08.08.13 - Screechy Dan LIVE in the studio

LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVE AT JAMAICAROCK.COM

Always love and respect to our good friend and mega-talent Screechy Dan! Screechy is one of the pioneers of the 90s Dancehall scene, with huge hits like Pose Off, Skin Out and Booming in Your Jeep, to name a few. We've had him on the show before and you can see one of the videos HERE. He stopped by the studio this week with a new tune by Gyasi, as well as dropping a freestyle over the Skylarking riddim. We also had some wicked newer tunes (exclusives!) that we were able to share with the listeners so definitely check the archive above. Oh yeah, it was also his Earthstrong celebration that night, so Happy Birthday Screechy!

08.01.13 - Jamaican Independence Special with Scratch Famous

LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVE AT JAMAICAROCK.COM

Scratch Famous of Deadly Dragon Sound

Happy Independence Day, Jamaica! This show is particularly Jamaican-themed and some songs from 1962, the same year. In the second hour we were joined by good friend and fellow Deadly Dragon Scratch Famous who (as usual) went into the vault and brought some killer ska and rocksteady 45s. We discussed the upcoming party, The Roots Of Sound System co-presented by Dub Stuy Records and featuring legendary collectors / selectors spinning on the custom Tower Of Sound. Check the archive!

07.25.13 - Rita Marley & Ras Tafari

LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVE AT JAMAICAROCK.COM

Rita Marley & The Soulettes

Haile Selassie I

If you haven't noticed, I often look to birth days for inspiration of the day's show. For this show, the inspiration was the beautiful soul of Rita Marley. I started off the show with some favorite Rita Marley & The Soulettes tunes, trying not to play the ones I play most often. It was also the week of celebration of Haile Selassie, Jah Ras Tafari's birth and so I wanted to play some songs centered around HIM as well.

07.18.13 - Vic Ruggiero LIVE in the studio

LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVE AT JAMAICAROCK.COM

Vic Ruggiero

Vic Ruggiero on Jamaica Rock

Roy Shirley

Victor "Vic" Ruggiero is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers who have released over 13 albums. He has also released several solo acoustic albums and continues to tour worldwide, as well as recording and performing live with musicians like reggae legend Ken Boothe and groups like punk legend Rancid. Ruggiero is known primarily as a singer and organist, although he also plays piano, bass, banjo, guitar, harmonica and percussion.

Ruggiero is known for his distinct Bronx accent and his lyrics usually follow several themes, including the apocalypse, dark humor, political distrust, paranoia, murder, irony, romance and loneliness. His songs have ranged from narrative ballads to whimsical tunes inspired by Beat generation poets, authors and songwriters, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and John Lennon.

Vic joined Queen Majesty live in the studio on the Jamaica Rock show and they talked about his upcoming European Tour, booze cruises, rocksteady documentaries as well as some brand new music that he brought with him.

Also, a special shout out to the completely underrated talent of Roy Shirley, whose music starts out the show in celebration of his Earthstrong. Check the archive.

07.11.13 - John Holt, Mykal Rose, Barry Brown and More

LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVE AT JAMAICAROCK.COM

John Holt

Mykal Rose

Barry Brown

This show was inspired by the Earthstrongs of John Holt and Mykal Rose, two of my favorite singers. I  had also been listening to a lot of Barry Brown (even more than usual) so I decided to bring some of my favorites from him as well. Respect to all three. Check the archive and the playlist above.