This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Shrub | |
---|---|
Origin | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
Genres | Reggae fusion, reggae rock, hip hop, reggae, ska, acoustic rock, alternative rock |
Years active | 2010–present |
Labels | RASTATARI Records |
Members | Jay Shrub Benny Coles Kevin Oliver Josh Altfater Jasen Baskette |
Website | www |
Shrub is an American reggae, rock and rap group from Columbus, Ohio. The band released their debut album, Senorita, a six-song EP in February 2010 and was voted by readers as High Times magazine's Unsigned Band of the Month in September 2010. [1]
Shrub formed in 2010 when founding member software developer Jay "Shrub" Shawberry who was a student at Bowling Green State University, with his love for reggae and hip-hop, started rapping and producing music in his own basement the year before and wanted to go further in the music industry under his "Shrub Project".
The band name is derived from a nickname Shawberry's older brother got in college because their last name sounds like "shrubbery" when you're feeling tipsy, so it's not from marijuana like many fans think. [2]
He put an advertisement on Craigslist looking for musicians and teamed up with fellow Ohio-native Blaine Dillinger, at the time the guitarist for reggae band Clear Conscience and current HIRIE guitarist.
They self-produced and recorded their debut album, Señorita, a six-song EP which released on February 17, 2010.
Señorita features the respected artwork of Opie Ortiz from Sublime fame and singer from the Long Beach Dub Allstars. [3]
The album also features a guest appearance by DJ Rasta Root (former DJ for Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest). [4] It also reached #21 on the Amazon Reggae Bestseller charts. And registered three songs in the "Top Alternative Hip Hop" charts on CDBaby.com, with their song "Cherries" reaching the #1 spot. [5]
Shrub was voted by readers as High Times magazine's "Unsigned Band of the Month" in September 2010. [1] Reggae/rock website and magazine The Pier featured Shrub as their most "Exposed! Band" in March 2010.
After several changes in Shrub's lineup, the duo added Benny Coleman on bass who was in his first-year in jazz studies at Ohio State University. Coleman was a Shrub fan as soon as he saw the band in concert for the first time opening for Rebelution at Newport Music Hall back in February 2011. [6]
On September 23, 2013, Shrub released their first full-length album, Highceratops. The album also features the guitar of Shrub's latest addition to its full-time lineup, Kevin Oliver, a former guitarist for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. [7]
The album has guest appearances by C-Money of Slightly Stoopid, Canadian mix-master Dubmatix, Kimberly Freeman of One-Eyed Doll and Cleveland-rockers Tropidelic. [8] [9] Highceratops debuted at #5 on the iTunes Reggae Charts. Soon after this album, Shrub started touring heavily throughout the United States, until abruptly stopped in the summer of 2017.
After a three-year hiatus from touring and seven-years since their last album, Shrub was back with their second studio album, the aptly titled Back To Earth which released on May 15, 2020. Jay and Blaine were back together with help from Blaine's HIRIE bandmates: Matt Benoit (drums), Andy Flores (bass), Chris Del Camino (saxophone, tribal flute) and Andrew McKeezy (trombone) on the single "Shrub Love" an homage to all of Shrub's reggae influences.
Also featured on the album is violinist Jaime Shadowlight on the song "Momma Always Told Me" and keyboardist Mike DeGuzman from Passafire on the track "Bright Side of the Moon", as well as songs featuring Beebs and Jenny Flory of Wonder Twin Powers. The album was mixed by Ohio local B.J. Davis and mastered by famous reggae rock producer Danny Kalb (The Movement). [10]
The band's largest tours was SXSW in Austin, Texas in March 2013. They performed at the 2014 Reggae In The Hills Festival in Northern California. [11]
Shrub has shared the stage with: The Dirty Heads, Collie Buddz, Rebelution, Yellowman, The Expendables, Kottonmouth Kings, Gov't Mule, Hed PE, Badfish (Sublime tribute band), Scotty Don't, Marlon Asher, Yonder Mountain String Band, Ballyhoo!, ekoostik hookah, Zach Deputy, Don Carlos, Mighty Diamonds, Tribal Seeds, The Young Dubliners, Passafire, Seedless, Micah Brown, The Revivalists, Fortunate Youth, Big B, Spiritual Rez, Tomorrow's Bad Seeds, Echo Movement, Best Coast, Dinosaur Jr, The Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, Tennis, Jul Big Green, etc. [12]
Shrub's music draws inspiration and has been compared to artists Atmosphere, Cypress Hill, Dirty Heads, G Love and Special Sauce, Kottonmouth Kings, and Sublime. However, Shrub has created a style and sound of their own. With a recipe of reggae, hip hop, rock and even pop, their music will make listeners feel the "Shrub Love" from the moment the first beat drops.
In an interview, Blaine Dillinger, describes Jay Shrub's character: [13]
"Jay said, 'I don't want to be famous, I simply want to change the world.' I will never forget these words. Here was a musician (by night) and a software developer (by day), putting out some of the most intriguing music of anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area. Yet even back then, he shied away from the spotlight. So many people wondered what happened to Shrub? Truth is, a recent three-year hiatus proved to be the ultimate low point. Everyone thought the music was dead but in fact the story had just begun."
