The Ocean Beach, California-based band formed by multi-instrumentalists Kyle McDonald and Miles Doughty has matured into a versatile musical ensemble consisting of drummer Ryan “Rymo” Moran; percussionist Oguer “OG” Ocon; saxophonist Daniel “Dela” Delacruz; keyboardist Paul Wolstencroft; trumpet and trombone player Andy Geib, and an arsenal of guests that frequent the stage, most notably Karl Denson (Rolling Stones/Greyboy Allstars), Don Carlos, Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) and Rashawn Ross (Dave Matthews Band). An eclectic band when it comes to musical styles as well as collaborations, Slightly Stoopid, now in their second decade of making music, continues to manufacture an energizing and multifaceted sound that has been described as “a spiritual bath of positive party energy.”
With a distinctive sound developed through tireless attention to musicality and artistry, Stick Figure has redefined American reggae music with his latest album, Wisdom, released on September 9th, 2022. As with his previous releases, Wisdom was written, produced and recorded by Scott Woodruff, a self-taught musician, at Stick Figure-owned Great Stone Studios in Oakland, CA, former home of Green Day.
Wisdom is Stick Figure’s seventh album and follows the unprecedented success of 2019’s World on Fire, which peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Top 200, #6 overall Top albums, #1 Independent, and #1 Reggae album. World on Fire has sold over 300,000 copies including streaming equivalents, according to Nielsen soundscan data. Stick Figure’s catalog has now sold well over one million copies and been streamed over three billion times. On the live side, Stick Figure averaged over 4,200 tickets sold per show on an almost entirely sold out 2022 tour, according to Pollstar, and is slated to play major multi-genre festivals in 2023 after headlining the top reggae festivals in 2022.
These numbers would be impressive by any metric, yet Stick Figure has achieved this rarified air completely independently, with no label or outside producers. Throughout the credits of Wisdom, Woodruff and a small cadre of collaborators, namely childhood friend TJ O’Neill, prove that manufactured music does not have to exclusively dominate the charts. Streaming alongside today’s biggest pop stars, Stick Figure has transcended the genre while always embracing his love of reggae music. Much like other bands supported Stick Figure during his ascent, Woodruff works with up and coming artists to help foster a vibrancy that keeps the scene strong and growing faster than ever before, exposing it to new listeners with an authenticity that stays true to his roots, while pushing the boundaries of sound that people expect from the genre.
Sublime, the Long Beach, CA, reggae-punk/alternative rock trio, was founded in 1988 by Eric Wilson, Bud Gaugh and Bradley Nowell. Their first self-produced album, 40oz. to Freedom, was released in 1992 via the band’s label Skunk Records. The success of that album and heavy radio exposure by Southern California’s KROQ (two years after its initial release) secured Sublime signing to MCA Records in time for the band’s 1994 sophomore album, Robbin’ the Hood, which revealed an experimental ethic more in keeping with cut-and-paste dub than the well-tuned rage of the Cali punk revival. The album performed well at college radio and set the stage for the breakout success of their self-titled third album. On May 25, 1996, however, lead vocalist and guitarist Nowell tragically passed away and the band collapsed, but the eponymous SUBLIME was still slated for a July 1996 release. On the strength of the chart-topping alternative radio hit “What I Got,” the album was certified gold by the end of 1996. “Santeria” and “Wrong Way” followed and enjoyed heavy airplay, and their self-titled album eventually sold more than seven million copies, making it one of the most popular reggae-punk albums in history. Such success spread to the band’s earlier albums too, leading 40oz. to Freedom to double-platinum sales and Robbin’ the Hood to gold certification. Sublime has gone on to sell over 18 million RIAA certified albums in the US, and their genre-defining music and their cultural influence is stronger today than ever before. In late 2023, Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob Nowell joined original Sublime members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson on stage for the first time to perform at a benefit concert for Bad Brains’ H.R. With an undeniable musical synergy between Nowell, Gaugh and Wilson, and overwhelming reaction and support from fans across the world, the trio decided to move forward and continue the Sublime legacy, starting a new chapter of the band with Jakob Nowell as front man.
Three decades ago, B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs sparked a trip that left popular culture stoned, stunned, and staggering in anticipation for more. Naming themselves after a local street in Los Angeles, Cypress Hill burst on the scene in 1991 with the release of their self-titled debut album. The singles “How I Could Just Kill a Man” and “The Phuncky Feel One” became underground hits, and the group’s public pro-marijuana stance earned them many fans among the alternative rock community. Cypress Hill followed their debut with Black Sunday in the summer of 1993, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200, garnered three GRAMMY Award nominations, and went triple platinum in the U.S. As a result, Cypress Hill became the first rap group to have two albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 charts at the same time and are the first Latino-American hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum success. Since the release of Black Sunday, Cypress Hill have put out seven more albums including 2018’s critically acclaimed, Elephants on Acid.
