ONCE IN A DECADE, a musical act will rise and grow out of the reggae scene and be catapulted into the mainstream. It often takes the combination of a wider cultural accessibility as well as a cross-pollination of the music itself. Over the past few Decades groups like Bad Brains and The Clash infused Jamaican music with hard rock and gave many fans their first introduction to reggae. In the 1990's Sublime gave west coast youth an alternative to punk and ska, and artists from Wyclef Jean to Sean Paul have had the hip-hop world grooving to reggae for years.

NUFFSED, a seven-piece rock/reggae/dancehall band from Seattle, WA have picked up this torch. They have been supported by an impressive underground following, many of whom are not necessarily reggae-heads or rastas, but college kids, punks, skaters, etc. This is not to say that they are not a valid reggae/dancehall group. Their legitimacy and legacy was secured by the reggae community when, in the summer of 2005, they accepted an invitation to play the main stage at the now legendary "Reggae on the River", alongside the Marley Brothers, Buju Banton, and so many more. That show was the climax of their summer tour supporting world-renowned roots reggae artist Prezident Brown. As he said with an elder's wisdom, "[Nuffsed] has got that youthful energy that the people want to hear." They also hold a powerful revolutionary political stance. Like Peter Tosh or Rage Against the Machine, Nuffsed could provide the soundtrack for the political dissention of the youth of today.

THEIR SECOND ALBUM, titled "Ignite the Fuse," represents a huge progression in the quality of their music. Finally fulfilling the expectations set by their furious live show, this album displays a command of multiple styles of reggae music, while being entirely unique. They smash speakers with heavy dancehall beats and dizzying lyrical delivery in songs like "Burn Dem." "Lifeline" and "Not a Joke" start with the classic reggae one-drop sound yet the end result sounds progressive and undated. With the soulful and insightful track "Holdin Back," they showcase a firm grasp of hip-hop and R & B. Their versatility is taken even farther with the rock heavy song "Attack the Enemy" which ends in a cacophony of bellows and punk guitar.

NUFFSED uses their infectious music as a podium to deliver their no holds barred assault on the "Babylon" state of culture and politics, as observed in "Lifeline": "In this lifeline, there's people I say that you don't want to deal with, the leaders and the liars and the thieves and all the killers; but me na gonna deal with them a single bit of one of them no longer, a guillotine for their necks is what I am asking for..."

THE QUALITY of "Ignite the Fuse," is extraordinary by industry standards for an independent band. It was recorded at Electrokitty Studios in Seattle, one of the best on the west coast, and produced and Mixed by Stand Out Selector, who has worked with everyone from Mix Master Mike to Barrington Levy.

HAVING RECENTLY SIGNED a record deal with Best Coast Records (Seattle, WA), and armed with a stellar album and performance resume, Nuffsed is poised to launch rock-reggae back into the mainstream once again. As they say in "Holdin Back," "cuz me and me boys Nuffsed, we gonna rise to the top and we not gonna stop."

Learn more about Nuffsed... www.nuffsed.com