July 4 with Jonah and the Whalewatchers July 4, 2009

John Tallon Entertainment

The Monterey Bay's premier reggae and world music group, Jonah and the Whalewatchers continue to bring positive musical conciousness and culture to dancehalls and festivals across California and the western US.

The Whalewatchers have been constantly active on the live music scene since 1990, and are still building on the foundation of a message of peace and love for humanity that is already understood and firmly rooted in the minds and hearts of reggae music fans worldwide.

It's not surprising to see young and old people alike connecting with this heartbeat music that fuses Caribbean and African beats with American jazz, blues and soul to create a very unique sound that is most often identified as reggae. The band's playlist also includes styles like calypso and soca and more modern dancehall reggae and ska and hip-hop tunes which are guaranteed to get people up and dancing!

The group was formed by soulful Jamaican bassist and singer Alex Shirley with some Carmel and Monterey locals in a series of friendly jam sessions, and finding common musical ground to build upon, other members soon joined the band, including guitarist Tracy Chesebrough, drummer John Tallon, steel pan and percussion player Cary Lowney, trumpet, keyboard and percussion player Bill Steacy and guitarist Tony Fusco.

VOTED BEST BAND IN MONTEREY COUNTY 2007
BY READERS OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY

The reggae compilation CD "skankin' cali style" released in August, 2004 is hot!!

featuring the Jonah and the Whalewatchers song JAH TALK TO US, along with new reggae songs by Dub Congress, Habanero, Native Elements, Pacific Vibrations and many more! In stores including Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz, CA or online at
representmusic.com