Asthmatic Kitty Records

Rafter

It’s Reggae

Catalog: AKR094 • Cover Art: Illustration by Mike Bennet
Release date: April 1, 2014
  • CD
  • MP3
  • MP3 Bandcamp Buy
  • LP

CD and LP include immediate download of full album in 320kbps MP3.
LP also includes download coupon to MP3 and FLAC.



Dear Reggae,

I know it’s only been a couple days but I miss you already. There’s so much about you that I love – the way you approach situations in a relaxed and positive way, the way you absorb whatever strange element come at you and you just fold it into your nature. I admire you and your ease in the world, but it also stirs my anxieties about life – why can’t I be so cool, relaxed, so positive? I’m always wrapped up in my crazy modern brain and life. But then I wonder, are you too? Maybe you’re just as conflicted and human, but everyday you make the choice to express yourself in an uplifting and unselfconscious way. Can you show me how to do that? I love you, Reggae, and I want to learn.

love forever, Rafter

(for our 3rd anniversary Lizeth and I went to Maui. we drove around in our rental jeep listening to the FM radio and it reminded me of the awesome spirit of reggae… cause that’s ALL that’s on the air there… bad local reggae music… i remember a chorus that went “i appreciate my life… whoa”. the song was terrible but i was so happy for the lack of angst in it. so inspiring. i came back and started soaking in great reggae…The Congos, The Upsetters, Trojan and Studio One and Lee Scratch Perry compilations galore, so many amazing albums and such a good feeling world of music… i wanted to make a reggae record so much but it felt so very ill-advised, which of course made it that much more attractive… living in southern california there are so very many terrible white boy reggae bands! my drummer Nathan loves reggae as much as me, and one night the feeling was right and we started making this record… pounding our tracks into an ancient and huge 4 track machine from the 70s… i slowly kept working on it as the inspirations came… every step from then till now has been a total delight. i don’t think i’ve ever danced more in the studio while making a record. the music just feels so good to me. i hope it feels great to you too!)

RafterReggaeLetter