Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band

Combining musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies and a superb rhythm section, the Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts since their live debut in 2003. They rock every crowd they play for, whether it's to thousands at festivals or hundreds at club gigs and private events (like the wedding of NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg's daughter). Thanks to their best-selling tribute album releases, 'The Dub Side of the Moon' (2003) and 'Radiodread' (2006), as well as 'Until That Day' (2008), an original EP, the Easy Star All-Stars have built a growing, dedicated fan base throughout the world, bringing together fans of reggae, classic rock, dub and indie rock into one big family. Their newest release, Easy Star take on the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in complete reggae fashion.

Originally formed in 1997 for Easy Star Records' earliest recordings, the Easy Star All-Stars existed mostly as a studio entity until releasing Dub Side of the Moon in 2003. The group, which operates as a collective with a rotating cast of musicians and singers, was put together by Easy Star co-founders Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer. These three have directed and managed the band ever since. Goldwasser, as producer, musical director, arranger and guitarist, has been the man behind just about everything the All-Stars have done in the studio and on stage. He's the one who spends months transforming songs by Pink Floyd, Radiohead and the Beatles into reggae tracks. As a producer, he has maintained a delicate balancing act by making albums that rock fans can embrace, without alienating the notoriously demanding hardcore reggae audience.

Having tackled the dark complexities of the human condition on 'The Dub Side of the Moon' and the depths of the human/computer/alien psyche on 'Radiodread', basing the next album in the series on 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' is both a logical choice and a departure of sorts. While it is widely credited as being one of the first concept albums (and therefore the stylistic predecessor of 'The Dark Side of the Moon' and 'OK Computer'), 'Sgt. Pepper's' stands apart from both of those albums in that it is basically a collection of major-key pop songs, however odd they may be. 'ESLHDB' also gave Goldwasser the chance to stretch out his arrangements, finding ways to emulate the ground-breaking production of the original and include a feature cast of legendary Reggae guest vocalists including: Frankie Paul, Mighty Diamonds, Max Romeo, Sugar Minott, Steel Pulse, Michael Rose, U Roy, and the fresher faces of Luciano and Matisyahu. As with the first two albums, Goldwasser stayed true to the lyrics, melodies and chord changes of the songs, envisioning as if the songs had been written by Lennon/McCartney (and Harrison), but had been recorded in Jamaica under the influence of reggae.

The Easy Star All-Stars - in any combination of members - have been a resounding success. The band has played at major festivals and headlined shows in over 20 countries on 5 continents. Their worldwide album sales have surpassed 250,000 units since 2003, with 'The Dub Side of the Moon' spending over 5 years on Billboard's Reggae Chart. MOJO picked 'Dub Side' as the second best cover album of all time. 'Radiodread' spent almost 2 years on Billboard's Reggae Chart and earned praise from the members of Radiohead themselves.