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- Rootfire: Progressive Roots
Rootfire first covered West Cork, Ireland-based artist, DMac Burns, back in September of 2023, when our writer Brendan McGinley authored a Video Premiere for his song, “Night.” At the time, the singer seemed to be just dipping a toe into reggae, but since then, the New York City-raised musician has leaned heavily into the genre as evidenced by the music he’s released over the past few years.… Read More
“[In] 2017, I drove to Palm Springs and told Sean about starting a band that mixed vintage reggae and ska with a touch of Conjunto accordion,” says Matt Hensley, legendary skateboarder and accordion player for Celtic punk band, Flogging Molly.… Read More
American reggae act, Algorhythm, has just dropped the first of several related EPs scheduled to release this year as part of their Surroundings series, an exciting project conceived by the band’s manager, Brandon Pescrille. The concept involves the band traveling to different cities around the world where they will write and record music on the spot, often in collaboration with local artists.… Read More
It may only be the first week of March, but if Break of Day, the recently released LP from California-based Looking East is any indication, 2026 promises to be a great year for reggae music.
Consisting of only two members, singer Drew Gonzales and producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Kearney who composed the music and lyrics, Looking East’s debut album deftly channels popular west coast reggae artists Stick Figure and Iration as a vehicle for moving, heartfelt sentiments.… Read More
New York’s IRIEspect, who fuse reggae with rock, hip-hop and Latin American flavors, have taken a big leap forward with their Lost in Time EP released in this past December.
This hard-working band from Long Island has been garnering a regional fanbase throughout the New York City area and New England on the strength of many live shows, both as headliners and in support of touring acts that come through the area.… Read More
We’ve all known at least one: bands that have been great from the get-go, but for some reason haven’t quite hit that critical mass that other similarly talented acts managed to. Well, The Irie have been working their butts off and churning out killer tunes the past few years, and if their last release is any indication, they might be finding themselves with a whole new audience after their EP, Way Out, drops on Friday.… Read More
By now, nearly all of us have heard the Pepper/LAW Records-helmed compilation album, Operation Irie. (If you haven’t, you owe me a spliff because, trust me, I just made your day.) Instant classic albums are few and far between these days, but this one definitely breathes that rarefied air. … Read More
Cycles, the latest LP from northern Florida’s The Ellameno Beat, is a viiibe. This low-key collection of mostly lovers rock songs released this past summer intriguingly blends blissful, dreamy feels with an understated darker element, evoking an ambience of what I’d imagine an opium den to have.… Read More
Aaron Wolf has been tearing it up. His blend of reggae, hip hop and folk underpins lyrics rooted in relentless possibility and endless possibilities. Unsurprisingly, that winning combination has struck a chord with audiences across the nation, culminating most recently in a spot on the 2025 Mission Bayfest festival where he opened for the likes of Sublime, Slightly Stoopid and Rebelution.… Read More
If I told you to rewind the clock five years, where would you be? Realistically, most of us were locked in our homes, watching blue summer skies smear into a palette of wispy autumn clouds as time dissolved into a blur of redundant mundanity.… Read More
