Damian Robert Nesta Marley, also known around the world as “Junior Gong” and more recently as “Gongzilla” was born in 1978 to parents Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976.  As a young adult, he developed a passion and a gift to speak for those who cannot always speak for themselves. A self-proclaimed ‘Spiritual Revolutionary’, Damian has worked assiduously to carve his own niche in music history and to add a new perspective to the Marley legacy for the 21st century. 

At the age of 13, Damian began performing in a group called “The Shepherds” which comprised of Shiah Coore (son of Third World guitarist Cat Coore) and currently a member of his band, and Yashema Beth McGreggor, daughter of reggae singers Freddie Mcgreggor and Judy Mowatt and then began touring with his brothers, Stephen, Ky-mani, Julian and Ziggy. 

By 1996, Damian had already made his stamp as a different kind of Marley when he released his first solo album “Mr. Marley”, a heavily dancehall-influenced album produced by his brother Stephen Marley.  His second album “Halfway Tree” was released in 2001 by a major record label and showcased Damian’s unique gift for blending dancehall, reggae and hip-hop styles.  This album won Damian much recognition and remained on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Charts for 158 weeks and earned him his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2002. 
While honored by this recognition by the global music fraternity, Damian continued to work in the studio, laying the groundwork for the tracks that would become his highly anticipated album, “Welcome To Jamrock”. The lyrics in this album presented Marley as a true spiritual revolutionary, as he used his talent to evoke a spiritual change while trying to enforce a better way of thinking.  He is described as “rhyming with the conviction of a street preacher with the intellect of a university economist”.  

Damian’s hit single “Welcome to Jamrock” was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade by Rolling Stone, and at the 2006 Grammy Awards, he won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for Welcome to Jamrock. Damian is the only Jamaican reggae artist in history to win two Grammy Awards on the same night. He is also the only reggae artist to win in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category at the Grammy Awards. The New York Times called Welcome to Jamrock the “best reggae song of the decade.” 
Welcome to Jamrock led the pathway to Damian’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Nas for 2010’s much lauded album “Distant Relatives” – a project which explored the relationships between reggae, hip-hop and Africa. The album title refers not only to the bond between the artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically. USA Today referred to the album as a “potent and often provocative collaboration” and by Rolling Stone as “an Afrocentric winner.” The album debuted at Number 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and Number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Rap Albums and Reggae Albums charts, with Billboard heralding the album as “a dynamic hybrid.”    

The Distant Relatives Tour kicked off in 2011 and saw Damian traveling and performing for thousands of fans all over the world, including South America, Europe, The United Kingdom, The Caribbean and North America.  

Damian continued to cross musical boundaries in 2012, as he went on to partner with Skrillex for their groundbreaking track “Make It Bun Dem”, which Rolling Stone called “a monster mash up of dubstep and dancehall” and has led to several remixes of the original version.  Damian recently released two other singles; “Set Up Shop” and  “Affairs of the Heart” which both received widespread airplay. 

Damian continues to tour with his band all over the world as a way of entertaining and healing as he continues to spread the message for those whose voices cannot be heard. He is working with his brothers Stephen and Julian under their Ghetto Youths International Label, to discover, develop and sign gifted artistes by applying their musical talent and vast experience to create new and different styles of music.  

Damian is currently in the studio working on his upcoming solo album.

Some artists transcend the need for award, but are nonetheless deserving of decades of accolade.

Burning Spear is such an artist.

A music-maker, community icon, educator, spiritual uplifter; Burning Spear's importance to culture existed before media spotlight, and has only grown since.

For nearly four decades and more than 25 albums, he has carried the torch of the gospel of political activist Marcus Garvey, promoting self-determination and self-reliance for African descendants through lyrics and rhythms that truly deliver the messages of peace and love to all.



Ria Hall is an exciting new voice on the contemporary New Zealand music landscape. Creatively informed by west coast hip-hop, vintage reggae, classic soul, dancehall ragga and modern beat music, she presents a fresh and vibrant perspective as both a young Māori woman, and as a cutting edge, 21st century singer and artist.

Born in Tauranga, Ria spent time in Auckland and Australia, before settling in Wellington and really finding her musical feet. She co-formed and fronted the reggae band Hope Road, who, in performing at the Parihaka International Peace Festival and Wellington’s Waitangi Day One Love event, won the respect of Aotearoa's elite roots, reggae and soul music communities. This led to her joining Hollie Smith’s live ensemble, becoming part of Eru Dangerspiel’s psychedelic explosion, and, latterly, performing backing vocals for the 2010 reunion shows of the iconic Trinity Roots. 

Her profile has also been lifted significantly by her inspired performance at the opening ceremony of Rugby World Cup 2011 – a performance witnessed by a televised audience of millions.

Working with producer and mentor Riki Gooch (Eru Dangerspiel, Trinity Roots) on her self titled EP, Ria has fashioned a vibrant new take on an age-old story. By incorporating her many disparate influences – Māori performing arts, te reo Māori, modern musical palettes, whānau, and her own life history into a seamless whole, she presents her story, her perspective. 

Welcome to Rainbow Valley, the home of all Matt Corby stuff.

