Reggae meltdown planned when Carlos Jones & The P.L.U.S. Band return to Lorain Palace

It's going to be another reggae meltdown for Carlos Jones & The P.L.U.S. Band. The Cleveland-based outfit returns to the Lorain Palace Theatre for a gig Saturday at the Broadway venue. "We played there just once opening for The Wailers a few years ago," Jones said. "It was great, a nice chill place with theater-type seats and that sloping floor — like where you can (see) from anywhere in the place. "They had an area in the front of the stage where people could dance. The acoustics were also real nice." Currently the outfit is still supporting its latest effort, 2022's "A New Day," which features the high-energy and rootsy "Sunrise," the lively "Hold a Vibes" and the anthemic "Reggae Family Party." "It really was a graduation in our sound and our production abilities," he said. "We worked out at Magnetic North Studios, which raised our production standard to a new height. That was the first time recording in a professional studio instead of somebody's basement studio. The songs really lend themselves to showing our songwriting had reached more maturity." Something else that has changed for Carlos Jones & The P.L.U.S. Band is its lineup, which now operates as a five-piece after the recent departure of two members. The band leader said the happy discovery about the departure is the end result has become a less-is-more situation. "We're more of a stripped-down unit but it's kind of come full circle," he said. "Our keyboard player is covering the bass on the keyboards now. That's how we started out, so it's like a return to our roots, but it hasn't lessened our ability or intensity. It actually created more space in the music so there's more room to play. People feel those spaces more profoundly." The upcoming Lorain County gig is going to be a special night with the opener being new group Shake Ground, featuring Jones' former band mates from First Light. "It's kind of an unspoken thing that when we all get together like that, there's going to be some kind of overlap crossover," he said. "I'll join them for a song or two and a couple of those guys might join me for my set. It's like a reunion so we can't keep our miserable hands off each other." Speaking of First Light, which enjoyed a long run as a regional touring act before breaking up in the late '90s, next year marks the outfit's 40th anniversary. So that begs the question, does that mean there may be some "Running" and "Apartment Living" in the future? "There most certainly will be," Jones laughed. "I've been talking to (First Light members) Chopper and Gino. "I said, 'What do you think? Forty years would be a pretty auspicious milestone to mark. Since we're still all hanging around, why not give it one more go-around?'" Contact John Benson at ndiffrence@att.net. IF YOU GOWHO: Carlos Jones & The P.L.U.S. Band with Shake GroundWHEN: 8 p.m. SaturdayWHERE: Lorain Palace Theatre, 617 Broadway, LorainTICKETS: $20INFO: (440) 452-1050 or lorainpalace.com