New Kingston’s ‘Kingston City’ album review

Good things happen to good people, so the saying goes. This is inherently true for East Coast natives New Kingston as their career in the music industry recently got a little bit sweeter by joining forces with heavyweight independent reggae label Easy Star Records. “New Kingston definitely stands out in the current scene,” says Easy […]

Leilani Wolfgramm’s ‘Rebel’ album review

Leilani Wolfgramm has come from Florida to California to spread some deep, sultry vibes. Though her roots trace back to a band with her brothers called HOR!ZEN, she has teamed up with E.N Young and Roots Musician Records in California to bring some solo music, and it is all captured in her LP, Rebel. The […]

“Heart of a Warrior” single by Seedless

Orange County-based band Seedless seems to unceasingly push the boundaries of ‘reggae’ into a more contemporary category – even braving virgin reggae territory with an infusion of post-hardcore, hip hop and metalcore. For instance, many tracks incorporate a double-bass drum and thrash metal guitar riffs, two entities conspicuously absent in the agenda of their roots-reggae […]

New album ‘Gearthy’ by Skanks Roots Project

Dee Jay Jah Skanks is known for his mellow rhymes along with his knack for blending multiple musical genres into an all-star movement known as the Skanks Roots Project. Mixing hip hop with reggae with ska with electronica with stoner rock with spoken word, the Skanks Roots Project incorporates pretty much anything unorthodox in creating […]

New Town Kings EP ‘Pull Up and Rewind’ review

The UK has always been known for being ahead of the game in a variety of ways – and its music scene is of no exception. England, in particular, has several native reggae/ska bands gaining popularity for their aspirations. New Town Kings, a nine-member reggae band out of New Town, Colchester in Essex County, was […]

Policulture ‘The Bridge’ album review

Always interested in young up-and-coming bands with new music, I was excited to be invited to review The Bridge, released by Boulder, Colorado-based Policulture in September 2014. The album begins with good energy I could groove with. A melodica featured in the first song was a pleasant surprise and immediately had me captivated, as I […]

J Ras ‘Find My Way’ album review

Based out of the beautiful hills of Northern California and relentlessly touring nationwide both with the Vans Warped Tour this past summer as well as rocking the mic on his own watch, J Ras will be releasing his much anticipated sophomore album titled Find My Way. J Ras started his career at an early age […]

Groundation ‘A Miracle’ review

It was approximately 16 years ago when Sonoma State University’s Jazz program attendees Harrison Stafford (lead vocals), Marcus Unani (keyboards), and Ryan Newman (bass) formed what is now known today as Groundation. The late ‘90’s lead up to be very significant years for these young and budding group of individuals. During his time at the […]

Shanty ‘Leave Me Out’ EP review

British reggae sensation Shanty has recently followed up their debut single “Blackout” with a new 4-song EP titled Leave Me Out, now available on iTunes among elsewhere. The seven-member band out of northwest London is only one year into the making (formed in 2013), yet has already shared a stage with many a big reggae […]

illScarlett album review

illScarlett is a band from Canada, but that does not stop them from bringing their rocking music to the states. The band has a huge following, and it is no surprise when one considers their collection of albums. Since the release of their first album in 2004, the band has been going around spreading their […]

Stranger rocks their hometown

On Saturday, September 6, 2014, Stranger was in their hometown of San Diego long enough to play for a great crowd who obviously adores them. Lucky for the fans too, Stranger was the only one scheduled to play, which is amazing because the band played for about two hours straight! It appeared both band and […]

Tribal Seeds “Representing” tour invades San Luis Obispo, CA

I heard my favorite song when I was a freshman in high school. Since then both my height and political views have changed drastically but my love for Tribal Seeds’ soulful single “Dawn of Time” has always stayed with me. That is why when I came across the band’s scheduled performance on September 3rd in […]

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad ‘Steady’ album review

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, PANDA!, GPGDS, Giant Panda, whichever way you want to spin their name, the five piece East Coast natives will be releasing their latest studio album on September 30, 2014 titled Steady under the juggernaut indie label Easy Star Records. Founded over 15 years ago, the international label has under its […]

The Holdup performs at SLO Brew

On a serene and surprisingly sweaty Saturday night, The Holdup stole the stage at San Luis Obispo’s SLO Brew. But before the top billed band took the stage at nine o clock, opening acts Group Home and Young Science effectively warmed up the crowd with their high energy and original music. Group Home, a Cypress […]

Tribal Theory brings high energy wave

Even though illness can weigh one down, music always seems to uplift the mind, body, and spirit. That is exactly what happened to this reviewer at the Tribal Theory show at the House of Blues in Downtown, San Diego on August 22, 2014. Sure, the sun has been causing scorching hot weather in Southern California, […]