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- Rootfire: Progressive Roots
Last month, SunDub released their third studio LP, titled Shoot Your Arrow, following up their 2022 masterpiece, Spirits East Music with another gift to the reggae community. Under the expert tutelage of Sidney Mills (Steel Pulse), the Brooklyn-based group doesn’t necessarily create a new wrinkle in the modern reggae sound, but rather uses impeccable songwriting, musicianship and production to rightfully carry the torch of the best of roots reggae that has captivated fans around the world for generations.… Read More
Staying true to the high-energy early reggae music with which they’ve been dazzling fans for almost 25 years, The Aggrolites have released their seventh studio album, the aptly titled Super Atomic. The latest release from the Los Angeles group features 11 original tracks including four instrumentals, with the band continuing to draw inspiration from a narrow era of late 60s/early 70s Jamaican music while adding soulful Motown vibes to create their trademark “Dirty Reggae” sound.… Read More
Florida reggae is on the rise, with artists like Seranation, Kash’d Out, The Dub Collectors, Artikal Sound System, DJ Badda Skat and many more showcasing the variety and tonal diversity the state has to offer. But when a new band enters that mix, it rattles the foundation and reminds us that the sound is still evolving.… Read More
Rootfire first covered West Cork, Ireland-based artist, DMac Burns, back in September of 2023, when our writer Brendan McGinley authored a Video Premiere for his song, “Night.” At the time, the singer seemed to be just dipping a toe into reggae, but since then, the New York City-raised musician has leaned heavily into the genre as evidenced by the music he’s released over the past few years.… Read More
“[In] 2017, I drove to Palm Springs and told Sean about starting a band that mixed vintage reggae and ska with a touch of Conjunto accordion,” says Matt Hensley, legendary skateboarder and accordion player for Celtic punk band, Flogging Molly.… Read More
American reggae act, Algorhythm, has just dropped the first of several related EPs scheduled to release this year as part of their Surroundings series, an exciting project conceived by the band’s manager, Brandon Pescrille. The concept involves the band traveling to different cities around the world where they will write and record music on the spot, often in collaboration with local artists.… Read More
It may only be the first week of March, but if Break of Day, the recently released LP from California-based Looking East is any indication, 2026 promises to be a great year for reggae music.
Consisting of only two members, singer Drew Gonzales and producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Kearney who composed the music and lyrics, Looking East’s debut album deftly channels popular west coast reggae artists Stick Figure and Iration as a vehicle for moving, heartfelt sentiments.… Read More
New York’s IRIEspect, who fuse reggae with rock, hip-hop and Latin American flavors, have taken a big leap forward with their Lost in Time EP released in this past December.
This hard-working band from Long Island has been garnering a regional fanbase throughout the New York City area and New England on the strength of many live shows, both as headliners and in support of touring acts that come through the area.… Read More
We’ve all known at least one: bands that have been great from the get-go, but for some reason haven’t quite hit that critical mass that other similarly talented acts managed to. Well, The Irie have been working their butts off and churning out killer tunes the past few years, and if their last release is any indication, they might be finding themselves with a whole new audience after their EP, Way Out, drops on Friday.… Read More
By now, nearly all of us have heard the Pepper/LAW Records-helmed compilation album, Operation Irie. (If you haven’t, you owe me a spliff because, trust me, I just made your day.) Instant classic albums are few and far between these days, but this one definitely breathes that rarefied air. … Read More
Cycles, the latest LP from northern Florida’s The Ellameno Beat, is a viiibe. This low-key collection of mostly lovers rock songs released this past summer intriguingly blends blissful, dreamy feels with an understated darker element, evoking an ambience of what I’d imagine an opium den to have.… Read More