Green Lion Crew

Southern Maine’s Reggae Sensation:

A simple campfire requires a few seemingly ordinary elements: the kindling, made up of twigs, dried leaves, and broken branches grouped together; add a match; gently blow on the flame; and within moments, you’re feeling the heat. When you stoke a deep-rooted appreciation for reggae culture and Caribbean beats, introduce clean medicine with an inclination to live accordingly, and drop passion with a spark of opportunity, you get the Green Lion Crew.

Zeke Stern and Dana Knowles lit up York, Maine, a beautiful beach town where they began DJing at house parties while they were still attending high school. Providing an alternative to the norm, their unique approach began opening doors for the duo. Playing beats rooted in ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall, they became students of the sounds of Caribbean culture. Soon the students became messengers of not only a way of listening, but also of a specific lifestyle in which Zeke says “nothing gets left out.” This includes surfing, mountain biking, organic eating, traveling, encouraging diversity, and having a deep devotion to the celebration and legalization of marijuana.

From playing at house parties to hosting the Mad Lion Reggae Show on WUNH Radio at the University of New Hampshire, the pair progressed brick-by-brick, gaining experience and wisdom with each beat. As the ratings went up and they built a fan base along the way, they began to travel to Jamaica and the U.S. Virgin Islands to start producing their own music and work with the artists they looked up to. Their pilgrimages to Jamaica and the Virgin Islands turned them into fulltime music producers. They started sending homemade instrumentals to vocalists who connected with the soul of their music, and from these collaborations came songs that are listened to across the globe.

The Green Lion Crew has had their music played on ESPN, VICE TV, and the X Games after working with artists like Collie Buddz, Kabaka Pyramid, Chronixx, and Jesse Royal, to mention a few. In 2018, they produced the track “Lyrics Deity” on Kabaka’s album Kontraband, which was executively produced by Damian Marley and released on his label Ghetto Youths International. The duo’s latest album, Be Still, is a collaboration with three top vocalists from the Virgin Islands: Akae Beka (lead singer of Midnite), Pressure, and Danny I. The album contains 12 vocal tracks and 11 dub tracks and is available on all digital platforms worldwide.

When you mix music with a desire to bring change, what follows is transformation—going beyond a love for reggae to an appreciation of the roots that created these trees that bloom and flowers you can thoroughly take joy in.

Follow Green Lion Crew on social media:

facebook.com/greenlioncrew instagram.com/greenlioncrew youtube.com/greenlioncrew soundcloud.com/greenlioncrew