It’s been over a decade since Easy Star Alls-Stars, the New York based collective known for adapting iconic rock and pop albums into reggae music, has released an album, but their latest tribute project, a reggae rendition of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust perfectly titled Ziggy Stardub, was worth the wait.… album-showcase-easy-star-all-stars-ziggy-stardub/" class="read-more">Read More
When Rootfire Editor, Dave Shiffman, came to me with the proposal of reviewing Reggaddiction’s cover album of Neil Young’s Harvest, something in the universe felt as if it weirdly aligned. Ten minutes before reading his email, I had just listened to a very interesting interview with Neil Young led by Conan O’Brien.… album-showcase-reggaddiction-ganja-harvest/" class="read-more">Read More
Reggae music was born out of suffering and rebellion and has long been an agent for social commentary and change, but even warriors for progress and equality need to take a break from fighting the good fight every now and then.… album-showcase-austin-grimm-walk-a-mile/" class="read-more">Read More
I first started working with Rootfire about 7 years ago when founder Seth Herman had recruited me as a writer. I always thoroughly enjoyed conversing with Seth about reggae because he had such a vast knowledge of modern American reggae and endless personal connections to the artists and industry people alike.… album-showcase-alific-write-it-on-the-wall/" class="read-more">Read More
“I’m making an album,” my husband, James, announced one afternoon.
Just days later, he had recorded an album and was sending it out to be mastered by the famous Dubmatix. James was always creating in one way or another, and he’d toyed with the idea of creating a solo album for quite a while.… album-showcase-james-pasqua-the-arcadia-sessions-a-dub-experience/" class="read-more">Read More
Exploring new music is always an exciting adventure, particularly when it introduces a captivating blend of roots reggae, dub, and rock. Such is the case with Lion Heights out of Austin, Texas, whose recent full-length album, False Reality, presents a stunning representation of their “outlaw reggae” sound.… album-showcase-lion-heights-false-reality/" class="read-more">Read More
Around the turn of the century, my buddy opened a burrito shop at the end of my block in Montclair, NJ, called One Phunky Burrito Joint. I ate there multiple times a week. The place had snowboards and skateboards fashioned into tables and counters and great tunes always pulsating from the sound system, including a lot of reggae music courtesy of yours truly.… album-showcase-sensamotion-life-in-true-color/" class="read-more">Read More
Panda’s first LP since 2016 is an honest to goodness treasure, a collection of eleven sonic gems that should thrill longtime fans and likely bring the band a slew of new ones. Along with the irksome considerations the band endured regarding the business aspect of this release and the numerous considerations that went into the back end creative process, not to be overlooked are the contributions on the front end from six different guest vocalists which elevate this from a great record to an exceptional one.