Ease Up

The San Diego-based reggae group was perfect for the hazy afternoon slot at the Battle of the Bands Stage. Calling to mind the surfy sounds of Sublime or, more recently, the Dirty Heads, it was difficult to resist the urge to nod along with the stony bassline. - Fender Guitar

Their [Ease Up] newest single is titled, “Number One” and was produced at what has become one of the hottest spots in the reggae music scene to record at…You guessed it! I am talking about Costa Mesa, California’s one and only 17th Street Recording Studios with Lewis Richards. - The Pier

From the heart of the Southern California scene Ease Up has been playing shows and touring up and down the state for a couple of years now. Gaining notoriety playing with local reggae greats Stranger (who’s extremely talented horn player Don Carter plays on the release) plus bands like Seedless (who are currently gearing up to tour the nation with Tribal Seeds), they are well established in the musician’s community. With their big sound and awesome vocal harmonies, Ease Up blends an enticing amount of reggae, rock and pop music that hit like a sunny California beach party. - San Diego Entertainer Magazine

Just in time for summer, On The Fly, by Ease Up is filled with good vibes and fun melodies. The upbeat feel to this EP screams out “summer time!” and each track is as refreshing as a pina colada in the sand on a hot summer day with friends. I found this EP to be short and sweet with a little taste of romance, irie-ness, and California love. - The Pier

Top Shelf Reggae sits down with San Diego based Ease Up during their Buds & Brews Tour to talk about their history along with the new self titled album. We caught up with Ease Up in San Francisco, CA in their tour van parked outside of Grant & Green Saloon just before their amazing performance.

Keep up with Ease Up tour dates and music by liking or following them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EaseUp or Twitter https://twitter.com/EaseUpMusic - Top Shelf Reggae

Watch video - Voice America

Sunshine, dance and fun – that is Ease Up.

Well that makes for a short review, but in reality I have said almost all there is to say about Ease Up as the rest is mainly superfluous. Combining ska, reggae and some jazz based rock Ease Up lighten the spirits of the audience. Having been around since 2009 with over a hundred gigs a year and a couple of EPs behind them, those who come across Ease Up can’t help but add them to the must have playlist.

They are set to plug the hole in the armoury with a debut eponymous LP an 11 track, set for release in March 2014, which features a number of guest artists. The good thing about being a music reviewer is that I have had the opportunity to take a listen to the release and what a blinder it is – my English winter will be far brighter with this to listen to – roll on March when the sun rises in earnest for everyone that gets hold of this fine release.

The fusion of styles allows Ease Up to create fresh sounding music that slips unnoticed into the body lifting the spirits and should be medically approved as an anti-depressant.

Or to put it more succinctly -

Sunshine, dance and fun – that is Ease Up. - Emerging Indie Bands

After years of putting in work, Ease Up has finally announced that they will be releasing their debut full-length album! The self-titled album is due out on Tuesday, March 4th and will be supported with an album release party and the month-long Buds & Brews Tour.

With the 2010 release of their first EP, it is safe to say that this album has been at least 4 years in the making. Ease Up has gone through many changes throughout the years, but one thing has always stayed the same; their hard work ethic. The guys from Southern California have made a name for themselves by playing show after show, up and down the Cali coast. They were also featured on last year’s Unity Festival, select dates for the Vans Warped Tour and the official Cali Roots 2013 After Party.

The band originally announced plans to release their first full-length in the early months of last year. Since Buds-and-Brews-Tourthen, they have released multiple singles while pushing back the album’s release date only to make sure they were putting out Ease Up’s best material possible.

According to lead singer, Rico Estrada, “We wanted to create an album for our fans that they could play back-to-back, on repeat, and be stoked on. We’re all diggin’ how the album turned out, and we’re even more excited to share it with our fans and the world!”

Known for producing some of the biggest hits to come from the reggae-rock community, Lewis Richards of 17th Street Recording Studio has been the man behind the mixing and mastering of Ease Up’s music from the very beginning. The album features 4 digitally remastered tracks from their 2 previous EPs, 2010’s “If You Only Knew” and 2011’s “On The Fly.”

