Emerging like a Phoenix, Arise Roots brings more of what the world needs

The Los Angeles, CA band Arise Roots has been rekindling the 1970's style roots-reggae music back to full flame since 2010. Composed to be an essential, soul-driven roots reggae band with appeal to anyone amid social, economic and environmental controversy. They bring something new and fresh yet leave the integrity of the roots feel intact. Singer Karim Israel explains, "Me personally, I feel like I have a responsibility to give a voice to the voiceless, or to make sure certain issues are in the minds of the people that listen to our music. I don't ever want to be a 'weed band' or a 'party band' or just a band that is playing music just to do music because to me it's not about that. To me, it's the message first, then wrap the message in the music. I can't separate the message from the music."  Keys player Todd Johnson puts it this way, "The music is the vehicle to transport the message." Their message is that of roots-reggae: One Love, unity, and peace.
 
Founding member Ron Montoya lays down a steady drum beat, uniting a sound-dropping bass rythm from Rodolfo "Rudy" Covarrubias, skilled keys/vocal harmonies/trumpet player Todd Johnson, dedicated front man/singer Karim Israel, and fire-setter Robert Sotelo Jr. on guitar. Also adding incredible harmonies featured live as part of Arise Roots over the last two years on vocals and guitar is Chris Brennan from The Soulutionaries, a cornerstone for backing legendary Studio One Artists: Keith & Tex (also backed by guitarist Robert Sotelo at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2014), The Tennors, The Cables, Winston Francis, among others. You can find Chris playing guitar with the Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra as well.

Since inception Arise Roots has been steadily releasing music to the masses. In 2010 they debuted EP "Lay Your Guns Down," full-length "Moving Forward" in 2013, and not only their most recent release but also their most successful, "Love & War" in 2014. Each has been a solid representation of where the band is along their musical journey. Guitarist Robert Sotelo says of their perseverance, "We are constantly improving ourselves and rehearsing so we can keep on doing what we're doing." Their music is captured extremely well in each respective recording effort but the live performances are what set Arise Roots aside. Over the last several years the band has highlighted the biggest reggae concerts and festivals throughout California and the northwest region, expanding into Canada.

Between their sell out shows at home in Southern California, the band was brought out nationally by one of today's most relevant roots-reggae bands, Tribal Seeds, on the 2015 Summer Smoke Out Tour. Along for the ride were enormously talented, fellow L.A. roots band, The Expanders. The roots run deep with this group. Bass player from The Expanders, Chiquis Lozoya, is credited for additional vocals on both Arise Roots LPs and accompanies Chris Brennan with heavy roots legends The Maytones (vocal duo Vernon Buckley and Gladstone Grant), Brian Dixon (The Aggrolites), and Jeremiah BenZion on an upcoming full length release for The Maytones. As well as Tribal Seeds' own E.N Young hosted Arise Roots in his Imperial Sound Recording Studio to record "Love & War." The group collaborated with E.N on one of the album's biggest songs, "A Little More," featuring E.N's soothing vocals, inspiring livity, and amazing melodica solo.

"I've heard quite a few times there's one particular thing that helps keep the fire lit within me which is that a band like Arise Roots is something that this scene needs... And I really don't want to say that in an arrogant way at all but I've heard it a few times especially being on tour. So hearing that definitely motivates me, inspires me to keep going, to do more, to go further, go harder, to go stronger," singer Karim says. "When it comes to this whole scene I'm very honored and happy to be a part of it and when I hear something like that it definitely gives me motivation to go harder." Todd chimes in, "I dig on it when people tell me the music has effected their lives in a positive way. Like I've had people that come up to me and say 'Better Man' repaired my relationship - that's awesome! I feel really good to know that!" 

"We share common ground as a group of people with this positive message in reggae music. That's one of the things I love most of all about reggae music." Bassist Rudy says. "This music is communal, it's a shared experience. It's important." Karim elaborates "We (Arise Roots) are all music lovers first so the same thing that people tell me they are getting from our music I get from other music, so it's a cycle. To me it's two sides of an equation, you need both sides for it to work. We are part of this whole reggae music scene and I'm honored to be contributing to it, but take that away we are still fans of it and still part of it."

Arise Roots and the entire reggae community strive to share more positivity with the world and show no signs of letting up. Constantly "moving forward" they anticipate more major tours, bigger live shows, growing strength, and having more positive influence. "There's a connection we have with, I don't even call them fans, with people. We love having a connection with people. It's about the people..." Karim concludes. "It's a type of shared consciousness where we all go through the same things so we are just giving our perspective of it with our little spin. If you dig on it then great, but if not - no harm no foul, but those people we do connect with and do resonate with... man, we are so thankful, it's a cool thing."

