Title: Ziggy Marley performs an energetic show

Excerpt: The night began on the L.A. Live seasonal ice-skating rink with a promotion of a book drive for Ziggy Marley's charity U.R.G.E., which is aimed at providing education to children in underprivileged areas in countries such as Jamaica and Ethiopia. There was a book collection booth open outside the venue to anyone to make a donation.

Excerpt: The crowd danced together to many of the popular songs off of the "Wild and Free" album, like "Welcome to the World," "Wild and Free" and "Reggae in My Head." With the moody lighting and the enthusiasm of the crowd, it was easy to get lost in the buoyant reggae harmony and sway with a smile.

Excerpt: Ziggy Marley's performance was energetic and spiritually satisfying, presenting both a good show and an important message of personal self-reflection and love.

Title: Review: Ziggy Marley in Los Angeles

Excerpt: While Ziggy Marley may follow up this album and tour with an even more impressive effort, it should be clear that at this moment, with this group of musicians, he is soaring. To miss it is to miss something very special in reggae music.

Title: Q&A: Ziggy Marley offers insight to his musical influences, philanthropies

Excerpt: Daily Bruin: What was your inspiration for your new album "Wild and Free"?
Ziggy Marley: There isn't one thing. There are a few things . . . like cannabis and how it should not be demonized and criminalized in society. I wanted to talk about revolution and what it means to people today. When I was younger, revolution was about social change, economic change, political change. One revolution we still need is the personal. When do we change as human beings? And I always talk about love, love, love and God.

Excerpt: DB: Is your music's message different than that of your father's?
ZM: I don't know . . . I don't analyze it. We all express ourselves in different ways. Some of it is different when you get to specific words, but not entirely. The similarities (are) that the music carries a message, and that is important because some music now does not carry real value to people or to society . . . our similarity is maintaining that our music carries meaning beyond just entertainment.

Excerpt: DB: You and your family are involved in a lot of humanitarian and philanthropic activities. Can you talk a bit about URGE?
ZM: URGE is an acronym for Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment. It is a small organization that I started a few years ago . . . a portion of the ticket sales goes to it to help the education of the kids in Jamaica, and we have built a school there. We are a small organization, but we do what we can. It is very personal to me because it comes from the heart . . . we do not ask people to give away money, just do what they can.

Title: Ziggy Marley Talks Hemp, Comics and Woody Harrelson with HIGH TIMES

Excerpt: The "Forward To Love" tour rides the heels of Ziggy's latest musical release, Wild And Free, an album that speaks to the cannabis cause. The title track, featuring Woody Harrelson on vocals, doesn't leave much mystery to the message: "I see fields forever, growing wild and free. I see marijuana trees blowing in our breeze..."

Excerpt: How did you first come up with the title track for your new album, Wild And Free?
I was in New Zealand. We were on tour and I brought some books with me about hemp, because I know about marijuana. I was researching hemp and working on the MARIJUANAMAN comic book at the same time, so I wanted more knowledge. They grow hemp where I was in New Zealand and there was a hemp store down the street from me. So I went there and then that night after the concert I sat down and started writing "Wild And Free" backstage.

Excerpt: You chose to call the tour "Forward To Love" instead of "Wild And Free," was there any reason behind that?
Yes, because I'm going to do a "Wild And Free" tour next year. The "Wild and Free" Tour I want it to be a summer tour, you know, really wild and free. So, I decided to call this fall tour "Forward To Love."

Title: Ziggy Marley stops at Ridgefield Playhouse

Excerpt: Speaking with a soft Jamaican accent by phone from Iowa, where he was on tour, Marley seemed equal parts musician, philosopher and guru. He discussed his new album, his father and the deep-rooted spirituality that infuses his music.

Excerpt: Q: Can you tell me about the new album?

A: We did it thinking about playing music live, so the songs are made to translate live well, because that's where we spend most of our time -- on stage, on tour. The title track "Wild and Free" is a song about hemp, cannabis, marijuana -- instilling the ideas of the potential of this plant if it is used wisely by the planet, how good it can be as a natural resource. We have (actor) Woody Harrelson, who sings with me on that song, and then my son, who sings with me on another song.

Excerpt: Q: What is your songwriting process like?

A: Songs are created different ways. Some are really inspired and what I mean is that a lot of times ideas come to you out of the blue, but then some songwriting (is more planned). You'll write a song about children that are starving in Africa. You'll think about that and you'll write a song about them. It touches a certain situation and makes a point. A lot of times I write my songs by myself. For me, it's a very kind of spiritual experience, writing songs. It kind of gives us a look into ... there's something deeper within our minds that only is tapped into at certain times and sometimes not at all. Songwriting gives me that idea that there's something deeper there and helps me to tap into it.

Title: Ganja Rap, interview with Ziggy

Excerpt: "In the '60s and '70s, there was plenty of music for peaceful revolutions," Marley said. "Where are these songs now? Who is writing them? From Occupy Wall Street to revolution in Egypt, I wonder where the music is."

Excerpt: "I use the analogy of circus with music," he said. "You have clowns, tightrope walkers, the man that puts his head in the lion's mouth. But now the circus is all clowns trying to keep us laughing. The tightrope walker is still in the back, but no one's watching him. People just want entertainment. There's more to music than entertainment."

