DECADENT REGGAE. Irie Sol busts out all kinds of genres for its new Great Gatsby-themed CD,
Dred Scott Fitzgerald.

A simple wrought-iron gate looms over the grounds of the Commodore Hotel in St. Paul. Embedded in its filigree are four numbers: 1-9-2-0.

Pass through the gate and the hotel comes alive with the sounds of a roaring celebration: This is the Commodore’s basement speakeasy, and we’re here, right here immersed in the Roaring Twenties. The dance floor is packed, and the Wolverine Jazz Band is performing, featuring a lovely gal from Eau Claire named Bernice. Soon it gets around that this bacchanalian bash is hosted by enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby.

As it happens, the gate outside is a special device that blends together the fictional and historical worlds of author F. Scott Fitzgerald for our immersion. But what’s more interesting is how local musicians have managed to recreate that magic in CD format.

“I like to think there’s a bar at the end of the universe, like The Joynt, where they all hang out and commiserate that their worlds have ended.” – songwriter Joel Pace on what happens to literary characters after their last pages

For five songs, Irie Sol’s new release Dred Scott Fitzgerald is a complex work of art. In a compelling departure from 2009’s full length Solstice, the all-new jams of Irie Sol’s latest release provide all-new perspectives to Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby by way of creative anachronism. Each song carefully occupies a space and time between Gatsby chapters, each chock full of re-imaginations and alternative histories, each an examination of the overarching themes embedded in Gatsby’s tale of jazz-age decadence and upper class indifference.

“Where do these characters go when their worlds of fiction end? Where do they go? I like to think there’s a bar at the end of the universe, like The Joynt, where they all hang out and commiserate that their worlds have ended,” says Irie Sol bandleader and UW-Eau Claire professor of English Joel Pace. His aim for Dred Scott is to bring forward Gatsby themes that were strangely silent on the pages of The Great Gasby, like jazz, Harlem, and Marcus Garvey, whose ideologies would later produce Rastafarianism.

“Whatever’s ‘on-screen’, it’s off. Whatever’s ‘off-screen’, it’s on,” said Pace.
Pace also noted inspiration from Volume One’s 2014 feature story about Prohibition in the Chippewa Valley (“Last Call: Prohibition in the Valley” by Andy Hanson and Caleb Gerdes, published Oct. 30, 2014, and online at VolumeOne.org).

Considering the premise, this album could have made for good reading material for academics and essayists, but set to song and lyrical storytelling, the anachronistic adventure becomes a fascinating audio experience with these musicians at the helm.

But what is the Irie Sol experience? Since 2004, Irie Sol has been clumsily described as World music. But what began with Chris “Junior” Williams’ fascination with local jazz talent at the Stones Throw produced an ensemble that defies genre: This is a razor-sharp crew of musicians and singers performing an all-original brew of melodic hip-hop, jazz, reggae, and rock. Brassy horns give way to big ideas on the lips of Pace’s thoughtful beebop raps and Williams’ rallying reggae chats. In particular, Pace’s vocal prowess and lyrical witticisms are so technically excellent that some passages’ delivery feel as if a jazz flute stood up to the mic and began reciting its best slam poetry.

But to judge Irie Sol by its recordings alone is to have your cake and eat only the frosting. Onstage, show patrons witness a multi-cultural celebration set to music. A conventional song on a record might expand to a 10-minute jam featuring improvised instrumental solos, infectious call-and-responses, and a crowd-weaving conga line of trumpet, trombone, and sax. Irie Sol showcased as much to a crowd of around 2,000 at Phoenix Park as they closed the book on the 10th season of Volume One’s Sounds Like Summer Concert Series on Aug. 27.

But coming up later this month is Dred Scott Fitzgerald’s CD release show, held at 7:30pm Thursday, Sep. 24, at the Commodore Bar in St. Paul (79 Western Ave. N). There the group headlines the “after-party” segment of the Puttin’ on the Fitz benefit party. The show will reflect the same bacchanalian bash Gatsby might have hosted. Nevermind that attendees will appear in 1920s regalia, sample treats and sip custom cocktails, actors impersonating Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda will appear in character all night, and a dancer will impersonate Bernice.

You too are welcome to join the party on the 24th, but you may have to pass through a familiar wrought-iron gate first.

Dred Scott Fitzgerald was recorded last fall at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio in Fall Creek with Chris Mara and Pine Hollow Audio’s Evan Middlesworth. Find Dred Scott Fitzgerald online on iTunes, Amazon, and in Eau Claire at The Local Store (205 N. Dewey St.).