New Zealand Reggae Sensations The Black Seeds To Tour U.S. This September

The Black Seeds will be heading to the U.S in September for a 12-show tour with U.S reggae band – John Brown’s Body. The 12-show tour will see the band travel from coast to coast, from New York’s Bowery Ballroom (where I plan to see them), to the ‘Heal The Ocean’ Festival in Santa Barbara, California.

Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, and led by the vocals of Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman, The 8-piece Black Seeds’ produce a boundary-crossing fusion of dub, funk, afrobeat and soul, mixed with vintage reggae. Their unique style of layering infectious grooves and melodies over undiluted roots reggae has increased their popularity throughout the globe in recent years.

After forming in 1997, The Black Seeds have a gold, platinum, and two double-platinum selling albums behind them, as well as a great live show that has seen them perform at many of the biggest festivals throughout New Zealand, Australia and Europe.


That said, the band is virtually unknown in the U.S. and Canada and that's a shame. It is my humble opinion that the band has picked up the mantle that UB40 dropped many years ago and that The Black Seeds continue to mine to great effect -- that is a mix of accessible and politically motivated reggae music recorded with live instruments (no synths or drum machines here) that has universal appeal. The band's Kiwi roots also lend the music a laid back vibe that includes a particular environmental/green consciousness which is no surprise given they are from New Zealand. Interested listeners will finally be able to pick up the band's latest CD 'Solid Ground' which has finally gotten a U.S. release this September on the Easy Star label (home to The Easy Star All Stars).

In the meantime, below is the video for the band's first release 'Slingshot' from the album:



The band has a strong back catalog of material from 3 earlier albums and have hit number one in New Zealand and Australia where they are stars. Below are videos for two of their best songs 'Sometimes Enough' and 'The Answer':





You can read more about the band and their U.S. tour dates at their MySpace and Facebook pages.