Spencer “Skip Wicked” Burton of Indubious

Society is a funny thing: from birth we’re immersed into an unspoken set of rules and standards. We come to understand what’s socially acceptable, from how we style our hair to what we wear to the set of core values and traditions we believe we should uphold. And yet, all it takes is a little exposure to another, different society and our views on life, culture and even ourselves shift dramatically.

So what does this have to do with a reggae concert featuring Cornflower, Alcyon Massive and Indubious? Surpisingly, everything: these men once had their own cultures, but after being exposed to other walks of life, they created their own, new path – and they’re bringing us along for the ride.

The three acts, along with backup band The Escort Service, performed at the WOW Hall in Eugene last Saturday night to a crowd of young reggae/Rastafarian/reefer enthusiasts. And while the ominous poufs of smoke and suspicious odors filled the air, the most important thing in the packed room was the funky, heavy dance beats coming from the stage. These men, who’ve relocated from such “traditional” cultures in Connecticut and Tennessee, spread their life-learned lessons to the impressionable youngsters who eagerly clung to their every word – some of who, I learned during set breaks outside, were about to get a culture shock themselves as they were enlisting in the Navy.

Transportation issues caused me to arrive late to the show and miss Cornflower’s opening set, which, as I heard from many concertgoers, was mind-blowing. Cornflower, born John Francis, is a vocalist-instrumentalist who uses a loop pedal to form a multi-part song all by himself. As it turns out, his unique way of blending beatboxing and vocal clips using only his mouth and feet into real music – well, it’s downright impressive. To fully understand what I’m talking about, listen to a few tracks from Cornflower’s SoundCloud page, or watch this 2009 performance in Australia.

I did get to talk to the northeast Tennessee native, though, and learned a lot about him. “I have a beautiful family [back home], but the state of consciousness in Tennessee was very limiting for me,” Cornflower shared. He was drawn out to Oregon to work with Jose Argüellas, a Mexican-American artist/author known for his conceptualization on Earth Day and the Mayan calendar.

“I was sort of a preacher of the ‘natural timing’ theory for a while,” he continued. “It’s funny – before I left, my dad was like, ‘so, why are you going out to Oregon?’ and I said, ‘this job is only the surface – there’s something deeper.’” And he was right: not only did Cornflower find his passion in music, his “purpose,” but also his wife. “They all came together when I moved down here.”

The stage name ‘Cornflower’ was also born from fateful events: a little boy he’d been babysitting “who was just starting to talk” randomly uttered the word to him five years before he “was doing research on the indigenous valley of Tennessee where I was born, and [I learned] the leader of the tribe there was a woman and her name was Cornflower.”

Alcyon Massive, born Charles A. Blake, had a similar change of consciousness after a friend recommended he come to Oregon. Originally from Connecticut, Alcyon had been a fraternity brother before he “woke up one day and realized that there’s better things I could be doing than drinking cases of Keystone Light.” He moved to Ashland in 2004 and, like Cornflower, took to heart the teachings of the Mayan calendar and the foundation for the law of time. “That’s what really got me cemented in [the notion that] this is where I was supposed to be.”

Alcyon’s high-energy set was perfectly executed, much to the delight of the dancehall occupants. His songs addressed topics such as police brutality, the Mayan calendar and plenty of 420 pride – “Strictly Medicinal,” of course. My favorite song was probably “Ain’t It Fresh (The Oregon Song),” which, as one might guess, is full of prideful sentiments about our state (“head to the west if you wanna see what we’re brewin’ / ‘cause here in Oregon it’s the heart of the revolution!”).

Indubious was the last act of the night, and although one half of the Burton brother duo was absent, the music was still thumpin’ and enjoyed by all present. (Both Burton brothers were born with cystic fibrosis, and though I didn’t catch exactly why Evan “Evton B” Burton wasn’t there, his condition sounded pretty bad.) Skip Wicked performed favorites such as “Presto Chango,” and toward the end of the concert Alcyon Massive joined him onstage, leading the crowd in a moment of silence for Evton B to send him good health wishes and positive energy.

Cornflower will be spending the next few months writing and recording a new album, but will play at the Joshua Tree Music Festival in May and the Wanderlust Festival West in July. (He’s also very active on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.) Alcyon Massive, according to his Twitter page, is heading back home to Ashland for the time being. Indubious will be at the Arcata Theater on February 25.