The Haunt
Poster for The Haunt, April 1982
In the late 70S, a band out of Rochester named Bahama Mama played regularly at The Haunt and it was a popular event in Ithaca. Dancing was always in order, nobody needed to be convinced.
Bahama Mama quickly becoming one of the most popular bands around, and people wondered what The Police had that these guys didn’t. The concept of a white reggae band was kind of the new thing… maybe, but it didn’t come to be for these guys, who broke-up before the Majestics formed.
Dicogs lists their live album here: https://www.discogs.com/Bahama-Mama-In-Concert/release/5714164
After they spun off from Bahama Mama, Majestics quickly became one of the most well-known bands around. They recorded with Lee “Scratch” Perry, whose hand featured prominently in the Bob Marley & The Wailers music we came to appreciate during the Reggae explosion that was happening around us. The core of the Majestics’ sound was either Ron Stackman’s clavinet or his guitar. They played at The Haunt regularly, and they opened for some other shows I saw. I believe they opened for Peter Tosh at the Strand the year before; they would open in Rochester at the Toots and the Maytals show I would go see four days later.
The Haunt billed itself as “Upstate New York’s Reggae Capital.”
A recent article from a Rochester newspaper covers some of the Majestics’ history and announces their reunion in an almost tongue-in-cheek style: https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/the-majestics-are-back/Content?oid=2827898
Another article here: https://thelittle.org/artists/majestics
Below: More poster flyers for Reggae at the Haunt
