A Conversation in Dub

This week, our friend Dave Shiffman fills in for Mark, and together we talk with Josh Swain from the Movement. We highlight their newest single “So Cool” featuring Nick Hexum of 311. We talk about the formation of the band, working on this new single and album and collaborating with artists among the scene. Josh has been working in the reggae scene for over two decades and has a lot of insights an...

This week we’re highlighting a song by legendary ska-punk group, Fishbone. “Unyielding Conditioning” was on their 1993 album,  Give a Monkey a Brain and He’ll Swear He’s the Center of the Universe.  Being the single ska tune on a mostly heavy metal album, there is a lot to break down here. We talk about the high energy, the lyrical content, the instrumentation and so much more. Hope you enjoy this...

Disclaimer : We reviewed this song already in episode 93, but we honestly forgot! So, we reviewed this song as if we never had before, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did the second time around! This week, we dive into some early UB40 music and review the song “One in Ten” from the 1981  Present Arms album. This album precedes the “Red Red Wine” era of the band and has a much more roots and...

This week we’re celebrating what would be Bob Marley’s 80th birthday! For this occasion, we brought back our Wailers expert, Dan “Thundermon” Battaglia. We talk about our favorite Bob Marley songs and what they mean to us. We talk about the recent biopic, “One Love” and Dan shares fun anecdotes and stories about Bob Marley and the Wailers. Dan also ties this into a brief background on Leonard Pelt...

This week we listen to and break down “Just Magic” and the dub version by Kiko Bun. This is not the first time we’re featuring a track by Kiko Bun and certainly will not be the last. We break down this self produced track and the classic 80’s rubadub style that pays homage to the Jamaican classics. We hope you like these tracks as much as we do. Dig into the rest of Kiko Bun’s catalog for more ama...

We are stepping in to the new year with Steel Pulse’s 1984 hit “Steppin’ Out.” We talk about Steel Pulse’s progressive style and sound and get into the intricate details of this track that make it such a catchy classic. ⁠Podcast Merch Store

For the last episode of the year, we listen to the scorcher “One in a Million” by Half Pint. We talk about the track’s simplicity despite being a catchy hit in early Jamaican dancehall. We encourage you to dig into the Half Pint catalog and learn about where and how this style originated as it continues to inspire so many. In the latter portion of this episode, we pay tribute to those reggae legen...

This week we listen to the brand new single from Flying Vipers, “Show Me” and the dub version, “Show & Tell.” This is their first release with Easy Star Records and both versions showcase Kellee Webb on lead vocals. We talk about the warmth and vibe of the tune, and its interesting orchestration. We look forward to seeing what else Flying Vipers has coming up! You can hear this track on Bandca...

This week we listen to two tracks: “Anywhere But Here” & “Valentine’s Day” by The Steady 45s. We discuss how the band stays true to the traditional style of early 60s Jamaica in terms of songwriting, the way the music is performed, and the recording quality. Both tunes are from the 2017 album Trouble in Paradise , where they showcase the band’s impressive range from one song to the next. We ho...

This week we are joined by a fellow member of the Rootfire family, Jim The Boss. Jim just released a Halloween themed dub album called “Jim The Boss Presents: Dubs From The Grave.” We talk about the creation of this album, his backstory of getting into reggae music and some of Jim’s past accomplishments. He also shares details about some fun and exciting projects he has coming up. We had a lot of...

This week we listen to “Humans” by the Southern California based band, Eureka Sound. This Is the second track from the 2019 album  Word to Mankind . We talk about the unique soulful elements throughout the song, the harmonies, and so much more. This is a first listen for Mark, so you’ll hear his real, initial reaction to a powerful song. We hope you enjoy this song, and we highly recommend listeni...

This week we listen to a classic tune by Pablo Moses called “Music is My Desire.” We talk about the progressive style and clean production in his music, break down the percussiveness of the song, and much more. We hope you like this tune and check out the rest of the Pablo Moses catalog. You can hear “Music is My Desire” on all streaming platforms and on Youtube. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast Merch Store

This week we’re joined by singer and songwriter Devin Morrison a.k.a. Man Like Devin. You may know Devin as the lead singer in The Expanders, guitarist for Long Beach Dub Allstars, host of The Reggae Podclash, or his solo album, “Wheel and Shoulder.” We talk about his introduction into reggae music with Roger Steffens, the process of writing and recording his solo album, and future plans he has in...

This week we’re joined by fellow reggae podcaster and producer, Henry Karyo. Henry hosts the “Rootsland” podcast as well as the limited “Kingston to Cali” podcast series. We talk a bit about his background as a producer in Jamaica working with Tuff Gong. We discuss the logistics of podcast hosting and the current state of reggae music. Henry gives us some insights on his future plans regarding phi...

This week we watch the live studio version of Johnny Osbourne’s “In Your Eyes” from the newly released Baco Sessions EP . This is the 2024 live rendition of the classic tune “In Your Eyes” from the Never Stop Fighting album, released in 1982. We talk about the band dynamic, Johnny Osbourne’s experience and of course his amazing voice. We encourage you to watch the video for this song because you w...

This week we listen to a new single from Daman featuring Sara Lugo, “No Competition.” While we were more familiar with Sara Lugo’s previous work, it’s always great to hear collaborations and get to know other producers/musicians. We talk about the layering of the instruments, the dub influences and the beautifully done vocals. We hope you enjoy this track and we also hope that there are more of th...

This week we’re talking about the new Sublime song. Yes, you read that right! Stick Figure collaborated with surviving members of the band Bud and Eric, using vocal tracks from Bradley Nowell as well as from his son, Jakob Nowell. This brand new song is a summertime hit! We break down the elements of this new tune and talk about Sublime’s history. Catch Sublime back out on the road with Bud, Eric,...

This week we discuss a true legend: Sugar Minott. We listen to his 1984 classic tune "Slice of the Cake" and talk about his style and career. From his roots era, moving into the dancehall days of Jamaica and his more modern work with Easy Star Allstars, and so much more. His unique voice and style will certainly live on and be an inspiration forever. You can hear “Slice of the Cake” on a...

This week we have the honor of talking with Van Gordon Martin, guitarist for Dub Apocalypse, Organically Good Trio, John Brown’s Body and many others. We feature the new Dub Apocalypse single, Burn Out the Plague. We talk about how he juggles his different projects, how he got started in music and found reggae, as well as the future plans he is looking forward to. Van also shares a few of his favo...

This week we have an enlightening conversation with Reid Foster, director of Rootfire. We talk about our podcast’s partnership with Rootfire and what that will look like going forward. Reid also takes us down memory lane, recounting how Rootfire started, his role in the company and some of the ups & downs that Rootfire has gone through. There is no song featured in this episode, but there is a...

This is a special announcement episode of A Conversation in Dub! Rootfire.net Cold Summer Records Store

Welcome to our special Christmas episode of 2022! Not only is this a special themed episode, it's also our first ever video episode. Be sure to check out this episode on  our Youtube channel using the link below. This week we listen to two Christmas songs by Roger Rivas, “Christmas Time is Here” and “Linus & Lucy” from the Rivas Records Christmas EP from 2020. We talk about his iconic sou...