Close
Current temperature in Boston - 62 °
BECOME A MEMBER
Get access to a personalized news feed, our newsletter and exclusive discounts on everything from shows to local restaurants, All for free.
Already a member? Sign in.
The Bay State Banner
BACK TO TOP
The Bay State Banner
POST AN AD SIGN IN

Trending Articles

Former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill sues station for discrimination, claims demotion due to race

Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins indicted, arrested on extortion charges

African Festival of Boston returns this month

READ PRINT EDITION

Dis-N-Dat reggae band will perform at Caribbean Night on Spectacle Island

Celina Colby
Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO
Dis-N-Dat reggae band will perform at Caribbean Night on Spectacle Island
The Spectacle Summer Nights series brings Bostonians out to Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor for after-hours parties full of music, dancing and food. PHOTO: Courtesy of Boston Harbor Now

Banner Arts & Culture
Sponsored by Cruz Companies

Sista Dee, one half of the Dis-N-Dat reggae band, has been playing the steel pan drum for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a musical household, the steady beats of Afro-diasporic music were the soundtrack of Dee’s formative years. Now Dis-N-Dat is bringing danceable songs from their original catalog to Spectacle Island in an all-out celebration of Caribbean culture.

Dee met her husband, Rangotan, a four-time Grammy nominated Jamaican drummer, in 1997; in 1999 they formed Dis-N-Dat. They’ve now been performing in the Boston area for more than 25 years.

“We put those two different styles, both from the Caribbean with some of the American influence from living here for years to form the band,” Dee said. “And actually, that’s what the name kind of means, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

August 23 is “Caribbean Night,” a cultural edition of the “Spectacle Summer Nights” events series that brings Bostonians out to Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor for an after-hours party full of music, dancing and food. In addition to the Dis-N-Dat performance, attendees can pick up Caribbean food from Zaz Restaurant and drinks from 67 Degrees Brewing or bring a picnic to enjoy on the scenic island.

PHOTO: CELINA COLBY

“The Boston Harbor Islands have always been a place where cultures meet, and this concert is a perfect example of that,” said Kalimah Mustafa-Widberg, program coordinator at Boston Harbor Now. “Dis-N-Dat’s music embodies the spirit of Caribbean heritage while also being deeply rooted in the Boston community.”

Just as Sista Dee grew up in a musical family, she raised her children the same way. Most of them are musicians as well; in fact, one of her sons may perform with Dis-N-Dat at the Spectacle Island concert. That continuity is part of what Dee hopes the concert brings to Bostonians.

“I passed the culture on to my children,” she said. “I feel like it’s important that the younger generation know about it, and not just Caribbean people. We have a lot to share with people of all cultures.”

During the concert, Dis-N-Dat will play a few songs from their 2023 album, “Foundation,” and their newest, 2025 album “Iconic,” as well as other original hits. Tickets are $43 and include the ferry ride to and from the island.

Mustafa-Widberg expects it to be an evening to remember: “Bringing them to Spectacle Island as part of our Spectacle Summer Nights series is about reggae music, Caribbean culture and celebrating connections across cultures in one of the most beautiful settings in the city.”

Boston Harbor, Caribbean Night, Dis-N-Dat, Sista Dee, Spectacle Island, Spectacle Summer Nights

Leave a Reply