On May 13th, Groundation frontman, Harrison Stafford, a long with The Professor Crew, released their 3rd album together, titled One Dance. We’re giving away his new song “California” for FREE download — Read up on the FREE track & new album…
You can download Harrison Stafford’s new track, “California”, for FREE on our home page under the MP3 Leak of the Week on the right hand column! This Download will only be available until Saturday, June 4th, 2016.
Harrison Stafford – “California” – Download HERE (on The Pier homepage)
Harrison Stafford’s New Album: ‘One Dance’ & song “California” Background:
One Dance is a 12 track album evolving the authentic sounds of Roots-Reggae & Dub as Stafford recorded out of Harry J’s in Jamaica where he’s been recording for more than 15 years.
While Harrison Stafford is known for fronting Groundation, this is his 3rd release with The Professor Crew as One Dance follows 2011’s Madness and 2012’s CD/DVD release of Throw Down Your Arms. In addition to Harrison Stafford on vocals & guitar, this album includes Leroy “Horsemouth Wallace (drums), Errol “Flabba Holt” Carter (bass), Lloyd “Obeah” Denton (keyboards), and Big Ship Productions’ Dalton Browne (rhythm and lead guitar) in addition to Harrison’s longtime friend, Roger Landon, whom is also featured on lead guitar.
Harrison has previously worked with this legendary group of Jamaican musicians, aka the Professor Crew, on two previous releases: “Madness” (CD, 2011) and “Throw Down Your Arms” (CD/DVD 2012).
“Recording ‘One Dance’ was an awesome experience, very magical,” says Stafford of the album. “I knew what to expect and how to run the sessions smoothly. These are masters; they have been recording this reggae music for more than five decades so they know how to get the job done right the first time. I knew if I did my homework and got the songs ready, we could record all the basic tracks in one day. So that is what we did”
In addition to recording out of Jamaica, Harrison also has a home base where he is deeply rooted in the culture and spirituality of the music and people. “Every time I play music, it is touching and spiritual and with this crew of musicians; we are all instantly together as one energy,” said Harrison.
While Jamaica is Stafford’s second home, California would be his first home and birthplace. Track 7 on the new record is titled “California” as a tribute to his home state and the history it’s known for with dishing out great music.
“I was hearing that Grateful Dead sound in this track, a real Californian sound,” said Harrison. “There has been a lot of great works and music and more still to come out of this beautiful State.”
Harrison elaborates on the track, telling The Pier: “I have had the pledge to travel through many countries and cities around the world and every time I reach back home to the Northern California Bay Area it always feels so right; such a beautiful place with such beautiful people. I feel California is a land of dreamers and visionaries and this is what the world needs to keep pushing forward towards a greater love and harmony for all. Often times on stage I talk about how Californian’s are those whose fore-parents traveled the most, in search of a better life, and from here in the West, there is no more “new land” to escape to; we have to make a better world for our children from here.”
Harrison concludes that “In the song ‘California’ I am trying to convey that we have the most opportunity to effect change in our society and there is such richness here…great wealth and great poverty… A land of duality trying to solve life’s plutocracy.”
You can pick up Harrison Stafford’s new album One Dance on iTunes by clicking HERE!
Harrison Stafford Background:
Harrison Stafford, perhaps best known as Groundation’s lyricist and front-man, is taking reggae music back to its roots. With 10 studio albums and countless world tours, Harrison is a veteran of the concert scene, having shared the stage with artists such as Ziggy Marley, Sting, Snoop Dogg, The Roots and Burning Spear on world stages such as Outside Lands Music Festival, the Cali Roots Music Festival, and numerous international festivals including SummerJam (Germany), Rototom (Spain), Raggamuffins (New Zealand), WOMAD (Austrailia), and Casablanca Music Fest (Morocco). Harrison was dubbed “Professor” as many elder Jamaicans came to know him from the “History of Reggae Music” course he developed and taught at Sonoma State University (1999-2001). Harrison’s first solo release under the name “Professor” began in 2011 with the release of the album Madness after his pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine.
Harrison is currently touring to bring the history and the culture to the masses by way of his solo work under Harrison Stafford & the Professor Crew. From 2000-2012 Harrison worked to produced a documentary film on the history of the Rastafarian movement and Reggae music; entitled “Holding on to Jah.” The film features exclusive interviews with the who’s who of Reggae legends including The Congos, The Abyssinians, Ras Michael, Rocky Bailey, Brother Samuel Clayton, Pablo Moses, Israel Vibration, I Jahman Levi, Countryman, and Winston McAnuff among many others. “Holding on to Jah” was a collaboration with his long time childhood friend, director Roger Hall, and the film was released on DVD and online streaming November 10, 2015.
Related Links:
Harrison Stafford Website
Harrison Stafford Facebook
Huge thanks again to Harrison Stafford for allowing us to share “California” to post up for FREE download. Free music is a privilege that we’re grateful for and we appreciate the work these artists do! Please feel free to download this song for FREE and spread the awareness to your friends!
Enjoy the FREE track on the homepage!
Article By: Mike Patti
Watch: Harrison Stafford – “One Dance”