Alaina Reed, is the bass player who loves groove more than anything else in music. She is also a dog trainer, equestrian, and avid yoga practitioner. One of Alaina’s first memories is sitting behind her father’s turntable at the age of 5 playing various classic rock & Irish folk music. She was always making mix-tapes. Listening constantly to music her whole childhood, the obsession began without her knowing it. Being heavily influenced by Metallica & Pink Floyd, Alaina listened mostly to rock & metal music throughout her teen aged years. She played the cello & clarinet during school years and dabbled with the guitar as a teenager. However, music was never serious for her until she found the electric bass.
Musical Start
Alaina started playing locally in South Florida at blues jams around the area in 2001. Indeed, she was lucky to play with some incredibly talented musicians around the area, when she was just a a beginner. She is very grateful for all she learned at bass lessons from Jason Rosner. She took several trips to Victor Wooten’s bass camps. Victor was an incredible teacher for her & she really took his lesson 2 – 10 to heart. These lessons became the way she learned music. Alaina’s bass playing evolved to play Top 40 & R&B, funk, rock, & other genres. The musical love, however, that changed her life’s direction completely was reggae.
Reggae Start
By 2004, Reggae music & Jamaican culture had become a true obsession for her. Alaina spent countless hours studying reggae music & meeting many local reggae bands & musicians of South Florida. The realization came to her that she would never learn to feel & understand music created in another culture until she immersed herself in that culture.
Alaina Reed, bass player, started traveling back & forth to Kingston, Spanish Town, & most of Jamaica. Staying in both Cock Burn Pen and Try-all Heights with dear friends Gubu Coparchy and Dave Richards, Jamaica became her reggae school. With Gubu she started production company Abba Movement Productions, Inc. Together they recorded many local artists and revamped Chanting featuring Gubu and Gyptian. Luckily, she met so many of the greats of reggae music & visited as many studios and live shows as she could. Alaina really considers these trips some of the best times of her life. Additionally, she is very thankful for all the wonderful friends she has in Jamaica.
Alaina has had the pleasure to work with such great artists like the Abyssinians, the Melodians, Leroy Sibbles, Tanya Stephens, Mikey Dread, Red Fox, Everton Blender, Wayne Stoddart, Troy Genius, Red Rat, Causion, Maurice Gregory, Gubu Coparchy, Squidly Cole, & many others… She is currently the bass player for Reggae Force Band. In addition, Alaina has had the honour of learning from some of the legends of reggae music including, Aston Familyman Barrett, Aston Barrett Jr., Robbie Shakespeare, Leroy Horsemouth Wallace, Earl Chinna Smith, Benbow Creary, Dave Richards, Brian Fontenelle, Junior Jazz, Chris Meredith, and Squidly Cole.
Reggae Now
Currently Alaina is the bass player for the reggae band Reggae Force www.reggaeforce.com. She also can be heard playing in Catch 23, a classic rock cover band with members Dan Dratch and David Bertok. Look for her in the future with up and coming guitarist Luis Faour in Louie and the Atomics. She has also built a recording studio and owns a production company with exceptionally talented business partners, Aston Barrett Jr., and Brian Fontenelle– BAD Lions Productions, LLC. www.badlions.com
Alaina is also a professional dog trainer, equine massage therapist, and yoga teacher.
Please visit www.equineshakti.com or www.canineshakti.com to learn more about her life with dogs and horses.