me like a bolt of lightning! It took me back to when I was a child sitting in the church where my grandfather was a pastor, and many of my uncles were deacons. The old folks were singing and clapping their hands and stomping those old, dusty floorboards, and that used to always inspire me. It was just one of those moments - and right then I felt this song come to me and I had to grab my guitar and sit down and write this song.  It was done in 10 minutes, and I immediately went to my tape deck and started recording. This is exactly the way I recorded it that morning.

Easter Day

I felt the spirit move this morning
as I started out my day
It came suddenly without warning
when I heard that gospel play
I started laughing, started singin
and a little tear rolled down my face
I felt the spirit move this morning
as I started out my day

Oh I heard thunder
and I saw lightning
Felt it move down in my soul
I said Lord have mercy on your poor children
In your hands lies all control
Us sinners know you gave your life
so that our sins would be washed away
And if you walk beside me
walk beside me Jesus
I'll fall down on my knees and pray

Oh I felt the spirit move this morning
as I started out my day
It came suddenly without warning
when I heard that old gospel play
I started laughing, started singin'
and a little tear rolled down my face
Singin' glory, glory hallelujah!
Christ has risen on Easter day

Easter Day

This is a song I first wrote and recorded 8 years ago, in celebration of George's 70th birthday. (He is now 78)The style of music is called Mento, which pre-dates what we know as Reggae and even Ska. It is more closely related to Calypso and is truly the "folk music" of Jamaica, sort of like what bluegrass is in America. Keep in mind that lyrically, I'm using some dialect/phrases common to the region and the style of music so there may be some words you don't understand. It is my tribute to the many great artists that were popular in Jamaica in the 50s and 60s, such as Harold Richardson, Count Lasher,  Count Sticky, Lord Tanamo and many others. 
For more information on Mento music, there is a great website here: http://www.mentomusic.com/index.htm

Bredda G
I met him in the summer of 78
for my destiny I was not late
for I-man was just a youth of 20
and I & I had just seen Bob Marley 
steppin lively inna ital vibration
the reggae riddim was rockin the nation
inna dis little club down inna Cleveland
I met this bredda by the name of George Gordon

we call him Bredda G
Bredda G Bredda G
you mek we feel irie

when I first step inna de place
I catch the vibe from the drum and bass
everyone there was going crazy
and the atmosphere was kinda hazy
I tell him say man I would like to jam
him say first you must go talk to that man
Papa D him say tek up your drum and come
And from that day on we were having fun - 	      thank you Bredda G

from Athens to Carolina
Nantucket Chicago and Canada
jammin with my big brother
going everywhere together
irie vibes wherever we go
rockers rule pon de radio
we were keeping the fiya burning
and to this day I'm still learning
 
say Bredda G him a go jump and skank it
say Bredda G him a go rock and come in deh
say Bredda G a go water pumpy
and den me say him a go knock pon de kete

see Bredda G him a go wine it up
see Bredda G him a go dip and go down deh
see Bredda G him a go wheel and turn
him mek it cool & deadly pon de tambourine

he is well known every where you go
same name as Lord Tanamo
from New York to his native land
he got his tambourine well in hand
footwork you would not believe
always got something up his sleeve
me say him smooth as a man can get
In all of 70 years him never miss a step yet

hey Bredda G    Yes I!   this your I-nIversary
Bredda G bredda G now - happy birthday
can not believe you're 70 (8)

hey bredda g - this your InIiversary
you still got that same lively step I see
hey my Bredda G it so good to be
by your side makin people feel irie
At this point in time what can I say 
than to honor his 78th birthday
so people come join with me
and we gonna big up our Bredda G  

say Bredda G him a go jump and prance
say Bredda G him a go rock and come in
say Bredda G a go water pumpy
and den me say him a go knock pon de kete

see Bredda G him a go wine it up now
see Bredda G him a go dip and go down deh
see Bredda G him a go wheel and turn
him mek it cool an deadly pon de tambourine
 
in dis ya one me tell dem hold him Joe
moon a shine pon de Natto Bay road
say the vibe it a go ital irie
to de man we tell him happy birthday

