The Black Seeds

The Black Seeds are a musical group rooted in reggae from Wellington, New Zealand.[1] Their rocksteady-influenced song "One By One" became an international hit when it was played in top ranked TV series Breaking Bad. Their music is a boundary-crossing sound fusion of big beat funk, dub, afro music, pop, rock and soul – and a large or small touch of original roots reggae (like it was played 1972–1985) or ragga is almost always present regardless musical style.[2]

The Black Seeds
Performing in Leicester, August 2012
Background information
Origin	Wellington, New Zealand
Genres	Reggae, roots reggae, funk, dub, rock, pop, soul, world music
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Sonar Kollektiv, Easy Star Records, Loop, Capitol
Associated acts	Fly My Pretties Flash Harry Flight of the Conchords Video Kid Hollie Smith Fat Freddy's Drop
Website	www.theblackseeds.com
Members	Barnaby Weir Daniel Weetman Ned Ngatae Jarney Murphy Francis Harawira Nigel Patterson
Past members	Mike Fabulous Bret McKenzie Rich Christie Shannon Williams Andrew Christiansen Tim Jaray Toby Laing

Formed in 1998, The Black Seeds perform with eight members,[3] with instruments including vocals, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums, bongos, keyboard and wood block. Black Seeds first album, Keep on Pushing, was released 2001 when the band already had established themselves as a strong live act.[4] Already very successful in New Zealand and popular in Australia, Europe and North & South America, their third album Into the Dojo (2007) introduced Black Seeds to the rest of the world.[5] They have released five albums, a live album, and two remix albums. They have two double-platinum selling albums in New Zealand,[2] and successful European album releases through the German-based Sonar Kollektiv label. In 2011 Black Seeds was described by Rolling Stone as "The Best Reggae band in the world right now".[6]

Lead singer Barnaby Weir, the son of veteran radio broadcaster Dick Weir, is also associated with the side-projects Fly My Pretties and Flash Harry.[7] Former band member Bret McKenzie is also a member of international award-winning comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, as well as playing the role of Figwit the elf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.[8]

The band released their 6th studio album "Fabric" in early September 2017.

Their song "One by One" was used in AMC's Breaking Bad Season 2 Episode, "4 Days Out" and also appears on the series' official soundtrack.[9][10]

Discography

The Black Seeds at Summerjam 2013

• Keep On Pushing LP (2001)
• On the Sun (2004)
• Into the Dojo (2006)
• Solid Ground (2008)
• The Black Seeds Live – Vol 1 (2009)
• Specials: remixes and versions off Solid Ground (2010)
• Dust And Dirt (2012)
• Fabric (2017)

References

1. Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013) "The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae", Jamaica Observer, 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013
2. "The Black Seeds Bio". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
3. "The Black Seeds". Under the Radar. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
4. Kellman, Andy. "The Black Seeds. Biography". AllMusic. AllMusic; All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
5. "The Black Seeds". Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. Loop Media, NZ. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
6. "The Black Seeds". Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. Loop Media, NZ. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
7. Rebecca Thomson. "Fly My Pretties – Barnaby Weir is Flying High". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
8. "THE BLACK SEEDS – BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION". Rock Paper Scissors. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
9. "Breaking Bad (Music from the Original TV Series)". iTunes. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
10. Maria Elena Fernandez (18 May 2010). "'Breaking Bad': La musica on sale Tuesday on I-tunes and Amazon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April 2012.

External links

• Official website
• The Black Seeds – Amplifier.co.nz
• Black Seeds Bio – Muzic.net.nz