The feeling of love. The power of unity. The essence of happiness. The strength of togetherness and positive vibrations. The highs of living life and the lows of dealing with its obstacles. All of these things encapsulate the music of Cincinnati, OH-born Rockstead, a four-piece, passion driven rock/reggae group.
With roots leading as far back as middle school, Rockstead combines a lifetime full of influences ranging from rock, punk, reggae, jam and metal. In their early days Rockstead ruled the college party scene in Ohio with a schedule full of impromptu house shows leading to packed basements of DIY venues and later, massive crowds attending college fests such as Ohio University’s infamous spring festivals. This early success catalyzed the band’s first recordings which included “Wake Up And Live” (album, 2013), “Rise” (EP, 2014) and “Homegrown” (album, 2016). These releases ignited their inner road warrior leading to a plethora of plays at music festivals and concert venues across the Midwest. Since then, Rockstead continues to widen their reach touring throughout the Eastern U.S. and down into Florida.
Though member changes have occurred over the years, front man singer/guitarist Jake Burns continues to drive the group forward as they have shared stages with international acts such as The Wailers (Jamaica), Sticky Fingers (Australia) and Big Mountain (USA) as well as many national acts like Andy Frasco & The U.N., Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Badfish, Tropidelic, Little Stranger, Bumpin’ Uglies and Ballyhoo!. The band has now grown to include Nate Anuci (drums) and Stephen Woodard (bass). Rockstead dropped their first studio album “You’re In Control” in September 2020 which scored them multiple features in blogs and podcasts across the scene making them “one of the most unique and special bands in [Cincinnati]” (CincyMusic, 2020). The group continues to expand their catalog with the release of their sophomore studio album “Fall Down. Get Up. Repeat.” in February 2023 with guest appearances from TreeHouse!, The Quasi Kings and Higher Education.
By using their relentless high-energy performances and genre-bending setlists, while aligning their unwavering dedication to the do-it-yourself work ethic, Rockstead shows no sign of slowing down their mission of bringing people together through music.
