Ras

Seven days after Ras Tree arrived in New Orleans June 2006, he stumbled across THIRD COAST REGGAE ALL-STARS playing at the Palm Tavern on Frenchmen Street. “It was a Friday night, the band took a break, so I asked to sing a song. I created a song on the spot and it when it was over, I went to put the mic up, “the band emphatically shouted NO! sing some more””. He went on to sing the entire second set with the band. And thus began Ras Tree & Third Coast Reggae All-Stars. “We vibed off the top. As soon as we linked up, they had a sound I was looking for and I was the singer they were checking for”. The band had already made an agreement with the venue to play every Friday and Sunday night. Ras Tree and the band had a chance to gel playing ten to fifteen gigs a month in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana that year. After Hurricane Katrina, most of the local New Orleans reggae bands were scattered across the country, so the reggae vibes had died down in the city. At that time Third Coast was the consistent band playing in the city. “I did a radio interview on WWOZ New Orleans in the fall of 2006, there were several callers who shared their gratitude and love for us keeping the reggae fire burning. They were grateful to hear a new sound and voice in the midst of their traumas and tribulations. It was then that I recognized that I was singing for the collective souls of New Orleans who survived the storm and in response the massive lifted us up”, explains Ras Tree. “Everything opened up perfectly. As soon as I touched the city, we linked up and BAM! It’s meant to be.” It didn’t stop there, they went to play several venues in New Orleans down on historical Frenchmen Street: Café Negril, Café Brasil, Ray’s Boom Boom Room, Blue Nile, and Lazizza’s. They played at the infamous Tipitina’s and the House of Blues. They were the opening act at the House of Blues for Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, and Culture featuring Kenyetta Hill. Perhaps their most prestigious shows were the 2007 and 2008 New Years Eve shows. In 2007, the band played ‘First Night Columbia’ in Columbia, MO. And in 2008, invited by the Mayor, they played for the City of New Orleans at Jackson Square for the famous ball drop with local and national television networks. Over the past two and a half years, Ras Tree & Third Coast Reggae All-Stars have performed all across the South and the Midwest. This includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri. Ras Tree toured California in 2007 with Long Beach recording artist J Ross Parrelli. They recorded a song, “Outta Time”, which received rave reviews and airtime in southern California. They played in San Diego, Fullerton, Long Beach and Los Angeles. Ras Tree got a breakthrough when he was asked to record a song with Shanachie Record’s “Spirits in the Material World: A Reggae Tribute to the Police”. This album featured international and national recording artists such as Gregory Issacs, Wailing Souls, Toots & the Maytals, Junior Reid, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Inner Circle, Joan Osborne, Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers and Taurus Riley to name a few. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Uppressors featured Ras Tree who included his own independent verse in the remake of “Spirits in the Material World”. Ironically, this song was chosen to be the title for the compilation. This album is record stores nationwide and online. In addition Ras Tree has recorded on his independent label Root to the Fruit Music titles such as; Due Season 2005, Ras Tree Untitled 2005, Rough Out There 2008, and his latest Can’t Break My Stride scheduled to release summer 2008.For more information, interviews or bookings contact (504)609-5478 or email [email protected] at Blue Nile New Orleans LA.

Add to My Profile | More VideosVarious Artistsspirits in the material world, A Reggae Tribute to the Police (Shanachie, 2008)Some of the biggest names in the current reggae scene pay tribute to the music of 1980s pop group the Police. the British new wave band was a pioneer in the use of reggae beats incorporated to mainstream pop music. Reggae musicians now return the favor by performing well known songs by the Police.Even though many of the musicians featured fall within the category of reggae, the songs included range from pop to dancehall and roots reggae. the artists featured include Toots & the Maytals, the Wailing Souls, Ali Campbell of UB40, Joan Osborne, Junior Reid and Lee “Scratch” Perry.the best cuts in spirits in the material world, A Reggae Tribute to the Police are the ones that bring the true essence of reggae to the pop sensibility of the songs: "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" by Toots & the Maytals, "Every Breath you Take" by Joan Osborne, "Bed's Too Big Without You" by iner Circle, "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by Cyril Neville, and "So Lonely" by Gregory Isaacs. BUT THE SONG THAT STANDS OUT OVER THE REST IS "SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD" BY NEW ORLEANS LEGENDARY BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX & THE UPPRESSORS WITH RAS TREE. His combination of seductive roots reggae beats with funk and R&B shows the best that reggae had to offer. Many forget that Bob Marley's music had a strong American R&B component, which combined with reggae, made it so attractive. the album was produced by iner Circle and a portion of the proceeds of spirits in the material world, A Reggae Tribute to the Police will benefit the Toots Foundation, which was founded by Toots Hibbert of Toots & the Maytals to build and run youth centers in Jamaica. WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL