DE Arts & Entertainment Editor

For those with reggae fixes whirling in high gear with the Ziggy Marley concert nearing, a quick satiation can be found when Reggae At Will breaks out the popular Jamaican music on the Hangar 9 stage Friday.

Reggae music seems to have an almost mesmerizing spirit to it that captures crowds and forces there legs, feet, arms and heads to freely move with the beat.

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To Reggae At Will drummer Sunni Danaayaal, it is every aspect of the music makes it so accessible to wanting ears.

It’s a combination of spiritual and political music. The lyrics really have something to say. They’re conscience lyrics, Danaayaal said. Hearing reggae music live is something that has an effect on most people. Being a drummer, I definitely like the rhythm.

Danaayaal got turned on to the rhythmic beat of reggae when an old girlfriend moved to Jamaica because her father had been appointed a bishop in that country toward the end of the ’70s. The girlfriend began sending records of reggae artists back to Danaayaal in the United States, piquing his interest in the music.

Up until 1984, Danaayaal had been playing all types of music in various bands, but reggae completely captured his musical attention.

Once I started performing reggae live, I had a lot of fun more so than any music I had performed, Danaayaal said. From that time on, that’s what I performed.

Danaayaal went on to form Reggae At Will in 1989, and the band has won Best Reggae Group the last three years in the St. Louis Riverfront Times Readers’ Choice Awards. In 1995, the group took home four awards:Best Reggae Band, Best Vocal Band to Dance to, Best Local Band and Best World Beat Artist.

The awards are treasured by the band, but the first priority is that the members keep their minds on the message of the music.

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The awards don’t mean that much, but I definitely appreciate the support of the people. What’s basically put us there are the fans that come out and support reggae helping to keep the music alive, Danaayaal said. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be getting any awards.

Though the band focuses on covers by such artists as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff, it mixes in a variety of original reggae songs as well, some of which appeared on the Do For Love album released in 1995.

Reggae At Will has shared the stage with some of the top reggae acts in the world including Jimmy Cliff, Yellow Man and the most important reggae act of the ’80s, Black Uhuru.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every world beat artist that we’ve opened for, Danaayaal said. It keeps our music close to authentic, which is definitely important for a U.S.-based band.

FACTOID:The show will begin around 10 p.m. There will be a $4 cover charge at the door.

For information, call 549-0511.