The Silver Spring Penguin

Back in the collegiate day, I knew a dude who tacked a billboard-sized poster of Bob Marley to his dorm-room wall. It had a golden lion standing stalwart on the beach, and Marley’s dredlocked visage sailing over it. There was also some reference to peace, one love and stuff.

But as beautiful as Marley’s songs of freedom were, I think his tunes and image served another purpose for this dude. They were aural and visual stimulation, something to set the mood when Dude entertained others or himself (and I’m not talking in the biblical sense).

Let’s face it: For many Americans, that’s exactly what reggae is. It’s an experience enhancer. And not that there’s anything wrong with that. If something deserves celebrating, then by all means, celebrate it.

That’s how Silver Spring’s Lionize (above) rolls — sick reggae grooves with a fun-loving rock and roll attitude.

In the tune “Remedy”, the band’s soulful lead singer can get a room swaying with his pangs for an illicit plant:

Don’t try to sell me your low grade
Don’t try to tell me you’re looking out
Don’t try to sell me your stems and seeds and sticks
I know a bad deal when I see it

What’s particularly tasty about Lionize is not that they sing about illegal stuff, but that they don’t care if they sing about illegal stuff. Best of all, the band doesn’t pretend to be channeling Marley — no Jamaican affect, no calls of peace and freedom for the suburbs (except in their cover of Bad Brains’ “I and I Survived”).

Lionize is just straight-up fun, with crunchy psychedelic guitar and wacked keyboard work for good measure. Take a drag from their MySpace page, then go for the full hit at 8:00 p.m. Friday night (that’s tonight) at the 9:30 Club (815 V St NW, The District). Fifteen bucks gets you through the door.

Photos courtesy of Lionize.