California Roots 2022: Day One

Cali Roots 2022 came and went, and we are all the better for it. All the waiting, wishing, praying was worth it — just like we had faith it would be. Patience was a small price to pay for what we experienced Memorial Day Weekend and those hugs, smiles, laughs were the currency. Most of […]

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 […]

Cali Roots presents 5th Annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival

Summer is heating up in South Lake! California Roots has partnered with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Lake Tahoe to bring you a reggae lineup of straight fire to the famed venue on the water. Pan-reggae heavy-hitters Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, SOJA, Tribal Seeds and Common Kings join forces with hometown-and-beyond favorites Fortunate Youth, Artikal […]

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 […]

15 songs to countdown Cali Roots 2022

The countdown has officially begun! Who’s been listening to the Cali Roots playlist and getting ready for Memorial Day Weekend in Monterey? I know I’ve been planning outfits, checking the lineup, looking at photos from years’ past, getting hyped about seeing everyone’s faces and doing it all while listening to the official California Roots playlist […]

Cali Roots Presents: J Boog & The Green in Monterey

On the evening of August 28th, Top Shelf Music I descended upon Monterey County Fairgrounds to photograph a magical night of reggae music. The lineup included GRAMMY-nominated J Boog, The Green, Josh Heinrichs and special guest Saritah. It is nights like this that remind us of simpler times spent dancing in ‘The Bowl’ with friends […]

First ever Cali Roots Sessions: San Francisco announced

The reggae rock festival kings who brought the world over 10 years of Cali Roots is proud to announce a kickoff series of shows, slated to take place throughout the next year leading to the beloved (and long-awaited) 2022 California Roots Music & Arts Festival in Monterey, CA. Included in this rundown is the inaugural Cali Roots […]

Cali Roots Fest reveals first ever Baja Sessions for 2021

Who’s ready for #BajaCaliRoots???! For those unaware, the reggae rock and hip hop festival familiarly known as Cali Roots is in its 11th year (nonconsecutive due to COVID) and unfortunately delayed till Memorial Weekend 2022 (again, COVID). Instead of gathering in Monterey, the Cali Roots team takes advantage of the vacation year by pivoting the […]

Tribal Seeds performs Felton Music Hall’s Roaring Camp

Back again at Roaring Camp, courtesy of Felton Music Hall  and California Roots Presents, was a SOLD OUT Night Two show with Tribal Seeds — and, this time with Santa Cruz locals Pacific Roots! It was another reggae filled night in the Santa Cruz mountains with nothing, but good vibes. As people danced in their […]

Roaring Camp welcomes The Expendables & Iya Terra

California Roots Presents kicked off a reggae-filled Memorial Day Weekend on Friday May 28th at Roaring Camp in Felton, CA. Formally the Felton Music Hall, the outside venue welcomed to the stage Matt Masih & The Messengers, Iya Terra and Santa Cruz local legends, The Expendables. Matt Masih & The Messengers got the show started, while guests […]

Cali Roots finalizes lineup for May 2022

I don’t know about you, but the minute the world started shutting down due to COVID the second week of March 2020, the first thing I thought about was “there’s no way this will affect Cali Roots, it’s too far out”. Then, like the festival gods were listening and wanted to punish me, the announcement […]

The Late Ones with Dread Kennedy live at SLO Brew Rock

Friday March 5th, The Late Ones and Dread Kennedy took the stage at SLO Brew Rock in breathtaking San Luis Obispo. The weather was nice and the vibes were high as people waiting for the show enjoyed the delicious beers and food that this brewery is known for throughout California. This was a special show […]

A brief Reggae Rock history

To date, reggae has had an underrated rap. Out of all categories the Recording Academy credits for their annual GRAMMY Awards, Reggae only gets one slot – which is simply a travesty! Anyone who follows the genre knows that a myriad of subgenres exist that have fractured the larger Reggae umbrella over the years – […]

How Cali Roots wins Earth Day, every day

Memorial Day Weekend simply will not be the same this year in Monterey. For the past decade, one festival has grown to be synonymous with the three-day weekend at the Monterey Fairgrounds, the same setting of the historic Monterey Pop Festival — you know, where Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire in between Janis, […]

Cali Roots 2020 completes lineup with final artist announcement

California Roots Music & Arts Festival continues to impress fans with each additional lineup drop. Through the years, Cali Roots has played it safe, with artists they knew would sell to the fans who have been dedicated supporters from the beginning. It would seem that the festival decided to take a new approach to the […]