Since 1996 Roots Foundation have delighted audiences throughout southern California with our unique style of reggae, reggae rock, and world music.
We've shared the stage with legends such as The Wailing Souls, The Abyssinians, The Melodians and others, and performed at countless local venues and private events. We've got decades of experience between us-on stage, on tour, in the recording studio-you name it-we've done it!
We bring a high level of energy and musicianship to each and every performance, and we're known for playing non-stop sets (and taking short breaks).
Our repertoire consists of classics by Bob Marley, Steel Pulse,UB40, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, and many others (along with a full roster of soon to be classics of our own!) embellished with creative reggae arrangements of familiar 'pop' songs by the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and others. We also feature steel guitar and saxophone prominently, which further enhances the Roots Foundation experience.
We tailor our set list (and volume) to suit the needs of YOUR venue and/or event, and we pride ourselves on being 'family friendly' i.e. no cursing, no songs degrading women or glorifying gangs or violence-strictly conscious reggae!
Our goal is to promote peace, love, and understanding in the world, along with a higher awareness of who we are and what we can be, through the joy and positive force of music-and to provide an exceptional experience for all involved.
Roots Foundation is available as a solo/duo (with backing tracks by our rhythm section), trio/quartet and quintet, and we'll do all we can (within reason) to work with your budget.
For weddings and other special events, we're more than happy to add that 'special' song or two by advance request if it's not already in our repertoire, and we'll do everything possible to make your event a memorable one-'if they don't remember anything else, they'll remember the band!'
Roots Foundation have performed regularly for our Saturday Reggae Brunch beginning in 2011 and continuing into 2012.
They've come as a trio, and as a duo and solo with backing tracks, and I always know I can count on Kurt to be professional, start on time, and work within our budget and other requirements.
Furthermore; our managers on duty, bartenders, sound engineers, waiters, etc offer nothing but the most positive feedback every time they play, indicating them as 'favorites'!
Their song selection, attire, attitude, and overall presentation make for an exceptional experience, and I feel confident in recommending them for any event.
Rena Farah
Brand Marketing Manager
Live Nation/House of Blues Anaheim
"It adds up to an engaging home-grown take on reggae brimming with strong accompaniment."
-Bob Tarte-'The Beat'
"Two days later Bunny (Wailer) played the Sun Theater in Anaheim, and Roots Foundation opened. Headed by the irrepressible Kurt Mahoney, his reggae-rock delighted a multitude of local fans…"
"Particularly interesting was Kurt's song 'Let It Grow'….for its brilliant mixture of South African, folk, pop, and Nigerian vibes."
-Roger Steffens-The Beat (World-renowned Bob Marley historian/reggae music expert.)
"The deep groove bass and drums and picking guitar parts place the disc firmly in reggae's present despite nods to America (and the world's) past. The almost seamless meld of the two styles is the discs charm, along with the bouncy vocals, tasty harmonies, saxophone solos…"
"…Roots Foundation's simple message of peace and love is as relevant as a run against the barricades to drop flowers into weapons of war."
-Chuck Foster (Journalist, reggae historian, author, and radio personality)
"…There is another artist who deserves to be mentioned as being an important factor in the development of the reggae culture here in Laguna, and his name is Kurt Mahoney. Since the late 80's Kurt has been performing his unique blend of world beat, rock and reggae with such groups as Eyes of the World, Mo Dn Irie, and more recently Roots Foundation.
Whenever I saw these bands I was always impressed with the quality of his songs, his professional demeanor, and his ability to arrange music for large ensembles. But the real treat comes somewhere in the middle of one of these late-night sessions; this is where Kurt starts playing his slide guitar with a passion, taking an audience on fantastic sonic journeys, fusing the mellow stylings of island slide guitar with the psychedelic cool of Jerry Garcia and the blistering energy of Duane Allman. It seems quite possible that he may be the only reggae artist in history to employ the slide guitar to such effect!
…Packed with themes of hope, love, positivity, self-awareness and a desire to heal the planet, 'Conscious Revolution' is a diverse collection of beautifully crafted songs that provide the backdrop for Kurt's distinctively insightful social commentaries."
-Greg White-The Laguna Beach Independent