Cypress Hill made history once again in 2019 when the group was honored with their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, Cypress Hill released “Champion Sound.” Produced by Black Milk, the single appears on the soundtrack of R.B.I Baseball 21 and is also the featured song for the band’s partnership with Montejo Cerveza. 2021 also saw Cypress Hill celebrate the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut this year with a SONY reissue on vinyl, 7-inch box set, a reissue across all DSP’s that includes eight unreleased tracks, as well as a graphic novel and their very own STANCE sock.
Iration is an alternative/reggae group originally formed in Isla Vista, CA. Their deep-rooted island influence and Hawaii upbringing is fused with elements of rock, pop and soul to create smooth, uplifting original sounds. The group is made up of members Micah Pueschel (Guitar/Lead Vocals), Adam Taylor (Bass), Joseph Dickens (Drums), Cayson Peterson (Keyboard/Synth), Micah Brown (Guitar/Vocals), and Drake Peterson (Trumpet, Keys).
Now, after almost two decades creating music together, Iration has racked up more than 1 billion streams, topped Billboard charts and established themselves as one of the most beloved reggae-rock bands to emerge from the SoCal scene.
After riding the wave of their 2020 release Coastin’, their 8th studio album, Daytrippin released on October 6th, 2023. The album’s title track “Daytrippin” released on June 9th accompanied with their official music video featuring desert visuals and a slightly dazed storyline from Joshua Tree. Watch the video now on YouTube. Additional sneak peeks previously dropped this year include “IRL” and “New Style.”
“Daytrippin is a return to our roots. We set out to strike a balance between polished studio production and the energy of a live show. We leaned on our reggae and rock influences to find a natural evolution from earlier albums like Time Bomb and Hotting Up,” says Iration lead vocalist, Micah Pueschel.
Iration’s first four albums reached No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Early fan-favorite songs “Time Bomb” and “Falling” formed the foundation of Iration’s signature sound, and reached RIAA Certified Gold Status in 2020. In the years since, the group’s catalog hit the airwaves of alternative rock radio stations nationwide, including the world-famous KROQ in Los Angeles, and earned the ear of critics at American Songwriter, The Noise and All Music amongst many more.
From backyard BBQs in Southern California beach towns to its rise as one of the most popular reggae rock bands in the country, Fortunate Youth remains devoted to its roots and a simple mission: Spread peace, love, and unity with music. It’s a mantra of sorts for the multi-faceted sextet from Hermosa Beach, driving a relentless thirst for live performances and an ever-evolving cache of original material dotted with influences of blues, ska, rock, world, soul, and punk.
It was first on SoCal Little League fields that the core of the group bonded as friends and brothers before forming the band as twenty-somethings in the summer of 2009. Out of the ashes of local favorites Rude Boy Roots and Irie State of Mind, Fortunate Youth emerged, graduating from house parties to prized area clubs; and sneaking underage band members into South Bay bars to play their ambitious sets. They developed an instantly magnetic repertoire around inspired nascent originals and covers of Sublime and Bob Marley, and expanded their circle of fans with early runs in the Golden State and to neighboring Arizona.
They became devoted to performing live, ticking off countless miles in the van crisscrossing the U.S., and logging two years of roadwork before recording their first album. They played to small but passionate crowds, slept on floors, and earned particularly rabid responses in Florida and the cannabis-friendly ski towns of Colorado. And true to their egalitarian ethos of brotherhood, even swapped spots onstage, rotating instruments to best fit the performance. As their popularity increased, so did their schedule, with F.Y. supporting brethren such as Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, and SOJA on major tours as well as continuing to headline national treks of their own; totaling over 27 tours since their inception.
Exploding into the American progressive roots scene in 2018 with their #1 Billboard Reggae album Defy Gravity, The Elovaters have quickly become a household name for lovers of Sublime, Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, G. Love, Stick Figure, The Movement, and more. They won Artist Of The Year, and Live Act of The Year in the 2022 New England Music Awards, and a few months later were voted Reggae/Ska Artist of The Year in the Boston Music Awards. Their music has been featured on CBS’ Hawaii Five-O and their song “Boston” was played during the World Series Parade when the Boston Red Sox won in 2018. Several of The Elovaters songs are in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s “No Shoes Radio,” “Margaritaville,” and “The Spectrum,” and they are currently touring in North America and the Pacific Islands in support of their 2023 full-length album ENDLESS SUMMER.
