Crab cakes and reggae, that’s what Maryland does!

Reggae Rise Up Maryland returns to the Baltimore Peninsula for the second year in a row following their wildly successful 2022 first-year installment. Boasting a lineup stacked with all your favorite reggae acts–plus some newcomers for funsies–the three day festival takes place June 23-25 and all but screams summer vacation. With estimated temperatures hovering in […]

Reggae Rise Up Vegas returns for Fall 2022

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Dry Diggings drops second reveal for 2022

“One of my favorites, ever!” That’s what I tell anyone that asks me about Dry Diggings, an easygoing backyard vibe of a festival held in the tree-shaded grass of the aptly named Grass Valley Fairgrounds in Nevada County, CA. The lineup blends classic roots and culture with a healthy dose of west coast reggae and […]

Cali Vibes Fest 2022: Day One

On Friday, February 4th, Day One of Cali Vibes Festival kicked off on a warm sunny day. It was the perfect weather to welcome all the out of town fans coming in for this massive festival. You could feel the anticipation in the air as people were walking past all the vendors, talking about which […]

The Movement sells out Solana Beach’s Belly Up

On November 19th, The Movement headlined a sold out show at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA. They were supported by up-and-coming Vana Liya and DENM.  Vana Liya got the night started off getting everyone going on a high note. She has such a great stage presence and is always so happy and […]

Reggae Rise Up Florida 2021: Day Two

Day Two of Reggae Rise Up Florida brought in a flurry of people rushing through the gates of Vinoy Park. The tide of attendees was astounding, all smiling and laughing despite the infamous Florida humidity soaking their skin. As the day began and the sound waves started to pulsate through the air, the feeling of […]

KBong, Boostive & Vana Liya at Solana Beach’s Belly Up

On Thursday September 23rd, San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern hosted some of the best local southern California reggae and soul groups — KBong, Boostive and Vana Liya. The venue had a warm, intimate setting, filled with great vibes and fans excited to finally attend more fun-filled concerts. It was a pleasure to attend and see […]

TSM Artist #HotList: November 20th, 2021

Alexia Johnson for #TopShelfMusic here, with another TSM Artist #HotList! This week, we visit an island reggae artist originally from Guam (now based in Colorado), a Guyanese artist (famously known as “Lady LAW”) and two reggae rock groups from the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you for tuning in! (Please set your video settings to […]

KBong & special guests at Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

“There’s a melody in the wind // I can hear it on the shore // Brings me closer to something that I’ve never felt before // Becoming a brighter day, now that we’re outside // Let’s follow the sound into the night,” as KBong’s “Good To Hear Music” goes. Walking the streets in downtown St. […]

Florida gears up for Reggae Rise Up’s return

It’s almost time for Reggae Rise Up Florida, one of the largest and most beautiful festivals in the country! Every year (well, almost every year) it’s held at St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park, with its stretching views of the Tampa Bay waters with boaters, dolphins, art, palm trees, hammocks and plenty of space to spread out […]

Dirty Heads’ Orlando Vacation finally returned for Year Two

Finally, the day had arrived for Dirty Heads‘ Orlando Vacation to come back to Florida for the second time. Attendees have been waiting for two years for the fest’s triumphant return and you could tell right away everyone was glad to be back at this large reggae music festival with so many great bands on […]

Cali Roots finalizes lineup for May 2022

I don’t know about you, but the minute the world started shutting down due to COVID the second week of March 2020, the first thing I thought about was “there’s no way this will affect Cali Roots, it’s too far out”. Then, like the festival gods were listening and wanted to punish me, the announcement […]