HIRIE celebrates “Bonfire” single with full-band livestream

Reggae rock pop princess HIRIE (nee Trish Jetton) has assembled the whole crew together in this COVID time to celebrate the release of her latest creation, “Bonfire” — out today on all digital outlets! Known for her colorful vocal expression of real-life subject matter, HIRIE narrates how she escaped a dark place of late, turning […]

Small Batch teases debut EP with “Southern Mash” single

Today marks the debut pre-order, with instant release of Small Batch’s leading single “Southern Mash”, for their upcoming EP, History Repeats. The six-track EP drops on September 29th and features some notable musicians of Marin County, California, including Slightly Stoopid drummer Ryan Moran (aka RyMo), Shawn Brown and Joe Endoso (past and current members of […]

SWIMM assuages city sadness in “Feel Better”

Los Angeles-based pop band SWIMM intertwines psychedelia elements with catchy melodies to render… heartfelt life lessons? You wouldn’t suspect such astuteness from a psych-pop band, yet SWIMM’s depths are far deeper than the shallow surface that surround the pop genre. After busting out two full-lengths in a single year, SWIMM made their mark in 2018 […]

Jus Goodie embraces “Changes” in new single

2020 has been a rough one. No doubt about it. From lockdown to racial injustice to wildfire, quality of life for everyone has changed exponentially over the course of one year. Reggae artist Jus Goodie, resident of southern California, feels his surroundings morphing around him, yet, while others wallow in self-pity and fear, Goodie charges […]

Trevor Hall talks new singles & forthcoming album

The day my editor asked if I was interested in interviewing Trevor Hall, I pulled into the driveway and opened the car door right next to my little lime tree, (named Trevor, of course) and discovered my first lime! You see, the tree was an anniversary gift to my ex, but I took the tree […]

The Resinators release steam in “Vacation” single

For those well-versed in the reggae rock agenda, you have probably heard of the band The Resinators. If not, you’re missing out! Originally from Eugene, Oregon and now based in Encinitas, California, The Resinators have truly grown in sound and presence over the last six years since their inception. Their new single “Vacation” is no […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Hunter Porter “Nothing Left To Lose”

What happens when a classically-trained musician explores his darker side? You get Hunter Porter, an artist self-proclaiming himself as “the kid in jazz class who just wanted to be in a punk band” and what a mixture it is. Evident in his latest single “Nothing Left To Lose”, Porter builds conflict in his lyrics only […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Edjacated Phools “Tell Me” feat. DELA of Slightly Stoopid

Edjacated Phools of Baltimore, MD is definitely knowledgable in their craft. The reggae rock-meets-hip hop six-piece conglomerate teams with Slightly Stoopid‘s DELA on sax for this sweet end-of-summer anthem and we’re stoked to host the world premiere! Out everywhere tomorrow, “Tell Me” will complete your summer season in stoney, surf style. Starting with waves crashing […]

In memoriam of DJ Carlos Culture, a reggae legend

Before this massive escalation in American reggae, far ahead of the reggae festivals marking the calendar year, people grew up honoring the roots. Roots, rock, reggae — dub, ska, dancehall, lover’s rock, mento, rocksteady, raggamuffin. These genres are the infrastructure making up reggae as we know it. One person who knew it all too well […]

Stand for music by supporting the #SaveOurStages Act

In March of this year, COVID-19 hit. The novel Coronavirus spread quickly throughout the world and into our communities. Life immediately changed for virtually everyone as we tried to contain the virus, closing ‘non-essential businesses’ as a result. The industries most hit by the closures happened to be service, retail, travel and, you guessed it, […]

Kyle Smith’s “Just Like Them” single exceeds expectations

If you happen to know who the f*ck Kyle Smith is, you would know that this man is always on the grind. Ex-drug addict turned clean, mean, music-making machine, Smith stands for productivity and drug awareness, pumping out reggae rock singles like nobody business in between self-promotion and, we’re guessing, possibly… sleep? It’s anyone’s guess […]

Wes Anderson recruits ¡MAYDAY! & Trey Miller in “Red Cup Dub”

Baltimore solo artist Wes Anderson has played for 20+ years — and sowed his musical oats in the reggae spectrum for over half of them! You might recognize Anderson as lead guitarist from Chicago-based band Shanghai Superstars or reggae rock band Fiction 20 Down or, most recently, Fiction 20 Down’s spin-off band, Big Infinite. Now […]

What guitar effects do you need to play reggae?

Over the half-century in which reggae has been popularized all over the world, the guitar has been a key instrument in its development and continued proliferation. More than any instrument, the guitar is what gives life to reggae’s trademark syncopation: that infectious emphasis on the downbeat, which gives true reggae music such a hypnotic pulse. […]