Title: Ziggy Marley bringing his peaceful revolution

Excerpt: Ziggy Marley wants to incite a revolution. He's not talking about violent government overthrow. Instead, he hopes his music will inspire a peaceful, collective spiritual revival.
"There is so much destruction that the awareness of truth is very difficult to come by," Marley said.

Excerpt: "Music carries a vibration that is spiritual its beyond physical," he said. "It's a vibration that can change people inside."

Excerpt: "Music carries a vibration that is spiritual its beyond physical," he said. "It's a vibration that can change people inside."
But not always for the better. Take mainstream music, for example. Most of it is
brain numbing waste centered around superficiality and materialism, he said. This is how our children learn what to value, he said.
"Everything is about entertainment Nothing is about putting ideas out that will make people be aware of things," Marley said. "Everybody is after this money thing"

Title: Ziggy Marley to bring Forward to Love tour to the Keswick

Excerpt: Following 2009's children's album, "Family Time," his latest offering returns to the socially conscious reggae that launched his career, mixing familiar textures and rhythms of reggae while further defining his own artistic vision.

Excerpt: Hailed by Slant magazine as "quite possibly the best of his career to date," "Wild and Free" rides a breezy, buoyant groove, even on its more militant tracks.

Excerpt: Though he has flirted with shades of rap and rock and injected his songs with an undeniable pop sensibility over the years, Marley has always remained heavily influenced by his famous father, Bob. His early immersion in music began when he would sit in on recording sessions with The Wailers.

Title: Ziggy Marley is Wild & Free, and on stage in Aspen

Excerpt: "Lyrics is the most important thing," Marley said from a tour stop in Bend, Ore. Of "Wild and Free," an album released in June, the 42-year-old singer-songwriter added, "You listen to the lyrical content, you will get the real meaning of the album.

Excerpt: "It's not advocacy of marijuana," Marley, who performs Friday at Belly Up Aspen, said. "It's advocacy of cannabis, the whole thing. It involves smoking marijuana, making clothing, producing food, medicine. It's advocacy of a natural resource. It's like people advocating for oil or coal or gas — all these things that are useful for society. It has environmental value, industrial value."

Excerpt: "I'm advocating that the planet make use of this natural resource," he said. "This plant is good for the soil; it doesn't deplete the soil. This plant can make paper, so instead of using trees to make paper, we have more trees, more oxygen, more rain, more birds. This is what I'm advocating. I'm not advocating everybody smoking and getting high." Marley mentions hemp's history in America — that the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were drafted on hemp paper, that George Washington grew the plant.

Excerpt: "I ask this question: I agree marijuana is a drug and people shouldn't smoke. But why is hemp illegal? What's the legitimacy that hemp should be illegal? You can see the hypocritical stance that's here on this planet. They're allowing cigarettes, alcohol, guns, weapons, pharmaceuticals. But the plant is so easy, you cannot allow it. They would not allow the world to benefit from this plant. That's incredible. That's sad."

Title: Ziggy Marley - A wild and Free Spirit

Excerpt: LA.COM:
Going through your journey, creating music, having Bob Marley as a father, what were the challenges, and what would you do differently?
Ziggy Marley:
"Well I don't think the challenges were, well, just growing up, you know what I mean? Just growing up and learning and finding yourself and making mistakes and learning from them. And usually there is nothing to change

Ziggy Marley (Tuff Gong Worldwide.)
because you learn from everything, every experience you have in life. And for me, many times in my life have been good and, you know, I've learned from everything I've done - even the mistakes, so to me it's all good, you know?"

Excerpt: LA.COM:
Is having a father like Bob Marley a hindrance or a blessing - do you know what I mean?
Ziggy Marley:
"Yeah I know what you mean; I've been asked the question before. It's a blessing, definitely a blessing."

Excerpt: LA.COM:
What is your personal philosophy?
Ziggy Marley:
"Love is my philosophy."

Title: Ziggy Marley plans to walk tightrope in Vancouver

Excerpt: "Fans can expect an experience that is more than entertainment," he explains. "Hopefully it will have some impact of them more than 'that was an entertaining show'. I don't have fireworks. I don't have props. I don't have 100 people dancing. It's just music with soul and spirit."

Excerpt: "I feel that I have to keep lifting him up," he continues. "He's my father. Besides being loved by a lot of people, he's loved by me. I want to show that love all the time. It's not about responsibility, it's about love."

Excerpt: "Optimism comes from having a positive outlook on things," he insists. "I don't make a decision to write songs like that. It's who I am as a person. We have to fight the negative with the positive, fight hate with love.

"Love is the answer. It's easy to fall into the trap of lack of optimism. That's what feeds the machine, this beast, this oppression of people and oppression of positivity and optimism. Fear is what works for them. Somebody has to have the answer. This is my job, my work. This is our role and the part we play in this world."

Title: Ziggy Marley carries the torch

Excerpt: There's so much things in the world today. So much negative things, really. But it hurts. It hurts me as a human being to see these negative things in our world. Environmental catastrophe. Suffering of other people. Economic depression. We are inspired by these things to try and sing about ways out and consciousness and spirituality and love and truth. I think truth is a big thing. Telling the truth is a big thing that is missing in this world.

