Dubmones

Inspired by a wild musical theory: what if a punk rock band like The Ramones had formed somewhere else in the world during the same era? What if, instead of New York City, they had emerged from Kingston?

How would they have expressed their rebellious spirit if they had drawn inspiration from Toots & The Maytals and King Tubby rather than MC5 and The Stooges?

An unlikely scenario, perhaps. But strange ideas and bold musical experiments are exactly where the DUBMONES thrive.

Emerging from the creative circle behind dubXanne (The Police In Dub) in 2008, the DUBMONES explore an alternate musical universe — one where The Ramones’ iconic attitude, energy, and message are reimagined through the rhythms of Jamaica. It is not about recreating the originals, but reinventing them: preserving the raw spirit while reshaping the sound through rocksteady, reggae, and dub.

DUBMONES – A Tribute To The Ramones (Echo Beach) transforms some of the band’s most essential songs into unexpected new forms. Classics such as Blitzkrieg Bop, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, I Wanna Be Sedated, and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School take on entirely new identities, imagining what might have happened if Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy had walked into a rehearsal room to jam “a kind of rocksteady” instead of “a kind of rock ’n’ roll.”

Just as The Ramones helped shape a movement and forever changed the landscape of global music from Queens in the early 1970s, the DUBMONES pay tribute by viewing their legacy through a different lens — one built on basslines, offbeat grooves, and deep dub textures.

The full-length album, scheduled for release in Spring 2025, features an exceptional lineup of legendary Jamaican artists and contemporary reggae voices, including Dennis Alcapone, Keith & Tex, Prince Alla, Susan Cadogan, U Brown, Earl 16, Oku Onuora, Ranking Joe, Alpheus, Horseman, Jr Thomas, Welton Irie, Shniece, Sebastian Sturm, and Ranking Ann.

In 2026 and beyond, the DUBMONES will also bring the project to festival stages, joined by featured vocalists Shniece, Horseman, Sebastian Sturm, and longtime collaborator and deejay Dr. Ring Ding.