WELL, WHAT a month it has been for myself and the BrukOut camp. February saw us trawling around Jamaica as part of BBC Radio 1Xtra’s trip and we had some incredible sessions from the likes of Jahsii, Valiant and some of reggae’s cornerstones including Tony Rebel and Junior Reid.

March rolled in and boom! We hit the road across the UK for an incredible tour with the one and only Dexta Daps.

What followed showed the strength of genuine fan interaction, with the man himself touching down with two dates in London as well as hitting Birmingham and Manchester.

Dexta is a consummate pro, and knows just how to hit those places to make his (almost exclusively female) audience go wild with delight.

However, this month’s column isn’t about either of those events. I want to salute a release that has been getting a lot of critical acclaim in reggae circles and beyond. It comes from a band who are no newcomers to the scene, Earthkry. 

Coming from The Edna Manley College of Performing Arts, Phillip McFarlane, drummer Kieron Cunningham, bass guitarist Kamardo Blake and vocalist/guitarist Aldayne Haughton followed a long list of notable Jamaican bands who have brought the music around the world.

Their latest project, Dandy Shandy , is an EP which isn’t just a collection of studio recorded tracks – the theme behind the set makes it very different, as McFarlane explained to me. Dandy Shandy is a self produced project consisting of an old school sound reminiscent of the 1960s to early 80s Jamaican music.

“The idea of the project really came during the pandemic when we were at home and couldn’t tour or even perform locally. So, we decided on a project that would be different from what’s mainstream at that moment.

“We thought of doing something of old sounding and vintage just for our personal satisfaction, however it has surpassed expectations based on the love we have received thus far. The whole process of how we record, mix, write, style of harmonies, sonics and so on was intentionally done.

“So you will hear a bit of rocksteady, ska, and early reggae elements. We are basically paying homage to different styles that were there during that period.”

It is an incredible body of work, demonstrating love and respect to their heritage, whilst bringing that particular sound to a new audience. I was intrigued to know why they chose this particular time span.

“That era between the 1960s to late 80s was the golden era for Jamaican music history. Those sounds are what the world fell in love with and opened many doors for generations after.

“We wanted to pay homage to that time. We are strong admirers of pioneers like the Wailers, Black Uruhu, Wailing Souls, Steel Pulse, The Heptones, and many other groups before us and we wanted to emulate their style as we know the world still loves that sound.

“We find that EarthKry has an important role to carry out with the sounds of reggae, not just to the outer world but for the young ones in Jamaica who may not hear at the parties, radio or clubs which would kill the development and creation of the genre from the younger generation.

“We have so many ideas on how we could bring back the presence of enthusiasm in reggae back in Jamaica, however it takes a good budget, government and media corporation, educational campaigns, and collective effort of the top artists who value the importance of reggae,” McFarlane expanded. Reggae as a national treasure and selling point of Jamaica? Seems obvious, right?

In these testing economic times, having a band touring and recording isn’t cheap. It seems Earthkry acknowledges the value in having a collective set up though.

“Band life is a difficult one, as it requires a lot of sacrifice, dedication and resilience. It’s a long journey to the top, especially if you are doing roots reggae. EarthKry have been together over ten years now, and we are still struggling to break certain grounds. “When a group like ours has to move, you are looking at around five/six people at the least. Plane tickets, work permits, hotel, food and logistics is hard versus an artist who can go with just his DJ and go do promotions, shows, etc.

“We realise that we are one of the few bands remaining in Jamaica for sure. “In today’s industry people tend to focus more on individual artists. They get all the highlights, so musicians rather go and play for one of these acts as it’s an easier route to earn.

“We wouldn’t consider our sound mainstream; it’s twice as hard to break on radio, which would help in popularity to sell tickets, higher booking fee, gain sponsorships and so on. So we have to grind a lot, doing over 100 shows a year trying to get our name out there. Not many bands can do that independently these days.

“That’s what we have been doing for the last seven years.”

The last point shouldn’t be overlooked. Working independently in a global music market as a reggae collective takes courage and belief – two things this set up is not short of. Phillip told us why Earthkry places so much emphasis on hitting the road.

“Touring is very, very crucial to any band. When you look at bands in the USA like Rebelution, Stick Figure and Soja, they are selling huge venues every night, but they have been touring for decades building that fan base even without hit records.

“So they can drop an album and they sell over 100,000 copies easily because of that loyal fan base that they have obtained over the years of touring.

“Meanwhile, our most popular reggae/dancehall artists will struggle to sell 5,000 copies of their albums even with major label backing, whether by distribution, licensing or straight record deal.

“An artist can sell 3,000 tickets in New York but only 20 in Utah, because it’s a different market. We have to go into all the places multiple times until we start selling out then we can start requesting higher fees.

“If we are not careful there will be little and or no Jamaican acts on these big festivals anymore for these very same reasons.”

It seems like common sense, but as I was once told, common sense is not so common…

So kudos to Earthkry – check out the EP (you won’t be disappointed). If you are reading this from America, Puerto Rico, Mexico or Canada then stand by, cos the band are heading to a town near you soon