SunDub is a testament to the power of inclusion, diversity and unity— their music and community rallies around the concept that we are strongest when people of different backgrounds can work together to create positive change. These core values are showcased on SunDub’s first release, “Burden of Love,” which has since amassed millions of streams and whet the appetites of listeners around the world for their next release. In a world that is dominated by watered-down distillation of reggae, SunDub aims to honor the roots of Jamaican music while offering their unique ability to combine soul and funk sophistication into their art.
Born out of a weekly music residency at a local watering hole, Brooklyn-based SunDub has developed into a collaborative mix of New York City musicians, consistently turning heads with an offering of classic reggae repertoire peppered with original and featured soul and blues almost weekly since 2013. Anchored by a core group—Finnegan Singer (guitar), Jose Lopez (guitar), Derrick Bourne (bass), Eric “The General” Toussaint (vocals-keys), Sidney Mills (vocals-keys) and the brother-sister team of Joanna (lead vocals) and Ben Teters (vocals-drums)—many of SunDub’s stellar and frequent collaborators came together for its first production of original music, “Burden of Love.” The album features reggae royalty Ruff Scott, The Chronic Horns (Easy Star All-Stars), Larry McDonald (Lee Scratch Perry, Gil Scott-Heron) and Sidney Mills (Steel Pulse). They lend their talents to Joanna Teters’ commanding and soulfully smoky lead vocals and blend seamlessly with the air-tight arrangements of the SunDub rhythm section. The result is a stand out expression of reggae’s classic undulating pulse and lush subterranean grooves, reinvented for listeners of all times and genres.
Outside of the studio and off of the stage, the band members that make up SunDub put their talents to work in a myriad of ways; using their music as a platform to advocate for political movements, teaching music lessons to New York City youth, and collaborating with non-profits to create change. Like so many other bands, SunDub was hit hard by the onset of the pandemic of 2020 — tours cancelled, opportunities postponed, income lost. But instead of being discouraged, the band came together on a Brooklyn patio and figured out how to make the most of the situation. During weekly, COVID-safe live stream performances in the summer of 2020, SunDub raised over $1,000 for the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund, used their platform to rally their community around the importance of political activism and dismantling unjust racial and societal structures.