Jr. Gong in the Cruz

I've been following the Marley family for as long as I can remember. Except for the legendary patriarch himself (sniff sniff) I've seen everyone in the clan perform over the past 15 years. From Rita and the Melody Makers in Jamaica, to the brothers all over Northern Cali, I can't seem to get enough. Lately, I can't get my fill of the youngest member of the tribe: Damian "Jr. Gong." Born to Bob and Cindy Breakspeare, Damian has been touring with the Ghetto Youth Crew, led by Stephen and nurtured by the family, for the last few years and is also a Grammy winner. His latest CD, "Welcome to Jam-Rock" is a mix of hip-hop, dance hall and roots reggae, and layered with his prodigious blend of conscious lyrics that stir the soul and the mind. I've seen him a few times this year, including up at Mateel in Redway and at Reggae on the River. He played Tuesday night at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz and as usual...did not disappoint. We danced our asses off to say the least. The CHOW crew was there, including Shane from the Island of Oahu, Jimmy (pictured) the man who was born to tour the world as a concert critic, Josh Stanz and his girl, and SHAREEF! who showed up for the encore, after I misplaced his ticket at least three times. All in all it was a great experience, although security was kind of aggressive because of the under age kids, the testosterone boys and fact that anyone who wanted a cocktail had to be herded into a pen and frisked. Oh well, it was worth it.