Black Bottom Lighters coming for '2 or 2000' - can you dig it?

The Arizona desert bestows one of their greatest local music gifts in recent memory with the release of Black Bottom Lighters debut LP, '2 or 2000!' The title indicating the band's desire to bring their message and music to a crowd of 2 or 2000, 10 or 10,000, 20 or 20 million... Their message none other than proving yourselves worthy through hard work, perseverance, and God-given talent. The bass bumping, drum thumping, steady rocking, smooth styling rhythms highlighted throughout the 14 all-original tracks set-up a strong foundation for the band's very bright future.

Since issuing their self-titled EP in 2012 they've been quite busy growing as people, developing their sound as a band, and living their lives. Their new album efforts who they are now with "conscious music," their guitar player/vocalist T calls it. He says, "It's all about what we're living and real stuff - a lot of our new music has a positive message... we just want to influence people in a positive way, put good music out in the world, and do what we love." Front man Stilly iterates, "We wanted to establish what we are now. We sat down and made sure everything was original and made a conscious effort to make everything that we are."

The Black Bottom Lighters were able to to partner up with the 93.9 KWSS morning show TMI with Beef Vegan to release their new song "Carousel" for a free download competition on Reverb Nation. Hard Rock Cafe and Reverb Nation teamed up for an international contest among thousands of bands and Black Bottom Lighters were fierce contenders. After live performance reviews and additional download release "We Were Here" they nearly won the grand prize of an all-inclusive trip and play Hard Rock Rising Music Festival in Rome, Italy. They did earn themselves a slot among bands Jimmy Eat World, 30 Seconds to Mars, Stone Temple Pilots, Pepper, The Dirty Heads at the Big Ticket Music Festival in Jacksonville, FL. They've also been featured at numerous Southwest music festivals Wild Wild West Fest, Uplift Music and Arts Festival, Unity Festival, True Music Festival, McDowell Mountain Music Festival, Apache Reggae Jam, and Tempe Beach Park with headliners Rebelution and Atmosphere.

Strangely enough in the midst of the Reverb Nation/Hard Rock competition their drummer McPhatty suffered a snowboarding accident to his elbow and was unable to use his left arm, but that didn't stop him! He pulled a full Rick Allen (Def Lepard's infamous one-armed drummer) and played through the injury down one drumstick! It was an example of the band's perseverance over obstacles. Frontman Stilly said, "You gotta be confident in who you are and stick to your guns. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. We wouldn't be (where we are now) if we didn't."

Essentially they want to give their fans their money's worth while living the life they love. Stilly has become a father, a soon-to-be husband, and entrepreneur by starting HEINA clothing. He designs custom men's and women's tanks, shirts, hoodies, shoes - even coffee tables! Their guitarist Philly Cheese you won't find anywhere on social media. "People hound me everyday to get one," he explains. "Life is real without it - I'm not a social kinda person. If I do end up getting one ever, my name would be different and it would be strictly for music." Bassist/vocalist, Jose, really stepped up his harmonies and also his guitar playing. During their "Smoked Out Sessions" at Copper Blues, a popular rock pub where the band is featured at their Phoenix and Tempe locations regularly, Jose plays entire sets on guitar and vocals with T and Phil both taking turns on bass. It also happens to be where they recorded their live acoustic album that is still yet to be released.

However, what has been released shows a collective progression of the band's abilities. The first 15 seconds of '2 or 2000' is complete silence. Maybe a chance to save on your car insurance? Maybe calling their shot for their "15" minutes of fame? Whatever the case may be the keys, guitars, and drums soon ring in and then the bass takes a little walk. The Intro takes the listener for about a minute and a half heart pumping, adrenaline rushing ride! It runs right into rock ballads "Rockin and Rollin" and "Carousel' to continue stirring it up. Then comes the lady killer, "Lil Mama!" This song strums the ladies' heartstrings with a great call and response with Stilly, Phil, T and Jose all harmonizing. In the studio and on stage Phil and Jose switch guitar and bass next on "Changes," yet another way for them to symbolize how the band can remain diligent in their versatility while singing about change in world. And they keep it going with "Herbal Essence," a retooled song from the BBL vault. As is "Can't Take Me," originally recorded acoustic on the Arizona Appetizer. The song "Astronauts" has self-explanatory uplifting references and assuming ears can relax to the vibrations. The deep message of "How Good" encourages people to look out for each other, spreading good feelings, and ultimately is what the band is about in a nutshell. It was even featured on the NFL Network during the week of the Super Bowl! Sublime-esque "Language of My Soul," powerful but subtle "No Time to Lose," lost love provoked song "Liar," and the aforementioned single/ballad "I'm Still Here" round out the track listings.

