Profile Image: Dope Soda

About

Dope Soda

Label: Independent
since circa 2011
Thirsty for music that is both dangerous and danceable, refreshing as a mojito and as eye-opening as a whiskey sour? A cocktail party mix of reggae, punk rock, jazz, hiphop, and ska? This is DopeSoda.

Dope Soda formed in late 2011, a fresh concoction of six of the top jazz, rock, and Jamaican-music-inspired musicians from Vancouver Island, with frequent appearances in acts such as Current Swell, Jon & Roy, and The Bananafish Dance Orchestra. The band is led by a three-piece horn section with roots in the highly-regarded Vancouver Island University Jazz Department, buoyed by a funky rhythm section that serves up sips of bubbling Hammonds and Wurlitzers, shots of distorted guitar, and heavy bass–in your face.

Dope Soda jumps back and forth between reggae jams, punk-rock assaults, happy ska romps, and hip-hop throw-downs– a thirst quencher for audiences who need good rhymes and good times. Dope Soda’s 1st full-length, “Carbonation,” features a 12-pack of ska-punk-jazz-pop tunes (best paired with a West Coast IPA). It’s carbonated party fuel; a beer-in-cheek look at video games, hallucinations, bar brawls, unsettled relationships, and the trials and tribulations of wearing an eye patch. Recorded in Nanaimo, B.C. and produced by a team of dancing rabbits. Drink up!
Available for Shows/Gigs

Community Events

Current Lineup

Dave St. Jean
Vocals/Trombone
2011 - present
Matt Carter
Vocals/Keyboards/Bari Sax
2011 - present
Phil Hamelin
Trumpet
2011 - present
Mike Clement
Guitar
2012 - present
Andrew Fraser
Bass
2013 - present
Jesse McNeill
Drums
2013 - present

Band Articles

Interview with Dope Soda
Interview with Dope Soda was done in June, 2012 by D'Arcy Briggs Ska Fest: When and where do you guys meet? When did you decide to form the band?   Dope Soda: Well Dope Soda was a project I have been wanting to do for a v...

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