The Skints: new label, new album, new tour

The Skints – East-London's answer to modern reggae – are currently weeks away from dropping their third album FM, an endeavor that gained heightened anticipation after the four-piece decided to sign with a new label. And not just any label, mind you. The Skints have officially joined forces with Easy Star Records in January: a […]

Mad Professor’s new album “Dubbing with Anansi”

Mad Professor, a dub master of Guyana, is set to release his latest full-length album Dubbing with Anansi this February 2nd. Starting at an early age, Mad Professor has gained momentum combining electronica with reggae dub and has thus created his own dissertation of style as a result. With the launch of Ariwa Sounds recording […]

“Heart of a Warrior” single by Seedless

Orange County-based band Seedless seems to unceasingly push the boundaries of ‘reggae’ into a more contemporary category – even braving virgin reggae territory with an infusion of post-hardcore, hip hop and metalcore. For instance, many tracks incorporate a double-bass drum and thrash metal guitar riffs, two entities conspicuously absent in the agenda of their roots-reggae […]

Top Shelf Music’s reggae guide to bad days

In an ideal world, everyone would get along with everyone — nothing but positivity would encompass each individual as they emerge from their respective homes and maneuver their surroundings. Days would be filled with sunshine and good news, cash promotions and abounding possibilities; nobody would be flipping anyone off on the freeway and nightly celebrations […]

New album ‘Gearthy’ by Skanks Roots Project

Dee Jay Jah Skanks is known for his mellow rhymes along with his knack for blending multiple musical genres into an all-star movement known as the Skanks Roots Project. Mixing hip hop with reggae with ska with electronica with stoner rock with spoken word, the Skanks Roots Project incorporates pretty much anything unorthodox in creating […]

Passafire winter tour 2015

The Passafire boys have made early New Year’s resolutions to hit the road by publically announcing their 2015 winter tour this week alongside Colorado-based Tatanka. Heading due south from their Georgian roots, Passafire’s first stop is in Tallahassee, Florida on January 15th; the show continues all the way up, down and around until ultimately ending […]

Cali Roots announces final 2015 line-up

It’s finally here – the day that all reggae festival lovers have been waiting for since the conclusion of last year’s California Roots Music and Arts Festival over May’s 2014 Memorial Day Weekend. That’s right, all the bands have been selected and the public has been notified: SOJA, Iration, John Butler Trio, Cypress Hill, Pacific […]

New Town Kings EP ‘Pull Up and Rewind’ review

The UK has always been known for being ahead of the game in a variety of ways – and its music scene is of no exception. England, in particular, has several native reggae/ska bands gaining popularity for their aspirations. New Town Kings, a nine-member reggae band out of New Town, Colchester in Essex County, was […]

Michael Franti sold out the Belly Up

A solitary sign hung taped to the Belly Up Tavern’s will call window on November 22nd, declaring Michael Franti’s performance “SOLD OUT” for the night. What an understatement – entering into my favorite and frequently hopping rock-n-roll joint in Solana Beach had never been harder. I squeezed and twisted my way through an overly condensed […]

“Eye of the Storm” new single by E.N Young

San Diego-based solo artist E.N Young likes to share the stage with Tribal Seeds among other big names, but three years have passed without new music from the melodica-sporting singer, songwriter and producer. On November 18th, Young made waves for his deprived fans by not only announcing an upcoming album on the horizon, but also […]

Bryan Art “Knowledge is the Power” music video

Jamaican roots reggae artist Bryan Art is in the process of revamping his style out of Kingston under his own Junction Files recording label. His latest EP “Fresh Start” hit the market in June, containing a song that had originally been spotlighted the year before. Now re-released, Art’s “Knowledge is the Power” single boasts a […]

Revival releases second single “Beauty in Disguise”

San Diego-based roots reggae band Revival is gearing up for their third full-length album release and in doing so, is leaving little tastes of the record along the way. On October 28th, the eight-member band premiered their second single “Beauty in Disguise” off their much-anticipated upcoming album, following their first single “Beautiful Monster” on August […]

California Roots 2015: Round 2 artist announcement

Everyone who’s anyone in the reggae scene looks forward all year to a meta-Memorial Day weekend known as the California Roots Music and Arts Festival. Located in Monterey, due south of San Francisco, reggae fans and festival lovers alike rejoice in three full days of fun in the sun, music and memories. Once the spectacular […]

Shanty ‘Leave Me Out’ EP review

British reggae sensation Shanty has recently followed up their debut single “Blackout” with a new 4-song EP titled Leave Me Out, now available on iTunes among elsewhere. The seven-member band out of northwest London is only one year into the making (formed in 2013), yet has already shared a stage with many a big reggae […]

New single “Dabs” by C-Money and the Players, Inc.

C-Money, master trumpeter for megastar reggae band Slightly Stoopid, is making some power plays of his own with a new full-length album in the works for C-Money and the Players, Inc. The band out of southern California is about to release their first single “Dabs” on iTunes – a single that is already creating waves […]