Year | Album | Label | Billboard peak |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Señorita EP | RASTATARI Records | — |
2013 | Highceratops | RASTATARI Records | — |
2020 | Back To Earth | RASTATARI Records | — |
Title | Release Date | Album |
---|---|---|
"We Wanna Smoke" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"Come and Get It" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"Señorita" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"Cherries" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"I Did It For Us" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"My Blood" | 2010 | Señorita EP |
"Fast Lane" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Herbivore" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"What I Would Do To You" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Triple Play" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Coconut Tree" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Rolling Rock" (feat. Tropidelic) | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Go Run" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"I Just Wanna Love You" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Supergirl" (feat. One-Eyed Doll & C-Money of Slightly Stoopid) | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Dying Like Some Dinosaur" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Here We Grow Again" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Got Away" | 2013 | Highceratops |
"I Dub It For Us (Remix)" (feat. Dubmatix) | 2013 | Highceratops |
"Shrub Love" | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"Help Me Ganja" | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"My Radio" | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"Someday You Won't Look This Good" (feat. Jenny Flory) | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"Momma Always Told Me" (feat. Beebs) | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"Bright Side of the Moon" | 2020 | Back To Earth |
"Down On Me" | 2020 | Back To Earth |
Shrub also appears on the following compilations/albums:
The compilation also features: SOJA, Pacific Dub, Pato Banton, Toko Tasi, Jack Maness, Stick Figure, The Expendables, Jon Wayne and The Pain, Josh Heinrichs, and more. [14]
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, and drummer Chad Sexton. Watson was replaced by Tim Mahoney in 1990. In 1992, Doug "SA" Martinez joined as a second vocalist and turntablist.
Pepper is a three-piece reggae rock band originally from Hawaii, now based in San Diego. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Kaleo Wassman, vocalist/bassist Bret Bollinger, and drummer Yesod Williams. Since the band's formation they have released eight studio albums, as well as two live albums.
Stick Figure is an American reggae and dub band founded in 2006 and based in Southern California. The group has released seven full-length albums and one instrumental album, all of which were written and produced by frontman and self-taught multi-instrumentalist Scott Woodruff. The live band consists of vocalist, producer and guitarist Scott Woodruff, keyboardist Kevin Bong (KBong), drummer Kevin Offitzer, bassist Tommy Suliman, guitarist, keyboardist, and backup vocalist Johnny Cosmic, and percussionist Will Phillips. Cocoa, an Australian Shepherd, often joins the band onstage and has accordingly been nicknamed Cocoa the Tour Dog.
Colin Patrick Harper, better known by his stage name Collie Buddz, is a Bermudian reggae artist best known for his single "Come Around".
The Expendables are an American reggae rock band from Santa Cruz, California.
Dirty Heads is an American reggae rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Their debut album, Any Port in a Storm, was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group (Fontana/Universal). Their newest album, Midnight Control, was released on August 26, 2023, by Better Noise Music. They have been associated with music groups such as Sublime with Rome, 311, and Pepper, and have toured with groups including Cobra Starship, Aer, and Gym Class Heroes.
Rebelution is a reggae rock music band formed in Isla Vista, California. The current members of Rebelution are Eric Rachmany, Rory Carey, Marley D. Williams, and Wesley Finley. Each member attended and completed school at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Sublime was an American rock band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, consistent throughout its duration, consisted of Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson (bass), and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, resulting in the band's breakup. In 1997, songs such as "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.
Iration is a reggae/pop group from Santa Barbara, California. All members originally hail from Hawaii. They play a mix of reggae, dub, pop, and rock.
The Movement is an American reggae band originally formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2003. The two founding members, Josh Swain and Jordan Miller, then relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they acquired a live rhythm section in the form of local Philadelphia musicians Jay Schmidt and Gary Jackson. The band has released six studio albums. Their music is commonly described as a fusion of rock, reggae, hip hop and acoustic music.
Sunrise Sessions is the eleventh studio album American hip hop group Kottonmouth Kings. It was released on July 19, 2011 via Suburban Noize Records. Recording sessions took place at the Cannibus Cabin and Electric Ghetto. Production was handled by member Daddy X, who also served as executive producer together with Kevin Zinger, and Mike Kumagai, with additional production by Brad Jones, Jim Perkins, Patrick Shevelin and Steve Dang. It features guest appearances from Jared Gomes, BJ Smith and Crystal Frandsen. The album peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200, number 7 on the Independent Albums, and number 8 on the Top Rap Albums chart in the United States.
Ballyhoo! is an American reggae rock and punk band from Aberdeen, Maryland. The group has sold over 30,000 copies of its five albums and more than 200,000 digital tracks.
Passafire is a reggae rock band based in Savannah, Georgia.
The Ries Brothers are a musical duo from Tampa, Florida, who blend rock, blues, funk, and reggae. Older brother, Charlie, sings lead vocals while playing drums and keyboard bass. Younger brother, Kevin Jordan, plays guitar, provides background vocals, and co-writes many of their songs.
Easy Star Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996. Based in New York City, the label primarily produces and releases albums in the genres of reggae and dub.
Of Good Nature (OGN) is an American band based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their music blends foundations of many different genres including alternative, funk, pop, soul, and reggae.
Tropidelic is an American band from Cleveland, Ohio. They infuse multiple genres into a style that's a blend of reggae rock, hip-hop and high energy funk.
The Elovaters are an American, Boston-based American reggae rock band, that formed in 2014.
Arise Roots is an American roots reggae band based out of Los Angeles, California. Their music is described as a "positive classic roots sound with a modern twist".