From the Reggae Rise Up camp comes the second of three yearly nationwide festival installments, this time at the downtown Las Vegas Events Center the second weekend in October. Last year’s Reggae Rise Up in St. Petersburg, FL hosted over 15,000 festival-goers, with numbers for the other two festivals expected to reach or surpass in […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
Ventura Music Hall spoiled me on July 23rd. The bowling alley-turned-music venue (recently opened in March 2022) welcomed Kyle Smith, The Elovaters and SOJA to the stage for an unforgettable night of reggae rock music (with a splash of punk rock thrown in). It has been about 14 years since SOJA graced a stage smaller […]
Boston’s finest, The Elovaters, returns to the spotlight with their newest single “Gimme Love”: a sensual, stripped-down track that oozes sex and begs to be called on for a date night/late night ambient background vibes. Officially released at midnight on Friday, August 5th via Full Belly Records, the steamy song was available for pre-listening Thursday […]
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 […]
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 […]
Summer is heating up in South Lake! California Roots has partnered with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Lake Tahoe to bring you a reggae lineup of straight fire to the famed venue on the water. Pan-reggae heavy-hitters Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, SOJA, Tribal Seeds and Common Kings join forces with hometown-and-beyond favorites Fortunate Youth, Artikal […]
The countdown has officially begun! Who’s been listening to the Cali Roots playlist and getting ready for Memorial Day Weekend in Monterey? I know I’ve been planning outfits, checking the lineup, looking at photos from years’ past, getting hyped about seeing everyone’s faces and doing it all while listening to the official California Roots playlist […]
If you take away only one thing from this entire article, let it be this — you are going to LOVE this album. I say this with the confidence of a straight white man. I don’t care what kind of music you like or don’t like, whether you’re a ska-loving punk, a bleeding-heart indie or […]
On Saturday, February 5th, Day Two of the Cali Vibes Festival kicked off. It was a warm day and you could feel the anticipation in the air as fans waited to get into the grounds to start yet another day of fun. Boostive kicked the day off, with amazing energy and great stage presence. Boostive […]
Alternative rock/hip hop duo Little Stranger is a name that’s growing more and more familiar within several music circles. Hitting the road hard again since April of 2021, they have been winning over audiences at notable events, such as Summer Camp Music Festival, Dirty Heads Orlando Vacation and Holidaze. To top off a successful year […]
Day Three of Reggae Rise Up Florida 2021 was met with the same eagerness that was present the previous two days, yet something was different because the air was tinged with some stoopid-ity and a feeling of ‘elovated’ joy as the festival buzzed with energy at every turn. Tucked away in the middle of all […]
The seemingly endless live music drought inflicted by COVID-19 has had its impact on fans, musicians, crews, promoters and everyone else associated with the live music industry. There has been a lot of articles and opinion pieces published on this over the last couple years, so this will not be belabored here. What is of […]
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By clicking agree you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
