Singing sweet songs...

Robert Nesta Marley was born on Feb. 6, 1945 in St. Ann, Jamaica.

Though he came to be known as Bob, he also came to be recognized as one of the most influential musicians of his era. His “riddims” and politically charged lyrics put Jamaica on the map as the center of the reggae universe, and he paved the way for reggae artists for years to come.

Friday night at the Red Carpet, reggae will be at the forefront, as Minneapolis’ Dred I Dread will be on hand to provide their own riddims as the soundtrack for celebrating Marley’s birth.

The band is in somewhat of a transitional period, just off of a successful U.S. tour highlighted by their taking second place in the John Lennon songwriting contest in New York. Their song “Standing There” was included on Converge Records’ International Roots Rock Reggae Skampilation,Vol. 1. Now that they have returned to Minnesota, they are getting reacquainted with the local scene before they go into the studio to record the followup to their first album, Listen to the Revolution. Their show in St. Cloud will offer the opportunity to pay homage to the man who helped make their music possible.

“Bob Marley devised the plan that most people in reggae evolved from,” said vocalist Pee Wee Dread. “But most (reggae artists) do everything circling him. I want to pioneer like Bob Marley.”

“We play reggae,” said drummer/songwriter Rawle’ G. “But we also play things where reggae hasn’t gone before.”

Those things would include rock, hip-hop and funk. But while they blend reggae with those other ingredients to make a delicious and diverse sound, the lyrics are 100 percent pure, imported straight from Jamaica. Dred I Dread preaches social consciousness and activism in the same manner their pioneering forefathers did.

Another point Dred I Dread likes to hammer home is that reggae is universal. They encountered a bit of disbelief on their most recent tour.

“Most people cannot believe that a good reggae band comes from Minneapolis,” Rawle’ said. “Most people expect to see five Jamaican guys, but there are also many white people (into reggae).”

No band stresses that more than the Dreds, as Rawle’ is the only one who actually hails from Jamaica. Three members, guitarist Matty Levitt, bassist (Missa) Art Errickson and keyboardist Eric Lilya, are white. Dread himself was raised in New Orleans, La. This fact alone shows that reggae is a language with no barriers; one that speaks to people of all races and colors.

“It shows we’re breaking down barriers,” Errickson said. “We come to blast people’s stereotypes, to blow them out of the water. We’ve had complaints, but we tell them, ‘Shut your eyes. Then tell us what color we are.’”

The new album

The new Dred I Dread album, tentatively titled Questions & Answers, is due out in March. The band will be playing several local shows before they go into the studio to record, displaying some of their new material in the concerts leading up to the Q&A sessions.

“We’ve got to get the fans inoculated to them,” Dread said.

The new album will also be recorded with a pair of new Dreds, guitarist Levitt and keyboardist “Killya” Lilya. The last members left the group on not-so-chummy terms.

“Philosophical differences,” Dread said flatly. “(The former members) didn’t want to travel. But everybody has their own motivations. We’re not a temp service. We all work together and live communally (the band recently purchased a house). Family members have to take care of the family business.”

As far as recording, Dread said that all it takes to get an album done is to get in the studio and do it. He said that the band is not too busy to do it, but they are not in a rush. He added that the music will be more while still sticking to their roots. But Dred I Dread will not be complacent for long.

“As soon as the album is finished, we’ll hit the east and west coasts,” Rawle’ said.

Much like every show they perform, Dred I Dread is looking forward to Friday night. Rawle’ warned, however, that Carpet patrons may be disappointed if they show up expecting a Bob Marley tribute show.

“We haven’t been playing Marley songs,” he said. “But we’ll probably play one or two in his memory. One of our main rules is to not play many Bob Marley songs.”

What’s in a name?

And now the answer to the question anyone not familiar with the band will be asking Friday night: “What does Dred I Dread mean?”

Dread said it is Jamaican for “fear my dreads,” which basically means that “if you don’t want to understand me, then I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“If you have enough time to talk about someone, you have just as much time to talk to them,” Dread said.

Which is exactly the kind of thing this band preaches.

Dred I Dread will be performing on the main stage at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Red Carpet. The show, as always, is 21 and up. Cover charge is $2.