Excerpt: To me, the music that we play is spiritual music. The younger generation today in a way does not feel that strong connection to the spirit. It's more material as in physical things. It is a phenomenon around the world, the younger generation, they don't identify with spiritual things. They identify more with material things. Because of what influences society is faced upon them. So the music changes. So a lot of them are unfamiliar with this energy that is in reggae. They are unfamiliar with it and don't know how to deal with it. But reggae is a music that will never die, it will never go away because it's a spirit music. Spirit music lasts for generations like the Bible or great works of art, the "Mona Lisa," those things last for all times. Other things last for a period of time but them cannot last. Another thing about it is it appeals to the whole universe. What a lot of the young kids are doing today only appeal to a small portion of the earth. But what we do appeal to all of the earth, every human being. That is the difference from reggae and what them call dance hall music or whatever they want to call it. Reggae music appeals to every living thing that there is on the earth while the dance hall thing appeals to certain type of people but reggae music appeals to every people. I'll put it that way.

Title: Ziggy Marley Interview with Boombox

Excerpt: "I think this tour [Forward to Love] is so far going to be the best tour I've ever done. I just kind of been touring so much I understand the audience, I understand people, understand the musicians. I think the connection is much more stronger now because over the years I've been learning and picking up things as I've gone on the road."

Excerpt: "I'd say it was actually life, being in concert. I wanted to make this album have music that easily translated from life, stage and to the people. I think we've been successful with it. We've traveled to Europe twice, I've been to Japan with it. I'm in the States, so that does come across very well. That was a definite success for me. There's one thing I was trying to articulate with this album and that was the use of the cannabis plant. The use of it and all of its aspects. Not just marijuana smoking, but the industrial use of the plant. I had that main idea and that's why the album is called 'Wild and Free.' That was really on my mind a lot and it's something I believe in. If we're in this green revolution and environmental state of mind, this plant is like the perfect plant for this issue. I think it's hypocrisy that we're not using this plant more widely and taking advantage of it."

Excerpt: Well, for example, ya know, I'm on Facebook. Since I've been doing the touring, I've been communicating with the friends and the fans through Facebook and so forth. We talk and I was looking at Facebook today. We did a show last night in Agoura Hills in California, and I was checking my Facebook page, and this one lady wrote and said she'd seen my show for the first time and how it made her cry and how she missed her son and it helped heal her broken heart. It's very cool. This is the second time on this tour where someone has said they've cried or felt it. What we're doing is touching people, that is what we're supposed to be doing as well.

Title: Positive vibrations from Ziggy and friends

Excerpt: Following in his father's footsteps, Ziggy Marley drew a crowd of locals and visitors, showing that he truly is the heir as the king of reggae.

Excerpt: Playing a combination of his own hits and a few of his father's legendary hits, it was clear Ziggy Marley inherited a true gift for reggae music. He was accompanied by a female vocal harmony and the flawless guitar solos, making perfect additions to his vocals. With famous hits like "Jammin" and "Stir It Up," along with his own hits, "Roads Less Traveled," "Reggae In My Head," and a new favorite, "Wild and Free," Marley lit up the house with positive vibrations. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos.

Title: A double dose of Marley magic

Excerpt: "That was his weapon," Ziggy Marley said. "It was one of the most important things to him. To share that with people — he would have wanted that. He wanted people to be as close to him as possible. He was not a solitary kind of person."

Excerpt: Marley also exposes a personal side that he has never previously explored on record. The song "Roads Less Traveled" represents the first time he has ever addressed his father and mother in a song.

"I comfortable with it now," Marley said. "It's truth. I come from a private family. Usually we don't talk about stuff like that, but (it's OK) because it's in the context of a song about me choosing different routes than my father and family."

Excerpt: The exhibit, Ziggy Marley says, is meant to show his father "as a man not just as a legend," a word he pronounces with a hint of bitterness.

"That shirt that he wore makes him more personal and relatable," Marley said. "This is how close you can get, especially for the generation that wasn't around and didn't see him."

Title: For son of reggae legend, his career is on the rise

Excerpt: While Ziggy gives his music a twist in his own style, he incorporates a tint of pop while focusing lyrically on themes that are strongly familiar to fans of his father's music — love and harmony chief among them.
"(My fans) should expect a good time and a good vibe, and words that have meaning to them," he said.

Excerpt: "We're not competing or playing a game or something. We just do what we do. Family is a connection," Ziggy said by telephone, speaking in his thick Jamaican timbre. "Family is love. You have to support and understand and respect and see each other, you know."
Some of the best lessons his father taught him and his siblings was the importance of hard work, discipline, humility and a purpose in life. His own advice to budding musicians is this: no matter what anyone does, they need to be equally true to the art and themselves.

Excerpt: "So really, music is a gift," he said. "And the music is something that you have to put quality time into. And we try to make it better every time we do it."

Title: Industrial hemp farming bill passes Assembly

Excerpt: Legislation that would allow the cultivation of industrial hemp in the Central Valley counties of Kern, Kings and San Joaquin plus Imperial County in Southern California was approved by the Assembly Wednesday on a 46-19 vote.

