The annual Shoreline Jam is celebrating its fifth year at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. A hybrid of sunny Southern California reggae, the occasional rock guitar get-down and a potent dab of especially conscious hip-hop, it’s a festival that has grown steadily each year since its inception. Boosting the value for already enthusiastic ticket holders, this installment will feature 20 artists over the two-day stretch, up from the 16 that performed last year.
Including a comprehensive roster of reggae artists spanning generations, the Shoreline Jam is where wily dancehall veterans like Barrington Levy are paired with soulful new-schoolers like Common Kings. It is also where eclectic prospects like Orange County natives Seedless mingle with the prolific hip-hop duo Grouch & Eligh. Though stylistically different, both seem to understand and appreciate the kind of bridge afforded on the Shoreline stage.
“Our music has an inward message that works well with how receptive reggae audiences are,” Eligh said during a recent interview. The feverishly fluid Los Angeles-based MC, currently beginning his own solo tour in support of his latest effort, “80 Hrtz,” and his partner are just a few of the returning groups on this year’s bill.
“We were the only hip-hop artists on the show last year, so we weren’t too sure of what to expect,” Eligh said. “It actually turned out to be one of the most fun shows of the year for us because of the crowd. The scenery is beautiful too.”
Guitarist Casey Sullivan of the reggae rock outfit Seedless, echoed that sentiment as he discussed the band’s second year performing at Shoreline. Among the more consistent themes of the festival is the positive vibe coming from Southern California reggae fans. “These are good, hardworking people that love to have a good time,” Sullivan said. “I can’t speak for other genres, but there aren’t any fights here. There’s nothing like that. These are the kind of people that appreciate the music, even if they aren’t familiar with it.”
Balancing buzz-worthy artists with genre mainstays, Shoreline has afforded lesser-known artists an opportunity to share the shine with bonafide stars. This is the festival where budding acts like Long Beach’s Brewfish can play to a crowd waiting for Matisyahu and earn some new followers. Sullivan detailed the dynamics of a show where the artist can be a fan.
“We get to pay respect to a legend like Barrington Levy and get to see the guys in Tomorrows Bad Seeds who haven’t played together in over a year,” he said. “We get to see the guys in Common Kings, who grew up in the same area, and I mean, those guys toured with Justin Timberlake. It’s something we as a band are stoked to be a part of.”
Sullivan and Eligh, though at completely different stages in their careers, share an equally authentic appreciation for one-offs like this.
“Hip-hop and reggae have the same back beat,” Sullivan said. “They have the same groove. The styles are different but they both work well together.”
Similarly, Eligh is convinced that substance accounts for the favorable mesh.
“Reggae rocks a certain way, and when we come on, we definitely change the pace,” he said. “But it’s not a big stretch for the fans. We’re touching on similar things and keeping things positive. … It probably doesn’t hurt that the crowd likes to smoke weed though.”