Rebelution, Maoli, et Skip Marley

The band’s lead touring guitarist, Kyle Ahern, was given the reins to mix these tracks, and he has delivered a release that will have Rebelution fans grooving in their homes and reminiscing about past shows, all while looking forward to what’s to come.

Dub is a unique form of reggae that remixes existing tracks, focusing heavily on dropping instrumentation and vocals in and out, while layering them with effects like reverb and delay. “We thought about putting out a dub version of our last album, Free Rein, and then realized this would be a better idea,” said Eric Rachmany (singer/guitarist/lyricist). “So many of our old songs deserve a dub version. We know our fans love the early Rebelution material, so this seemed appropriate.” Dub Collection includes three handpicked songs from each of the band’s studio albums, not including Peace Of Mind (which already received the dub treatment courtesy of Michael G of the Easy Star All-Stars). “It was difficult to pick the songs, considering we have six full-length albums to choose from,” said Eric. “There were some that didn’t make the cut, but who’s to say we won’t put out a second volume in the future?”

Ever-expanding and reaching wider audiences, the Rebelution phenomenon continues to soar to new heights as the band has become one of the most successful recording, touring, and streaming acts in the country. Though, this wasn’t always the case. The band had humble beginnings – a group of college friends at UC Santa Barbara in the early 2000s with a shared love of reggae music. Now, nearly two decades later, Eric, along with Rory Carey (keyboards), Wesley Finley (drums), and Marley D. Williams (bass), remain as focused and committed as they are easy-going and laid back – and they continue to recognize new talent just as they recognized their own in 2004. Enter the band’s most recent addition, touring guitarist Kyle Ahern, who first came to their attention after winning Rebelution’s Jam With The Band contest. “Kyle’s story is great,” said Eric. “He learned a lot about reggae music from the early Rebelution material. When he entered the band, he was already aware of our catalog. It influenced his own style and songwriting, but more importantly, Rebelution became a gateway to some of the legends of the genre for him. He learned about other sub-genres, like roots, ska, dancehall, and dub music. He was the perfect candidate to produce this album because he understands both the Rebelution sound and dub music.”

“It has been amazing getting to work with such a talented, hard-working group of people,” said Kyle. “I am very grateful for my growth as a musician since joining Rebelution.”

Kyle’s approach, while steeped in the history of the genre, is more modern than some dub purists. “I took a more modern approach on this album,” said Kyle. “Many producers create dubs live on a mixing board. I did it digitally, through various recording software and plugins. I feel like this approach worked better for me because instead of creating things live in one take, I could continually go back to different parts of the song and make changes until it was exactly how I wanted.”

After Rebelution’s debut album Courage to Grow reached #4 on the Billboard Reggae Chart, there was no stopping them. Their 2012 release, Peace of Mind, debuted at #13 on the Billboard Top 200, hit #1 on both the Reggae and Independent Charts, and was the #4 iTunes album overall. 2014’s Count Me In continued the momentum, entering the Reggae Chart at #1 and the Billboard Overall Chart at #14. Then came the Grammy-nominated album Falling Into Place and the Rebelution concert experience, Live At Red Rocks. Free Rein, their sixth studio album, debuted at #5 on iTunes Top 100 albums chart, entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #41 and took the coveted #1 spot on Billboard’s Reggae chart. The band boasts an impressive 235 million+ spins and counting on their Top 10 Spotify tracks alone, and have even celebrated two successful installments of their own four-night destination event in Jamaica – The Bright Side Festival. The band continues to transcend the world of music and break barriers with their entrepreneurial prowess, including customized cannabis oil battery pens, herb vaporizers, and oils, currently available in select dispensaries across California, Colorado, and Washington. In addition, Rebelution’s Take On Anything IPA, the result of the band’s collaboration with Lost Abbey & The Hop Concept, is available throughout California.

With Dub Collection, Rebelution takes a walk down memory lane while allowing fans a chance to experience their favorite songs in a new style. Eric said, “We’re so excited for people to hear Dub Collection because it’s a celebration of our catalog and the Rebelution community being behind us for over 15 years. This album is great to play front to back, and perfect, calming music for the summer weather. We know the fans will love it.