We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Thaxter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started playing music with my friends long before the thought of it being a business occurred. We grew up together and had formed many bands, but at the end of high school, in 2009, we decided to crystallize all our bands into one group that we called Dubbest (pronounced “duh-BEST”). The vision was to recreate the sounds of early reggae the way it sounded in Jamaica in the 1970s, but with the mindset and equipment we had as 18 year olds from Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Over the years it developed into something much more serious, and we are celebrating 16 years of being together this year.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am quite proud of our decade and a half of playing together and the catalog of music we have amassed over the years. I am also very excited to say that we have alot of new music that is ready to go so the catalog is only growing. We got to where we are from years of pushing through difficulties, persistence and dedication as well as love for the craft. You have to have a passion for it or it will never work. It was quite difficult and it continues to be difficult but it is worth every bit of effort.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I really like the North Park area. I would probably take them to the Friendly for a burger and pizza and then head down to Part Time Lover for a drink and listen to the vinyl selections. Then you gotta hit the beach and/or the cliffs so maybe down to OB, get a taco by the water and watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Just walking around OB is a fun experience. Then maybe the Convoy area for some good ramen.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out John Brown’s Body, a band we grew up being huge fans of that inspired us to approach reggae music the way we do.

Website: https://www.dubbest-music.com

Instagram: @dubbestmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dubbest

Image Credits
Niki Nash CNI photography.

This uploading app wouldn’t let me add most of the photos I wanted to so let me know if you need more pics and I can send another way.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.