Burnt

California-based reggae-rock outfit BURNT formed in 2002, first taking root in the Coachella Valley before shifting operations to San Diego in 2005 and later establishing themselves in San Francisco. Their music fused reggae, dub, ska, soul, hip-hop, punk, and acoustic rock while weaving in lyrics that addressed environmental and political concerns alongside themes of partying and leisure. The band upheld a fully independent stance toward recording, releasing material, and securing performances, appearing in venues that ranged from street corners and parks to festivals throughout the West Coast. On their self-run Stems and Seeds imprint they issued seven full-length albums and two mixtapes, starting with the 2005 release Chorro. Esperanza and Tortillas arrived the following year and included contributions from members of the Debonaires and B-Side Players along with MC Karmic Basis, each of whom would go on to work regularly with the group. Brains Keep Cookin' came out in 2009, with La Quinta following in 2011. Radio Quemado, issued in 2012 after a Kickstarter campaign, marked the first BURNT album to receive professional engineering. Their seventh studio album, Headlamp, appeared in 2014, the same year that also saw the release of two mixtapes containing live and unreleased tracks, The Red Tape and The Blue Tape.