Colloquially, New Orleans has been called the northernmost point of the Caribbean. But what does that mean beyond its role as a major port of trade?
In the late 1940s and 50s, the piano kings of New Orleans were lighting a fire that would eventually be called rock… Read More
When I first started learning keyboards as a teenager, I would hear stories from other musicians about this great keyboard player named “Peanut” who lives in Virginia and has played for all the reggae greats. Through the years, I heard the music he produced with singers, and would… Read More
Bump up your speakers and make you believers in good vibes again
— SunDub “Jump and Dance”
Last week, Brooklyn-based SunDub released a reggae masterpiece. Titled Spirits Eat Music, like the lyrical excerpt above says, this collection of pure reggae perfection will brighten moods, kindle consciousness and prompt boogie. As… Read More
My introduction to The Movement occurred over a decade ago with their 2008 album, Set Sail. Instantly, this album vaulted to one of my favorites of all time, where it remains today, now amongst more recent LPs from these rising reggae-rock stars.…
In the late eighties and early nineties, if you wanted reggae music, it was probably coming from RAS Records, straight out of Washington D.C. They had a mail order catalog (pre-internet) and were the publisher for a lot of the famous acts coming out of Jamaica at the time.… Read More
It’s been just over five years since I last connected with HIRIE, one of the leading female artists in the modern American reggae scene, but with last week’s release of Mood Swing, her fourth full-length studio album, it seemed like a good time to catch up.… Read… Read More
In previous articles covering the modern reggae community, I have noted how the pandemic, despite how awful it had been for numerous reasons, did offer a silver lining for some musicians. In addition to inspiring creativity, the lack of touring allowed people to spend more time with their families… Read More
Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted and article written in January 2022 but Rootfire decided to publish it in celebration of the one year anniversary of the release of Ease & Grace.
According to Spotify, my primary streaming platform of choice, my most listened-to artist of 2021 was Iya… Read More
