The House of Stone reggae band , a masterful five-piece ensemble from Marondera, is on a mission to revive the vibrant reggae culture with their roots reggae-infused live music performances.
As a way of breathing new life into their hometown, the band recently announced that they will share their blend of reggae music with sensational reggae and dancehall artist Mike Madamombe, popularly known as Mic Inity.
The reggae crooner is also from Marondera and rose to fame as a member of the local reggae band Transit Crew more than a decade ago. After going solo, he became a prominent feature in the local reggae scene with an impressive fan base and regularly performed at sold-out shows.
Now based in the UK, The Gel U Look Good hitmaker will be arriving in Zimbabwe next month and is scheduled for two shows with House of Stone on August 24 at Harare Gardens and on August 31 in Marondera at Pagomo PaChatima.
Constantine Teguru, co-founder and band leader, told IndependentXtra that they have secured a permanent slot at the Hope Fay Hotel and Conference Centre (formerly Marondera Hotel), where they will be hosting Reggaematic Nights every Wednesday.
“We want to bring back something extraordinary to Marondera and we are thrilled to be creating a weekly reggae haven for our community,” Teguru said.
According to Teguru, Reggaematic Nights will feature the talents of Bobo Kalabash, DJ Slimslicko, MC 21 Bad and MC Sensey who will be blending their high-energy performances with the soul-stirring rhythms of reggae music.
He said the scheduled weekly events will become a cornerstone of Marondera’s cultural events calendar as they celebrate the town’s rich Rastafari legacy.
Tasimba Mangisi, the entertainment coordinator at Hope Fay, highlighted the broader impact of the collaboration.
“Our partnership with House of Stone is our way of giving back to the community and enhancing local tourism. We encourage other businesses and individuals to support this initiative, promoting Marondera as a vibrant cultural destination.”
Over the years, the band has consistently showcased their passion and commitment to their art form representing local reggae music. Starting as a recording studio in 2006 and transitioning into an instrumental reggae dub band in 2010 the band’s deep understanding of reggae rhythms has seen them collaborating with global reggae icons from Jamaica such as Sizzla Kalonji (2010), Lutan Fyha (2011), Luciano (2015) and Capleton (2012).
Locally, they have backed several artists including the late Mbira queen Chioniso Maraire, Sniper Storm, Dino Mudondo, Dadza D, Soul Jah Luv, Josh Meck, Mic Inity and Rastafari elder and cultural activist Ras Jabulani Trevor Hall.