Iya Terra plays postponed show at The Observatory, Santa Ana

Iya Terra closed out their nationwide tour, commemorating the release of their 2021 Ease & Grace album. Santa Ana warmly welcomed the hometown band back to The Observatory on July 16th. Fans were left eagerly awaiting the celebration last April, when Iya Terra was forced to postpone five of their southern California shows due to […]

California Roots 2022: Day Four

The fourth and final day of Cali Roots 2022 was one for the books. We laughed, we cried, we danced, we loved, we sang, we vibed and we all connected on a level that no one can describe quantitatively without sounding a little ‘woo-woo’. Simply put — it was magic. We were magic. Day Four […]

Slightly Stoopid stirs up Avila Beach, CA

After two long years, Slightly Stoopid‘s renowned summer tour was finally back in action, hitting Avila Beach on July 14th, 2022. Not only that, but this time around, the Stoopid boys are being joined by some of the hottest reggae bands in the business: Fortunate Youth, Common Kings and Pepper (which unfortunately couldn’t make the […]

Slightly Stoopid’s Summer Traditions Tour ignites Irvine

A Friday evening in southern California typically consists of commuters impatiently maneuvering through infamous rush hour traffic in an eager attempt to get home. However, things were different on July 15th, which had commuters heading straight to LiveNation’s FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine instead. The reggae community shows up, there is no question about that. And, […]

Dirty Heads gets it ‘Kraken’ in Apopka, Florida

One of the best lineups I’ve seen all year hit a brand-new amphitheater in Apopka, Florida on July 16th! A lot of people traveled from all over Florida to check out the Let’s Get It Kraken Tour, with alt reggae heavyweights Dirty Heads headlining over SOJA, Tribal Seeds and more. The local Florida band that […]

Being at Bayfest San Diego 2022

Southern California is no stranger to live music; hosting hundreds of festivals throughout the year is a steeple of the palm tree riddled lifestyle. Despite these high numbers, there are some festivals locals, transplants and vacationers alike won’t want to miss.  Bayfest is one of those festivals.  Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego annually welcomes […]

The Black Seeds unleash ample ‘Love & Fire’ in new LP

Summertime, feeling fine. Love& Fire, The Black Seeds’ seventh full-length studio album, is a sunny and bright collection of 10 easy-listening, dubby tracks with ‘beach day’ written all over them. The New Zealand eight-piece dropped the record June 17th via Proville Records/Kartel Music Group in Europe and New York-based reggae label Easy Star Records in North […]

The Elovaters talks with Top Shelf at Cali Roots 2022

Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews The Elovaters at California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. The Elovaters formed in 2014 and have released two full-length albums and an award-winning EP. Defy Gravity was the group’s first big record in 2018 after signing to not-for-profit record label Rootfire Cooperative. Debuting at #1 on the […]

An ultimate “Showdown” with Stick Figure & Collie Buddz

On July 15th, Stick Figure dropped yet another new single off of his soon-to-be released full-length album, this time teaming up with Bermudan reggae star Collie Buddz to produce “Showdown”. An epic anthem of pursuit and focus that has a rougher, more grittier feel to it than most other Stick Figure songs, “Showdown” follows previously-issued […]

California Roots 2022: Day Three

Cali Roots Day Three arrived with a bang Saturday. Despite Rebelution’s blow-out 90-minute light show spectacular of a set the previous night, over 14,000 reggae lovers of all genres and walks of life lined up on Fairground Road and entered with newfound energy, fresh outfits and all the love in the world. The sun was […]

Bobby Hustle lives high life in “Fade Away” video, ft. Josh Heinrichs

Have you ever seen a music video and immediately felt envious of the people in it? That’s how the new music video for Bobby Hustle’s latest single “Fade Away” featuring Josh Heinrichs hit me when I saw it. It’s a weed smoker’s dream, basically! Spliffs getting lit up left and right, Josh taking rips off […]

Arkansas to welcome its first FORMAT Festival for Fall 2022

Looking for festivals to fill your roster this year? Have you checked out FORMAT Festival… or even heard of it?? This brand-new festival in Bentonville, Arkansas is one you will want to buy tickets to STAT! The inaugural festival will take place this September 23rd through 25th and will feature not only a stellar lineup, […]

Stick Figure’s Smoke Signals Tour lights up Cocoa Beach, FL

The Smoke Signals Tour 2022 with Stick Figure, Collie Buddz, Iya Terra and The Elovaters is setting the world on fire with some of the best reggae music from some of the top reggae rock bands altogether. Stick Figure showed up to Cocoa Beach with Collie Buddz and Iya Terra, and the fans traveled from […]

A chat with Cydeways at California Roots 2022

Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews Cydeways at California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. The band talks about upcoming projects, tour and are even surprised by Atmosphere‘s own “Slug”! You never know who’s gonna walk into the Cali Roots media room! From the band’s website: “Cydeways [is] an alternative band out of Santa […]

Tropidelic drops “People Talk” single with Brother Ali

Cleveland reggae-fusion quartet Tropidelic quietly dropped their newest single “People Talk”, featuring the illustrious Rhymsayers emcee Brother Ali, off their forthcoming album All The Colors — due out August 5th. The release follows closely on the heels of their respective Cali Roots performances over Memorial Day Weekend and precludes their Sleeping Giant Summer Tour, featuring […]