Operation Irie returns to ignite Sunday nights with Reggae at The Washout

by Miranda Steadman | Contributing Writer

Reggae Sunday has been a tradition in Charleston for over thirty years- that’s our Church,” says Operation Irie percussionist John Picard. “Since the 1990s, reggae enthusiasts have congregated to get baptized in reggae music.” Since the summer of 2019, the congregation of reggae enthusiasts has gathered at The Washout on the corner of Center Steet and West Hudson Avenue. For the past several years, reggae Sundays have become an anticipated night full of musical guests gathering to spread island vibes throughout Folly. 

Again live music fans can expect to hear roots and contemporary reggae every Sunday at The Washout this summer. “There’s something for everyone … From ska to dancehall. We serve different flavors of reggae every Sunday,” says Picard, who is plays high-energy music with many originals mixed in.

He has performed all along the Atlantic Coast from New York to Jamaica, with a residency in the house band at The Jamaican Grand in Ocho Ríos. It was then that Picard dove in fully to Jamaican culture. He has been influenced by such diverse artists such as Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh, Yellowman, Bunny Wailer, Aswad, Beck, Bob Dylan, and Frank Sinatra.

Picard first met his close friend and musical collaborator Vasily Punsalan at Millennium Music, a record store which used to be located on King Street in downtown Charleston. The two moved to Ithaca, NY to jam with Kevin Kinsella of Ten Foot Ganja Plant. They also backed Kinsella in John Brown’s Body more than a decade ago. Picard and Punsalan went on to form the reggae band Food, Clothing and Shelter together. The two bandmates have played music together for more than two decades. 

Operation Irie singer Mark Ackles, nicknamed “Kingston,” first began playing with Picard during the late ’90s. At the time, he was performing reggae with local reggae icons Ras Bonghi at Captain Harry’s Saloon downtown (now Coast Bar & Grill) while Picard was playing at Momma’s Blues Palace just across John Street. Ackles, who likes to sing songs from the great reggae singers of the classic eras of the ’70s and ’80s, such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Issacs, Frankie Paul, and The Heptones, and Picard eventually ended up being becoming collaborators. 

As the Sunday night house band for The Washout Operation Irie now has singer Monsoon perform with them. “When he’s playing, Monsoon is like a storm,” says Picard about the artist who relocated to Charleston from Washington D.C. last August.. “It’s like the wind is blowing him around.”

 Operation Irie keyboardist Michael Root, or ‘Rootastic’ is a James Island native who performs with Signal Fire, a reggae group dedicated to spreading unity through music.

Columbia based reggae artists Mystic Vibrations will unite with Operation Irie live at The Washout this month. Picard and his bandmates are excited to welcome Mystic Vibrations, who boast deep roots from Little London, in the Westmoreland Parish of Jamaica. Operation Irie will also welcome Steve Martinez and The Give Thanks Band at The Washout in May. On Sunday, May 28, reggae artists Gullah Roots and Jah Creation will join Operation Irie onstage to jam at The Washout. Later this summer,  look for musical guest Papa Robbie of The Duplates to perform with the band.