About the Show:

"My greatest takeaway was that no matter where I am in life, no matter how old I get, I will always find time for moments like this to share my knowledge with someone else."

– Rochelle Bradshaw

From touring with reggae royalty to calling Northwest Arkansas home, Rochelle Bradshaw has lived a life in music that most artists only dream about.

In this episode, Randy sits down with the Jamaican-born singer-songwriter to trace her journey from Portland, Jamaica, to the stages she shared with the Marley family and other reggae legends, and ultimately to the Ozarks, where she's building something entirely her own.

Rochelle doesn't hold back. She talks about what it's really like working with icons, navigating the disruptions of COVID-19, and releasing her debut solo album, Island Girl at 50—a milestone that came with its own set of challenges and triumphs. She also shares how she's blending her music career with her work as a brand ambassador at The Source Dispensary in Rogers, proving that creative careers rarely look the way we expect.

This conversation touches on mentor Joseph Israel's lasting impact, the realities of being a working artist, and why community matters when you're chasing big dreams. Whether you're a music fan, a creative trying to figure out your path, or just someone who loves a good story, this episode delivers.

Key Takeaways:

1. Community Roots: Rochelle found a sense of community in Northwest Arkansas that reminded her of home in Jamaica and influenced her decision to stay.
2. Legendary Experiences: She’s toured and performed with reggae’s biggest names, including the Marley family and Burning Spear, and learned the value of humility, hard work, and sharing wisdom.
3. The Creative Journey: Rochelle emphasizes the importance of personal growth and letting go, reflected in her finally releasing her own album, Island Girl, at 50.
4. Multiple Streams: In a changing industry, having “side hustles” and staying adaptable, as Rochelle does through music and her job at The Source Dispensary, is essential for musicians.
5. Uplifting Wellness: Rochelle’s passion for healthy alternatives inspired her to create all-natural, vegan gummies for The Source, shaped by her wellness journey and desire to educate others.
6. Giving Back: Rochelle organizes annual Bob Marley tributes at George’s and leads community initiatives, such as monthly non-profit tip matches, supporting the region she now calls home.
7. Collaboration & Perseverance: Building a band and musical career as a transplant is challenging, but local musicians and venues make the journey rewarding for passionate creators.
8. Personal Triumph: Through it all, Rochelle learned she’s “stronger than she gives herself credit for,” conquering fear and walking confidently into her next chapter.

All this and more on this episode of the I Am Northwest Arkansas® podcast.

Important Links and Mentions on the Show*

1. Rochelle Bradshaw’s Website: www.rochellebradshaw.com
2. Island Girl album: Listen here
3. The Source Dispensary (Rogers, AR) – learn more & check out their Roots and Reefer Program on YouTube
4. Bob Marley Foundation
5. Gulley Park Concert Series
6. Shoutouts: Shelly Mouber (artist), Sarah Fennell Buchanan (Restore Humanity), Joseph Israel, Mandy Strickland (The Source), Anthony Ball, Reggie James, Patty Steele, Jeff Kearney, and Nate Walls (Secondhand Smoke NWA)
7. FindItNWA.com NWA’s Hyperlocal Business Directory

This episode is sponsored by*

Try ONBoardNWA.com Today!

*Note: some of the resources mentioned may be affiliate links. This means we get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

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Hey, folks, it's Randy Wilburn here, and you're listening to the I Am

Northwest Arkansas podcast. Listen. I've got a really special

guest on the show today, Rochelle Bradshaw. She's a

singer, a songwriter, and a creative force who's brought her

Jamaican roots right here to Northwest Arkansas. You might know

her from her work with the Marley family, or maybe you've caught her

live around town. Either way, her story is

one worth hearing. We're going to talk about music, her

new album, her journey, and what it means to create

and grow right here in our backyard. Let's get into it.

It's time for another episode of I Am Northwest

Arkansas, the podcast covering the intersection of

business, culture, entrepreneurship, and life

general here in the Ozarks. Whether you are considering a move

to this area or trying to learn more about the place you call home,

we've got something special for you. Here's our host,

Randy Wilbur, Rochelle Bradshaw.