Bredda G

Landmines - by Dee Logan/Carlos Jones:
- Why don't they?
Take away the landmines - what we need is to ban mines
Take away the landmines - what we need is to ban mines

Don't go and play there, it isn't safe there - oh no
Sudden destruction without forewarning is there every day
And if you don't watch your step you will be taken away - oh yeah
Our poor children can't even go out to play

So why don't they take away the landmines - what we need is to ban mines
Take away the landmines - sign the treaty to ban mines

Stop the hurting
Stop the killing 
Stop the wasting of innocent lives
Don't you know they are indiscriminate?
Indiscriminate!

Weapons of mass destruction are there every day
Become a part of our everyday lives
Please take them away
Why don't you, why don't you, why don't you - take them away

War is obsolete - an eye for an eye leaves us all blind


Landmines

State of Jah Music
(my response to an article I read many years ago after Bob Marley's passing)

they tried to keep it down
they said the music's dead
I read it in a magazine
the death of reggae is what it said
but I man know different
it's still very much alive
as long as my heart still beating
I know the vibe will survive
  
cause it's the state of Jah music yeah now
still very much alive
state of Jah music yeah now
in my heart it will survive
state of Jah music yeah now
just can't keep it down
state of Jah music yeah now
got to move forward can't lose no ground - look out!

It started out the rebel music
the people's cry heard across creation
When the Prophet passed he left a vacuum
Who's going to fill his destination?

state of Jah music yeah now
they're not gonna keep it down - no way
state of Jah music yeah now
not as long as I'm still around
state of Jah music yeah now
it's still very much alive
state of Jah music yeah now
got to survive

the years have passed the music's changing
trying to reach wider acceptance
some they go slack some they stand firm now
we find the leaders re-arranging
so hurry now, read all about it
the vulture's cry is in the air
but they won't eat today I doubt it
cause Jah no dead - He's everywhere!

State Of Jah Music

This track is from the album Rough Around the Edges and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/walterrogers

The Point

Viktor Stone's signature sound brings new twinges to a classic L.A. underground feel, formulating something new for the "in-between now and then" generation. Right on the heels of "Interplanetary Bump: Volume 2" comes "IBv2.5"; an official crew welcome from new and old PntGllryNtwrk members worldwide. With mind bending lyrical performances set to thought-inducing tracks, "IBv2.5" represents only one direction of the newly branded PntGllryNtwrk artists conglomerate, as it rolls out the first of many all-new group exclusives.

Jahn The Baptist - SuperMario

One of the first songs I ever wrote - back in 1980 when I was with I-tal. I had developed a fascination with the Kalimba (African thumb piano) from listening to the group, Earth Wind & Fire. They used it a lot in their music. I bought one at Woodsy's in Kent and carried it around with me everywhere I went. One day while sitting on a rocky beach in Camden, Maine, listening to the sound of the waves as they rolled in and playing along with the rhythm, this melody came to me and I started singing, "we need peace and unity - we need love and unity". The waves you hear in this recording were actually recorded that day on a cassette tape boombox that I carried with me. That melody stuck in my head and I wrote the lyrics more as a stream of consciousness poem - more like a prayer actually, and eventually adapted it to the music. We (I-tal) rehearsed it. but I don't think we ever played it live. This recording didn't come about until 10 years later, when I got my first 4-track tape deck (cassette) and a drum machine. 

Peace Love & Unity

LEAVE_LOVE_BEHIND_MASTER.wav

From Here On Blue - Let It Rain - 04 The One That Got Away

A tribute to JamRock 2010, a week-long adventure in Negril, Jamaica that took place in April of 2010. Two Ohio bands, Ekoostik Hookah and Carlos Jones & The PLUS Band went to Jamaica along with many of their fans for a week of fun in the sun, music and good times. This song tells the story of that time. Next April will find us doing it again, and we want to make it an even bigger party, so if this sounds like something you might want to be a part of; go to http://www.jamrock2011.com/ and come on down!

