Earlham Echo

August 1, 2023

The term ‘world music’ came into vogue in America a few decades ago—and it means different things to different people. Calling what Chicago-based Gizzae does by that name is certainly accurate, simply because the members that have been in the band hail from far-off places like Ethiopia and Ghana. Band founder and front man Brian ‘Rocket’ Rock is from the tiny Caribbean nation of Dominica. Whatever anyone outside the band labels the music, Rock has always wanted the Gizzae sound to be uniquely theirs.

“I always tell the guys in the band, ‘We don’t want to just follow everyone,’” said Rock. “So we have to find ways of keeping the audience interested in what we’re doing—with different beats and different lyrics. And that is who we are in terms of trying to build our sound.”

The best general category in which to file Gizzae is roots reggae. While the band is also heavily influenced by soca and calypso as well as ‘Western’ genres such as jazz, rock, and blues, Gizzae never strays too far from the breezy, intoxicating reggae rhythms that dare audiences to stay in their lawn chairs.

“Some people think reggae is kind of repetitious, but I tell them it is ‘infectious,’” said Rock. “After you hear that beat and it gets into you, you have to move. And it seems like to me, reggae festivals are the best, because everyone is in such a good mood, happy, and having a great time. The music, the beats, and the lyrics, too—reggae is about positivity.”

Rock grew up listening to everything he could and was heavily influenced by reggae when the genre blew up in the 70s. His brother had a band, so he had access to a variety of equipment. While he was originally a drummer and singer, he took the opportunity to turn himself into a multi-instrumentalist.

“When musicians came over and they needed a bass player, I would play bass,” he said. “If they needed a keyboard player, I would play keyboards. Guitar? I played guitar.”

When he moved to the U.S. and started a band, he became the bassist for the same reason—that’s what the band needed. Bass playing led to some pretty good gigs for Rock, too. He did some recording on songs for Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.

“I was living in New York, and I knew a producer,” explained Rock. “He called me to do an overdub for Springsteen—he wanted a different mix for Cover Me, on the Born in the USA album. I came in and they took out the original bass, and I just kind of listened and put my idea down. And I did the same thing with the Rolling Stones.”

Rock had a close encounter with Springsteen during the session—but didn’t realize it at the time.

“I was in my 20s and I didn’t know who Bruce Springsteen was,” said Rock. “This guy was in the studio encouraging me, ‘Yeah, yeah. Keep that. Keep this.’ And about 9 months later I’m seeing Bruce on TV and I’m like, ‘Shxt, that’s the guy!’ I wish I would have known who he was. He was such a cool guy.”

Rock spends his winters back in Dominica. An independent nation since 1979, the beautiful island is full of laid-back people and friendly vibes and has everything from mountains and black sand beaches to waterfalls. It’s a great place to live, as well as create music.

“It’s paradise to me,” said Rock. “I live way up on a mountain top. There is nothing above me. When I’m writing, I’m at peace up there. It’s easy to find ideas.”

Rock is now in his 6^th decade of making music for a living. His mantle isn’t lined with gold records or Grammies, but he enjoys living a creative life that brings happiness to people. “Wherever my career takes me, I accept,” he said.  “I’m giving it my all and trying to be consistent. Every show I try to do better than the last show. We give 100 percent, whether the audience is 100 people or 1,000 people.”