Rub Up, Push Up
“Singer-songwriter Jason Nwagbaraocha was born to sing gorgeous island music”
– Gina Vivanetto, St. Pete Times
“Their musicianship is impeccable, as are the grooves on their Groovewell debut full-length, Rub Up Push Up”
– Scott Harrell, Weekly Planet
“From the skittish Kingston shuffle of "Skaville 2010" and the dancehall strains of "Stand Firm Version," to the jazzy instrumental frenzy of "Brazil" and the political urgency of "Johnny Ray," Nwagbaraocha is compiling a few advance pages for the genre's next chapter.”
– Focus Mag
Rocksteady@8, a supergroup formed in 1999 by members of Magadog,
Strangeways and Amandla Tunesmith, specializes in the sound of classic
Jamaican music, from late-'60s ska and rocksteady to the brand of roots and dub reggae popular during the '70s.
The eight-piece band, whose members have a special fondness for the
recordings helmed by famed Studio One producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Treasure Island producer Duke Reid, plays
originals rooted in that style, and additionally puts their own special spin
on favorites from the "golden era" of Jamaican roots music along with original blazing Afro-Caribbean and funk hybrids.
Rocksteady@8, led by singer-composer Jason Nwagbaraocha, (now a touring member of The Toasters) and
drummer Jonathan Priest, also includes Bryan Zink on guitar, bassist Joe Grady, keyboardist John Richardson and two horn
players - saxophonist Victoria King and trumpeter Brian Aulisio.
"It's so refreshing and wonderful to know that a band is so committed and
so talented and so able to play and so in love with the roots of
rocksteady," says Cheryl Mogul, a WMNF DJ and devotee of Jamaican music.
"It's great to hear the music of Sir Coxsone Dodd done so well and so
sweetly. It's just a true art form that these guys are doing. It's just
wonderful."
The octet has opened for Toots and the Maytals, Justin Hinds, Burning Spear, Eek-A-Mouse and Jimmy Cliff.
Links to Our Sites
Groovewell Records
Rocksteady@8 Moderated Group
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