Passafire winter tour 2015

The Passafire boys have made early New Year’s resolutions to hit the road by publically announcing their 2015 winter tour this week alongside Colorado-based Tatanka. Heading due south from their Georgian roots, Passafire’s first stop is in Tallahassee, Florida on January 15th; the show continues all the way up, down and around until ultimately ending […]

Cali Roots announces final 2015 line-up

It’s finally here – the day that all reggae festival lovers have been waiting for since the conclusion of last year’s California Roots Music and Arts Festival over May’s 2014 Memorial Day Weekend. That’s right, all the bands have been selected and the public has been notified: SOJA, Iration, John Butler Trio, Cypress Hill, Pacific […]

Jah9 invades Sebastopol, California

One of the most exciting new artists coming out of Jamaica right now is a captivating young woman who goes by Jah9.  She was one of the most celebrated acts at Reggae on the River 2014; her songs are becoming more popular in the dancehalls in several countries and on Spotify playlists worldwide.  I was […]

Jehua releases his new single “Your Man”

Bassist and vocalist for renowned reggae band Natural Vibrations, Jehua Evans has branched out on his own for a soulful solo project. Jehua’s debut single “Your Man” brings with it some smooth melodies similar to those of Natty Vibes but with a subtly different sound that we hope will lead to further success for the […]

Michael Franti sold out the Belly Up

A solitary sign hung taped to the Belly Up Tavern’s will call window on November 22nd, declaring Michael Franti’s performance “SOLD OUT” for the night. What an understatement – entering into my favorite and frequently hopping rock-n-roll joint in Solana Beach had never been harder. I squeezed and twisted my way through an overly condensed […]

New label, new album, New Kingston

New York City’s prominent independant label Easy Star Records just grew a little larger last week as it announced it’s newest member of the family New Kingston. As one of the hardest working bands in the industry, New Kingston naturally fits in representing the Easy Star family with Easy Star All-Stars,  Passafire, Rebelution, Giant Panda […]

“Eye of the Storm” new single by E.N Young

San Diego-based solo artist E.N Young likes to share the stage with Tribal Seeds among other big names, but three years have passed without new music from the melodica-sporting singer, songwriter and producer. On November 18th, Young made waves for his deprived fans by not only announcing an upcoming album on the horizon, but also […]

Revival releases second single “Beauty in Disguise”

San Diego-based roots reggae band Revival is gearing up for their third full-length album release and in doing so, is leaving little tastes of the record along the way. On October 28th, the eight-member band premiered their second single “Beauty in Disguise” off their much-anticipated upcoming album, following their first single “Beautiful Monster” on August […]

Radical Something accents Matisyahu

California band Radical Something sure knows how to bring some rock music mixed with some hip-hop to the beach area. When they performed at the Belly Up in Solana Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26 and opened for Matisyahu, we here at Top Shelf Reggae did not know what to expect. Was this night going to […]

Tribal Seeds Winter Chillin’ Tour announced

With their instruments still smoking and ears still ringing from their 2014 Representing Fall Tour with Ballyhoo! and Gonzo with Beyond I Sight, the Tribal Seeds camp just announced their west coast 2015 Winter Chillin' Tour. With female sensations Hirie and Leilani Wolfgram in tow this time around, this is definitely a tour that one […]

Passafire rocks out Solana Beach, CA

Passafire brought their east coast rock to the Belly Up venue in Solana Beach, CA on October 10, 2014. As part of their Fall Tour currently taking place, Passafire is traveling all around the U.S. to showcase songs off their latest album, Vines. Though the band is well-loved in the reggae-rock scene, it is really […]

Madrid welcomes SOJA

I arrived in Madrid on the day of the concert by way of high-speed train. Located right in the middle of Spain, it was only a two-hour ride from the slightly northwest home of my university in the Capital of the Spanish Province of Castille and Leon, a charming city named Valladolid. With the show […]

New single “Dabs” by C-Money and the Players, Inc.

C-Money, master trumpeter for megastar reggae band Slightly Stoopid, is making some power plays of his own with a new full-length album in the works for C-Money and the Players, Inc. The band out of southern California is about to release their first single “Dabs” on iTunes – a single that is already creating waves […]

California Roots 2015: Round 1 artist announcement

If you’ve been “unplugged” and away from social media throughout the weekend, you probably missed out on a very important announcement from the fine folks at California Roots.  On Friday October 10, 2014 California Roots announced the first round of artists for next year’s “Super Bowl” of reggae music. The 6th annual California Roots Music […]

The Collision tour with The Green featuring J Boog

On November 11th, one of the reggae genre’s most loved and commercially successful bands, The Green, will embark on an ambitious combination tour with the just as smooth J Boog. The widespread west coast tour kicks off in the Central Coast’s premiere reggae venue, SLO Brew, in sunny San Luis Obispo, California. Hitting 17 stops […]