For 13 years there has been a reggae renaissance developing in the Northwest. The result…
California Goes Na’an Stop Reggae!
Na’an Stop is a high energy Reggae band from Boulder, CO. They will be cruising through California on the GNAR-V Tour to bring their signature sound into the already vibrant California Reggae scene:
MAY 8 2016 SUN ♦ DiPiazza’s ♦ Long Beach, CA
MAY 10 2016 TUE ♦ Frog & Peach Pub ♦ San Luis Obispo, CA
MAY 11 2016 WED ♦ Sandbar ♦ Santa Barbara, CA
MAY 13 2016 FRI ♦ Neck of the Woods ♦ San Francisco
MAY 14 2016 SAT ♦ The Clubhouse ♦ Carmichael, CA
Get the Full Tour Info
Their unique mix of reggae, rock, hip-hop, dub and ska caught our ear and interest, so we got up close and personal with these chill invaders from Colorado.
What was the turning point that told you guys to give the touring a shot?
We released our first full-length album, “From the Deep” in March, 2015 and it had some success. It peaked at #2 on the iTunes Reggae Album Chart and #5 on Billboard Reggae Album Chart after the first week, which was pretty wine bottling. Our album sat right behind Bob himself on the iTunes charts. If you think about it, it’s kind of symbolic. Bob is the man in Reggae. It kind of showed that we’ve come to a good point, but we have a long way to go before we are a legitimate player in the game. From that point forward we started to look at our music in a different light.
What is your unique take on Reggae among all the bands appearing in the CALI music scene?
We’re not afraid to let other genres like funk, hip hop, and rock influence our sound and leave a lot of musical avenues open for future exploration. We take a lot of pride in creating a sound that is based off reggae, but not constrained by it. We charge everything we do and we do everything ourselves. We don’t really take “no” for an answer.
We flip problems on their heads and come up with a lot of wacky ideas. For example, we weren’t getting enough exercise on the road. So we installed a hang board on our RV so we can stay jacked on tour.
When did you begin full-time touring and what was the first tour like?
We hit the road hard in August, 2015 on our “Win a Bagel Tour”. It was a run of 20 or so shows between Colorado, Utah, and California that was jam packed. We filmed 2 music videos and painted the entire starboard side of our RV. The RV painting was actually a pretty cool day. We parked it on the northeast corner of Dolores Park in San Francisco and had a few artist friends (Active Soul, Artillery AG, Jack McKain) paint the RV while we jammed on the sidewalk for the whole park to hear. People were sitting in the sun, drinking beers, dancing, and enjoying the art. It was a long day after an even longer night but it was one of our favorite days to date.
Where have you toured?
We’ve toured from San Diego up to Vancouver and across the country to Myrtle Beach. Around 25,000 miles in the past 10 months.
How many shows have you played since and how has that experience matured musically your live performance?
We’ve played around 75 shows since August, 2015 and have tailored our live performance to be action packed for up to 3 hours. We’ve always taken pride in throwing parties on stage and we feel we’re getting better at that with every show. We’ve played a few empty rooms across the country. That’s part of the game though. When you’re in a new place it’s hard to have immediate success. Those experiences are tough, but they give you a crash course in entertaining. If you can get a crowd of 3 people dancing their asses off, you can get a crowd of 300 people to do the same.
What the hell is that thing you tour in and do you actually sleep & eat in that trip box?
We have a 1994 Coachmen Santara RV that we’ve modified a bit. We have 2, triple stack, bunks in the back room that comfortably sleeps 6 and we painted the entire starboard side. We park that thing anywhere, but we prefer sleeping with the Big Dogs (Truckers). The RV is literally a house on wheels with a toilet, sink, and shower. No #2! We have a propane stove and we’re pretty tasty with it. The best part about our meals is whoever cooks pretends they’re the executive chef at their own restaurant. For example, Joe (Drums) is the executive chef at Jesus’. He specializes in comfort food and has his own theme song.
A video posted by Na’an Stop (@naanstopmusic) on
You’re a reggae band from CO & your RV is a moving art board. Not suspicious at all. Ever been pulled over? Searched?
Lol We’ve definitely been pulled over a few times. Nothing has come of it except for some warnings… Maybe because we say we’re a rock band when they ask what kind of music we play… We were actually searched down by the Mexican border in California. They broke out the rubber gloves, but we don’t do that kind of stuff so it was fine. (wink)
A photo posted by Na’an Stop (@naanstopmusic) on
Where are you right now? Anything big planned?
We’re currently on our GNAR-V Tour across the Western US and are covering 7 states in 3.5 weeks. We’re stoked for a number of reasons: it’s hot outside, we’re more experienced than ever, we’ve been to all these places before, and we’re playing with some great bands (The Olés, Black Bottom Lighters, Fayuca). It’s going to be sick.
Summer plans?
Patrick (Trombone/Keys) captains a commercial salmon fishing boat in Alaska from June-July. He’s been doing this for half his life and it’s been a part of the Na’an Stop schedule from the jump. After our heavy touring the past 10 months it’s going to be a nice break to get some work in and make a little dough. It’s kind of like we’re in high school looking for summer jobs again.
When can people expect new music?
We just finished recording 3 singles at White Star Sound in Virginia. It happens to be the same place The Movement recorded their recent album, “Golden”. We’re hoping to drop the first song and music video around September.
Who did you work with on the new music?
We worked with producer/mixing master, Danny Kalb on the singles. He’s previously worked with The Green (Hawaii ’13), The Movement (Golden), Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad (Steady), and many more. Danny is a wizard.
What was different for this recording compared to your past work?
The new recordings cover the breadth of our vibe. They range from sensitive and controlled to raging party. “From the Deep” is mellow and “It’s All in the Cheese” is a little more high energy. The new recordings capture a more refined and soulful Na’an Stop. There were tears of happiness shed during the recording of “You” and “Questions”. Shit got real. Shit is real. Shit will be fire.
Parting words?
Life’s too short, gotta go big.
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