Fortunate Youth at San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern

On November 27th, Fortunate Youth brought their Live Life Fall Tour to the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego, CA. They were supported by Kash’d Out and Mike Love. Walking around the Belly Up before the show, it was great getting to see so many friends and catching up with people I haven’t seen for […]

Mortimer debuts EP ‘Fight The Fight’

With recent credits on Protoje’s latest albums, Mortimer just debuted his new EP, Fight The Fight, and steps into the spotlight. The EP was released digitally in November, with physical CD and vinyl versions coming out officially January 31st, 2020. Mortimer’s first two offerings from the EP, titled “Careful” and “Lightning”, have already made great […]

Tomorrows Bad Seeds comments on new single, “Surf Trip”

Reggae-rock-meets-hip-hop band Tomorrows Bad Seeds have had quite a career since their formation nearly two decades ago and they aren’t anywhere near done yet! Following a year of touring, TBS celebrates by premiering their latest jam “Surf Trip” on all digital outlets and ending the year in style. We wanted to chat about such a […]

Bradley’s House Benefit Show 2019, feat. Burritos the Band

On November 23rd, the Bradley’s House Benefit Show was held at At The Top in Long Beach, including music from Ms. B Royal, Philieano, Roots of Mine, Corn Doggy Dog, LAW and popular Sublime cover band, Burritos. Ms. B Royal kicked off the night, getting us all warmed up before Philieano kept the vibe going. […]

Reggae Rise Up brings its iconic festival to Las Vegas

Unless you’ve been living under a rock as a reggae fan for the past couple of years, you know the festival Reggae Rise Up. Reggae Rise Up has morphed into a touring festival over the years, with dates in Florida (Friday, March 20th through 22nd, 2020), Utah (tentatively Friday August 21st through August 23rd, 2020), […]

HIRIE at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

It was a stacked night on November 23rd at San Diego’s Observatory Theater North Park, when friends and fans of reggae rock packed the building to the brim in eager anticipation of not one, not two, but FIVE bands! HIRIE concluded their six-week fall tour that night; a homecoming like none other commenced. SoCal reggae […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day Two

Day Two — let’s go! First off, kudos to Wonderfront for their festival companion app! I’ve never seen a more polished festival app that was intuitive, fast, reactive and a must-have for the festival-goer. I started my day with the app and a cup of Joe. Selecting all the acts I wanted to see then […]

Cali Roots 2020 announces round two artists

California Roots returns to Monterey County Fairgrounds for yet another incredible year of music and fun for 2020. The event in its 11th year continually impresses fans and 2020’s round two lineup announcement brings about a new sound, along with recurring favorites.  The first round of artists, announced on October 22nd, wowed fans as we […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: Kalalea “The One”

Kalalea brings the islands to life in his latest music video for “The One” — a track that premiered earlier in the year off Roots Musician Records. Hawaiian at heart, it’s only natural that Kalalea incorporates the beauty embedded in his island home as a metaphor for the woman who has stolen his heart. “You […]

Bret Bollinger at Jannus Live

On Friday November 1st, Jannus Live welcomed Bret Bollinger & the Bad Habits. Bret Bollinger is well-known from Pepper as the bassist and singer. Along with Bret was special guest Tunnel Vision and Roots of a Rebellion, who all put on one hell of a show. At the end, they even covered the stage together […]

An interview with Scrap Yard Aces

Scrap Yard Aces, a rock-reggae dub band from Huntington Beach, shares their success story with Top Shelf Music journalist Renee Simpson on their recently released album, Sense in This Time. Check out this intimate interview with the band! Can you tell us about the creative process for the new album? We wrote most of the […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day One

November in San Diego can be a toss up: sometimes cold and rainy; other times, it feels like the middle of summer. The weekend of November 22nd would be where these two extremes met to create the perfect stage for Wonderfront’s inaugural bayfront festival. Seven stages spanning 1.5 miles of the treasured San Diego bayfront […]

DUBBEST ‘Gold Fever’ album review

If you have not taken a moment to listen to one of reggae hottest upcoming bands, DUBBEST, you are seriously missing out on a musical experience reminiscent of true roots reggae. DUBBEST members, originally from Boston, are now residing in San Diego and have worked their way up through the ranks, currently finishing up a […]

Fortunate Youth at Pomona’s Glass House

On November 13th, Fortunate Youth kicked off their Live Life fall tour at the Glass House in Pamona. They were supported by Kash’d Out and Mike Love. Walking around the venue before the performances, it was great getting to see so many friends and catching up with people I hadn’t seen for a while. I […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: A-Mac & The Height “Where I’m At”

Denver-based hip hop-meets-funk band A-Mac & The Height is gearing up for an album release in February 2020, teasing fans with a funky, fresh sound in the leading single “Where I’m At” a few weeks ago. Not only that, but Top Shelf Music is happy to host the world premiere of the single’s music video […]