Excerpt: Senate Bill 676, authored by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, allows California farmers to grow industrial hemp for the legal sale of seed, oil and fiber to manufacturers.
"Hundreds of consumer products containing hemp are made in California, but the manufacturers of these goods are forced to import hemp seed, oil and fiber from growers in Canada, Europe and China," says Mr. Leno. "Family farmers are missing out on a golden opportunity to grow hemp, which can help expand their businesses, create jobs and stimulate the economy."

Excerpt: SB 676 now returns to the Senate for a concurrence vote before heading to Governor Jerry Brown's desk.

Title: SoundSpike Interview: Ziggy Marley

Excerpt: Throughout his lengthy career, reggae superstar and Bob Marley progeny Ziggy Marley has managed to maintain his independence -- something about which he is particularly proud.
"My greatest accomplishment is the freedom for doing what I want to do with my music," Marley told SoundSpike.
"I am not with a big record [company] or anything like that. I own my music. I am an independent musician. I am an independent artist. I think every artist wants to be independent. These real artists want to have this independence to express themselves freely without being told or controlled. I think that is my accomplishment. Getting that freedom is something that is great for me. I love my freedom so I'm happy I am a free artist."

Excerpt: What was the inspiration behind the album "Wild and Free"?
Well, the inspiration I think is nature, and spirituality and love. The "Wild and Free" song expresses my support of using hemp and the cannabis plant to benefit the planet beyond the smoking side of it. It's very useful in other ways. It can replace plastics. These containers that we use sometimes are not biodegradable. With hemp, we can actually help the planet. That song has a theme in it, and it was something I wanted to express a lot in this record.

Excerpt: What was the songwriting process like? Did you write in the studio or before?
I write before. But then once we're in the studio, we get more ideas and things like that. My writing process is a solitude. I'm in solitude when I write songs. For this record, it was me spending time with ideas and at times getting frustrated because maybe the idea wasn't coming to me. But you learn to have patience in songwriting and have faith and trust in the source of your inspiration. It eventually comes to you. If you can believe that what we do is more done about us. It's not about me, it's about a higher force that gives us ideas, gives us thoughts and gives us words to put into music for the people.

Title: Q&A With Ziggy Marley

Excerpt: OS: Tell us about the upcoming album Wild and Free. What was it like to return to your usual material after releasing an album specifically for children?

ZM: It wasn't as much fun, not like doing the kids' stuff. The kids' stuff was easy, light and loose. But this one's much more serious, much more thoughtful songwriting process. Just more intense. More intense.

Excerpt: OS: You split your time between Florida, Jamaica and California—three very different places in terms of their musical culture. How does the music scene you grew up with in Jamaica compare to the scene in the US?

ZM: Well, the music scene in general has changed. Growing up in Jamaica I started seeing it really young, and music was recorded by musicians in the studio, kind of organic. Things kind of changed, now it's more machine music. A lot of the music now is like, the same. The same beats, the same tempos. Back in Jamaica, in the old days, music was much more free. It wasn't about everybody trying to jump on the same bandwagon. Nowadays, that's what it's like, that's what music is like. Every song has the same kind of thing. . . and then the industry itself changed into more of a corporate thing instead of a music thing. So a lot of artistic feeling is lost, and a lot of artistic feeling is stifled because of the corporate ideologies. It's not about art, more the commercialization of the music instead of the art in the music.

Excerpt: OS: What did you learn from watching your father in the studio as a kid?

ZM: I just remember him working really hard and being into the music, being on top of the music. Working hard through nights, late nights and a lot of rehearsals. And discipline, and what it takes, and what the music means. I learned a lot of that by seeing it and watching it.

Title: Wild and Free with Ziggy Marley

Excerpt: However, Ziggy has a mind of his own and strong opinions when it comes to his mane. "I really started locking my hair around '87--I never felt obligated. . .I had a choice," he says. Each of Ziggy's locks are of different lengths and sizes. They almost seem to have personalities as they skirt across his back during performances, fitting his persona perfectly. Often times he is seen sporting large caps to hold his hair, prompting me to ask how many he had. "A lot. A few dozen. I only wear three of them--my three favorites," he says with a smile in his voice.

Excerpt: Marley is a *Rastafari, therefore it's a little bit of all three aspects. "You don't have to have dreadlocks to be Rasta. It's not as important now as it was back in the day, but now it's all about love." Love. Most of Ziggy's songs are centered around love for others, the planet, God and oneself. "Being natural for me is ridding yourself of vanity, and the ego," he states. Vanity is swept under the mat when it comes to taking care of his locs--low maintenance and all natural everything is key. "I keep it old school--just a simple wash with shampoo, and some oils. I don't really use products," he says.

Excerpt: "What's one word that describes the way your hair makes you feel?" There was a pause. He repeated the question to himself, then he responded, "Tree." I was shocked. I wasn't expecting that answer. I had to know why. "Because it has roots," he said simply.

Title: Ziggy Marley at Reggae Night at the Hollywood Bowl

Excerpt: Ziggy Marley will be featured at this Sunday's Reggae Night at the Hollywood Bowl, part of KCRW's World Festival. And while EVERY Reggae Night I've ever been to has been a blast, I'm especially looking forward to this one. I have a special connection to Ziggy Marley that goes back a few years. Like many people, his dad Bob Marley was a huge part of my musical upbringing, especially in my teenage years. Ziggy was in the studio with his dad starting at a young age and eventually released 8 albums with the Melody Makers.

