The newly formed band Dukes of Roots sat down with The Pier to talk about their new album and new song!
Dukes of Roots debut single is a classic cover of Toots and The Maytals’ “Pressure Drop” with Tarrus Riley. With ties to Toots Hibberts, they felt this was the best way to honor their late friend. A prolific bassist and member of the band, Fully Fullwood was great friends with Toots and had performed many times with him, along with vocalist Mermans Monengo who had performed with Toots.
They comment, “We thought that this was an appropriate first release given the rich history of the song and roots reggae.” The new single dropped on Friday and is the Dukes of Roots’ debut released on Migration Records and YoungPow Productions. https://moremusic.at/PressureDropDoR
Interview with Dukes of Roots:
The Pier: Welcome to The Pier, we are excited to talk to you, so the Dukes of Roots is a newly formed band – how did you meet each other?
DOR: Most of the band members have worked together in the past on various projects in Reggae. over the course of several years. We like to think of Dukes of Roots as more than a band, and rather a movement, that was started to keep the roots of Reggae alive through collaboration and contribution.
The Pier: The first single released is a cover and a classic, do you have original music in the works?
DOR: Yes, we are finishing up our first album which is composed of 7 original songs and 2 cover songs. The other cover song is the classic “I Can See Clearly Now” written by Johnny Nash and also performed by Jimmy Cliff.
The Pier: How did you know Tarrus Riley, and how was it working with such a legendary musician?
DOR: Producer Young Pow has worked with Tarrus Riley in the past and through that, he has an existing relationship.
The Pier: Given this is The Pier, and we see some of you live in Florida and LA, does anyone surf? If so what are a few of their favorite surf spots?
DOR: No members of the band surf, but enjoy watching it in Laguna Beach and Venice Beach.
The Pier: What is next for the band? Any live performances in the works?
DOR: We are focused on putting out more singles and our album release later this year, but we definitely have some exciting opportunities and live performances planned for 2023.
Dukes of Roots is comprised of Mermans Mosengo on vocals, the Congolese singer has performed all over the world with the arts organization Playing For Change and a variety of other bands. George “Fully” Fullwood on bass, the Jamaican musician is regarded as one of the most prolific bass players in the scene having worked with greats like Toots Hibberts, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh – to name a few. Courtney Diedrick on drums is also from Jamaica and is a Grammy-award winning musician whose credits, like his bandmates, are prolific and include Damian and Steven Marley, Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart – to name a few. Sean Diedrick on production and keys is a Grammy-award winning producer from Jamaica who has been producing for legendary artists like Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Sean Paul, Shaggy and Popcaan for years. Rod Walkey on guitar also composes and writes lyrics for the band.
By: James Wright
