EASY STAR ALL-STARS – ZIGGY STARDUB
Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies, and a premier rhythm section, Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene for nearly two decades. During this time, they’ve toured in over 30 countries on 6 continents bringing together fans of reggae, classic rock, dub,and indie rock into one big family. In 2023, the band will release its first new album in its best-selling series of tribute albums in 11 years. The series began with Dub Side Of The Moon (2003), the critically-acclaimed reggae re-working of the classic Pink Floyd album, then continued with Radiodread (2006), Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009), and Easy Star’s Thrillah (2012), as well as the remix album Dubber Side of the Moon (2010). The All-Stars have also released two original collections, Until That Day EP (2008) and First Light (2011), since forming in the early 2000s.The new tribute (which has not been officially announced to the public yet) will be a complete reggae reimaging of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars album. Featured guest performers on the record include Macy Gray, Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Mortimer, The Skints, The Expanders, Samory I, Naomi Cowan, SunDub, Alex Lifeson (RUSH), and Vernon Reid (Living Colour). The band will be incorporating songs from this new tribute into their 2023 sets, including potentially playing the album in full at some shows and festivals.Dub Side of the Moon was a sensation when originally released and spent more than 7 years straight on the Billboard Reggae Chart at the time. It got positive coverage and reviews on All Things Considered (NPR), and in Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, VIBE, Spin, Playboy, High Times, and many other magazines and publications. The record has, over time, garnered positive quotes and notices from members of Pink Floyd (most notably David Gilmour and Nick Mason), as well as from others involved in the original album, such as engineer Alan Parsons and singer Clare Torry. The follow-up album, Radiodread, which tackled Radiohead’s OK Computer, continued the band’s reputation for creative reinterpretation. To this day, two songs from this record (“Karma Police,” featuring Citizen Cope, and “Let Down,”featuring Toots & The Maytals) are regularly the All-Stars’ most streamed and listened to tracks. Thom Yorke gave a glowing mention of “Let Down,” and the album from the stage in Philadelphia upon the record’s original release. Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (a reworking of Sgt.Pepper’s) debuted to the highest charting success of the band’s career thus far. During that cycle, the band performed each of their three tribute albums in full during a memorable three night/three stage performance at Glastonbury, earning the All-Stars a nomination for best festival show in 2009 in the UK. The last tribute (Easy Star’s Thrillah) kept things going with a celebrated version of Michael Jackson’s most famous album. After that, the band has kept touring, but had taken a break from completing full-fledged new tribute material…until now.
Brooklyn-based SunDub has been consistently turning heads with their powerful performances across North America. Anchored by the dynamic brother-sister team Joanna Teters (lead vocals) and Ben Teters (vocals-drums), and an airtight rhythm section—Finnegan Singer (guitar), Jose Lopez (guitar), Derrick Bourne (bass), Eric "The General'' Toussaint (vocals-keys), Sidney Mills (vocals-keys) — SunDub has blazed onto the scene with two album releases: "Burden of Love (2019) and “Spirits Eat Music” (2022), catching the eyes and ears of reggae, soul and conscious music lovers. Featuring collaborations with Peetah Morgan, Lutan Fyah, Ruff Scott, The Chronic Horns, and Larry McDonald, SunDub continues to churn out exciting expressions of reggae’s classic undulating pulse and lush subterranean grooves, reinvented for listeners of all times and genres.