The overall talent and the production really shine throughout the album! The release needed to prove not only the album's credibility but their own. They took the CD release to the state of the art Live Wire, a very near sell out crowd at the center of the Entertainment District in Old Town Scottsdale, AZ. The location a highlight itself, Black Bottom Lighters being the first Arizona local to headline the impressive, brand-new venue. The sound, light, and stage productions were phenomenal and the band invited friends all over the state of Arizona and all over the country (as far as Florida) to come share the success with them. The moment of most importance was the amazing support received when they took the stage. The energetic frontman Stilly, threw himself into the crowd to stage dive - except something was notably different about it this time. He says, "I've staged dove before and it was kinda half-assed but this time it was super clean, they caught me, they were all there like a trust exercise."

In the language of symbolism that is exactly what the CD and CD release amounted to; one big trust exercise. The band gave the fans everything they had. Then when they didn't have anymore to give the Black Bottom Lighters dug deeper in themselves, giving even more than they thought they could initially and came out champions. The crowd caught Black Bottom Lighters that night and will carry them on going forward. '2 or 2000?' It's beginning to look a lot more like 2000 these days, but humble beginnings and tremendous growth that make it that much more 'Warrior'-like... "Can you dig it?"

The Beautiful Girls and Mat McHugh continue the ingenuity with the release of "Dancehall Days"

The Beautiful Girls - a blended evolution of reggae, folk, dancehall, and funk. It's a combination of sitting down and relaxing with the compulsion to groove across a room. Mat McHugh is the 'man behind the curtain' so-to-speak. He's the front man and songwriter of The Beautiful Girls while his alter egos include Mat McHugh and the Blackbird, Mat McHugh and the Seperatista Soundsystem, as well as his most recent moniker, Ras Mateo. He says, "I'm just a creative person and like creating things. Names, songs, pictures, drawings..."

This Australian surfer is not only a gifted artist but is a fiercely independent one at that. "From the start I chose to go down the path of letting the music speak for itself. In that way, nobody was tricked into liking it but has formed an honest connection. I think those kind of connections last longer and are far more real. Mostly nowadays we just try and let people know via social media or word of mouth."

No gimmicks, nothing hidden - just an abundance of love and appreciation that pours out in his music. His music influenced by none other than his family. "Everything integrates," he says. "There is no separation between the songs I write and the life I live. They are my priority and my reason for living." His own mother contributed to the making of his solo album "Love Come Save Me." On his Instagram feed he explained, "I had to borrow a whole bunch of money against my mum's house. And then, she was totally cool with me giving the album away." That's right! He borrowed money to make an album to give away for free!

Figuratively, in the same breath he continues, "My stance is, if you can't afford it you should pirate it. If you can afford it, you should buy it. Making albums costs money and for music to continue musicians have to eat, but there might be a kid out there who can't afford music who, if given access, might one day change the world with theirs... Hopefully I can continue to make music as a way of supporting (my family) but if I have to do something else to make sure they're comfortable, I will."

This Aussie has released 5 full length albums, 3 Extended Plays (EPs), several singles and compilations - including a remix of Mat McHugh solo and Beautiful Girls songs he gave away to pledgers in the assist of making of the newest "Dancehall Days" album. The best part is that there's even MORE to his arsenal/ discography! Mat's solo material really strips him back into a personal space. In 2008 he recorded "Seperatista" as a collection of ideas and it lead to the previously mentioned "Love Come Save Me" free download in 2010. He also has singles with extra tracks on the "Go, Don't Stop" and "More Money" releases as well as a live recording, "Live at Random Hall." All of which range from an intimate, acoustic relaxation to an upbeat, heart-pumping rhythm that really hits. 

Being from Australia he tours internationally when he can. He explained, "Being an independent business means having to work out the financial details of potential touring. If it costs too much money to play a show (after I've paid for the band, accommodations, etc), then no matter how much I would love to play there I just can't do it."  Having a large surfer audience he has a loyal following in Brazil. He says, "I think people had heard of my songs there through friends that had traveled (to Australia) and from surf movies which are, obviously, watched by surfers everywhere." 

On the band's Facebook he announced over the next couple months he is working on a FREE follow up to "Love Come Save Me," touring to support its release, and even some overseas shows & festivals. Per Mat, describing several soldout shows on his most recent Australian tour have been "absolutely some of the best we've ever experienced." It goes to show that even with minimal radio play, social media advertising, and word of mouth their audience is expanding. People are catching on and becoming amazingly passionate for independent, original music.