The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.[1] Their rocksteady song "One by One" became an international hit when it was played in top ranked TV series Breaking Bad. Their music is a mixture of big beat funk, dub, afro music, pop, rock, soul, and roots reggae/ragga.[2]
The Black Seeds | |
|---|---|
 Performing in Leicester, August 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Genres | Reggae, roots reggae, funk, dub, rock, pop, soul, world music |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Sonar Kollektiv, Easy Star Records, Loop, Capitol |
| Members | Barnaby Weir Daniel Weetman Ryan Prebble Jarney Murphy Francis Harawira Nigel Patterson Barrett Hocking Matthew Benton |
| Past members | Mike Fabulous Jabin Ward Bret McKenzie Rich Christie Shannon Williams Andrew Christiansen Tim Jaray Toby Laing Ned Ngatae |
| Website | www |
Formed in 1998, the Black Seeds perform with eight members,[3] with instruments including vocals, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums, bongos, keyboard and wood block. Black Seeds first album, Keep On Pushing, was released 2001 following a number of live performances.[4] Already very successful in New Zealand and popular in Australia, Europe and North & South America, their third album Into the Dojo (2007) introduced Black Seeds internationally.[5] They have released five albums, a live album, and two remix albums. They have two double-platinum selling albums in New Zealand,[2] and successful European album releases through the German-based Sonar Kollektiv label. In 2011, the Black Seeds was described by Rolling Stone as "The best reggae band in the world right now".[6]
Lead singer Barnaby Weir, the son of veteran radio broadcaster Dick Weir, is also associated with the side-projects Fly My Pretties and Flash Harry.[7] Former band member Bret McKenzie is also a member of international comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, as well as playing the role of Figwit the elf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.[8]
The band released their sixth studio album Fabric in early September 2017.
Their song "One by One" was used in AMC's Breaking Bad Season 2 episode "4 Days Out" and also appears on the series' official soundtrack.[9][10]
Discography
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- Keep On Pushing LP (2001)
- On the Sun (2004)
- Into the Dojo (2006)
- Solid Ground (2008)
- The Black Seeds Live – Vol 1 (2009)
- Specials: Remixes and Versions Off Solid Ground (2010)
- Dust and Dirt (2012)
- Fabric (2017)
- Love & Fire (2022)
References
edit- ^ Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013) "The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae", Jamaica Observer, 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013
- ^ a b "The Black Seeds Bio". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "The Black Seeds". Under the Radar. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "The Black Seeds. Biography". AllMusic. AllMusic; All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "The Black Seeds". Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. Loop Media, NZ. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "The Black Seeds". Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. Loop Media, NZ. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ Rebecca Thomson. "Fly My Pretties – Barnaby Weir is Flying High". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "THE BLACK SEEDS – BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION". Rock Paper Scissors. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "Breaking Bad (Music from the Original TV Series)". iTunes. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Maria Elena Fernandez (18 May 2010). "'Breaking Bad': La musica on sale Tuesday on I-tunes and Amazon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
External links
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