Florida’s has a plethora of dynamic artists that bring a magical presence to the local reggae scene.  Out of beautiful Deltona come The Sub Herbs, who since 2021 already shared stages with heavy hitters such as Yellowman, The Elovaters, Kash’d Out, Little Stranger, Matisyahu, Howi Spangler, The Supervillains, Kyle Smith and others. The central Florida sextet are true-to-the-bone Florida boys with a tropical energy that expresses their spiritedness for life and a sound that should entice growing numbers of reggae rock fans across the nation.

Below is an interview with Billy Smolinsky, lead vocalist/guitar/founder of The Sub Herbs. The rest of the group includes:

Brinson “Doc” Swann- keys and backup vocals

Rafi Rodriguez-rhythm guitar and backup vocals

James “Dey Shaka” Maynard -lead guitar

Kevin “JB” McKewen-Bass

Harley Stafford-cofounder -Drummer

RF: Hello, thank you for sitting down with Rootfire Magazine today! Tell us about how this year has treated you all so far!

Smolinsky: This year was a kind of breakout year for us. We played in front of our biggest crowds with the biggest names we’d shown out, along with dropping our album Sub Herbia.

RF: So exciting guys! You guys are playing a huge festival March, 2024, Reggae Rise Up, in St. Pete! With such an amazing lineup, this should open more doors for you all! I will be there for sure!

Smolinsky: Absolutely will open doors! We are sitting down with you for an interview since the lineup got announced! Things are exciting and doors are opening already.

RF: Tell us about your latest album. I am so inspired by the song, “Unity,” which we all need in this time in such a crazy world. I got chills from the song! Tell me what inspired you to write this song?

The video was produced by Jeff Pliskin of Raise Fist Propaganda. It gives us a glimpse of your lives from fatherhood to beachside living and has such a rhythmic fusion of that surf-punk etched within! Starts out with you all playing beer pong, then featured at the Reggae Rise Up! There is also footage of Bob Marley brining together political adversaries Michael Manley and Edward Seaga at the famous One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica interspersed with footage of protesters in the street. We would love to hear how this video started and how long it took to make.

Smolinsky: Oh yeah for “Unity” I drew inspiration from my view on centered politics. I think we all need to be as one if we’re going to strive towards being a true, unified power and nation — every suburb to every major city!

The video took two days to shoot, and a few months of tossing ideas around on editing. The idea is just for people unifying in larger forms.

RF: “The First Set” starts out with this punchy guitar riff, then flows steadily with the beat. This song gets heavy, then light again. I love it! What is your take and what was the process?

Smolinsky: When I was writing “First Set,” I needed the intensity of the guitar to match my feelings about my musical career and my band, The Sub Herbs. Also, we need a pre-chorus, hence the punky riff going into the chorus.

RF: “Take me back” is such a good, mellow song with nostalgia  reminiscing about the younger years. Does this song correlate with your life experiences?

Smolinsky:  I wrote “Take Me Back” as a song for the masses. I instantly wrote it after I heard “Old School Feeling” by Rebelution. It made think how nostalgic music really is and how it “takes us back.”

RF: “Sub Herbia (End in Sight)” has such meaning behind it with lyrics that are quite compelling! You talk about the world in such disarray. Can you give us a rundown on the process for writing this song and what motivated your band?

Smolinsky: “Sub Herbia” or “End in Sight” as it’s originally called, is a poem I wrote in college at UCF. I was inspired by Garret Hardin’s piece called “Tragedy of the Commons.” One always thought humans were our own worst enemies…this song displays the greed, power hungry nature of our society.

RF: “Set Back” and “Skipped” are great songs as well, and I do love “Covered in Sand.” This song is warm and lovely but also speaks the truth about being let down. The lyrical content is about dating and the difficulties of falling in love. Was this from firsthand experiences?

Smolinsky: LOL! “Covered in Sand” is about my wife, and 95% a true story. She had to chase me down a little because I was stubborn after a bad breakup.

“Skipped” was written by Greg Shields (of Kash’d Out) and me, as he also helped with “Covered in Sand.”

“Covered” is our fan favorite, if we had one to choose.

“Setback” was written in a darker tone in my life. That’s all I am going to say.

RF: Can you give us some sneak peaks into 2024? Any touring plans for the near future?

Smolinsky: Next year is coming in hot as we will tour around Florida and maybe even some other regions — stay tuned! We have some singles dropping in the next coming months. This time more of the band has been in the writing process!

RF: How is juggling home life and music for your members? Do you all write together?

Smolinsky: We do write together; however, I write most of the lyrics and chord progressions. The boys fill in the space, and our keyboard player Brinson “Doc” Swann is also our producer. He has a big hand in our studio production.

Hell nah, it’s hard as hell to do this band thing with family and other ties. However, music and love prevail together and so will we!!! We’re not going anywhere but up from here!