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Presented by Consequence of Sound and Voice Boxx Studios, Rootsland is a weekly docuseries podcast that explores the story of two friends who take a musical and spiritual journey from the suburbs of Long Island to the streets of Kingston, Jamaica. Today, host Henry “K” Karyo kicks off Season 1: “Reggae, Junkie, Jew” with two exciting chapters that will take listeners to exotic locations.
In Chapter 1: “Catch a Fire”, we dial things back to 1987 and head to Washington, D.C., where Henry is a disillusioned justice major at American University. His life changes, however, when he walks into a record shop and eventually secures an internship at RAS Records working for trailblazing reggae producer Dr. Dread, a.k.a Gary Himmelfarb. The job description seems simple enough: sweeping floors, packing boxes, and answering phones. But, Henry soon learns calls to RAS Records are anything but simple.
The story continues with Chapter 2: “When the Music Hits” as Henry befriends a reggae super fan and an obsessed caller to the label. He soon learns that this “Brian from Colorado” is an aspiring singer, whose revolutionary spirit may convince Henry to follow his dream to pursue music over law. That dream becomes a reality when Henry is tasked to bring a reggae legend to a recording session. He’s not sure what hits him—it could be the contact buzz, it could be the savory smell of brown stew fish — but when Henry sees Dr. Dread behind the mixing board with a grin … life begins to make a whole lotta sense.
Stream both episodes above and subscribe now for the full effect. Below, you can stream all of the tracks from the season. An accompanying soundtrack will be released exclusively on Consequence of Sound in the weeks ahead.
