The Reggae Podclash

Special guest co-host James Searl, frontman/bassie of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, joins Roger to interview Man-Like-Devin who just released his debut solo record "WHEEL AND SHOULDER: ACOUSTIC REGGAE, ROCKSTEADY & SKA VOL. I".  The three good friends talk about the writing and production of the record, Devin's history in the L.A. Ska and U.S. Reggae scenes, and are joined halfway through by Devin's brothe...

The Reggae PodClash: Episode #41 - Pachyman - 08/12/2021
Our good friend Pachyman stops by to talk about his new dub records that have taken the Reggae world by storm. He tells us about his approach to riddims and dub, his history in Reggae music, and reminisces with Devin about his wacky times as keyboard player for The Expanders. Super fun conversation with one of today's Dub masters. Don't miss it!

Roger&a...

Reggae guitarist Andy Bassford joins us to discuss his incredible career playing and recording with many of the all-time greats of Jamaican music. Stories include being bandleader for Toots Hibbert, recording with organist Winston Wright, and a hilarious recounting of his first link with the great Lyn Tait.

Records of The Week:
Dev's Record: The Living Truth - "Bongo Natty"
Rog's Record: The Cry...

Joey Altruda is an American musician, composer, producer and bandleader from Los Angeles. Formed In 1989,  his band Jump With Joey became a keystone in the revival of traditional Jamaican Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggae. Jump With Joey filled the dance floors backing Jamaican musicians such as Roland Alphonso, Laurel Aitken, Ernest Ranglin, Rico Rodriguez, Ken Lazarus. In 2006 Altruda was awarded a lifetime achievement award for the Pr...

One of the biggest Reggae stars of the 21st century, Alborosie joins Dev and Rog this week to premiere the brand new tune “GINAL” featuring Collie Buddz. The guys discuss Alborosie’s ever-growing collection of vintage studio equipment and instruments that he has purchased from most of the classic Jamaican studios over the course of his almost 30 years living and working in JA. They talk about his producer and engineer skills, the m...

This week Roger and Devin are joined by Jamaican Roots pioneer Winston Jarrett. He tells us all about his early childhood, forming The Flames with Alton Ellis in the early days of ska and together cutting some of Alton's biggest tunes, embarking on a solo career, and how the inequities of the music business that Winston had to overcome at every turn led to him switching to self-production in the mid-70s. Don't miss this r...

This week we welcomed back Reggae Rog to the show, and were treated to one of the best conversations we've had on the Podclash yet. Santa Davis and Tony Chin from the iconic Soul Syndicate band joined us to discuss their incredible careers creating some of the heaviest and most enduring reggae riddims ever to come out of JA. The stories they tell are beyond priceless, everything from how the flying cymbals got it's name (...

This week, Devin ran the show on his own while Rog was off making another great reggae record with past-Podclash-guest Jason Mraz. Dev started the show with a tribute to the great deejay Trinity who passed a few days prior. Then the great Errol Dunkley joined the show to discuss his many hits during the rocksteady and reggae eras for most of the big producers of the time, and to set the record straight on various points around whic...

Toby from Gentleman’s Dub Club joins us to discuss their new album “Down To Earth” out now on Easy Star Records. We talk about the challenges and unexpected benefits of writing and recording an album during quarantine, the group’s history and relationships with other UK heavyweights like Prince Fatty, The Skints and Hollie Cook, and much more before closing the show out with a live dub of the tune “Honey” mixed on the spot by Toby....

Miss Pat, one of the matriarchs of Jamaican music, co-founder of Randy's Records & Studio 17, as well as VP records, joins us to talk about her 60-plus years in the Reggae business. We discuss her new book that started as a scrap book for her grandchildren and became a 200 page 5 pound coffee table book full of never-before-seen photos and untold stories from the golden age of Jamaican Music. We talk about the ways that he...

In this special bonus episode, Devin and Roger discuss the two heavyweights of Jamaican music who recently passed away, U-Roy and Bunny Wailer, after spinning a couple of killer 7” singles. Special shoutouts to: Cali Roots Radio, Songs From Scratch with Nate Feinstein, Dub Club, Junior Francis’s Reggae Show, Chuck Foster’s Reggae Central, Clinton Fearon’s Sunday With & Talk With A Friend, and History of LA Ska.

Records...

The great Johnny Clarke joins us to talk about his career as one of the greatest, most influential artists in Reggae music. We discuss his work with producers like Clancy Eccles, Rupie Edwards and the great Bunny Lee. Johnny describes the magic of a mid-70s King Tubbys dance, and tells us about working and recording with the master of dub to voice some of the biggest tunes in the history of Jamaican music. We also dive into the bac...

Freddie McGregor joins us to discuss his 7 decades as one the most recognizable voices and names in Reggae music. A great storyteller, Freddie tells us about his beginnings with The Clarendonians, his many memories of Studio One while living with the Dodd family as a child, the stories behind some of his biggest tunes including Big Ship and Bobby Bobylon, his close friendships with Dennis Brown and Jacob Miller, playing drums on ea...

Clinton Fearon makes his second appearance on the show to discuss his time with The Gladiators, his departure from the group and subsequent career based in Seattle. We also talk about how his live-stream acoustic performances have been one of the silver-linings of quarantine, and some of his fellow Jamaican artists who he most admired and looked up to during the golden age of reggae. And much more!

Records of The Week:

The great Ken Boothe talks about his start in the music business after teaming up with Stranger Cole to do sessions for Duke Reid and then Coxsonne Dodd. Ken describes early dancehall days in the 60s, why he holds Coxsonne in very high regards, and his gratitude for the things music has given to him and to all of us. We ask him about a handful of specific tunes, and he sings a cappella snippets of all of them! Ken Boothe: what a gu...

Author, archivist, lecturer, collector, and Bob Marley expert Roger Steffens joins us to talk about his 45 years of work and friendships with Reggae icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs, Alton Ellis and many more. We talk about his numerous game changing books, some of his favorite obscure reggae gems, why Bob Marley was the most important artist of the 20th century and beyond, plus a whole lot more.

Records of The...

Jamaican conga master Larry McDonald joins us to discuss his long career that began in the late 50s before the invention of Ska. We talk about his time playing with legends like Tommy McCook, Carlos Malcom, Lennie Hibbert, The Crystalites, Lee Perry, Taj Mahal and Gil Scott Heron. Larry tells us about being one of if not the only serious conga player in the golden age of Reggae. So many great stories here.

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Man...

Pipe & Bread from Wailing Souls join us to discuss their long career at the very top of the list of Jamaican super groups. They relate stories from the very beginning including their first recordings as The Renegades, rehearsing with Bob, Peter and Bunny in Joe Higgs’ yard, beating all the other artists at cricket and ping pong, the albums they released for Studio One, Island Records and Junjo Lawes, their new album Back A Yard...

Miguel of Skunk Records joins us to talk about the production of and influences on the iconic Sublime record “40 0z to Freedom.” We have a great time going listening to samples of tunes that were heavy influences on Sublime and Bradley Nowell’s style, as well as songs from the album that Miguel handpicked to showcase certain production or song writing aspects. Great episode!

Tunes of the Week:
Devin's = Horace Joh...