NEDERLAND — Music unites people, as Ansel Cridland has seen firsthand for more than 50 years. His song “Jah Music,” performed by his band The Meditations, opens with the line “Don’t take jah music just for dancing pleasure.”
“Music is a very good thing for we human beings,” muses the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the group. “We go astray by hatred, racism, all kinds of different things, but with music—the music stands out.”
Through the band’s run, from their first album (released in 1976) to now, their music has emphasized roots and culture in lyrics conscious of their message.
Cridland founded the band with Danny Clarke, a former member of The Righteous Flames, and Winston Watson, a drummer who toured in Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour. When Clarke and Watson transitioned out of the band late in their lives, Cridland continued The Meditations.
Many musicians have collaborated in the lineup with Cridland since, including vocalist Daddylion Chandell, keyboard player/vocalist Laury Webb, saxophonist Bernard Dayes, bass player Kurt Sparks, vocalist Annabell Bjelland, and drummer Judd Finch.
Cridland is now the only surviving founding member of the band, with Watson passing in 2019 and Clarke passing in 2024. However, Cridland’s mission of providing unity through music continues, and he hopes his songs can serve as a form of education for today’s youth.
“The world is full of influence,” says Cridland. “If you are a person that go by what somebody say and not go by what you tell yourself you want to do, that’s where you go wrong.”
He continues, “That’s where our music comes in now. Our music educates the people. We talk about life, we talk about happiness, we talk about sadness.”
Cridland has always prioritized his passion for music, even frequently showing up late for work after late nights focused on music.
From the formation of his early group, The Linkers, in 1968, he’s now built nearly 60 years of performing and recording experience—and he plans to keep building it.
“I’ll tell you the truth, music was my life,” says Cridland about the start of his career. “There was nothing to me but the music. I lose and I put down everything for the music.”
The Meditations will perform at The Caribou Room, located at 55 Indian Peaks Drive in Nederland, on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Doors open and dinner starts at 7 p.m. The show, co-presented by KGNU and supported by Wiley Jones, starts at 8 p.m.
