False Rhythms brings dessert reggae to the Levitt AMP Concert Series.
Carson City gets some local flavor when False Rhythms brings reggae rock the free Levitt AMP Concert Series hosted by the Brewery Arts Center on Saturday. The six-piece Gardnerville band was founded by twin brothers Dalton and Garrett Moore from the Washoe Tribe.
“We love hometown gigs,” Dalton said. “We’ve heard about the Levitt Stage at the Brewery Arts Center, and we always wanted to play it and we go the chance to do it.”
The two started out playing acoustic guitars together and have added to the band over the years. Now they’re a six-piece band that brings its “desert reggae” sound and energy to the stage while climbing up the ladder in the music industry.
THE BAND
Dalton (who is a minute younger than Garret) said he and his brother started playing with ukeleles at a young age, but it was in fifth grade when the two saved up their lunch money to buy two acoustic guitars.
“We’ve been playing ever since,” Dalton said. “It’s been an awesome ride. I can look over and my twin brother is right there with me.”
They had musical influences in their family with their father playing bass in a band when they were kids, and their older brothers also played guitar. The brothers are self-taught and always had each other to practice with.
“It was really easy to get into because we had our family pushing us,” Dalton said. “My dad and mom were always supportive.”
False Rhythms started in 2012 with just the two as a duo. Dalton is the rhythm guitarist and lead vocals, and Garrett is lead guitarist and backup vocals. They added drums and bass to the mix in 2017 when they released their first EP. Bassist Austin Hawkins joined the band during that time, and Robbie Wheeler is currently on drums. During COVID when things got slow, the band added Chris Shott on keyboard and synth.
“We weren’t playing shows and he wanted to play, and he got better and better and now he’s in the band,” Dalton said. “It helps just to have more of a full sound. Reggae needs a little more keyboard.”
They recently added percussionist James Markabee to add more dynamic and round things out.
THE MUSIC
The band strives to bring their own original sound to reggae music, which they call desert reggae.
“It’s a little bit harder than normal reggae,” he said. “It’s like Metallica meets Sublime, kind of.”
He said they are on the heavier side while using distortion, but they also stick to the reggae chops and vibes. Before the brothers played reggae, they played metal, learning songs from Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth. When asked what bands they would like to tour with, Dalton said Rebelution and Sublime with Bradley Nowell.
“Definitely Rebelution. Me and my brother are huge fans of them,” he said. “And Sublime is one of our idols.”
Bandmembers Hawkins and Shott have their own band that is a psychedelic funk band, and those influences also blend in with the False Rhythms sound.
“They bring a lot of that to the table when it comes to the show,” Dalton said. “Hawkins doesn’t play regular reggae bass riffs. They’re super funky and complicated. Chris (Shott) is totally psychedelic-funk. He adds an outer-spacey element.”
The brothers’ Native American influences are prevalent in some of their songwriting coming from the Washoe Tribe.
“We write a lot of music trying to represent our tribe as best as we can,” Dalton said.
They have a song called “Tribal Love” that Dalton wrote about the Dakota Access Pipeline when that issue was going on.
“It’s about being Native American and the struggles and basically standing up for your right,” Dalton said. “Like Bob Marley said. I’d like to say we’re rebel music.”
He said the band will be working on a new album later this year and hope to release it in 2025. They have 44 songs and they’re always writing more, and it’s a combined effort of the band.
“All of us have our part in writing songs,” he said. “Usually, they’ll write the music if anything, and they’ll give me inspiration, something that they are inspired by, and then I’ll write the lyrics.”
HOMETOWN CROWD
Growing up in Gardnerville, the band has many friends, family and fans, and Dalton said when they play in the area, they always get a good crowd.
“Usually when we play the bars and stuff, the whole community comes out,” he said. “It’s never an empty room.”
Dalton said they are proud to be playing at the BAC and it’s a good step in their career. They’ve also had other big opportunities lately, including playing in front of 3,500 people at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in February as part of the winter Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival.
“That was life-changing,” Dalton said. “It was pretty insane.”
The band opened for The Elovaters, The Movement and Stick Figure. Dalton said the production company knows who they are now, so they’re hoping they see more shows in the future at many of the big reggae festivals.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: False Rhythms with opening act Miki Rae & The Hooligans at the Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series
WHERE: 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27
MORE INFO: breweryarts.org