How are you doing today? Can I just say irie,

Irie, irie. I like that. I like that. Well, listen, I am

glad. Well, we took our time to connect before this, as I

always typically do, just to put my guests at ease and

learn a little bit more about them. And I was really excited to hear from

you. And first and foremost, I just. I'm gonna just put this. Get this out

of the way now. I gotta give a shout out to my girl, Shelly Muber,

who recommended. She kept saying, you gotta have Rochelle on

your podcast. You gotta have her on the podcast. And I'm like, okay, we'll work

it out. And I'm so thankful for Shelly. Shelly's.

Actually, Shelly was on my podcast, and it was the only podcast title

that had the words Wu Tang in it. But that just

tells you you need to go back and listen to it. And I'll reference that

podcast here in the show notes. But seriously, though,

Shelly has been amazing. She is responsible for some of the

artwork that people have seen. She took my logo and

took all of the different people that I've had on the podcast, all of

their logos, and then created my logo with those logos. It was

amazing. So I really appreciate Shelly so much, but

I appreciate her because she has connected me with amazing guests.

And so obviously, you're gonna be no exception to that rule. So

we're just glad to have you here today. Thank you. And thank you, Shelly. Shout

out, Shelley. Yes. Yeah, she's great, actually. Her artwork is

amazing. I will put a link to her artwork in there, too. But this episode

is about Rochelle, I promise. And so listen Rochelle, I

know that one of the things that we learned when we had a chance to

talk was that you came to Northwest Arkansas from Portland,

Jamaica, back in 2005. What brought you here

originally? What brought me here originally?

Not in 05, originally. I came here, like, a few

years prior. Music brought me here. I was on tour

with a singer. His name is Luciano. Wonderful

singer. I was on tour with him, and I think we played at

Chester's on Dixon. Okay. And then.

Then I met Joseph Israel on the road while touring with

Luciano. And he's from here? Yes. Yeah, he

lived here in Fayetteville, Arkansas. You know, I know some of his family.

Sarah Fennell, Restore Humanity. Joe Fennell, you know,

Bordino's. So I met him on the road. He invited me to come

back here to rehearse because I agreed to go on a small

tour with him one summer. And so I was here for, like, two

weeks, hanging out. It was not the Chancellor, the

Graduate Hotel. It was the Radisson, I think, at that time.

It's changed names so many times. Yeah, the Graduate, it's current

incarnation. So it's been there, though. And, like,

I stayed at that hotel and walked around downtown and

ate at the Thai restaurant. I remember it so well.

This was in, like, 2004. Oh, a lot has changed since. A

lot has changed. Yeah. Yeah. So I went on the road with Joseph Israel, and

while in California, he introduced me to his friend Hadi,

that was living out there now, but was from here, and they went to school

together, and he kind of introduced us with the

intent of us getting together. And. And that did happen.

So that's how I ended up coming back here. So he was responsible

for you guys getting together. Okay, very cool. So before

we go further, I'd love for your just

memory of Joseph Israel. And I've heard so much

about him. Sarah has talked about him. I've seen so many references

to him around town. What was so special

about him that people should know about that

on this podcast? That's an easy answer. To

me, Joseph Israel was truth. He was a

very honest being. Like, the

words that would come out of his mouth, he was living

it, and you could tell. And even if he

moved on to some other belief or the belief advanced in

some way, he would live that. If he believed it and

if he was saying it to you, he was living it. And he's one of

the few people that I ever met in my 50 years

on this earth that I say that about. And, like, I get

goosebumps thinking about him, like just great conversations because it came

from a place of truth. Yeah. You know, and it's wild because, like

I said, my only knowledge of him is through Sarah

and through Boo Buchanan and her family

and just like hearing anecdotes here or there, but never like a full,

full blown, hey, this is who Joseph Israel is. And this is what he's all

about. And so, you know, it's kind of nice hearing that. And I'm sure some

people listening to this are familiar with him. And I know that there have been

a couple of events honoring his memory. And

so I may have to have Sarah come on and do an episode. Yes,

we should. And talk about him. So maybe we'll have to work

that out. I'm sure Sarah's gonna be listening to this. Sarah, if you're listening,

you know, talk to me later. We'll figure something out. I would love to

share that because the embodiment, the cool thing is that

he came from northwest Arkansas and he went to the world. Yes. And

so that was the thing. It's like sometime we hear stories about people

that you think, oh, well, they're pigeonholed into one place. But then some people get

released into the world. He's wonderful and he belongs

to all of us. And like, I have so many stories, but I mean, that's

another. Yeah, yeah, like I said, we'll definitely do that. But I will

say, like, a few months ago in the summer, I got the

opportunity to perform at Gully Park. Gully Park

Concert series, which Shelly was also instrumental

in. That's Shelly. Boy, she's busy in the

background. She's so busy. She's a loner. Yes.

