Formed back in 1997 by founding members Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein, the acclaimed, New York-based reggae outfit Easy Star All-Stars was originally conceived as a studio house band, consisting of a rotating collective of local reggae musicians and vocalists for Easy Star Records, the label Goldwasser co-founded in 1996. Shortly after the band was founded, they recorded a batch of material Goldwasser had written — with the idea that they’d be initially released as singles and then later as a compilation album.
In the 26 years since Easy Star Records’ founding, the label has developed and honed a reputation for pushing the boundaries of modern, contemporary reggae through the release of albums by John Brown’s Body, The Black Seeds, Ticklah, and Tommy T, as well as legends, The Meditations and Sister Carol. However, it’s the label’s house band that has put the label on the map internationally. The band’s first three albums 2003’s Dub Side of the Moon, 2006’s Radiodread and 2009’s Easy Stars’ Lonely Dub Hearts Band are not only some of the label’s best known and beloved release, they’ve been among some of independent reggae’s top-selling releases.
This Spring, Easy Star All-Stars have returned to the road for the first time since 2019 with five headlining shows across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and a festival stop in Mexico. The tour, which fittingly includes an April 20, 2022 stop at Brooklyn Bowl — 420 y’all! — will see the acclaimed reggae outfit performing Dub Side of the Moon, their beloved reggae reinterpretation of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in full, along with well-known tracks from their other tribute albums. As always tour dates are below. And you can get more info, including tickets here: http://easystarallstars.net.
Along with that, the band has been busy in the studio, working on their first tribute album since 2012’s Thrillah. They’ve kept which classic album, they’ve reinterpreted as a closely guarded secret — but there are plans for some of that material to be heard at some point during the tour. Additionally, Easy Star All-Stars’ vocalist Kirsty Rock, who contributes vocals on the band’s renditions of “The Great Gig In The Sky,” “Paranoid Android,” “She’s Leaving Home” and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” will be stepping out into the limelight as a solo artist with her full-length debut, Slow Burn, which is slated for a May 6, 2022 release.
Kristy Rock has released two singles from the album, and some of the album’s material are likely to find their way into the Easy Star set — especially since much of the album features current and former members of the collective.
So to celebrate the occasion of their Brooklyn Bowl show, check out some live footage of Easy Star All-Stars performing material from Dub Side of the Moon, Radiodread. It should give you a good taste of what to expect from their show this week — and the rest of the tour.
Tour Dates
April 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl (with The Far East and SunDub)
April 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
April 22 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
April 23 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
May 14 – Tequila, MX – Akamba Festival