With guest appearances from Travi Bongo of Fortunate Youth, Tim Wu of Long Beach Dub Allstars, Matthew Liufau of Seedless, Jon Olazabal of the Dirty Heads, Moi of Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds and the multi-talented Micah Brown, you can expect Ease Up’s self-titled album to be well worth the wait.

Following the release of the album, Ease Up will be heading on a regional tour in order to promote the new music. The Buds & Brews Tour begins on March 8th, with an album release party at Winston’s in Ocean Beach and will take the band up the coast of California for the entire month of March.

On tour, Ease Up’s long time bassist, Nathan Ledgerwood, will be making the transition from bass to lead guitar. Founding member, Rico Estrada, will remain as lead vocals while the 2nd longest member of the band, Darryl Brown, will continue to bring the HIGH energy on the drums. Their most recent addition, Mark Nakamura, is a young bassist who is also no stranger to working hard for success.

When asked how he felt about joining Ease Up at such a pivotal point in the band’s career, Mark responded with, “It’s very surreal to be thrown into an opportunity like this so quickly but my previous insight has ‘trained’ me well for joining the Ease Up team at such a crucial point…After following the Pier scene for nearly 8 years and trying to creep on with my past band (Bellyfull), I’m so grateful to be working with a solid crew of humble, like-minded artists and I’m very anxious for the future of the band!”

Check the dates below to see if Ease Up will be bringing their surf-ska-punk-reggae style to your town while making their way up the west coast! Also make sure to purchase Ease Up’s highly anticipated debut album on March 4th! - The Pier

The 11th Annual Summer Meltdown – an Autism Awareness Art & Music Festival – will take place Saturday, April 26th at the Santa Clarita Skatepark.
The festival will feature acoustic sets by Matisyahu and The Dirty Heads, plus performances from Seedless, Stick Figure, Thrive, Cisco Adler, Krooked Treez, Katastro, Papafish, Mystic Roots, Rick Thorne, Reeform, Ease Up, and many more, plus live art by several artists!
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
This eleventh annual arts and music festival is co-produced with its founders and the students in the Yes I Can program, many of whom are teens living on the spectrum of Autism. Bret Lieberman and Lisa Lamedman, along with their socially isolated students who were being bullied, developed the concept of the Summer Meltdown Art and Music Festival. Together, they came up with the idea of producing a concert in the community in hopes of having a place to fit in. Bret, Lisa, and their Yes I Can students ran with the idea, working to enrich their social and occupational skills.
“To have the opportunity to teach these extraordinary kids true-to-life skills that they could learn alongside music industry professionals, and to be able to grow their new-found talents year after year as they move on to college was a nobrainer for me. As a special education teacher, who specializes in Autism, my passion lies deep with these kids. Just to see the smiles on their faces and watch them make such huge accomplishments, is like nothing else I have experienced,” says co-founder Bret Lieberman. “By exposing these teens to a major music and arts event like the Summer Meltdown Festival, it embraces their team-building skills, while developing their knowledge of the music and arts industries- there is nothing better I could think to give them, as music is our universal language.” - KROQ

Ease Up is hitting the road to promote their self-titled, full-length debut album which hits digital stands on March 4th 2014. Ease Up is a band from both Los Angeles and San Diego, California- originally coming from the Los Angeles area, but also planting roots in San Diego County, and enjoying its scene as indicated by a song on their album called, “Play All Day.” Aside from two previous EPs, Ease Up has been spreading their music all around the California region, and plan to do so again with their upcoming Buds and Brews Tour which starts March 8th in San Diego. Fans and those who decide to check this Reggae-Rock band’s new music will definitely be impressed by their style which consists of Ska-Rock with slight tempos of Reggae music. Ease Up also integrate modern rock with youthfulness in such songs as “Liquor Store” and “Another Saturday Night.” Top Shelf Reggae was impressed to hear diversity with such songs as “One Of Those Days” and “Undercover Lover.” The most enjoyable song was “Feelin’ Irie” as it portrayed the sum of Ease Up’s music- even while utilizing guest vocals from Matthew Liufau of Seedless. - Top Shelf Reggae