Title: On the Road with Ziggy Marley

Excerpt: Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Salute to the Legends of Reggae concert?
 
A: I wanted to do something that would pay respect to and highlight reggae musicians who may not get the love or the recognition that others get. As a reggae musician myself, I feel like I want to pay homage to some of these artists and give them some kind of visibility and promotion.

Excerpt: Q: Speaking of your children, I also like the sentiment of "Welcome to the World." Was that song written for your new baby, Abraham?

A: Yes, the first half of the song was written for my older son, Gideon and the second half was for Abraham. It was written in two phases. When Gideon was maybe a few weeks from being born, I started writing "Welcome to the World." It's just how I felt. I feel that I can give my children love and give them everything that I possibly can. But I promise the state of the world, I don't have any control over how the world is. I can't promise that it's good or cool or whatever. In this life, you have to fight sometimes. . .Growing up around me, my children receive a lot of love and a lot of ideas of peace. . .But once the kids go out into the world and go to school or whatever they are gonna come up on obstacles—and ideas that are different from ideas in our house. We are so peaceful and sharing and loving. But not everybody out there is like that. There's going to come a time when the reality of the world outside the family is going to have to be dealt with, whether it's somebody picking on you, or a bully trying to do something to you or people who are not nice. You have to learn how to deal with that.

Excerpt: Q: I congratulate you for your marijuana advocacy. I don't smoke marijuana, but as a child of the seventies, I grew up around it, because my father was a musician.

A: You know, smoking is only one aspect of it; a small part of it. We are also talking about the industrial uses. The bigger part of it is the impact it can have on us in terms of creating products from this plant that are environmentally friendly. It can create a wide variety of products that if thrown away, don't stay there forever and destroy the environment, but become part of the earth. So it's not all about smoking.

Title: Ziggy Marley Visits Israel

Excerpt: "I like the weather here, I like the people, I like the vibes," he said. "It feels like home to me."

Marley's songs, as well as others in the Reggae genre, include concepts deeply connected to Jewish history, such as Zion and Babylon.

"Jerusalem and the idea of Zion for us are really more than a physical place. They're a spiritual place also," he said.

Excerpt: "I follow the universe, I follow G-d," he continued. "G-d made the sun and the sun shines on everyone."

Excerpt: "I would say if I had just one message, I think it would be just love," he said. "That is a mantra which has been true in my life and is something that has become even more at the front of who I am and what I want to say to people."

Title: Why DEA is Against Legalizing Smoked Marijuana

Excerpt: As the clamor for legalizing marijuana peaks in US, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) remains adamant on its stand that smoked marijuana is harmful. Since the prescription medicine Marinol, which is a synthetic form of Delta-9-THC, the chemical found in smoked marijuana that treats distressing symptoms, is available for the medical consumption, DEA believes that legalizing smoked marijuana will only lead to misuse.

Excerpt: DEA's argument is supported by medical community including American Medical Association (AMA) and American Cancer Society (ACS) among many others.

Excerpt: DEA blames the marijuana legalization lobby behind the uproar for medicinal marijuana's free use. According to a DEA report, Ed Rosenthal, senior editor of High Times, a pro-drug magazine, said in a public forum: "I have to tell you that I also use marijuana medically. I have a latent glaucoma which has never been diagnosed. The reason why it's never been diagnosed is because I've been treating it." He continued, "I have to be honest, there is another reason why I do use marijuana . . . and that is because I like to get high. Marijuana is fun."

Title: Ziggy Marley Underlines Differences With Father

Excerpt: "I'd rather be by myself really than have like a million posse around me," Marley said in an interview at his Los Angeles home. "Some of them you don't even know what's in their hearts. You don't know who you can trust."

Excerpt: "That's why I sing that song, because I learned from what I saw as a child and decided that I would take another way," he said. "My father, we bumped heads when I was younger, much younger. ... I had different ideas that I shared with him. He didn't like them as much. He gets upset or whatever. I guess I had a strong opinion from when I was a little boy, you know."

Excerpt: "I believe that he is a good person and wants to see the best, but politics is a game. If you want to be a politician you have to play it, and you have to skirt around the truth. And you have to kind of shift things differently, so you can't really be true as a politician," Marley said. "If you did that, you are going to be out in a second. You cannot. You have to play the game. So he has to play the game. And we had hope that someone would be brave enough to change that, but it is very hard to change that."

Title: CD Review: Ziggy Marley's Wild and Free

Excerpt: With his Marijuanaman comic book and new album, Wild and Free, Ziggy Marley channels his father's love of ganja like never before. The title track is an unabashed called for legalization. Joined by Woody Harrelson, they harmonize about

Excerpt: A potent slab of roots reggae, "Forward to Love" harks back to his dad's "One Love" mantra (watch the clip below). Ziggy pays tribute to Bob on "Roads Less Traveled" ("My daddy had a lot of women/ My mama had lots of grief/ The pressures that surrounded him/ Became the enemies"). Marley's oldest son Daniel jumps in with a rap on the laid-back "Changes." On the final track, "Elizabeth," Ziggy calls Uncle Sam "a dirty old man."

