Cold ocean air blowing over fertile valley soil has caused Salinas to become a leading food producer around the world. It’s harder to pinpoint the conditions that have caused the county seat of government and its surrounding valley to propagate such a steady crop of reggae bands over the last few years – Dubwize, Cali Nation, Wasted Noise, The Midtones, The Brassmatics, Valley Roots, The Dependents, The Simmer Downs, the Stir It Up Band and, now, Omani.

Omani bandleader Phil Cumiskey, who played in the cover band Up All Night and the funk, rock and reggae outfit Groove Elastic before forming Omani in 2007, says there’s a lot of interaction between the Salinas reggae acts: “I’d say for the most part we collaborate and cooperate with one another.”

That’s obvious from simply looking at Omani’s members. Keyboard player and Rhodes pianist Stevie Sagrero also plays in Dubwize, while Cumiskey played guitar in Valley Roots for the group’s appearance at last year’s Monterey Bay Reggae Fest.

Cumiskey says that Omani have over 15 original songs, including “In a Daze,” with its spaceship keyboard sounds and driving bass, “All of Your Lovin’,” which sounds like early reggae when it was an intersection of soul and ska. Cumiskey says he wants his compositions to sound immediately familiar to listeners. “I try to write songs that latch on to your soul,” he says.

One of Omani’s secret weapons is their reggae-fied takes of classic rock nuggets including the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle” and the Eagles’ “Hotel California.”

“We have fans that aren’t reggae fans,” Cumiskey says. “Some of that is through the covers we play.”

Last year, Omani backed out of an offer to perform at the Monterey Bay Reggaefest because Cumiskey thought his band wasn’t ready. Now, the group is scheduled to play the local annual reggae gathering and will host a Reggae Fest afterparty at Blue Fin’s Club Play on Sept. 4.

“This year we are going to go out there,” Cumiskey says, “and shine like we couldn’t last year.”

OMANI play with DJ Spleece 8:30pm Saturday, Aug. 22, at Giovane’s, 348 San Juan Road, Salinas. $7. 444-6717.