Pacific Roots is a Reggae/Ska/Punk band out of Santa Cruz, California. The band consists of Max Masluk (vocals), Derek Haynsworth (guitar), Matt Booher (guitar), Jake White (bass) and A.J. Aguayo (drums). The band released their self-titled album in 2017 and have been on a journey of playing shows with some dope bands and musicians since. Pacific Roots started 2020 off with a bang, releasing their brand new single, “Kooks on the Loose…”.
“Kooks on the Loose” is a song that means a tremendous amount to the band and will resonate with any decent human being. We’ve all seen it before; someone visits a beautiful place and ends up leaving it a complete mess with no regard for the environment or the people around. Pacific Roots is sick of that shit (as I’m sure most people are) and wrote a whole song about it! When I spoke to the band, they had this to say on it: “So Santa Cruz, where we are from, is mostly a tourist destination in the summertime. Every day we see people come to town and go down to the beach and completely trash it. Cans, bottles, cigarette butts, coolers, and trash just left out on the beach with no regard for nature or even other people. The song aims to hopefully open some peoples eyes to enjoy not just the beach, but all of nature and leave it clean and pack your trash.” I love the fact that Pacific Roots wrote this song solely to spread awareness on the dirtbags that destroy beaches and the environment in general. I will support this as much as possible!
Pacific Roots has that sound that you can’t help but want to shake your whole body to. When you learn what “Kooks on the Loose…” is about, you would picture a darker, more somber vibe. Thankfully for all you Pacific Roots fans, the band didn’t forget the sound you know and love. I love the varying style of instrumentals throughout the song. The song switches between the classic guitar and drum style that is known well to Reggae scene, and quickly picks up the pace and has you moving all over. All that is missing is some horns to really get the crowd going! Another aspect I really enjoy is the heavy hitting instrumentals that take over the second half of the song. It is so reminiscent of an instrumental you may hear from The Expendables and I love it! I can’t wait to see what Pacific Roots have up their sleeves for future releases!
Pacific Roots is another West Coast Reggae Rock band that is ready to take over the scene. They are quickly building a strong following, touring and playing with bands such as Tomorrows Bad Seeds and The Expendables! Pacific Roots shared with me that they are currently working on an upcoming album in The Expendables studio with Adam Patterson (drummer for The Expendables). I can’t wait to hear it! While you’re waiting for their new album, be sure to check out “Kooks on the Loose…” on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!