Title: Ziggy Marley Top 5 playlist

Excerpt: Ziggy Marley, son of legend Bob Marley, has music to make you think, lyrical inspiration, and a childhood playmate in Michael Jackson, who made Thriller, the biggest record ever.

Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when Bob Marley died, eldest son Ziggy played one of his first gigs at his father's funeral. He was 12. Then, as since, he never seemed cowed by the reggae icon's king-size legacy. With his band, the Melody Makers, he cut his own path through music. He scooped up his first Grammy in 1986, for the well-received album Conscious Party; three more have followed. Here, he reveals the sonic substances that take him on a spiritual journey.

Excerpt: Michael Jackson, Thriller
This was the first album I bought, at the same time as my first record player. It was a big deal for me.
__

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Survival
In my later years in high school I played this constantly in my room. My father had a lot of awareness of Africa from that record.
__

Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
My friend and producer, Don Was, introduced me to Miles Davis. And the one album that got me into him was Bitches Brew.
__

Fela Kuti, Zombie
The first time I saw him play live was in the mid-'80s in Chicago and I loved his defiance on stage.
__

Green Day, American Idiot
Words mean a lot to me. So I actually liked and bought this album.

Title: Ziggy Talks About the Herb

Excerpt: Ziggy Marley talks about herb, industrial hemp and politricks in this short video taken from an episode of ReggaeTV on PBS. I recently interviewed Ziggy in L.A. He discussed his life, career, family, growing up in Kingston as the son of Bob Marley, the Melody Makers, the White House, health and fitness and much more. Be sure to watch for the full episode coming in season two, or learn more about Ziggy and about reggae music at our web page. www.OnReggaeTV.com!

Title: Ziggy Marley: Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

Excerpt: US: How did you come to collaborate with Woody Harrelson on the opening track?

ZM: We have been friends for years and he was over the house when I was writing the song. We were hanging out and I was writing and I was like 'Come sing with me.' Woody has a soulful voice and so I said, 'you know, you got to be on the record.' He was like 'Ah, cool lets go.' So we just did it like that. It wasn't anything pre planned. It was spontaneous.

Excerpt: US: What do you think is the most personal song on the album?

ZM: There are a couple of them but I would say "Road Less Travelled." That song is a compilation of pieces of my life. It also speaks about my mother and father. In life I have chosen to do things differently, to step outside of my family environment and to be on my own.

Excerpt: US: Why did you launch the comic book?

ZM: It was a creative outlet for me since I had a lot of ideas my head. I grew up in the comic book world and I used to read comics all the time. It was just a way for me to express the ideas I have about hemp. I have also always wanted to have a superhero. The superhero in my book is just like a kin to Superman and the Green Lantern guys, a superhero for the next generation.

Title: Review: Ziggy Marley at Vicar Street

Excerpt: The eclectic audience was growing in size as Dubtown Vibration came to the stage. The six piece were accompanied by The Dubblerettes on backing vocals. Throughout their set the female fronted outfit, showed good musicianship, good harmonies and a quiet confidence on stage, with singer Karen Hammond interacting well with the Vicar St audience.

Excerpt: There is so much more to this gig than I was expecting, the laid back vibe immediately chills you out where rock gigs try to get your temperature going and indie kids are trying to be cool. Throughout the set, the band incorporate elements of rock, rap, dance and even a little country into the laid back vibe. It works so well. The female vocal harmony that accompanies Marley is a perfect addition to his vocals. Guitar solos throughout the night are so flawless that any of rock's big guns would be proud of them.

Excerpt: An encore of 'Jammin' leaves the crowd with no doubt that Ziggy Marley is the King of Reggae. It's a pity the show didn't start earlier so he could play for longer and running for last buses are a killer. Really good night's entertainment, very relaxing and enjoyable, I'd definitely go see Ziggy Marley again.

Title: Exclaim.ca Interview with Ziggy

Excerpt: Exclaim:The preproduction process was more detailed than ever before, can you tell me about how it affected the music?

ZM:Yes, usually I don't have things so thought out and complete before I get into the studio but this time I did. Just to give direction to the record and what I was feeling at the time. It's never about make this music for this reason or that reason, it's just how I feel right now. There's no other motive. There were a lot of ups and downs but it was great experience, it teach me a lot. Always the writing process teach me a lot about life. Patience and faith.

Excerpt: Exclaim: You've been very successful in working with kids TV. When did that start and what kind of artistic fulfilment do you get from that?
ZM: I get a fulfilment not necessarily working as an artist but as a human being. For me that is the most beneficial thing I could do because to affect children in a positive way is to effect positive change in the world. Things won't change overnight but things will change in time so children are the hope of that time. It's like some people invest money at a certain interest rate but if we invest in children we can make a big profit down the line as a planet! Maybe we can find leaders who aren't corrupt who will do the right things for people. Because right now we have none. Right now the world, everybody is for themselves and the world is economic schemes and political strategy that work for the minority of people while the majority of people suffer.

