In September of 2022, Rootfire premiered a track called “Trading Bread” by Tongan-American artist, Eddie Ha’angana, which led the way for his debut LP, Cheers to the Chiefs, released in January of 2023. Driven by his lifelong love of reggae and a passion for creating his own, many of the tracks on that LP had been composed years earlier, until Ha’angana finally manifested the time and resources to record and release them professionally.
Buoyed by the positive reception of that debut album, 2024 has found the singer/songwriter writing, recording and releasing a string of new singles, which will be put out collectively as a new EP in early 2025 along with his latest tune, “Rub A Dub.” The track stays consistent with Ha’angana’s modern roots reggae sound while paying homage to the 80s heyday of Sly and Robbie, the music he grew up listening to.
“Rub A Dub” hits with feel good vibes, yet also has a tinge of melancholy, which makes perfect sense considering the inspiration of the song. According to Ha’angana, he wrote the track after going to a lot of funerals in Utah and California during Covid, when extended family members would gather to honor their lost loved ones by drinking kava and listening to reggae music, “building that kinship and healing, something I think Tongans and Polynesians have been doing for thousands of years.”
Bring just another cup
Want this moment to last
Come enjoy the vibe
Thankful we’re alive
No worries tonight
Oh Yeah, cause we’re feeling alright
For this tune, Ha’angana had help from both current and past members of Tribal Seeds. This connection began when Zack Reed of Rebel-Sound Records, Ha’angana’s label, referred the musician to drummer Jamey “Zeb” Dekofsky to record the drums for the EP. “Zeb reached out after sending me the drum tracks and asked if I had a studio to finish the EP,” Ha’angana told me. “I said I had my home studio, and he said, ‘Gonzo and I think we can help with these tracks.’”
Ha’angana took them up on their offer and traveled to Gonzo’s studio in Los Angeles, along the way recruiting Mikey B. Ortiz from Big Mountain to play bass. Zeb and Gonzo also brought in Tribal Seeds’ horn players Cade Gotthardt and Warren Huang, who’s playing truly gives the song its splendor. They spent a couple of days recording everything, but Ha’angana said they “needed more magic on top,” so they employed E.N Young to add keys and to mix and master. As usual, the San-Diego studio stud added just enough subtle wizardry to take the track to the next level.
“The result was fire!” Ha’angana exclaimed excitedly about how all of these contributions came together. I would have to agree.
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Over the years, he has interviewed many personalities throughout the reggae world including Ziggy Marley, Burning Spear, Lucky Dube, Bradley Nowell and many artists in the progressive roots scene.
Dave has also written and published a novel, “The Cosmic Burrito,” a tale of two friends who drive across the USA in search of the ultimate burrito. He plays ice hockey weekly for a recreational team he founded and manages, Team Rasta.
Reggae music has filled his life with a richness for which he will forever be grateful, and he gives thanks to musicians far and wide, past and present, whether they perform roots, dub, dancehall, skinhead, rocksteady or ska, whether their tools are analog or digital, as well as the producers, promoters, soundsystems, selectors and the reggae massive at large who comprise the international reggae community.
You can follow Dave on Instagram at @rootsdude and Twitter at @ElCosmicBurrito.