But like, when I was putting together my set list for

that event, the first thing that came to mind was I have to

do one of Joseph's songs. Okay. I must. He's the reason why

I'm here and around and surrounded by all

these wonderful folks that I choose to call this place home. I

have no intentions of leaving northwest Arkansas. Wonderful.

And so I had to remember him on

that day. Wow. I heard about that. Yeah. I

remember Boo saying that it was kind of a

teary eyed moment for Sarah and for others

that were there that remembered him. And so I thought that was special. I

could actually hear the music because I live within earshot of Gully park,

so I didn't come that night, but I could actually hear the music. I could

hear the bass. I could hear the bass. And I was like, oh, they are

jamming tonight in Gully Park. And that's one of the things I

think that makes northwest Arkansas so special. Just like what you just

said, why you came here, and then you decided never to leave. But

northwest Arkansas is the kind of place where you can literally go into a

local park and be sitting there and be sitting around. All

your neighbors and other people are from around the area in a free open

air concert. Yes. So amazing musicians.

So. Yeah. So that's very cool. Are you. So now are you. Were you invited

back to come and do a gully park again or. I don't know. You don't

know. We'll see. Okay, we're going to just put that out, just in case. Yeah,

I love that. Okay, so you got here. So you had previously been

here. Then you came in 2005. And so like you

said, you decided to stay. Was it specifically for

you about it? Now, coming from an island, coming from Jamaica. I've been to

Jamaica multiple times. It's a beautiful island, beautiful people. I love

the mantra of Jamaica. Out of many one. Out of many one.

And you know, and I told you some stories about some folks that I know

from Jamaica that just their stories have stories, but, you know, it's

a beautiful island with beautiful people. And I mean, to leave that to

come to northwest Arkansas. Is there anything about northwest Arkansas that reminds you of

Jamaica? What reminded me was the sense of community.

I could feel that here. A sense of fresh air.

Yeah. That I appreciate coming from. You know, I

travel a lot. Like, I toured

so often. You know, I could have chosen any

city, but I'm a country girl at heart, and so I

felt that vibe here. Yeah, that vibe reminded

me of my island vibe. Right, right. Because that's. Portland is near

Port Antonio. Right. Port Antonio is the capital of

Portland. Right. Which is the northeast section of Jamaica.

Yeah. So. And it's not. It is kind of country up. Oh, it's country. Yeah.

Yeah, it's very country as. As country can be for Jamaica.

And in Portland, it could rain like every single

day, but Maybe just like 15, 20 minutes. Sure, sure. Just a

quick rain. Yeah. So everything is lush and green and you could smell it.

But I was living in Kingston when I met

Joseph, and I was happy to not live in a

city, a big city like Kingston. Sure. You know, so this was

like, okay, this feels like Portland. Right. It reminds you of

that. No, that makes sense. Now, you originally had spent some

time on the road with the Marley family. You've worked with some major names

in reggae. I mean, you just kind of. You kind of subtly name dropped Some

names. When we were on our call, I was like, oh, okay, you mentioned Jimmy

Cliff. I mean, you mentioned it. And he just rest in peace. He just passed

away. But what was that experience been like for you?

Just having connections with. I mean, honestly,

not just Jamaican, but reggae royalty from

a musical perspective. What was that? Those connections? What are those

connections like for you? Well, first, I must say, I have. I

haven't worked. I never worked with Jimmy Cliff. I just knew him. No, I. Yeah,

but the story was great that you shared with me, so. Yeah, that was a

sweet story. Yeah. How many people get stuck in a studio with Jimmy Cliff

for several hours? Hours. Just talking, Just me and him, like, Mr.

