Shooting the sh*t with Sublime tribute band Badfish

I was fully stoked to have a sit-down with Joel Hanks of Badfish — a bassist extraordinaire who shares his story of his band and his brothers. And, when I say ‘brothers’, I mean Scott Begin on drums, Pat Downs on lead vocals and guitar, and Danny on horns.  This is their journey to (40 […]

DIXSON chats at Made in America Fest 2022

Day One of Made in America Festival kicked off with multi-talented singer-songwriter DIXSON. With a super eager crowd that was ready for all the festivities this weekend had to offer, DIXSON noted to the crowd that you may not know him, but you know his music. A power statement, to say the least! DIXSON, hailing from ATL although […]

JELEEL!, the black Jeff Hardy

At the start of a great weekend at Made in America Festival, the third performance of the day on the Freedom Stage was the back-flipping, real raw energy of JELEEL! YEAH! JELEEL! Reining from Rhode Island, JELEEL! moved to Maryland before Los Angeles to chase his rap dreams. He formed his musical style around drill, […]

A talk with Jeremy Anderson of TreeHouse!

I had a great feeling this band was all about the great vibes… I got to talk with TreeHouse!, a reggae rock band that puts you in such a great space in your mind and soul when listening to their music. When their music comes on, all of a sudden, you feel light… you feel […]

A talk with Nattali Rize on self-actualization, music & more

Today is a good day: I got the chance to talk with an Australian artist who has brought her music across the vast ocean and thousands of miles of land, who constantly pushes the envelope, along with her band, to create change and heal the world with their music. Her name is Nattali Rize. Living […]

An interview with Jared Watson of Dirty Heads

I had a quick phone call with Jared Watson of Dirty Heads (and his cooing infant son strapped to his chest!) during a home break on the tail-end of their now-finished Let’s Get It Kraken Tour, featuring SOJA, Tribal Seeds, Artikal Sound System and The Elovaters. What to talk about with Jared Watson…? Where do […]

Tropidelic comments on ‘All The Colors’ album, Everwild & more

Punchy, funky reggae rock-hip hop group Tropidelic hosted their self-created and produced festival, Everwild, this past weekend on August 12th and 13th in Legend Valley outside of Cleveland, Ohio. On the heels of Tropidelic’s seventh studio album, All The Colors, released via Ineffable Records on August 5th, the camping festival lineup included headliner Dirty Heads, […]

The Elovaters talks with Top Shelf at Cali Roots 2022

Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews The Elovaters at California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. The Elovaters formed in 2014 and have released two full-length albums and an award-winning EP. Defy Gravity was the group’s first big record in 2018 after signing to not-for-profit record label Rootfire Cooperative. Debuting at #1 on the […]

A chat with Cydeways at California Roots 2022

Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews Cydeways at California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. The band talks about upcoming projects, tour and are even surprised by Atmosphere‘s own “Slug”! You never know who’s gonna walk into the Cali Roots media room! From the band’s website: “Cydeways [is] an alternative band out of Santa […]

A chat with international reggae sensation, Dub Inc.

French reggae band Dub Inc. stole the show in Solana Beach Sunday night at the Belly Up Tavern, opening for Mike Love and his backing band, The Full Circle. This was the last night in California for the seven-piece, after a full tour of California beginning in Monterey at Cali Roots on Memorial Day Weekend. […]

An interview with Amy Sheehan of California Roots

Join us as Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews Amy Sheehan, Operations Manager for California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. Amy has been a pivotal part of the festival’s growth towards becoming the FIRST green-certified festival in California. In this interview, Allie focuses on the festival’s green initiatives and why that is so […]

A chat with Atmosphere at Cali Roots Fest 2022

Who doesn’t love a good Atmosphere show? One half of the hip hop duo sits down with Top Shelf Music’s Alexia Johnson at California Roots Festival 2022, ahead of his big Bowl Stage performance. Tune in to hear what Slug thinks of the popular hip hop-meets-reggae Memorial Weekend event in Monterey, his summer plans to […]

Meet New Wave experimental band Minimal Schlager

During my time at the SXSW music festival, I had the opportunity to interact with some of the coolest musicians from all across the globe. One of the most interesting bands came in the form of a New Wave electronic dance group called Minimal Schlager. Brother and sister Francisco and Alicia have been making music […]

An interview with Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre

After nearly three decades of music, psychedelic rock gods The Brian Jonestown Massacre are still going strong! Longtime veterans in the music scene, they have managed to keep their style fresh and ever evolving. Their 19th studio album, Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees, is set for release June 24th and they are hitting the road […]

How Kat Hall brings Muffin But Good Vibes

Rising reggae roots goddess Kat Hall is not only someone you should have on your release radar, she is one of the featured artists at the upcoming Two Year Anniversary Party for San Diego bakery Muffin But Good Vibes! Joining reggae-infused hip hop group Katastro, reggae rock’s The Resinators and opener Alific (alongside Man of […]