Local band features an upbeat reggae-rock feel

When he was 18 months old, Jonny Eager’s father abandoned his family.

The experience was rough for Eager, now 39, who grew up wondering not only who his father was, but also why the man would leave a child. He was angry for a long time.

Eventually, he found a sense of perspective, vowing to never do the same thing to his own daughter — and to try to relay some of his beliefs about overcoming difficulties through rock and roll.

“There’s always a positive to be found, even in the worst situations,” he said in the Everett practice space where he rehearses with his band, Dubsic.

The band, an upbeat reggae-rock group, plans to play tonight at Jimmy Z in Everett, the first of several shows it has lined up in the coming months.

Eager started Dubsic with his friend Kyle Hamilton in 2006. The group shook up its lineup about nine months ago, and now includes keyboardist Gretchen Larson and 19-year-old bassist Terry Wallace.

As the group changed members, it moved away from a classic rock sound and toward the punk, reggae and funk styles it plays today, reflecting influences like Bad Brains and Sublime. The group was attracted to the sound, and set about creating a similar vibe.

“It puts a smile on anybody’s face that hears it,” Wallace said of the music.

“It’s a feel-good thing, like a beach vibe,” Eager agreed.

Despite the shift in sound, the group kept its original name, a word Eager made up while driving around in his car years ago.

“We were almost on the verge of going with the name Plan B, until we figured out it was a birth control pill,” Wallace joked.

The group finished recording a four-song demo in April. The process took five months. Now the band may give away the CD for free at some of its several upcoming shows, simply tossing the discs into the audience.

“We’re just hungry,” Eager said. “We just want to play. Last weekend we did three shows. We just want to get it out there.”

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com