Excerpt: Exclaim: As you continue with your own musical career, do you find that something you're mindful of?
ZM: I'm very mindful. That's why I'm independent. That is what my father wanted to be. He didn't want to have his records owned by a record company, he wanted to own his own records. So now my record isn't owned by anyone. We get distribution, it's not easy. It's not glamorous, you don't get all that much publicity, but it works. Morally and spiritually, it works.

Title: A chip off the old Bob

Excerpt: Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica as his father and his band The Wailers were establishing themselves as The Beatles of reggae music, Ziggy Marley was already sitting in on recording sessions and concerts by the time he was 10. But, as he recalled in a phone call from California last week, he never felt pressured about going into the family business.

"To my parents [Marley's mother Rita was also a member of the Wailers], education was the most important thing. Music was a huge part of my childhood because it was always around, but the pressure on me was to get a good education," he said in a thick Jamaican accent, untarnished by years of living in Florida and California.

Excerpt: On the eve of his departure to France for the beginning of a European tour in support of his new album Wild and Free, the 42-year-old Marley stated that his father didn't leave him with any concrete career or life advice before his death.

"He never sat me down and told me something deep, but his whole life was an example to me," said Marley, who was touted as the heir apparent to the reggae music throne.

Excerpt: The father of six, Marley said he enjoys writing and performing for children, but with an ulterior and altruistic motive.

"If we're going to change the world and to get rid of strife, we have to start with every kid and give them the right philosophy and right ideas," he said.

"It's important for us to address children directly and not talk down to them - they're open-minded spirits, they haven't been indoctrinated one way or another yet."

Title: Ziggy Marley on Legend Bob Marley's Tough Love

Excerpt: "Bob was a very active person and, as kids, whether it would be a pickup soccer game or on the beach to run, he would take us with him. But Bob also grew up tough, in the ghetto, so he was a fighter. He had to fight and was capable of defending himself.

Excerpt: He was known for speed and footwork. Of course, he won. He didn't cut you no slack. No headgear, just gloves. He toughened us up, you know? He always wanted us to be tough, so he gave us that tough treatment.

Excerpt: And what I realized is that when I'm fighting, in those days, I would fight to stop fighting. But some people are fighting to really hurt you. During that fight I realized that I was thinking the same thing—I have to really hurt this person—and realized that not everyone thinks the same as you do during a fight, so if you're going to get in a fight, make sure it's for the right reasons.

Excerpt: The last time we spoke, he called me and he said, 'What's up Young Bob. I have a song for you.' And his song was, 'On your way up / Take me up / On your way down / Don't let me down.' That's all he said. And then I used that for a song called, 'Won't Let You Down.' "

Title: Ziggy Marley Says God Is Bigger Than Individualism

Excerpt: GlobalGrind: Can you tell us a litle more about "Wild & Free"?
Ziggy Marley: "Wild and Free" is my new album, it's going to be out June 14th. It's a reggae album, produced by Don Was and myself. It has a lot of different themes that run through the album, but I think something that I'm most concerned with enlightening people about is the use of cannabis being recreational. Not in medicinal purposes, but the industrial uses. So that's why "Wild & Free" kind of sings about that topic. I think it's very important that all the natural resources we have here on the earth should be put to use to benefit the people. This is one natural resource that is being neglected. I think it shouldn't be neglected, I think it should be used. But the album has songs about revolution and materialism and my personal life.

Excerpt: Who is God to you, what is your concept of God?
It's still developing, the concept is an evolution as the more I go, the more I know, the more I learn and the more I understand what it is. But God is not an individual, God is bigger than individualism. I think God surrounds us, in all different manifestations of the energy. The name God is just a name anyway, really there's no name for it, but I think the greatest expression of this concept is love and I think so far that is the best way to explain what this god is.

Excerpt: What is the song "Elizabeth" about?
"Elizabeth," well that a song that was written more than 20 years ago actually. A metaphor, I guess. We come from Jamaica, we call it the Third World and we've had a lot of bad experience politically because of First World countries wanting to manipulate the political structure of Third world countries for their own benefit. So I think that's where that song came from really. It was just from, as I say, it was written a long time ago. When I was younger, I was very revolutionary. Ideas were really tons of ideas in my head and that song kind of expressed just my feeling about the ideas of political systems that manipulate less fortunate countries and even religious systems that plead for money from people that are vulnerable, for their own benefit though, not necessarily for the benefit of the people, but for their own benefits. So I think that song addresses it in a satire or a metaphoric way.

Title: Ziggy Marley: Wild and Free

Excerpt: His three studio albums have been exercises in straightforward reggae, built on sprightly arrangements and positive spiritual messages. For his latest release, Wild and Free, he rarely feels the need to stray outside this tried and tested outline: Each track bounces along with a carefree groove and exudes blissful vibes without really offering anything fresh or innovative, but is there really any new ground to break in a genre that reached its creative zenith over 30 years ago?
Moreover, one could argue that the reggae formula doesn't need expanding or fixing because it isn't broken (the last thing we need is more Reggaeton).

Excerpt: "Forward to Love," "Get Out of Town," and "Changes" are dazzling examples of the genre's charms, nestling into a buoyant Caribbean groove with jerky guitar rhythms and skank-along synth lines. "Forward to Love" is one of Wild and Free's cream cuts, where Marley's hoarse falsetto and some polished female backing vocals put a shine on its sensationally alluring chorus. And on "Get Out of Town," booming basslines and nimble Latin guitar solos put an accent on one of the album's most interesting arrangements.

