Ma Barley

We had a super-duper punky reggae party 4th like we had last year at the Fort George. Now we are looking for a place to put on our hugest concert yet! Want us to play your venue? Feel free to comment or just email mark@mabarley.com .
Please visit our Music page link on the right side to hear a Raw Barley treat! – a version of “I Knew an Old Lady” which we may incorporate into our set list. . .

Celebrate Freedom with the Fun Band

Astoria Moose Lodge (Great Dance Floor, newly painted ballroom)

Saturday June 13th

7:30 p.m.

Remember the night you couldn’t get in because the house was too small for the hungry crowds?  This year we’ll be playing on the big stage of the Astoria Event Center with thousands of WATTS of power-  

The band of eight (Joey will also be sitting in at the end of the first set!) will heat things up at nine o’clock.  The 8 dollar cover charge to get in also INCLUDES the Jamaican Jerk Chicken jerked by Professional Chef Jim Rowan!  I’m glad we’ve left the jerking to the pros his year!  It’s always been good though, but it’s also incredibly fun to have a new twist to the menu every year.  This is the tenth annual KMUN reggae party already.  Mark and Ray and a few faithful creative people have put on this live broadcast (middle of winter is when we need it here in Oregon) and Jamaican celebration over the years.  This is the THIRD year that Ma Barley has played at this event!  Now we have THREE DRUMMERS and an ELECTRIC VIOLIN.  Reggae fans of all ages are going to be chanting down the ONE LOVE SOUL STOMPIN’ celebration remembering the gifts and wisdom Bob Marley gave us.  SEE YOU THERE!

Hey- You might like to sport one or two – Tom and Emily in Fort Lauderdale designed an elemental logo- the locals Brian and Becky of Astoria Screen Printing did a righteous job making the colors magical, so … You can be the first ones to select your own.  They’ll be available at Bob Marley’s Birthday Party on Friday, February 6th at the Astoria Event Center.  We’re thinking you’d pay about 15 bucks?   

Adapting to health changes in personnel, MA BARLEY has added and subtracted, multiplied, but never divided!  Blessings to Joey who had brutal neck surgery and is recovering, we hear, not without pain…, also, pain is with the band as we will miss him rocking up the house at MA BARLEY events…Speaking of EVOLUTION we picked up Mister TOM PEAKE on the drum set, JEREMY moved over to the Djembe, CHAD and KEVIN are trading off at bass and rhythm, and now JEFFREY REYNOLDS, electric violin, is filling in the sustained chords and adding some serious chunk- BRIGIDO, MARK, and TERRY are still singing it up while playing the congas, saxophones, flutes, bells, whistles- TERRY moved over to lead guitar… so when we are all there, we are eight!  Too much IRIE is never enough!
Gigs coming up:  Fort George Brewery on NewYears!  We’ll lighten up without Jeremy and Tom for this one and play as RAW BARLEY… 9:00 until 2009.
BOB MARLEY’S BIRTHDAY!   ASTORIA EVENT CENTER-  FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH 8:00 pm…live broadcast on KMUN/KTCB “COAST COMMUNITY RADIO”  during the 8 to 10 Caribbean Moon reggae program broadcast.  Jamaican Jerk Chicken, salads, birthday cake- FAMILIES WELCOME .  This is the 10th ANNUAL REGGAE PARTY sponsored by Caribbean Moon.  If you are out of town you can listen in online on your computer at http://coastradio.org”>
BOB MARLEY’S BIRTHDAY was the impetus for the creation of MA BARLEY, so, of course, this is the biggest, happiest, fabulous feast of food and reggae music during the cold dark winters of the great northwest! The band has some dynamic new songs for your listening and dancing pleasure, as well as the traditional versions you love and remember.