Every Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m., Ethan Lavendier can be heard on the campus radio station, 91.
9 FM, with his show "The Reggae Lunchbox." The show, primarily dedicated to reggae, has more variety than non-listeners might realize. "I play mostly conscious old-school roots reggae and dub ranging from Horace Andy, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Burning Spear, to new-school roots like 10ft Ganja Plant, Jah-N-I, Midnite, and Vibewise," Lavendier said.
"Occasionally I'll play some dancehall from people like Sizzla, Elephant Man, Spragga Benz, or Hawk Eye." "I'll play some random punk songs sometimes, or some psychedelic folk, and I play a lot of hip-hop also. Mostly roots reggae though," he said.
Bob Marley was the man who got Lavendier into reggae music, though you will not hear him on the show often. "I am trying to introduce people who are familiar with Bob Marley to conscious reggae spanning from old school roots to artists that live and play here in New England," Lavendier said. Lavendier typically holds his spots for underground artists, and he wants to expand the reggae knowledge of people everywhere.
"The reggae genre spans so much deeper than that, and I want to introduce people to the more unknown side of it." Lavendier started doing his show at the beginning of 2005, with his friend Mark Martin, and has since continued bringing reggae music to people across the state and around the nation. One of the perks of doing "The Reggae Lunchbox" has been the live outside broadcasts that Lavendier holds once in a while.
When he performs outside between the Union and the Fogler Library, he draws quite a crowd. The greatest thing, however, is the amount of music Lavendier has exposed people to that they may have never heard otherwise. With a genre that receives so little mainstream radio play, it is important to make sure these songs and musicians receive the attention that they deserve.
"One of the best feelings is getting calls from listeners who want to know the previous artist I just played because they are as excited about the song as I am about playing it for people," Lavendier said. "The Reggae Lunchbox" airs with Lavendier at the helm, every Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m.
on WMEB, 91.9.
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