No Dreadlocks, no political agenda: This is the new reggae music-and it resides in Savannah

Among the myriad of popular music styles that have emerged over the past century, only a handful claim to have inspired-or at least to have come to represent-an entire way of life. Blues, jazz, rockabilly, and punk immediately come to mind as niche genres that boat loyal die-hard fans worldwide, but immerse global popularity of reggae dwarfs them all. From it’s humble beginnings in late-60’s Jamaica as laid-back dance fodder to it’s current status as the preeminent form of grooveoriented protest music, reggae is, simply put, one of the most beloved forms of music in existence today.

The basis of reggae’s appeal is its insistent, mesmerizing rhythmic foundation. Essentially a hybrid of America soul, R & B and traditional African and Caribbean folk, it’s been closely aligned with the Rastafari ideological movement since the late superstar songwriter (Rasta icon) Bob Marley used his own brand of “roots reggae” to spread that universal message of human rights and equality. Marley also promoted the overriding philosophy that all people should strive to attain “irrie,” a sense of well-being and harmony oneself one’s surroundings.

Yet along the way, reggae has diversified and grown. Offshoots such as dancehall, dub, reggaeton and reggae fusion now update the genre, incorporating outside elements forum other forms of pop music. As one of the hottest rising acts on the modern U.S. reggae scene, Savannah’s own Passafire continues that forward evolution. Over the past seven years, they’ve striven to create a unique sound by infusing reggae with their own alternative rock and psychedelic-tinged, trip-hop sensibilities. Known as much for their devoted work ethic and keen business senese as for their knakc of crafting memorable crowd pleasing tune, the group- made up of singing guitarist Ted Bowne, singing keyboardist Adam Willis, drummer Nick Kubley and his brother, singing bassist Will Kubley- is currently riding a growing wave of success.

In fact, their latest full-length release, Everyone on Everynight (when it dropped last September) was iTunes’ No.1 top-selling reggae album in its first week of sales. As if that weren’t enough of an achievement, it also debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Reggae Chart. No small feat for a group that got its start playing small bars and restaurants in Savannah to a handful of friends and college classmates.

To read more about Passifire check out South Magazine’s August/September Issue!