Dancing In The Sand﻿ 
Musical arrangement: Cholly O, Lyrics: Carlos Jones 
Lyrics:
We thought it would never get here 
but there we were together
the forecast called for rain
but what we got was perfect weather
rolling into Negril from Mo Bay
with a cooler full of fun
we were headed for the sand
and we were looking for the sun
stepped off the bus and the party was on
brother Lee was waiting
he had lots of plans
and was ready to show us the runnins
 
soon we'd be dancing in the sand
oh what a feeling - do you remember?
when we were dancing, dancing in the sand
together
 
When I close my eyes
I can see it like it was yesterday
and when I think about the place
feelings wash over me like ocean waves
water impossibly blue
jammin it up at Risky
so good to be here with you
feeling a little frisky
plenty vibes are in the air
PLUS & Hookah friends - one family
letting go of stress and all preconceived notions of time
now we feeling Irie
 
and now we're dancing in the sand
I never knew that it could feel so free
with the moon and stars above
aint nowhere else on Earth I would rather be
 
When the cold wind blows
I'll think of how the sun was beating down
and when it starts to snow
I'll imagine sand is all around
so glad we got to go
looking back now it seems it was a dream
but the memories
will keep us warm all winter like summer's steam
oh what a time we had
getting to know each other and making friends
each day a new adventure
we'll count the days until we go back again
 
and we’ll be dancing in the sand
oh what a time we’ll have together?
like a treasure in our hands
that we we’ve discovered
 
and we'll be dancing in the sand
dancing in the sand together
that’s where I want to be
dancing in the sand forever
 
Kuyaba/Blue Hole/3 Dives/Mayfield Falls
Risky Bizness/Negril Escape
Chicken's Magic Bus/sailing on the Booze Cruise
Hanging out at Rick's Cafe
Ivan's Bar at Catcha Falling Star
laying out on the beach most of the day
everywhere around the sweet smell of ganja
and the sound of reggae music deejay a play
all the good people we meet
humble and hustlers all under the same sky
learning to lean waaay back
feelin the One Love and the Irie vibes
rich and poor alike
everybody moving
what a joy to be in JA
keep me grooving

Dancing in the Sand

I know I am part of Creation!
cause the full moon is in Leo tonight
I know this is a mystic vibration
cause the full moon is in Leo tonight
I woke up this morning with this feeling
that everything wrong would be gone
And there in its place would be 
universal love
for everything that surrounds me now

My Father the sun, my Mother the earth
yes the full moon is in Leo tonight
I honor them on the day of my birth
yes the full moon is in Leo tonight
The body, the mind and the spirit
must all come together as one
to align with the forces 
of the constellations
come to know all its power now.

I have traveled the road this far
and there's still so many miles I've yet to go.
From August moon to morning star
and there's still so many things I've yet to know.

I'll give thanks and praise on this day
cause the full moon is in Leo tonight
And I pray that Jah Jah will guide the way
cause the full moon is in Leo tonight
So let's burn the herb and beat the drums
and speak to them from far away
Let the sounds of nature be our endless harmony
and the moon will be smiling.

Rhythm in consciousness,one heart in tune
It's the way of life that shows me how to go
From morning star to August moon
Your illumination reaches to my soul.

