Rising band, LakeDub,crafts harmony in the reggae community with debut LP

The West Coast boasts a distinctive musical tapestry across various genres, and California’s reggae scene stands out with a wealth of top-notch bands continuously featured in prominent reggae festivals. Today, let me introduce you to LakeDub, a group of Long Beach natives whose self-titled debut album has recently hit the streaming platforms, brimming with positive […]

Reggae Rise Up – Las Vegas 2023: Day One

Reggae music lovers from across the nation converged on the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on October 6, 2023, for the highly-anticipated Reggae Rise Up Las Vegas festival. The day kicked off under the desert sun with temperatures soaring to a sweltering 88 degrees, but the heat couldn’t deter the passionate crowd eager to immerse […]

Dry Diggings 2023: Day Two

As the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky on the second day of the 2023 Dry Diggings festival, the Gold Country Fairgrounds and Event Center in Auburn, California, continued to pulsate with the rhythm of reggae music. Day two brought a wave of excitement, heartfelt moments, and stellar performances that left festival-goers buzzing with […]

Nathan Aurora is gearing up to drop new genre-bending project

In a world too often filled with division and disconnection, music still holds on to an incredible power to beat down barriers and bring people of all backgrounds together. With his latest project — Crossed Heart Clothing Presents: Pop Punk Goes Reggae, Vol. 1 — Nathan Aurora of Iya Terra has managed to create a […]

Cali Roots 2023: Day Two

On Day Two of the Cali Roots Festival 2023, the attendees returned to the Monterey Fairgrounds, eager for another day of music and festivities. The morning started off with a mix of relaxation and invigoration as people laid down blankets, enjoyed a cup of coffee from returning vendor NitroCycle831, and were serenaded by the rocking […]

Cali Roots 2023: Day One

Entering the gates of the Monterey Fairgrounds for another Memorial Day Weekend at the California Roots Music & Arts Festival is always a cathartic experience. This year, however, the anticipation was soaring as it marked the 12th anniversary of the notorious annual event. What sets this year apart is not only the extension to a […]

A stellar night of Bumpin Uglies

I hit the photojournalistic jackpot! What started as a simple photo pass request to shoot the final west coast show on the Bumpin Uglies’ Mid-Atlantic Dub Tour resulted in an exclusive interview with frontman, Brandon Hardesty, access to the VIP meet and greet (including a B-Hard acoustic set), plus all access– meaning they allowed me […]

Cali Vibes 2023: Day Two

On Saturday, February 18th, Day Two of the Cali Vibes Festival kicked off. It was a warm California day with a cool breeze from the Pacific Ocean in the air. You could feel the anticipation as fans waited to get into the grounds to start yet another day of fun. Cydeways kicked the day off, […]

Cali Vibes 2023: Day One

Long Beach was buzzing with excitement long before the gates to Cali Vibes opened at 12:00 PM on February 17th, 2023. Thanks to Silverback Music and The Nowell Family Foundation, the party started the night before at the local establishment, Gaslamp. Attendees were treated to pre-festival performances by Fayuca, Kyle Smith, Sensi Trails, Ras-1, Dan […]

Cali Roots finalizes jaw dropping lineup for 2023

California Roots Music and Art Festival, the genre’s most anticipated, prolific, and environmentally-friendly reggae event of the year, has officially dropped the final three acts to complete their Memorial Day weekend roster. Recently announced 2023 Coachella guests Rebelution and Stick Figure join genre-bending icons Thievery Corporation, finalizing the bill for the all ages festival as […]

California Roots 2023: a true bucket list event

Music festivals are a big undertaking. For many, months of planning and budgeting goes into the experience. At times, there is stress, setbacks and logistical nightmares before even getting to the gates. And I’m not talking about the music festival itself. People travel from far and wide to attend such events and the premiere music […]

Bumpin’ Uglies returns to St. Louis with Kyle Smith

In their much needed return to St. Louis, the road dogs known as Bumpin’ Uglies continued on their pursuit for the setting sun. The reggae-infused boys played to a pretty good sized crowd for a Wednesday night on October 19th at The Old Rock House, just south of the famous Gateway Arch. It was a […]

SOJA sells out Ineffable’s new Ventura Music Hall

Ventura Music Hall spoiled me on July 23rd. The bowling alley-turned-music venue (recently opened in March 2022) welcomed Kyle Smith, The Elovaters and SOJA to the stage for an unforgettable night of reggae rock music (with a splash of punk rock thrown in). It has been about 14 years since SOJA graced a stage smaller […]

California Roots 2022: Day Two

“I’m gonna get you high today, ’cause it’s Friday; you ain’t got no job… and you ain’t got shit to do…” Even though Ice Cube’s set wasn’t until Sunday, the famous words resonated Friday at Cali Roots and the pep in our step and stars in our eyes confirmed that magic was in the air. […]