Operation Irie’s summer concert series has a host of visiting musicians playing with them at The Washout every Sunday this month
By Miranda Steadman | Contributing Writer
Traveling from Babylon to Center Street, come welcome Operation Irie to The Washout every Sundays in June. With their alternating arrangement of artists each week, every concert is part of the Sunday evening reggae music summer series. After the strangely silent summer of 2020, summer 2021 is bound for glory with Jamaican rhythms and dancing to cool you off from the record heat looming ahead.
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain,” said Bob Marley, which is music to our ears afrter the painful year we all just endured.
From punk ska band Sex Wax and local reggae bands Well Charged and The Destinators, Percussionist John Picard 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. While performing with the Ocho Ríos resort band, Picard dove into the culture of Jamaica. He’s now knowledgeable of both the music and language of Patois culture. This is just one of the many reasons that he’s so enjoyable to chat with. You can always learn some new Patois phrase to share with fellow reggae enthusiasts.
At the show this past Sunday, Picard mentioned a train ride next to a Jamaican Rastafarian who had recently been released from Rikers Prison. The infamous prison, scheduled to close by 2026, is one of the country’s most notorious correctional facilities. Picard says the man spoke briefly of the “indecencies” he experienced while there, as if they were long lost friends reunited by fate and a train.
Speaking of friends, Picard met his close friend and musical collaborator Vasily Punsalan at Millennium Music, which used to be located downtown near the corner of King and Wentworth streets, before moving to the corner King and Coulhoun streets, and ultimately closing. 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 then formed the reggae band Food, Clothing and Shelter together and currently play in Well Charged and The Destinators together.
Operation Irie Guitairst Andrew Krepelka started performing and touring with his band Andy & The Jivers at the early age of 16. After moving from Charlotte to Asheville, Krepelka met Punsalan. Both musicians eventually decided to relocate their families to Charleston, where they reconnected.
Vocalist and keyboardist Mark Ackles, nicknamed “Kingston,” first began playing with John Picard during the late ’90s. At the time, he was performing reggae with Ras Bonghi at Captain Harry’s Saloon downtown (now Coast) while John was playing in a Momma’s Blues Palace just around the corner. Ackles 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.
Mystic Vibrations will join Operation Irie onstage on June 6 and 13. The band has been playing together and touring for decades. They boasts deep roots from Little London, in the Westmoreland Parish of Jamaica. In 1992, bandleader Ric Williams brought Mystic Vibrations to the United States and they have been touring the East Coast, from New York to Florida, ever since.
The music of this four-piece rhythm section speaks of love, unity and peace amongst all mankind … while not forgetting the trials and tribulations of oppressed peoples of the past. Find Mystic Vibrations rocking Johns Island County Park Saturday, June 5 from 7-9:30 p.m., don’t forget to bring your chairs or blanket and more importantly, your love for reggae music. Closer to Folly, Mystic Vibrations will also play James Island County Park on Thursdsay, June 17 at Salute The Solstice, where you can enjoy open-air yoga amidst inspiring reggae sounds from 5-8 p.m. Even closer to Folly, catch their good vibes this Fourth of July right here on the island at The Washout with Operation Irie.
While Mystic Vibrations will join Operation Irie on June 6 and 13, there’s no telling who may show up during the band’s other two June dates. Operation Irie keeps the crowd happy with a variety of show-stopping guest reggae musicians sporting different styles Vocalist Ras Bonghi is a favorite that the band features. If may also catch Well Charged singers Melissa Walker or Megg Howe singing sweet song with the Operation Irie. Local guitarists and vocalists Layton Meacham and Liam Farrell frequently join Operation Irie on Sundays.
Arrive early to The Washout to catch a good seat by the band and treat yourself to a fresh fish feast, tacos, burgers and cold refreshments. Everyone deserves a chill night of good vibes before the busy week ahead. When the music has you feeling irie, there’s room for all on the dancehall floor.
