RDGLDGRN (pronounced Red Gold Green) bring everything you need to the table for an epic show – they’ve got the music, the personalities, and the energy to make the set a full blown party. If you’re unfamiliar with RDGLDGRN (as I was until the show came around) then you need to fix that, immediately. It’s rare I come across a band that I’m instantly hooked by, and maybe it’s the Washington DC hometown love, but RDGLDGRN had me from the start. As the name implies, there are three members in the band, with each member sporting their taken color (and only their taken color), it’s become more of a lifestyle than just a color preference. These guys are their color, while that may seem silly you get a feel for what that really means when you’re seeing it live. With Red on bass, Gold on guitar, and Green commanding the vocals these three stormed the stage and had the audience mesmerized from the start.
The sold out reggae crowd at Culture Room engaged with the band instantly and were dancing and clapping along to the beat. That’s one of RDGLDGRN’s best abilities, they can connect with a crowd that may be unfamiliar with their music effortlessly. Their music is a solid combination of hip-hop, rock, and indie go-go. While that combination may sound all over the place, RDGLDGRN do a flawless job of mixing the genres so it’s enjoyable for people with all tastes. You can dance, jump around, and rock out all in one song. They truly got the crowd moving, though, when they kicked off a song with the infamous start of “The Banana Boat Song (Day O)” and then transformed that into a classic sing along of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” There wasn’t a single person in the club not belting out “aaaa-weeeee-a-weh-o-wim-o-weh.”
At the end of their set Green pulled off a pretty incredible feat – an epic East Coast versus West Coast rap battle with the crowd. Jumping into the center of the club, Green split the crowd down the center creating a divide, with Gold heading the “East Coast” and Red the “West Coast.” Green then proceeded to rap in the crowd with the respective “coasts” amping him up. This was such a fun note to end the night on, you all know I’m a sucker for crowd interaction, and this was in the top five displays for sure. If you like good music, passionate musicians, and bands paving their own paths by mixing genres – check these guys out and definitely don’t miss them when they hit your town.
