“Every single second is a blessing if you count them all,” sings frontman Matthew Roads. You can hear the sincerity in his voice; the joie de vivre that oozes from everything Tropidelic does is apparent. When they take a stage, their synergy flows member to member—horns blow, knees kicked high and grins are passed from one man to the next. Almost immediately it spreads to the crowd, lifting hands in the air as their feet begin to move and the pulse collectively becomes that of one.
The six-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio may be far from any tropical islands but that doesn't stop them from dishing out an interesting mix of reggae, hip - hop and high energy funk for audiences across the country. Tropidelic has a deep and widespread appreciation for music that can be heard in each note. Some of the members are hip-hop heads, while others are into metal, funk or reggae. But each of these genres lends something to their collective sound. “We pride ourselves in being original in our musicality and personality as a band,” says Roads, “but also in not taking ourselves so seriously that it ruins the fun.”
For their forthcoming 2017 release, “Heavy is The Head”, Tropidelic carefully vetted what songs made it to the record, and featured songwriting efforts from members James and Darrick. Sound engineer Cary Crichlow, who has worked on the last four releases from the band, returned to get the job done. “Our socio-political views vary as much as our musical tastes and always seep into the music” says Roads. “There’s certainly a lot that needs said, but on this record we tried to be well-rounded and touch on a broad scope of emotions.”
These seasoned road dogs can be found spreading their soulful sound across the country in both intimate venues and music festivals, having shared the stage with and supported such acts as Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, Pepper and The Wailers. Previously, Tropidelic has been featured at Werk Out Festival, Reggae on the River, Night Lights Music Festival, an appearance at Warped Tour, SXSW and supporting Badfish through the East and Midwest. In 2017, the band is focused on headlining tours as well as performing at Electric Forest, Burning Foot Festival, Surrounded By The Sound, Bragg Jam, Shadefest and much more. Stay tuned for more from Cleveland's home-grown, Tropidelic.
