LA’s upcoming One Love Peace Protest combines Reggae & BLM

Reggae, especially American reggae, is under fire right now. These artists are the ones that have been preaching peace, love and unity for black citizens since the inception of its genre. Now that Black Lives Matter and the fight for equality has hit a critical high in this country (and around the world), believers in […]

#BlackLivesMatter playlist on Top Shelf Spotify

Contentious clashes between police and protestors have intensified over the past weekend, as people of all colors and creeds speak out on the inhumane and incorrigible death of George Floyd. Following Floyd’s death, there has been a litany of marches around the United States — all justified, most ending in violence. Some police officers join […]

Long Beach Dub Allstars are back & better than ever

It has been just over two decades since Wilson and Gaugh founded the Long Beach Dub Allstars (LBDA), joined by frequent Sublime contributors Michael “Miguel” Happoldt, Todd Forman and “Field” Marshall Goodman. The SoCal group first came together in the late 90s after the tragic overdose of Sublime’s lead singer, Bradley Nowell, continuing on the […]

Chester Bennington lives on in Grey Daze’s “Soul Song” video

The iconic career of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington is far from complete, albeit postmortem. Nearly three years after the nu metal singer-songwriter met his untimely death, Bennington resurrects with a full-length album from his early 90s rock ensemble Grey Daze entitled Amends, out June 26th via Loma Vista Recordings. Bennington decided to reunite with […]

Shrub lays it all out in ‘Back To Earth’ album

Guess what, guys? Shrub is back! For those unaware or for those that need a brush-up on early reggae rock names, Shrub is an Ohio-based hip hop-meets-reggae effort led by frontman Jay Shawberry. You might recognize the old guitarist, Blaine Dillinger, as he is the current lead guitarist for HIRIE. Now solo, Shawberry used to […]

NwRootz podcast welcomes Top Shelf Editor-in-Chief Kristy Rose

Nwrootz, a podcast out of the Pacific Northwest, welcomes Top Shelf Music Editor-in-Chief Kristy Rose to the microphone for their 12th episode! Chatting about the history of the brand all the way to personal music preferences, hosts Kris and Joanna get to know our commanding Editor through this enlightening podcast. “…get to know our commanding Editor through […]

Top Shelf Music News: Episode 5

Top Shelf Music News is back with Episode 5, or should we say, Quarantine Edition #2: Electric Boogaloo. Host Matt Cook streams from his living room while Kristy Rose… well, she’s somewhere the COVID can’t reach. With no live concerts or fests going on until further notice, the two comment on new music releases, current […]

One Earth Live virtual festival unifies globe this Memorial Day Weekend

A virtual lineup of world musicians, instructors and speakers has been announced for a truly one-of-a-kind, unifying event happening this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend entitled One Earth Live. This virtual rendezvous promotes positivity in a world so needing it taking place online only via their streaming partner PORTL on May 23rd and 24th, 2020. This […]

Sensi Trails release “Purpose” single, feat. Nick Sefakis

Southern California band Sensi Trails, a notable name on-the-rise, has unveiled a smashing new single as of today entitled “Purpose”, featuring Nick Sefakis. Sefakis, lead guitarist of renowned reggae rock band Iya Terra, not only lends a hand in the single (well, two, literally… with his guitar), but also guest spots on a vocal verse! […]

String Cheese Incident & friends cover “Crisis” for COVID first responders

The String Cheese Incident has recently teamed with other renowned bluegrass and jam band players to produce a colorful cover of Bob Marley’s “Crisis” while stuck at home maintaining social distance. Considering the subject matter so applicable, SCI lead singer Michael Kang hopes this reassures COVID-19 first responders, proffering gratitude for their dedicated and continued […]

TSM Artist #HotList: May 11th, 2020

Welcome to another episode of the Top Shelf Music Artist #HotList, with your host Alexia Johnson — May 11th, 2020 Edition. Follow Alexia as she outlines hot new music from up-and-coming bands! This week, our lineup features Delanlia with her hot new single, “The Philosopher”. Also on the list is a new track by Lucid […]

Ocean Alley astounds in “Hot Chicken” single & video

Australia’s surf rock band Ocean Alley is back in action with the lead single “Hot Chicken” now available on all digital outlets off their forthcoming Lonely Diamond LP. The third full-length follows the band’s 2018 Chiaroscuro album — one that took them straight to the top! Gaining a following playing small gigs around Sydney’s Northern […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Braden Lee Waiters “Think About It”

There are not many people who are as dedicated to keeping roots blues music alive as Braden Lee Waiters. Waiters is a young blues artist who is releasing his debut single titled “Think About It” tomorrow on all digital outlets and Top Shelf Music has the pleasure to showcase its exclusive premiere! Originally from Tooele […]

The Dirtnaps drop eerie “Shadow” single

Rising hip hop-reggae artist The Dirtnaps out of Detroit is taking the quarantine scare up a notch in the latest single “Shadow”. The name might be plural, but The Dirtnaps is actually the brainchild of one-man-band Richard Ensley — writing, performing and producing it all on his own! After signing to Eyecon America, Ensley has […]

Iration teams with Rebelution, Stick Figure in single “Right Here Right Now”

Iration has long since cemented their reign in the reggae rock scene, with six full-length albums, countless singles, a multitude of music videos and tours around the world since their formation over 15 years ago. It’s pointless to argue anything but Iration is king. Other supreme beings in the reggae rock realm include that of […]