Roots Round Up - Up Rooted (2024) Hi-Res

If your listening diet allows for a well-seasoned mix of reggae, ska, afro-beat, folk, funk, roots rock and punk, you can safely add Roots Round Up to it. Up Rooted, the sixth full-length album from these Vancouver’s veteran musicians (the band formed in 1985), features twelve songs, including six new original ones – their first in thirty years. In addition, it also has covers of DOA’s War in the East and Sarcastic Mannequins’ Four Arabs In A Red Fury (abbreviated here to Red Fury), plus four live recordings from last year’s performance on Denman Island. Despite the eclectic influences, it is an organic whole around current themes, with shimmering horns and pulsing rhythms – a loose and uplifting sound, surprisingly easy to digest.

Sudden Death Records and Roots Round Up are pleased to announce the release of “Up Rooted,” the 6th full-length album from one of Vancouver’s long-time music scene veterans. The album was recorded by Stephen Hamm at Simian Studios in Burnaby, BC, with final mixing and mastering by renowned Canadian music producer Chris Wardman. “Up Rooted” features 12 tracks, including six new original songs, a cover of DOA’s classic “War in the East,” a unique take on the Sarcastic Mannequins’ “Red Fury,” and four live recordings from a performance on Denman Island, BC, in June 2023. According to member David Hathaway, “Roots Round Up has always been more about the live shows than the recorded output, but capturing that in a recording has proved elusive. The live songs were captured at our first full show after the pandemic had settled down, and we were more than a little excited to be playing again. Especially on Denman Island where we have played many times over the years. We had gotten an audio feed from the Chris Wardman’s mix of the show and as we listened back the next day, we thought “wait a minute… this came out well!” In addition to finally capturing their live sound, the album also captures Roots Round Up’s distinctive and eclectic sound, blending rock’n roll, reggae, ska, afro-beat, folk, funk, and punk.

Roots Round Up has a storied history in the Canadian music scene, with band members Greg Hathaway, David “Dymitri” Hanna, David Hathaway, Keith Rose, Mark Campbell, Eric Napier, and Bradford Lambert contributing to their high-energy, globe-spanning sound. Formed in 1985 in East Vancouver, the band became widely known throughout Canada during the late ’80s and early ’90s as one of the hardest working and touring worldbeat dance bands. Formed out of the hardcore punk scene in Vancouver in 1985 but included elements of reggae, ska, and old school rock’n roll in their sound. Original drummer Barry Taylor (1985 – 2021) was a member of first generation punk band the Young Canadians / K-Tels and then Shanghai Dog. Greg and Bradford were both drummers in second generation punk bands the Unknown Fibres and House of Commons, who both played shows with Shanghai Dog. Their extensive touring across Canada and the Western U.S., coupled with numerous independent recordings like “Get Rooted,” “What We Do,” and “Syzygy,” cemented their place in the music scene.

Distributed by DOA frontman Joey Shithead’s label Sudden Death Records and digitally by Revolver, Up Rooted is now available for order in record stores or online across Canada, the US, the UK, and other territories. Roots Round Up remains active in BC, and with the release of “Up Rooted,” they aim to continue touring and performing at festivals, clubs, and community halls throughout BC and beyond. Their music, a fusion of roots rock, reggae, dub, and ska with psychedelic and punk rock influences, continues to resonate with audiences old and new.