Host Alexia Johnson has the hottest new music finds in this holiday edition of Top Shelf Music’s Artist #HotList! In this late December installment, Alexia lets you check out the latest jams by Ocean Beach band No Kings, roots reggae family band The Lambsbread and two amazing collabs: Tropidelic teaming up with Flobots’ Jonny 5 […]
Seeing your favorite bands at smaller venues is always a treat: intimacy abounds as interaction between players and audience members amplifies immensely. Such a venue is San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern along the coast of Solana Beach. A variety of acts cycle through the Belly Up; most returning as an annual or biannual gig. One […]
What’s better than splurging on a sample of your favorite bands thrown together in one mega live music event? Knowing the money you’re spending on the weekend is going straight to charity. That’s right: one festival makes its mark on the world by bettering the planet as it goes. M3F Festival knows how to have […]
Still reeling from the previous two days, I was a child at Christmas impatiently waiting to open my presents or, in this case, the festival gates. I knew the festival grounds like the back of my hand by now; I had my sets lined up and now I just needed a beer. Local breweries were […]
On November 27th, Fortunate Youth brought their Live Life Fall Tour to the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego, CA. They were supported by Kash’d Out and Mike Love. Walking around the Belly Up before the show, it was great getting to see so many friends and catching up with people I haven’t seen for […]
Reggae-rock-meets-hip-hop band Tomorrows Bad Seeds have had quite a career since their formation nearly two decades ago and they aren’t anywhere near done yet! Following a year of touring, TBS celebrates by premiering their latest jam “Surf Trip” on all digital outlets and ending the year in style. We wanted to chat about such a […]
Unless you’ve been living under a rock as a reggae fan for the past couple of years, you know the festival Reggae Rise Up. Reggae Rise Up has morphed into a touring festival over the years, with dates in Florida (Friday, March 20th through 22nd, 2020), Utah (tentatively Friday August 21st through August 23rd, 2020), […]
It was a stacked night on November 23rd at San Diego’s Observatory Theater North Park, when friends and fans of reggae rock packed the building to the brim in eager anticipation of not one, not two, but FIVE bands! HIRIE concluded their six-week fall tour that night; a homecoming like none other commenced. SoCal reggae […]
Day Two — let’s go! First off, kudos to Wonderfront for their festival companion app! I’ve never seen a more polished festival app that was intuitive, fast, reactive and a must-have for the festival-goer. I started my day with the app and a cup of Joe. Selecting all the acts I wanted to see then […]
The Take Your Power Back Tour, featuring Nahko And Medicine For The People, came to The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles for two nights. It was one of the last stops on the tour and Ayla Nereo came along as the opener for the last few shows. Ayla started the night off with a dark […]
Kalalea brings the islands to life in his latest music video for “The One” — a track that premiered earlier in the year off Roots Musician Records. Hawaiian at heart, it’s only natural that Kalalea incorporates the beauty embedded in his island home as a metaphor for the woman who has stolen his heart. “You […]
On Friday November 1st, Jannus Live welcomed Bret Bollinger & the Bad Habits. Bret Bollinger is well-known from Pepper as the bassist and singer. Along with Bret was special guest Tunnel Vision and Roots of a Rebellion, who all put on one hell of a show. At the end, they even covered the stage together […]
Scrap Yard Aces, a rock-reggae dub band from Huntington Beach, shares their success story with Top Shelf Music journalist Renee Simpson on their recently released album, Sense in This Time. Check out this intimate interview with the band! Can you tell us about the creative process for the new album? We wrote most of the […]
If you have not taken a moment to listen to one of reggae hottest upcoming bands, DUBBEST, you are seriously missing out on a musical experience reminiscent of true roots reggae. DUBBEST members, originally from Boston, are now residing in San Diego and have worked their way up through the ranks, currently finishing up a […]
On November 13th, Fortunate Youth kicked off their Live Life fall tour at the Glass House in Pamona. They were supported by Kash’d Out and Mike Love. Walking around the venue before the performances, it was great getting to see so many friends and catching up with people I hadn’t seen for a while. I […]
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