Z-Trip is an award-winning global DJ, producer, and composer recognized by many as one of the most unique and talented performers alive. His roots are based in Hip-Hop, however, he’s truly a master of blending any style of music. As a pioneer of the Mashup Movement, Z-Trip’s diversity led him to perform on a variety of different stages like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and iHeart, as well as EDC, Rock The Bells Fest, and The Grammys. Z-Trip’s major label debut album, “Shifting Gears”, received a four-star rating from Rolling Stone Magazine. His sought-after remixes include official works for Nirvana, The Beastie Boys, Rush, The Jackson 5, and The Bob Marley estate. It’s tough to describe 35+ years of Z-Trip’s accomplishments without mentioning his music supervision work, video game composition, and a 14-year ongoing collaboration with LL Cool J, among others. One thing’s for sure, whether in the studio, behind the decks, or behind the scenes, Z-Trip continues to push boundaries and take listeners on a one-of-a-kind musical journey.
G. Love – Born Garrett Dutton in Philadelphia, PA, G. Love grew up equally enthralled with folk, blues, and rap, devouring everything from Lead Belly and Run D.M.C. to John Hammond and the Beastie Boys. After migrating to Boston, he and his band, Special Sauce, broke out in 1994 with their Gold-selling self-titled debut, which earned widespread critical acclaim for its bold vision and adventurous production. Over the next twenty-five years, G. Love would go on to release seven more similarly lauded studio studios albums with Special Sauce (plus four solo albums on his own), solidifying his place in music history as a genre-bending pioneer with a sound The New York Times described as “a new and urgent hybrid” and NPR called a “musical melting pot.” G. Love’s magnetic stage presence, meanwhile, made him a fixture on festival lineups from Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza, and his relentless appetite for tour and collaboration landed him on the road and in the studio with artists as diverse as Lucinda Williams, Dave Matthews, The Avett Brothers, Jack Johnson, and DJ Logic.
Donavon Frankenreiter – For nearly four decades Donavon Frankenreiter has been traveling the globe, first as a professional surfer and now as a musician. Born in Southern California, Donavon spent most of his youth chasing waves, turning pro at the age of 16.
These days instead of surf competitions, it’s concert halls that bring Frankenreiter to town, where he entertains audiences with his unique blend of laid-back grooves, philosophical lyrics and soulful delivery.
This year, Frankenreiter is releasing his first studio in 9 years, out September 20, 2024. The album, entitled Get Outta Your Mind, marks the 20 year anniversary of his self-titled debut album.
Eli-Mac’s story reads like a fairytale– it’s a musical journey which has turned into an impressive career that took flight with her debut release of her hit five-song EP, entitled Dubstop EP. A proud Filipino growing up in Hawaii, Ciara-Camile (Eli-Mac spelled backwards) Roque Velasco was a rebel early on, combining her island music roots with her love of R&B and hip-hop. At the age of 18, Camile’s journey took shape when she landed a spot on the hit TV show American Idol as a Top 10 finalist on Season 3. From there, Eli-Mac went on to record a version of Bob Marley’s “Guava Jelly,” produced by his son Stephen Marley, at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica. The track earned her the Hawaii Music Awards’ “Single of the Year.” Since then, Eli-Mac has been touring relentlessly across the US and beyond. A new studio album is currently in the works for this year, following up on her latest release “Resume” featuring Collie Buddz.
“I am proud to incorporate my upbringing in Hawaii into my music. That culture remains important to me….”
Eli-Mac has shared the stage with iconic artists like Gwen Stefani, Sublime, Lauryn Hill, Shaggy, Stephen Marley, Iration, SOJA, Collie Buddz, J Boog and Common Kings, to name a few.
A musical lighthouse, shining a resilient light for everyone that has had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Tropidelic has arrived on the national stage. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, a city rich in character and music history, this six-piece performance powerhouse carves their own path with an independent mentality. Front man Roads, explores feelings more than sounds, seeing where the emotional travel can take him, while valuing being comfortable and honest.
There is a sense of seeing where the music can go on their 2024 new album. As an everyman-band making music to overcome life’s obstacles, the “goals” that Tropidelic made when starting the band have all been surpassed. Roads says of the band’s future, “I’m nose to the grindstone. It’s going great and I am going to keep going.”
The past year has included a first pitch at a Cleveland Guardians game followed by a live performance for the entire stadium; an adopted highway in their hometown; producing two of their own festivals (Sunny Days and Everwild Music Festival); tens of millions of streams of Tropidelic’s music; appearances at major US festivals such as Beach Life and Tortuga; tours with The Dirty Heads, Lupe Fiasco, 311, and Michael Franti; and their first performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Rootsy, dubby, soulful and unique. Boostive is a collective mind that blends hip-hop, dub-reggae, and r&b to create a sound all their own. The band currently has members of Chilean, African, Japanese, Haitian, Aztec, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Korean, and European descent. As a unit, they aim to show that despite our physical differences, music has the power to unite and bring communities together.
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