Carlos Jones+ Holiday Revival

The iron man of the Cleveland, Ohio, reggae scene is without question Carlos Jones. His journey follows the history of Cleveland reggae itself. In the late ’70s, he started out as a sideman (percussion/vocals) with the band I-tal, who was able to bring the music to the masses of local college kids with their unique, rock-influenced reggae sound. Their shows had a unifying atmosphere, packing clubs with ecstatic fans, hypnotized by the seductive and mystical rhythms and socially relevant messages.

Later, Jones began to come into his own as a songwriter and onstage presence in the group First Light. During their 14-year run, the group achieved a huge level of popularity with its powerful and eclectic brand of music, which mixed rock, funk, blues with reggae. By the mid-’90s, feeling the need to return to a more conscious, roots-reggae sound than First Light was known for, Carlos formed a stripped-down, mostly acoustic, four-piece combo which he named Strictly Roots, which would later be renamed, Peace Love Unity Syndicate, now more commonly known as The PLUS Band. After doing both projects for a number of years, Carlos decided to make the PLUS Band his full-time pursuit and First Light disbanded in May of 1998. Since then, he has been on a mission to carry the message of peace, love, unity, higher consciousness and the joy of the reggae vibration to all who will listen.

When asked, ‘What’s your ultimate goal?’, Sun Shade’s answer is “To perform music every waking moment of my life, and break all barriers with the power of music.” Sun Shade is on a musical journey to become one of the most prolific vocalists that society has to offer today. Born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Sun Shade started his professional singing career during high school. He performed at local festivals, which enabled him to hone in on his unique and distinct vocal style. Sun Shade has been profoundly influenced by the likes of Sanchez, Maxi Priest, Dennis Brown, Phil Collins, Alton Ellis, and has shared the stage with the likes of Beenie Man, Baby Cham, Wayne Wonder, Mr. Vegas, Terror Fabulous and Jr Reid just to name a few. He has vocalized many of these artists and now hopes to emerge as his own unique artist by performing his original songs. With his dedicated heart and determination, Sun Shade moved to the United States in hopes of breaking through internationally and setting forth new standards in Reggae Music.

Sun Shade’s arrival in the United States has propelled his musical career to another level. He has marketed singles such as “Jah Love,” “Honey,” “Forever Love” and a remake of Robert Craig’s “Smoking Gun.” Within the first few years, he went on a Midwest tour with Luciano, Sizzla, Movado, Leroy Sibbles, Gregory Isaac, Sanchez, and Mikey General covering cities such as Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Chicago. Sun Shade has continued this progressive movement into the musical field by continually performing at many different venues. Ringing in the Millennium, Sun Shade toured to South Carolina, Florida, and Jamaica.

In the summer of 2018, Sun Shade released his EP entitled Don’t You Be, a collaboration project between Sun Shade’s own label Jeanne Records, indie label DubbStarr and distributed by Tuff Gong International.