Easy Star All Stars
From its inception in 1996, Easy Star Records has been at the forefront of a growing revolution in reggae music. Easy Star evolved from an idea hatched by four friends into a vibrant independent record company that has been called “…one of the most important reggae labels in America today.” [Full Watts, 9/98] During that time, a new generation of young fans has begun to discover the addictive riddims of Jamaica’s most famous export, either through music influenced by reggae—such as hip hop and electronica—or in its pure, unadulterated form. Through its music, this website, and a weekly party in downtown Manhattan, Easy Star has helped to foster this renewed interest in Jamaican music, and can now be rightfully considered one of the leaders in the modern reggae industry.
From the start, Easy Star’s principals—Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer, Michael Goldwasser, and Remy Gerstein—had in mind a three-pronged musical attack, to better reflect reggae’s diversity: modern roots productions, using live instrumentation and vintage recording techniques, to recapture and re-imagine the spirit of reggae’s golden age; innovative dancehall riddims to keep current with reggae as it evolves; and reissues of rare recordings that influenced both of these styles. Few labels have taken such a broad approach, yet Easy Star has managed to excel in each by focusing on elements such as songwriting, experimentation, and soul, which has led to glowing reviews from fans, critics, musicians, and the artists themselves.
About the Releases
Modern roots fans have been blessed with Easy Star Volume One (1998), an all original compilation that mixed the talents of established stars like Sister Carol, Sugar Minott, Ranking Joe, and the Meditations with up-and-coming artists like Ossie Dellimore and Gary “Nesta” Pine; the Meditations’ Ghetto Knowledge (1999), which brought together the three original members of the legendary harmony trio for the first time since the early ‘90s, resulting in “…pure pleasure for roots fans” [Reggae Nucleus, Spring 1999]; Two Roads (2000), which turned the spotlight on Triston Palma, one of dancehall’s finest voices and early pioneers; and All I Have Is Love: A Tribute To Studio One (2001), a compilation produced and conceived by Sister Carol that paid respect to Jamaica’s most famous record label, which “…offers the best of the best.” [Beat Magazine, Vol. 20, #3]
As for reissues, Easy Star has garnered much praise for its extensive work with reggae innovator Sugar Minott, including releases of his first solo record, Ghetto-ology + Dub (2000); Rare Gems (2001), a collection of many of his hardest-to-find singles, which won the coveted Indie Award for Best Reggae Album; two volumes of Hidden Treasures (1999 and 2000), which highlighted Minott’s brilliant productions on his own Black Roots imprint for artists such as Barrington Levy, Tenor Saw, Junior Reid, Alton Ellis, and countless others; and Want Some Freedom (2001), a collection of music by the African Brothers, a well respected 1970s trio featuring teenagers Sugar Minott, Tony Tuff, and Derrick Howard. July 2002 sees the release of Can’t Stop Us Now, which digs into producer Linval Thompson’s vaults to find rare cuts from Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Junior Reid, Freddie McGregor, and others.
On the dancehall front, Easy Star unleashed Easy Star Volume Two: Dancehall Culture in 2002. That record featured three original riddims written by Michael G (Pick Up, Thai Stick, and Cool Down) and brought Easy Star full circle by pairing some of the best-known artists in reggae (Luciano, Anthony B, Frankie Paul, Beres Hammond, Half Pint) with the next generation of stars (Rob Symeonn, Minx, Dollarman), just as Easy Star Volume One had done.
In February 2003 Easy Star released the now classic Dub Side Of The Moon project, which is a song-by-song reggae recreation of the classic Pink Floyd album Dark Side Of The Moon. And more great projects are around the corner. The album has sold over 100,000 copies and spent over 200 weeks on the Billboard charts. The live version of the album has been selling out shows all over the US, Europe, South Americia, Middle East and beyond since 2004.
In 2005 Easy Star released the highly anticipated 5th studio album from John Brown's Body titled Pressure Points, the band has been on tour throughout the last several years promoting the album.
2006 was a big year for the label, releasing the first DVD, "Dub Side Live" which covered one of the live performances of Dub Side of the Moon by The Easy Star All-Stars. Easy Star also released the follow up to Dub Side of the Moon, this time covering the Radiohead classic, OK Computer. The album, Radiodread, became another instant classic and has been on the billboard charts since it's release in August of 2006. With the success of Radiodread and the DVD, The Easy Star All-Stars have been touring the globe. From Chile to Israel to Turkey and beyond the band is spreading the Easy Star brand far and wide.
Easy Star is very excited about the new release from Ticklah, titled Ticklah Vs Axelrod (Release Date: Sept 25th 2007). This reggae/dub album was a labor of love for Ticklah and was three years in the making. Look out for possible tour dates for Ticklah coming soon.
And there's plenty more great reggae to come from Easy Star including a follow up to Radiodread and much more.
The Web Site and Reggae Tuesdays
Besides creating timeless music, Easy Star has had another important goal throughout its six-plus years of existence: fostering a vibrant community of reggae fanatics to ensure the music’s health for years to come. To this end, the label launched its website in 1997 (and now unveiled this updated version in 2002 with a new version set to launch)—with record and concert reviews, articles on reggae history, guides to the complex New York reggae scene (including concert schedules, record stores, and restaurants), and a much-used message board—to educate and connect reggae fans around the globe. Likewise, on the local scale, Easy Star began Easy Star Reggae Tuesdays in 1997, a free weekly party in Manhattan’s East Village, which has become the longest running reggae party in New York City. Conceived as an atmosphere for reggae fans to relax, vibe, and network with each other, the popular party features music by DJ Twice, ital food, and has been blessed with visits and impromptu performances from luminaries including Shinehead, the Meditations, Sugar Minott, Ranking Joe, Mikey Jarrett, Sister Carol, Congo Ashanti Roy, Sluggy Ranks, Louie Rankin, and Junior Demus.
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