New Kingston (band)

Formation and early years (2006-2008)

The reggae band New Kingston was first formed in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York. The three primary members are brothers, and include Tahir Panton on keys, Courtney Jr. Panton on drums, and Stephen Panton on guitar, with all three contributing vocals. Their father Courtney Panton Sr, a first-generation American-Jamaican, initially contributed bass. Courtney Sr had also previously played in the New York reggae scene along with artists such as Michael Goldwasser, and had introduced the Panton brothers to reggae music when they were young. New Kingston at first covered songs by artists such as Bob Marley, Earth Wind and Fire, Dennis Brown, and The Whispers. After a time performing in basements and small backyard parties in Brooklyn, the group began to work on original music.

First albums and touring (2009-2014)

New Kingston's first album, In the Streets, was self-released in 2010, and fused reggae with genres such as hip hop. The band began touring as a supporting act for bands such as Rebelution, The Green, SOJA, Matisyahu, Beres Hammond and Collie Buddz. Touring with Buddz they played some of their first overseas shows, and would perform at festivals such as the Reggae on the River, Summer Jam in Germany, and Uppsala Reggae Festival in Sweden. Their music video "Can't Give Up" in 2012 was produced and directed by Raised Fist Propaganda.

Their second album, Kingston University, was released in 2013, with guest artists such as J Boog. After the release the band continued their heavy touring schedule with acts such as Beres Hammond. In November 2014, New Kingston signed to Easy Star Records to release their upcoming album Kingston City, becoming the first New York City-based act on the reggae label since Ticklah and Easy Star All-Stars.

Kingston City and touring (2015)

Kingston City is the third studio album by the band. Released on January 27, 2015 on Easy Star Records, the album features guest artists such as Tribal Seeds, Sister Carol, The Wailing Souls, Sugar Minott, and Hawaiian artist Kimie Miner. It was mostly recorded at the band's Kingston Studio, while some instrumentation was recorded at E.N. Young's Imperial Sounds. The band produced the majority of the twelve tracks, though Dub Incorporation from France produced two, and Sydney Mills of Steel Pulse produced one as well. Fabian Cooke of Ziggy Marley's work mixed the album.

It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart the week of February 14, 2015. As of March 29, 2015, the album was still at No. 1. The Pier Magazine gave Kingston City four of five stars, and wrote that the album is "a mix of roots, dancehall, R&B and hip hop influences." In February 2015, the band performed its first headlining show in Brooklyn. The next month New Kingston started their Kingston City Tour of the United States, performing in the Pacific Northwest at the end of March and announcing appearances in the Midwest. The band is also scheduled to appear at Austin Reggae Festival in Texas, Summer Meltdown in California, and Reggae on the Block in Florida. Supporting acts include Kimie Miner and Arise Roots.

Style and influences

New Kingston's music is primarily reggae, though genres such as R&B, roots, dancehall, and hip hop are influential on their sound as well.

Members