Praises to Jah the Most  High! Who live and reigneth.
_________________________________________________
In honor of the beautiful full moon and lunar eclipse just experienced -11/28/2012, and all of you beautiful Spirits in tune with its wondrous energy.
 I wrote this one on my birthday - 8/14/1990

Carlos

Moon In Leo

I originally wrote this song during the first year of my daughter Rachel's life, and recorded it to give to her for her first birthday. She just turned 30 years old, and she is an amazing human being.  As always, I dedicate this song and my heart as I watch her grow and continue on her journey. <3
__________________________

Rachel's Song - 

There's a flower growing
in the wintertime it's blooming
in my heart
I think I'll call her - Rachel Amira
This is your song
I see you shining like the sun
your life has just begun
Oh and Rachel
Be always strong
You fought for your place on Earth
from the moment of your birth - Rachel
Rachel - it's your Father singing
I wrote this song just for you
Rachel Amira - now 28 years old
Can hardly believe it
That it was so long ago
I saw you the first time
And you touched my heart and soul
Cause it feels like I've know you forever
And you mean much more to me than silver or gold
Rachel Amira - I saw you come to be
I could feel your spirit
reaching deep inside of me
Learning to give love
that we need so desparately
Now I'm giving you what's coming form my heart
This is your song
Rachel Amira - let beauty fill your eyes
Love Mother Nature
The Earth the sea and sky
Keep looking for wisdom
by always asking why
And one day maybe you'll find the answer
There's a flower growing
in the wintertime it's blooming
in my heart

Carlos Jones - 12/7/87
_________________________________________________________

Rachel's Song

FREE DOWNLOAD at http://guerillatactics.bandcamp.com/

Blue Haze ft. Mariana Bell

Carlos Jones has been sharing his musical inspiration with Cleveland and the surrounding area for over 40 years, earning him the unofficial designation of  “The Iron-man of Cleveland Reggae”. Born in Virginia, his earliest musical influence was the gospel music he heard in the church where his grandfather preached. In the mid-60s his family moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where he became fascinated by the Beatles and other popular music of the time. A few years later, after moving back to the states, his main musical interests were Soul, Jazz, Blues and Rock music, until he discovered Reggae in the mid 70s, which led him to seeing Bob Marley perform and then joining one of Cleveland's first local Reggae bands. He started out in 1978 as a side-man (percussion/vocals) with I-tal, one of Cleveland’s first homegrown Reggae groups, and then in 1984, split off from I-tal along with several other members to form the group, First Light.

Carlos developed as the front man/lead vocalist for First Light and honed his songwriting skills during its 14 year run as one of the top drawing bands in the area, playing shows at clubs, colleges and festivals all over the eastern half of the United States and in Canada. During that time, First Light released several recordings on vinyl, cassette and CD on the independent label, Thin Ice Records.

By 1994, a few years before First Light disbanded, Carlos’ next project was already underway. The Peace Love Unity Syndicate, which would later become known as Carlos Jones & The PLUS Band, was already playing shows in the area, and people were starting to take notice. His goal was to get back to the more spiritual and positive messages in Reggae music that had captured his heart from the start, back when Reggae was first gaining worldwide attention through artists like Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Toots & The Maytals, Culture, Third World and Burning Spear, all of whom he's had the pleasure of sharing the stage with over the years. 

Now with 27 years under his belt with the current group, Carlos continues to keep the Reggae fire burning with his steadfast allegiance to the positive vibration, lifting hearts and stirring souls every time he and his band take the stage. The PLUS Band has three full length releases to date: Roots With Culture (2004), Leave A Trail (2009) and their first live recording called "Live From Cleveland", which came out in 2016. A 4-song EP, Positive Vibrations, was released in 2011, and they have sporadically released several singles over the past few years. All are on Little Fish Records, an independent Cleveland label run by his manager, Larry Koval, who has been with Jones since 1998. The band is currently working on a new album to be titled "A New Day", which they hope to release this summer.

Now, at the age of 62, when asked about his plans for the future, he'll tell you, "I'm just grateful to see every new day, and to be given the opportunity to make each one the best I can. I'll just keep moving forward, and follow the path where it leads, you know? Promoting positivity , peace, love and understanding betweeen people is my life's purpose and I'm blessed to be able to do what I love. What more could I ask out of life?"

His official website is www.carlosjones.com

Torchbearer

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