New single 'Know It All' out now
https://MattCorby.lnk.to/KnowItAll

---------Aio----------

āio - 1.(stative) be calm, at peace. 2.(noun) calm conditions (weather), peace.

Vocals/Acoustic Gat
-Aja Wairere Ropata

Bass
-Pete Riley

Lead Guitar
-Te Kawa Herangi

Drums
-Zane Sorenson-Graham 

---------Aio----------

AIO GIG GUIDE

06TH JAN - DREAD BEAT & BLOOD REUNION - HILL 16 PORIRUA
24TH JAN - RATANA FESTIVAL - RATANA

05TH FEB - WAITANGI DAY - GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA
06TH FEB - TE RA O TE RAUKURA - TE WHITI PARK, LOWER HUTT
08TH FEB - WHITIREIA O WEEK – WHITIREIA, PORIRUA
11TH FEB - KOKIRI AIO FUNDRAISER - THE GARDEN CLUB, WELLINGTON
12TH FEB - TE WANANGA O RAUKAWA GRAD - OTAKI
17TH FEB - DARKY ROOTS - BAR BODEGA, WELLINGTON
18TH FEB - DARKY ROOTS - ROYAL HOTEL, PALMERSTON NORTH
26TH FEB - REGGAE MUSTA - THE SUGARLOAF CAFE, CASTLEPOINT

06TH MAR - NEWTOWN FEST – NEWTOWN, WELLINGTON
11TH MAR – JBOOG TOUR – FRONTROOM, WELLINGTON
12TH MAR - CREEK FEST – CANNONS CREEK, PORIRUA
25TH MAR – HOUSE OF SHEM – FRONTROOM WELLINGTON

23RD APR – NGONGOTAHA TROUT FEST - NGONGOTAHA

13TH MAY - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - FITZROY TAVERN – WAINUI
14TH MAY - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - HILL 16 - PORIRUA 
27TH MAY - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - VILLAGE INN - RAUMATI
28TH MAY - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - ROYAL HOTEL - PALMY

12TH JUN – MATARIKI – TE PAPA - WELLINGTON
23RD JUN - HOPE BROS - WELLINGTON
30TH JUN - HOPE BROS - WELLINGTON

15TH JUL - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - BREWERS BAR - THE MT
16TH JUL - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - THE COMM - WHAKATANE
23RD JUL - AIO, ONE DREAD & DJ HUTA - BILLYS BEACH HOUSE - SURFERS PARADISE - AUS
29TH JUL - CRUCIAL CONNEXION TOUR - AROMOHO - WHANGANUI

2ND DEC - DARKY ROOTS NZ TOUR - ROYAL HOTEL - PALMY
3RD DEC - DARKY ROOTS NZ TOUR - EULOGY LOUNGE - WHANGANUI

Once transmitted through speakers and into the airwaves, music belongs to the people. The audience ascribes meaning and significance to songs and ultimately absorbs them for life.

By the same token, SIX60 belong to listeners. The history-making award-winning New Zealand quintet—Matiu Walters [vocals, guitar], Marlon Gerbes [keyboard], Ji Fraser [lead guitar], Chris Mac [bass], and Eli Paewai [drums]—stir rock, reggae, funk, and pop together with a twist of kiwi roots music and Maori instrumentation. Invoking this spirit and Kiwi roots, their latest music and next evolution showcases traditional Maori instruments such as Pūtātara and Pūkāe (stone and long trumpets), Bone Kōauao (Bone Flute), and Karanga Weka (Stone Flute). “We want to take our Maori culture and put it into a mainstream radio world,” exclaims Matiu. “There are only a handful of people in the world who can play these instruments, and we felt getting them into a mainstream album could give them a chance to stay alive.”
Over a decade before breaking records and selling out stadiums back home or signing to Epic Records stateside, the boys then welcomed the world into their musical ecosystem and set a career precedent in 2008 while still students.

“At University of Otago, we shared a flat at 660 Castle Street in Dunedin, New Zealand,” recalls Matiu. “We originally didn’t name the band. Instead, our first college fans gave the band the name by calling us the ‘SIX60 Boys,’ which evolved into SIX60. We adopted this philosophy into our albums. The fans add the final touches and have naming rights over things we do. The songs aren’t done until the audience has them. So, the album doesn’t really have a spirit or a name until the crowd consumes it.”

As such, SIX60 engender a rare level of devotion from fans, bordering on downright phenomenal. The group’s 2011 full-length, SIX60 (I. The Gold Album), bowed at #1 on the charts in New Zealand and eventually went septuple-platinum. SIX60 (II. The Colours Album). saw them reclaim the top spot on the charts in 2015 and go quintuple-platinum. To date, New Zealand single sales exceed 1 million as global streams surpass 200 million and counting. At the 2018 NZ Music Awards, they garnered “Best Group” in addition to five other honors.

A year later, they made history. Performing their biggest show to date, they sold out Western Springs Stadium in New Zealand and became “the first New Zealand Act to Sell 50,000 Tickets to a Show at the Stadium” (They repeated the same feat for 2020!). The gig proved to be a major milestone both professionally and musically.

Conscious original family Roots Band from Raglan New Zealand

Taz Brooks is following