How does an insurance salesman end up recording music with members of Rebelution, Tribal Seeds and Long Beach Dub Allstars? Like many things in life, it started with the unexpected. …
Meet South Swell Syndicate: Reggae Rock’s Newest Rising Act Read More
Before the upstroke guitars and sun-soaked harmonies of modern reggae-rock, there was the blast of brass coming out of Oakland. Tower of Power’s horn section—punchy, precise, and relentlessly funky—didn’t just …
From Oakland to Ocean Beach: How Tower of Power’s Horns Shaped Reggae-Rock’s Groove Read More
Mission Bayfest returns to San Diego this weekend, delivering a stellar lineup of beloved stars alongside the next wave of rising acts. Now in its fourth year, Bayfest has established …
Mission Bayfest Preview: 7 Acts We Can’t Wait to See Read More
If Los Angeles had a Mount Rushmore of hip-hop producers, DJ Muggs would be chiseled in granite. For more than three decades, the Cypress Hill co-founder has been the architect …
DJ Muggs: The SoCal Architect Who Built a Hip-Hop Empire Read More
By the late ’60s, San Francisco was already humming with psychedelic revolution, but across the Bay in Oakland, something grittier was taking shape. When a young Emilio Castillo met baritone …
How Tower of Power Put Oakland on the Musical Map With East Bay Grease Read More
For years, Mihali Savoulidis was known as the magnetic frontman of Vermont jam outfit Twiddle, leading marathon sets that blurred rock, funk, and reggae into hypnotic improvisation. But after nearly …
Mihali Returning to Outermost Festival With New Material and Immaculate Vibes Read More
Few bands have bent the DNA of popular music as profoundly as WAR. Emerging from the streets of Long Beach and Compton, the collective fused funk, rock, Latin, soul, and …
How the Band WAR Rewired American Music in Southern California Read More
Pepper’s sprawling new covers compilation Operation Irie is a love letter to the punk, ska, and reggae sounds that fueled the Warped Tour generation. Among the standouts is Nathan Aurora …
Nathan Aurora Reinvents Rancid’s ‘Ruby Soho’ for ‘Operation Irie’ Compilation Read More
