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From Four to Fame—The Musical Journey of Aaron Lipp
A Young Talent is "Key" to Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Aaron Lipp was an extraordinary child.
By the age of four, he started learning classical piano, and by twelve, he had mastered several rag time and blues songs, a local phenomenon with perfect pitch.
"He was always really creative," says Kerry Lipp, Aaron’s father. "He just had a really good aptitude for it."
"We put him on the porch with a grand piano and eventually crowds of people were just standing there looking at this boy. They thought it was a recording."
The son recalls his first paid performance: "When I was ten, I played rag time and jazz numbers at the Naples Grape Festival. I had a jar out for donations and made almost $300."
"We put him on the porch with a grand piano and eventually crowds of people were just standing there looking at this boy," Kerry says. "They thought it was a recording."
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Besides playing in every school concert and jazz band, Aaron landed a spot as the piano player for a local reggae band, Mountain Mojo Authority, at the age of fifteen. "Really all it was to me was seeing what it was like to play in a band and meeting all the people I play with now," the prodigy explains.
The band dissolved in early 2006, and at that time, Lipp got a call from James Searl, the bassist of "Panda," to fill in for a keyboard player. It was supposed to be only a few shows.
But the talented Aaron Lipp would soon become a household name for Panda.
Searl commented on Lipp’s gelling with the rest of the band. "It was pretty immediate," he says. "We all come from a similar place [musically] and are learning together. Everybody [in the band] has their own personality they bring to the music; he’s himself."
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"On Friday, June 15, we opened for Toots and the Maytals at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. After the show, we drove fifteen hours straight to Bonnaroo (for a prestigious music festival) and played Saturday and Sunday night from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. We played the late night slot when there were no bands in the entire festival playing," Lipp, Hammond B3 organ player for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, says. "It was great because we played longer than any other band on the bill."
Besides the famed Bonnaroo Music Festival, Lipp and the Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, from Rochester, New York, tour all over the United States: "In the last two weeks, we have performed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Burlington Vermont," Lipp says enthusiastically. The band played about 200 shows in 2007, and they expect to play even more in 2008.
As for the North Country region, the Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad regularly plays in Newmarket, New Hampshire, Lake Placid, Burlington, and New York City. On Tuesday, July 22, 2008, they will be playing a free concert in Lake Placid. Also, in late August, they will collaborate with the North Creek Rafting Company in North Creek; there will be rafting and camping followed by a "Panda" concert.
"On stage, we are communicating information that is very much beyond words. As time goes on, we accomplish more as a group and all our connections gain significance."
A major highlight in the band's career was when they went to Jamaica for three weeks, performing at large venues and opening for reggae legends like Yellowman. "Panda" also opened for The Wailers in Rochester, New York.
"On stage, we are communicating information that is very much beyond words," Searl said. "As time goes on, we accomplish more as a group, and all our connections gain significance."
Although Lipp acknowledges he’s played a lot of shows, the eighteen year old has much to look forward to in his life with a blossoming reggae band.
"I’m experiencing all these things at a young age and it speeds up the learning process," Lipp says. "Because of that, it doesn’t matter how old I am; what matters is our level of increasing musicianship and creativity."
Have you been to a Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad show?
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is playing at a venue near you. For more information click here to learn more about the band, listen to samples of their music, and check out pictures of their travels and performances.