Six years ago, Mike Franklin wasn't looking forward to bringing his newly formed reggae band Tribal Nation to San Angelo.

San Angelo isn't exactly the epicenter of reggae culture. Somehow the Rastafarian culture never made it this far west. But Franklin had to come. In an innocent game of one-on-one basketball, Franklin made a bet with a musician friend.

"If I lost, I had to come play his set for him in San Angelo," he said. Franklin lost. "I don't want to talk about the score," he said, laughing.

Though somewhat unwilling participants in their first San Angelo appearance, Tribal Nation now makes San Angelo a regular stop on their reggae circuit. Tribal will make another stop in town Friday, performing at 10 p.m. at Steel Penny Pub. "They're our longest-running reggae act," Steel Penny owner Russ Steele said. " . . . They are a solid band. They're not old-school reggae. They're not traditional, but they're really danceable."

Conceived in Jamaica and birthed upon the world through the lips of Bob Marley and the Wailers, traditional reggae isn't exactly mainstream in Austin, where the band formed. Perhaps because of this, Tribal Nation is not a purist's reggae band. Their music is infused with as many American influences, jazz, funk and hip-hop, as it is with Jamaican sounds. Tribal's four-song demo (available from the band's Web site www.tribalnationmusic.com) illustrates as much.

"Lap of Luxury," the demo's opening track is what is typically thought of as reggae music. Strong drumming from Hoppy Hopson and Franklin's keyboard dominate the track, with a few Jamaican-accented "Lord have mercy" proclamations thrown in for good measure.

"I Love You," the second track, gives the horn section a turn in the spotlight, creating a jazzy, easy-listening sound. The track also is perhaps the most vocal-reliant on the demo. Almost everyone in the band without a horn in their mouths contributes vocals on the track.

"Playing It Cool," though, is probably the band's best and most commercial track. Tribal completely abandons reggae on the track, opting for the kind of lyrically melodic hip-hop sound that bands like the Roots strive for and sometimes find.

The musical schizophrenia wasn't Tribal's original plan. Franklin, guitarist Jay Williams, bassist Dwayne Jackson and saxophonist Melvin Wilburn formed Tribal six years ago from several bands with separate, unique sounds. Reggae was their earliest intention, but Franklin said they were forced to change their style out of necessity. After several additions, band roles switched, and almost all its members ended up playing an instrument other than what they began with. Only Wilburn has stuck with his original instrument.

The band grew from four members to nine, and Tribal's sound slowly underwent a metamorphosis to what Franklin calls "tropical funk" as band roles flip-flopped. Franklin said the changes were for the betterment of the band, and they've finally found a sound they're content with playing for the long run. "We definitely have a style established," Franklin said. "We know what we're doing with our musicians. We've established a style, and it's a journey we've enjoyed making."

Friday's show will be a homecoming of sorts for Tribal's baritone saxophonist Mark Wilson. Wilson grew up in San Angelo and got his start in music with the Lee Junior High School Band. Wilson said former Lee band director Paul Horn is still one of the best music teachers he had. Wilson left San Angelo for Sam Houston State University in 1979. It was there he would be introduced to reggae by playing the B-sides of albums received by a friend who was a deejay at a local radio station.

Like most of Tribal's members, Wilson bounced from band to band in Austin's heralded music scene for several years after college. "It's a catch-22 in Austin," Wilson said. "It's a great place to live and work, but it's hard to make a living as a musician because there are so many bands." Wilson said he found the Tribal Nation a good fit for his style when he joined the band in 2001. "Tribal Nation is real, original, reggae funk," Wilson said. "They are a really easy band to play with."