The main act finally came onstage at 10 p.m. The intimate crowd in the Westcott Theater had been chatting about the band for the majority of the night.

When Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad took the stage, they joyously played on their banjo, drum set, acoustic guitars, bass guitar and steel guitar from 1946. The crowd immediately started dancing and swaying along.

Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad is not a folk band. They seamlessly blended their more recognizable jam reggae sound with a folk Americana style while performing their newest album, ‘Country.’

‘The official iTunes review came out today,’ said Chris O’Brian, drummer and founding member of the band, while onstage. ‘You know what they said? They said it’s a weird stoner-country fusion.’

At that news, the crowd clapped and hollered in approval.

‘I think they got that right,’ O’Brian said with a smile.

Originally from Rochester, the band has toured nationally for six years. Their first album ‘Slow Down’ garnered a lot of fans, and they developed an even wider base as they performed at nearly 800 shows. They have eased their touring schedule in the past few years as they made more studio albums, such as ‘Country’ and their soon-to-be released ‘In These Times,’ which will be in the style of electronic reggae.

‘It’s a less typical jam band, which makes for a fun time,’ said Pete McAllister, a self-proclaimed ‘local roadie’ who helps the band with various tasks, such as selling merchandise whenever they are close to Rochester.

McAllister said the band has really grown not only in performance but also in sound. His words rang true as the band mesmerized the crowd with its array of sounds and instruments in a nearly three-hour concert.

The anticipated ‘Missing You More’ did not disappoint as the crowd danced and sang along to the lyrics. Intermittently, the lead singer talked to the crowd about topics ranging from its genial sentiment toward Syracuse to his disapproval of the hydrofracking situation. The political topics incurred mostly a positive reaction from the crowd, with supportive shouts of ‘Yeah! That’s not right!’

‘We were really anxious,’ O’Brian said about ‘Country,’ which diverges from their usual sound. ‘But people seem to really dig it. The reviews have been really positive.’

Both longtime fans and new listeners were not disappointed.

‘The beginning was a surprise, but very good,’ said Stephanie Garland, a Syracuse University alumna and East Syracuse resident. ‘They’re the best local dub around.’

The second set consisted of less talking and more instrumental dabbling. Giant Panda Guerrilla Pub displayed their electronic reggae prowess with an electronic keyboard, electric guitars, bass guitar and, at various points, saxophone.

The crowd loved the elongated instrument solos and often put their hands in the air, swaying along to the music. When there was call and response singing with the band, the crowd sang back to them.

At about 1 a.m., the crowd encouraged the band for an encore. The band played for another 20 minutes before ending on a similar sound to their beginning set.

Not everyone knew about the band before coming that night.

‘I just wanted to listen to new music, something to do on a Saturday night,’ said Marc Mason, a senior in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

The phrase ‘new music’ not only works regarding the band’s ingenuity and authenticity onstage, but also for the fans, both new and old.

‘We just do our thing,’ O’Brian said. ‘And we just go with it.’

cmdunder@syr.edu

Published on February 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Claire: cmdunder@syr.edu | @ClaireDunderman