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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Austin City Nights: Fortunate Youth – Fall w/ Friends Tour

Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World and my new home as of a few weeks ago.   Hearing lots of great stories about legendary acts, I was excited to check out the scene and luckily for me, Fortunate Youth was rolling through on their Fall with Friends Tour.  The venue could not have been […]

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 […]

Shoreline Jam 2014: the experience

It’s extremely rare for me to vacate my surroundings, rearrange my schedule and volunteer to work 24 straight hours within a two-day period, especially with travel involved over holiday weekends. Memorial Day weekend brings around such an occurrence every year with Monterey’s California Roots Festival; similarly, Labor Day weekend showcases the Shoreline Jam on the […]