Blue Island Tribe

2009 - Blue Island Tribe is a reggae/rock band that originally formed in Cedar Falls, Iowa while members of the band were attending The University of Northern Iowa. They have since migrated to Des Moines and continue to play music all over the world. The band usually sticks to playing shows in the US but they aren’t strangers to travelling overseas either; this will be the group’s second overseas tour after they spent nearly a month in Japan, Korea, and Okinawa in June/July 2008.

In 2009 alone the band’s tour schedule has taken them all over the United States. They started the year off with three shows in Austin, Texas at the SXSW festival before playing shows in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa. After a few weeks of rest the band headed west to play shows in Nebraska and Colorado before ending up in Phoenix, Arizona. The band stuck around Phoenix for a few weeks while they started working on a new record at Crush Recording with noted producer Kevin Stratton (Van Halen, Stevie Wonder, Chicago).

In July, the band returned to the Midwest to finish up the summer where they frequently play venues in Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Dubuque, Lake of The Ozarks, Lake Okoboji, Kansas City, and many others. Some of the highlights of the Blue Island Tribe’s summer schedule included DFest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, Sturgis Bike Week in Sturgis, South Dakota, a week at The Lake of The Ozarks, and opening for 311. Besides 311, Blue Island Tribe has played alongside high profile acts including Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Toby Keith, Eve 6, Gogol Bordello, Ozomatli, Slightly Stoopid, Citizen Cope, and many, many, more.

Over the years Blue Island Tribe has released 5 albums that collectively have sold over 30,000 copies. Blue Island Tribe’s latest album “The Five Hits of Ecstasy,” was recorded at Sonic Factory Studios in Des Moines. The album gained very favorable reviews and reached #3 on the ITunes Reggae Charts. The band’s most popular song to date, “Endless Summer,” was recorded with gold record winning producer Tom Tatman at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls. The band’s entire catalog can be purchased at blueislandtribe.com, Itunes, Amazon, and other e-retailers.

Travel along with the band on their trip by visiting www.blueislandtribe.com or www.twitter.com/blueislandtribe.