Cornerstone Roots
Encyclopedia
Cornerstone Roots are a successful contemporary New Zealand
reggae
band from Raglan/Whaingaroa in the Waikato
.
Formed in 2001 after a session at the infamous local Raglan Musicians Club, the original three-piece outfit singer/songwriter/guitarist Brian and drummer Turongo Dixon (both Māori) and bassist Naomi Tuao (Samoa
n/Scottish
) formed the rhythm section of Cornerstone Roots. The music at that time was raw and riddim focused with a mix of contemporary styled ska
/roots
/soul
and reggae
.
The band quickly developed a strong local following with many of the early shows being filmed and recorded by fans. This prompted the band to record their first Extended play
One Fine Day in 2001 where they set about touring provincial New Zealand where the cafes were crammed and live shows intense.
By the following year the Corners had released debut album Soul Revolution
, described by some reviewers as brilliant and impressive . The album was recorded in Wellington
with engineer Lee Prebble
at Surgery where the rhythm tracks were recorded live in one weekend. The album release was backed up with 20 date tour of NZ ending at the Wellington Town Hall
supporting powerhouse rhythm section Sly and Robbie
.
To date seven out of the eleven tracks off the Soul Revolution album have been playlisted on independent radio
in NZ with tracks being playlisted in Australia
, Japan
, Brazil
, and more recently the USA. The band have begun to break new territories in the last 18 months with shows in Noumea
, Australia
, Japan
and a tour planned for Brazil
in October 2006.
2004 saw the band cross the Tasman
eight times with the release of the Forward Movement EP which was nominated for Best Roots Release in 2005. Veteran Studio One DJ Ranking Joe
features over cuts off the EP and remix tracks are to be released at a later date.
Cornerstone Roots have supported some heavyweight reggae acts including Burning Spear
, Toots & the Maytals
, Sly and Robbie
with Michael Rose, Jimmy Cliff
, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mad Professor
. They have also recorded tracks with Ranking Joe
& Big Youth
.
The band have evolved many times since its humble beginnings and now feature Jonathan Crayford
on keyboards
and Aaron Bush on percussion. Recent shows have been described as "intense" with the "impact of a hammer hitting an anvil" .
- released 2002
Soul Revolution- released 2003
Forward Movement EP
- released 2004
Free Yourself - released 2007
Future Is Now - released 2011
Conscious Roots 2
Conscious Roots 3 Calling
Dub Conspiracy
Kaikoura Roots CD
Weekend Session 2
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band from Raglan/Whaingaroa in the Waikato
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
.
Formed in 2001 after a session at the infamous local Raglan Musicians Club, the original three-piece outfit singer/songwriter/guitarist Brian and drummer Turongo Dixon (both Māori) and bassist Naomi Tuao (Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n/Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
) formed the rhythm section of Cornerstone Roots. The music at that time was raw and riddim focused with a mix of contemporary styled ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
/roots
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
The band quickly developed a strong local following with many of the early shows being filmed and recorded by fans. This prompted the band to record their first Extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
One Fine Day in 2001 where they set about touring provincial New Zealand where the cafes were crammed and live shows intense.
By the following year the Corners had released debut album Soul Revolution
Soul Revolution
Soul Revolution is an album by The Wailers. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Bob Marley. The album was followed up with a "dub" companion set, Soul Revolution Part II, which was the original Soul Revolution album with the vocals stripped off.-Side one:#"Keep On Moving"#"Don't Rock My...
, described by some reviewers as brilliant and impressive . The album was recorded in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
with engineer Lee Prebble
Lee Prebble
Lee Prebble is a producer and engineer at Wellington, New Zealand recording studio The Surgery. He has produced and co-produced platinum selling records for Trinity Roots and The Black Seeds as well as albums by The Phoenix Foundation, Spartacus R, Cornerstone Roots, Fly My Pretties and The...
at Surgery where the rhythm tracks were recorded live in one weekend. The album release was backed up with 20 date tour of NZ ending at the Wellington Town Hall
Wellington Town Hall
The Wellington Town Hall is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand. The foundation stone for the building was laid in 1901 and construction began the following year. It was officially opened on 7 December 1904....
supporting powerhouse rhythm section Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
.
To date seven out of the eleven tracks off the Soul Revolution album have been playlisted on independent radio
Independent Radio
Independent radio indicates a radio station that is run in a manner different from usual for the country it broadcasts in. In countries where there exist government-run radio stations that served as the primary or only the variety of licensed broadcaster, the term independent radio generally means...
in NZ with tracks being playlisted in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and more recently the USA. The band have begun to break new territories in the last 18 months with shows in Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and a tour planned for Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in October 2006.
2004 saw the band cross the Tasman
Tasman
Tasman may refer to:* Tasman , a light rail station in California, USA* Tasman , a layout engine developed by Microsoft* Tasman Region, a region and a district of New Zealand* Mount Tasman, a mountain in New Zealand...
eight times with the release of the Forward Movement EP which was nominated for Best Roots Release in 2005. Veteran Studio One DJ Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe aka Little Joe is a reggae deejay who rose to prominence in the 1970s and had continuing success in the 1980s.-Biography:...
features over cuts off the EP and remix tracks are to be released at a later date.
Cornerstone Roots have supported some heavyweight reggae acts including Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
, Toots & the Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
, Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
with Michael Rose, Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mad Professor
Mad Professor
Mad Professor is a dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or...
. They have also recorded tracks with Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe aka Little Joe is a reggae deejay who rose to prominence in the 1970s and had continuing success in the 1980s.-Biography:...
& Big Youth
Big Youth
Manley Augustus Buchanan , better known as Big Youth , is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s....
.
The band have evolved many times since its humble beginnings and now feature Jonathan Crayford
Jonathan Crayford
Jonathan Crayford is a composer/multi instrumentalist.Jonathan studied classical piano and learned jazz by ear...
on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and Aaron Bush on percussion. Recent shows have been described as "intense" with the "impact of a hammer hitting an anvil" .
Discography
One Fine Day EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
- released 2002
Soul Revolution- released 2003
Forward Movement EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
- released 2004
Free Yourself - released 2007
Future Is Now - released 2011
Compilations
Conscious Roots 1 Miracles and LightConscious Roots 2
Conscious Roots 3 Calling
Dub Conspiracy
Kaikoura Roots CD
Weekend Session 2
External links
- Official site
- MySpace
- http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/nrmtalk/cornerstone_roots_interviewRadio New ZealandRadio New ZealandRadio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
interview]