Culture

Tribal member Kenny Lewis joins Sol Seed

04.15.2011 Ron Karten People, Entertainment, Events

If you go

Sol Seed in concert

When: 7 p.m. Friday, April 29; dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Tribal gym

Cost: Free admission; open to the public

More info: solseedmusic.com

Tribal member Kenny Lewis has packed a lot of living in his first 20 years.

He's a black belt in martial arts.

He's won a Native American Music Award as lead guitarist of the Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band and starred in the "Breakin' Free" videos that can be seen on YouTube.com.

And now he's the lead guitarist of Sol Seed, a foursome who describe their music as psychedelic reggae rock with hints of jazz, blues, swing, funk, folk, Latin and hip-hop styles blended into the musical mix.

Think Jack Johnson meets Bob Marley with a dose of vintage Cat Stevens thrown in for good measure.

"It's a good vibes feeling that all types of audiences enjoy," the band's Web site says. "And in the midst of this music fusion is a message of unconditional love, universal acceptance, and an urge to reach across social, spiritual and cultural boundaries."

Lewis, who is the son of Tribal member and Commercial Real Estate Manager Ann Lewis and her husband, Ken, joined Sol Seed in early 2010 as his work with the Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band was winding down. The other three members of the band are singer and guitarist Michael Lennon, percussionist Michael Sorensen and bassist Benny Pezzano.

Lennon and Sorensen are the principal songwriters, but all four members participate in the creation and development of the songs.

Sol Seed will perform a free concert in the Tribal gym on Friday, April 29. It will not be their first performance there; they played the 2011 Tribal Jam on March 12. A video of that performance can be seen on the Tribal Web site, www.grandronde.org, under the Video page. (Their performance starts at the 51:30 mark of the video.)

Sol Seed also is being featured on Salem cable TV project "Salem Rocks."

"Episode 1 - This Is Sol Seed, Part 1" airs on Comcast Cable channel 22 at 8:30 p.m. Fridays, April 15, 22 and 29, and 11:30 p.m. Saturdays April 16, 23 and 30.