The Aggrolites
They are brothers from another mother and willing to shed blood for family. Led by singer Jesse Wagner, this group of five L.A. musicians mixes old school reggae with rock, soul and funk, heavily influenced by The Meters, Toots & the Maytals and The Clash. Their sound is a thick blend of rhythm and melody, seasoned by years of love. The result is the infectious sound called "dirty reggae." The Aggrolites are Jesse Wagner (vocals, lead guitar), Brian Dixon (rhythm guitar), Roger Rivas (organ), Korey Horn (drums) and Jeff Roffredo (bass).
The Aggrolites are one of the world's hardest working bands with serious talent to boot. But they see themselves as one mean unit, a machine! If you have ever seen one of their shows then you know they have the chops, chemistry, talent and that something special the Almighty gave them at birth to take this Aggrolites "machine" to the highest mountain.
"The Aggrolites are certainly rooted in tradition, but there's a soul that permeates through the...
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They are brothers from another mother and willing to shed blood for family. Led by singer Jesse Wagner, this group of five L.A. musicians mixes old school reggae with rock, soul and funk, heavily influenced by The Meters, Toots & the Maytals and The Clash. Their sound is a thick blend of rhythm and melody, seasoned by years of love. The result is the infectious sound called "dirty reggae." The Aggrolites are Jesse Wagner (vocals, lead guitar), Brian Dixon (rhythm guitar), Roger Rivas (organ), Korey Horn (drums) and Jeff Roffredo (bass).
The Aggrolites are one of the world's hardest working bands with serious talent to boot. But they see themselves as one mean unit, a machine! If you have ever seen one of their shows then you know they have the chops, chemistry, talent and that something special the Almighty gave them at birth to take this Aggrolites "machine" to the highest mountain.
"The Aggrolites are certainly rooted in tradition, but there's a soul that permeates through the group's music and keeps The Aggrolites from being a genre rehash," states www.latimes.com. San Diego's North County Reader continues, "The band has a secret weapon in their singer, Jesse Wagner. Whether he knows it or not, he is an authentic R&B torch. His unlikely voice has the explosiveness of a Jackie Wilson with the growling soul grind of a Bobby Womack."
The Aggrolites have three albums to their credit - "Dirty Reggae" (Axe 2003), their self-titled "The Aggrolites" (Hellcat/Epitaph 2006), and the critically acclaimed "Reggae Hit L.A." (Hellcat/Epitaph 2007).
The title track says it all. It reflects two concepts the band formed while touring. One: The desire to represent who they are and where they come from. Los Angeles is in their blood - the culture, the weather the complexities of the city of angels. Two: While touring the U.S. last year, The Aggrolites were stricken with the idea that they love the fact that L.A. has a reggae scene; one they can dig every week of the year and that's worth talking about. It's not something you can find in the heartland.
The single "Free Time" is receiving regular airplay on two very influential alternative music stations - INDIE 103.1FM in Los Angeles and FM94/9 in San Diego - as well as numerous reggae specialty programs all over the U.S. It was even featured on MTV's popular reality program "The Hills." The Aggrolites have also had songs placed on MTV's "Living Lahaina," USA's "Dr. Steve-O" and NICK Jr's "Yo Gabba Gabba."
According to Punknews.com, "'Reggae Hit L.A.' is a dazzling album from start to finish. The Aggrolites have carved out their niche in the music community and planted their flag in a hybrid territory made up of some of the most soulful music around, and in doing so have crafted the perfect summer album." "Reggae Hit L.A." debuted on Billboard's Reggae Chart at #3, #14 on Alternative New Artist Chart and #13 on Alternative Album Core Chart. It was also the #10 most added on the CMJ charts and charted for 7 weeks on the top 200, peaking at #85.
The band has had the pleasure on collaborating with Rancid front man Tim Armstrong on 11 songs and 4 videos for his solo CD/DVD entitled "A Poet's Life." "It was an honor to work with Tim. He gave us the freedom to make our sound HIS sound," boasts Jesse. They were given the opportunity of a lifetime to perform some of these songs with Armstrong in front of thousands at KROQ radio's annual Weenie Roast Festival.
Over the six years of their existence, The Aggrolites have shared the stage with rock giants (Social Distortion, 311, Dropkick Murphys), Jamaican music legends (The Skatalites, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan), ska veterans (Madness, Rancid, Hepcat), among countless other talents.
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