Free Yourself

Presenting the brand new album from Cornerstone Roots, 'Free Yourself'!

Cornerstone, the original sounding roots band from Raglan, New Zealand - with music that is message orientated, bass driven, soul induced - are the quiet underdogs of Kiwi reggae.

Formed in '01 after a session at the infamous local Raglan Musicians Club, the original three-piece outfit singer/songwriter/guitarist Brian and drummer Turongo Dixon (both Maori) and bassist Naomi Tuao (Samoan/Scottish) formed the rhythm section of Cornerstone Roots. The music at that time was raw and riddim focused with a mix of contemporary styled ska/roots/soul and reggae. The band quickly developed a strong local following with many of the early shows being filmed and recorded by fans. This prompted the band to record their first EP 'One Fine Day' in '01, where they set about touring provincial NZ where the cafes were crammed and live shows intense.

By the following year the Corners' had released debut album 'Soul Revolution', described by reviewers as "brilliant" and "impressive". The album was recorded in Wellington with engineer Lee Prebble at Surgery, where the rhythm tracks were recorded live in one weekend. The album release was backed up with a 20 date tour of NZ ending at the Wellington Town Hall supporting powerhouse rhythm section Sly n' Robbie. The band have begun to break new territories in the last 18 months with shows in Noumea, Australia, Japan and a tour planned for Brazil in October this year.'04 saw the band cross the Tasman eight times with the release of the 'Forward Movement' EP which was nominated for best roots release in 2005.

The band have evolved many times since their humble beginnings and now feature Nick Stevens on keyboards and Aaron Bush on percussion. Recent shows have been described as "intense… with the impact of a hammer hitting an anvil".