Irie High, the third song from the ATF Band, is scheduled for digital release on June 19 by Tune Core. It comes three weeks before the release of Yardie, the quartet’s EP, on VPAL Music.
Irie High has a laid-back One Drop feel, reminiscent of early Third World. ATF Band drummer, Steven Lee, said it was among a cache of songs they had in the bag.
“It was actually written on one of many rhythms that we had recorded over the past two years. Like most dancehall tunes whereby the artiste hears a rhythm and write lyrics to it, I would say that 80 per cent of our production especially for this EP, the rhythms were made and the band got together and came up with different ideas and penned the lyrics to the music,” said Lee.
Yardie, a humorous look at how Jamaicans are harassed at international airports, and a cover of the Brotherhood of Man’s Say A Prayer For Me, are the songs released to date by the ATF Band which was formed five years ago.
Herbie Harris on keyboards and vocals, Lyndon ‘Ace’ Webb (bass and vocals) and guitarist Courtland ‘Gizzmo’ White are Lee’s colleagues in the band.
Their seven-song EP is scheduled for release on July 10.
“This EP, we definitely tried to cover a wide variety of different Jamaican music. There is even a ska tune titled Saturday Night, which is a nice story about a man and his woman going out for the evening and enjoying themselves,” said Lee.
Harris and Lee are former members of Kotch, a band that had success during the 1980’s with Jean. Lee is the son of Sonic Sounds founder Neville Lee, and nephew of Byron Lee of The Dragonaires fame, and former Third World drummer Willie Stewart.
White previously played with the Raging Fyah Band, while Webb was a member of the Ruff Kutt and Big Mountain bands.
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