Title: Ziggy Marley's latest not for kids

Excerpt: His new fourth studio album Wild and Free is not for kids. Packaged in a giant cardboard matchbook decorated with a stylized marijuana leaf, it's a throwback to the slowburning offbeat grooves and one-love anthems of his father -- updated with input from more contemporary figures like producer Don Was, songwriter Linda Perry, rapper Heavy D and even hemp-loving Woody Harrelson, who adds surprisingly decent vocals to the weed-worshiping title cut.

Excerpt: Wild and Free is a very traditional reggae album sonically. Did you set out to honour the sound of your father?

I think that's a good description. And I did think about that. I wanted to do something that was about keeping the roots and the tradition strong and I think I achieved that. But I also wanted it to feel fresh, so I put in elements that I like that might not be on a traditional reggae record, you know. But definitely, this one is for the fans who love reggae and Bob and the history of the music.

Excerpt: How do you feel about the deification of your father?

I think it's cool. There's nothing wrong with that. We all have our heroes and deities, and Bob is that for a lot of us. He's a special human being. He is one of our prophets. The words he was saying and the message have great importance and great impact, just like any ideology. If Bob is looked on in that way, it just makes his message more potent, which is what we need.

Title: I Heart AU » Ziggy Marley

Excerpt: he's headlining the final night of this year's Sea Sessions festival in Bundoran in what is remarkably his first ever visit to Ireland. And generally, he wants to save the world through the healing power of hemp. "I smiled when I knew I was coming to play Ireland," Ziggy tells AU from his Jamaican home. "We have a word here, 'irie', it means 'good'. So I figured we were coming to Irie-land, which is a really good thing."

Excerpt: "I'm standing up for this little plant called marijuana, cannabis, hemp, whatever. The potential for it is vast. I'm talking as a bio-fuel, a food, clothing. I'm speaking as an environmentalist. Sure, it has risks but the good outweighs the bad. Do we talk of the risks in nuclear energy or oil spills the same way? It occurs totally naturally and do you know we could feed most of the world with it? Somebody once decided that we had to stop this plant and that was it."

Title: Ziggy Marley Big Ups Pot With Woody Harrelson and Marijuanaman Comic

Excerpt: Spinner: Compared to your albums 'Dragonfly,' 'Love Is My Religion' and 'Family Time,' this record is a return to a roots reggae sound. What was it that made you return to that sound?

ZM:I wanted to do that. I wanted to do something simple, something rootsy, something that would translate live. I've been on the road and I can tell what works with the people in terms of live. 'Cause I don't make music for the radio, when I make music, I think about performing it live. So I see what resonates with people. And with this album, I tried to keep that idea and make sure I can translate the songs live without having to do too much sophisticated things, you know? Technical things.

Excerpt: Spinner: The title track is getting lots of attention. Can you tell me how that came about with you and Woody Harrelson?

ZM: The 'Wild and Free' track is a pro-cannabis track, a track that is trying to speak the truth about the plant that has been criminalized, demonized. When I was writing it, Woody came by my place and I was joking and just said, "Woody come sing." And then when he started I said, "Whoa, Woody sound good! Woody, come, go on the record. I didn't know you could sing."

Excerpt: Spinner: What is your response to critics that suggest it's inappropriate to release such a brazen pro-marijuana album on the heels of your children's album, 'Family Time'?

ZM: I would say, "Pot is a plant and in our classes we should teach what this plant is used for." Children should know that this plant has medicinal properties, that it can be used to make fibres that you wear, that the seeds are the most nutritional seeds in the vegetable kingdom and it has certain elements in it that is beneficial to your body if you eat the seeds. Children should know this; it's natural science, the science of nature.

This is not like you're teaching children about crack -- "This is how you make crack, kids: a piece of this, a piece of that, put x,y,z in it and then you mix it up in the lab." This is not that, this is nature. There's no complicated process in it. The tree is there, the fibre is there, the seed is there, the fruit is there, and it's used for all these things in history. In [America's] history. People should know that the constitution was written on paper that was made from cannabis, the American constitution. They should know that George Washington grew cannabis. But children should also know that you can misuse it and have ill effects just like everything else. I mean, everything I buy for my kids in the store, if it's a vitamin it says be careful. Children should know the truth -- the good and the bad

Title: Ziggy Marley talks about Marijuanaman

Excerpt: CaribPress: What's is going on in your life lately?
Ziggy: "I am a family man now, but I am still an artist making music, and have raised my consciousness level a bit more because of being a family man. I have decided to increase my involvement in the importance of raising my kids properly and being a good parent. My last project was the kids' album that I work on called "Family Time."

Excerpt: So what is the next project?
"I am currently promoting my new project, the publishing of a comic novel called "Marijuanaman." Yes a comic book might sound like kids stuff but this is not. Some people might also find it unusual promoting a marijuana comic book, which to many people has a negative connotation. That's how it is in many parts of the Western World, it is shown in a negative way, and therefore considered it something bad like other man made chemical drugs that are harmful to humans and the earth."