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 […]

Michael Franti’s stormy performance at Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Bringing your kid to a concert on a school night is the coolest thing ever. Just ask Michael Franti and all the kids that got to jam out with their parents this at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida the other night… They’d most likely tell you it was an experience of a lifetime. Though […]

Bumpin Uglies goes big with new ‘Mid-Atlantic Dub’ album

I’ll be honest: I freaked out a bit when Brandon Hardesty messaged me the other week, asking if I wanted to listen to their new album and write a review. I knew it would be amazing, but how the hell was I supposed to put their genre-defyingly awesome music into words that could actually do […]

Stick Figure drops much-needed ‘Wisdom’

It’s been no secret these past few months that the symbol for American reggae, Stick Figure, was coming out with a new album. Even though I covered a few of the singles myself, what I honestly wasn’t expecting was for this full feature-length masterpiece to absolutely blow me away. The 14-song album titled Wisdom — […]

Rap meets reggae with Atmosphere & Iration in Irvine

On August 26th, the Sunshine & Summer Nights co-headlining tour with Iration and Atmosphere made its Irvine stop at FivePoint Amphitheatre. They were supported by two other American reggae and rap icons The Grouch and Passafire.   The night started out with Passafire getting things warmed up. They have always have a high-energy set that really makes […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: Chris Bowen Vibes “Brand New”

Blues rock-infused reggae artist Chris Bowen Vibes feels “Brand New” in the new music video by Raised Fist Propaganda! Top Shelf Music has the privilege to premiere the official visualizer before it hits public channels, giving you a sneak peek of what Bowen brings to the table. Bluesy meets beachy in this anthem of the […]

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 […]

Incubus mesmerizes Mountain View, CA

On Friday August 26th, Incubus brought their summer tour to Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre, with tour support from Sublime With Rome and The Aquadolls. This was the sixth show back after four shows canceled, due to Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd throwing out his back and unable to move. Boyd shared the news to fans […]

A roots rock reggae night with Rebelution in Avila Beach

On August 14th, Avila Beach was blessed to host reggae rock legends Rebelution for another sold-out show, with DENM and Steel Pulse. DENM (one of the best up-and-coming Cali reggae artists) started off the evening with upbeat music, getting the crowd singing and dancing alongside him and his players! Next up was legendary roots reggae […]

Rebelution, Steel Pulse sell out the Orange County Fair

There is no better way to cap off a day at the annual Orange County summertime fair than with Rebelution. On August 3rd, that’s exactly what myself and many others did. The Pacific Amphitheatre was sold out, with attendees eagerly awaiting the arrival of Reb’s headlining run — the Good Vibes Summer Tour. Spanning from […]

Reggae Rise Up Maryland 2022: Day One

You book a redeye flight with the intention of sleeping through it. At least that’s what I did… only I didn’t take into account how excited I was to go to the first ever Reggae Rise Up Maryland three-day music festival. I didn’t sleep a wink on that flight. With a backpack bursting at the […]

Triple Thread debuts with fun-filled ‘Feels Like Home’ LP

Musical genres are a thing of the past. If you don’t believe me, Triple Thread‘s first full-length album, Feels Like Home is all the proof you’ll need. The Orange County-based five-piece band successfully combined the musical stylings of popular genres, including reggae, rock, ska, pop and punk. The results of such unique combinations means there’s […]

Reliving the 5th Annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Fest

‘Chill figuratively, not literally’ was the name of the game at the fifth annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival at Harvey’s Outdoor Amphitheater located in Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on July 29th. Ample grass for picnic blankets, shade structures to boot, one stage (!) and long, vibey set change interludes hosted by local reggae DJ […]

Dirty Heads & friends fill up Paso Robles venue

On August 6th, Vina Robles was blessed to host reggae hip hop group Dirty Heads with special guests The Elovaters, Tribal Seeds and SOJA. The Elovaters started off the evening with their authentic and upbeat beachy-style rock reggae music. They were great at making the audience sing and dance along! Next up was Tribal Seeds, […]

Krooked Treez brings island vibes with ‘You Better Belize It’

It’s the return of Krooked Treez! These native Californians are dropping it hot with their sound that will leave you feeling so damn happy and inspired at the same time. It’s a multi-plexity of an old roots style with a mix of hip hop and reggae dub thrown in there with a huge smile.  The […]