Cliff, tell me everything. Tell me everything about life. What was your

greatest takeaway from that meeting that you had with him? Oh, my gosh. Just

my greatest takeaway was that no matter where

I am in life, no matter how old I get, I will always find

time for moments like this to share my knowledge with someone

else. Yeah. To spend that time and not be on any kind of a high

horse. That's what it's all about. Exactly. That's my greatest takeaway was the

humility. And just like, you know, like, I want to be that.

I mean, it's no surprise that he basically performed close

to up until his death. I mean, he was still out there on stage

putting it out. I mean, and I have a lot of respect for people, for

creators that get out and do their thing. I saw.

And this is. This is an aside, but I got to see George Clinton in

P Funk, you know, the third iteration of Parliament Funkadelic

at JJ's a couple of weeks ago. I missed it. And

I gotta say, I mean, George Clinton is in his 80s.

And granted, he's not the same George Clinton from the 70s,

but I mean, just seeing him on stage. Exactly. Is

super encouraging. Exactly. And I'm just like, man, this dude's

84 years old out here. I mean, this place was

packed. I mean, it was an experience he was living.

Yeah. I want to be that. Right, right. Burning Spirit just played at the

Momentary. Okay. Recently, he's also up there. He is

up there. That's right. And for me, it's Uncle Rodney. So

back to your question about just reggae royalty like Burning

Spear. Like, I grew up just calling him Uncle Rodney

because he rehearsed at my house. Wow. We had a home

studio that my dad built, and that's where Burning Spree used to rehearse,

you know? So he was just Uncle Rodney. Yeah. And then

Garnet Silk. I don't know if you ever heard of Garnet Silk. I have,

but when he was big, like, it was my family's band,

that was his backing band. And he rehearsed my house.

And then one morning, my uncle woke me up. I think I was 17. And

he's like, you're singing backups for Garnet Silk. I'm like, okay.

So that was it. If you go back and look at

Sunsplash, 1994, I'm like, I was so shy. You

were there, but I'm there, like, singing my heart out. That's funny. That's funny.

I know. So it's like. And then he passed away

shortly after. So he was a young legend, you know?

So I give thanks. I'm like, I'm happy. I'm so happy that I

got a moment with him. Yeah, well, it's called being in the right place

at the right time. So. Yeah, no, that definitely benefits

you. What was your. Obviously, we have to speak of the

Marley family, but how did you connect with them? And you've had a

chance to play with. Be on stage with most of them, is that correct?

Yeah, so I was on tour. I also toured

with Al Anderson and Gina Marvin. The original

Wailers. Okay, The Wailers. They separated from the

Wailers band, Bob Marley's Wailers. So his two guitar players, they

formed their own Wailers band and called it the Original Wailers.

And at that moment, I was included in that band

because of my friend at the time, Erica Newell, who was

a part of the Melody Makers. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. She's one

of the singers. You have the two sisters, and then it's Erica. So

because of Joseph, I met Erica, and we became friends. And

so she invited me to come be a part of the original Wailers.

And so I toured with them. And. But Erica was also working with

Steven, and when a position became available, she asked me to come

join that outfit. The first time she asked, I couldn't because I had another

project going on. But then the second time, I was like, heck, yeah. Stephen Marley

is my favorite. And so I joined his

band in 2012, I want to say, when he

released the Fruit of Life album.

Okay. Revelation, Part one. And so I've been

in his band since mostly. So whenever they go out on the

road, you go out or. Yeah. So I've. Yeah, we were. We hit

it. Hit the road hard. But once you work with one Marley, you kind of

work with them all, because you never know who's going to come, you know? If

we're playing in California, Ziggy's going to come. So Ziggy plays. But

then they also have the Marley brothers, which is all five

brothers. Ziggy Marley, Steven Marley, Damien Marley, Julian

Marley, and Kimani Marley. So when they do that, I also perform with

them. And then Stephen and Damian have their own project. You know, they

have so many songs together. But when they do those tours, I

don't get to go on that. Okay. Okay. So they mostly

did that last year. So I didn't tour with Steven much last year. Wow. I

did one show this spring, his birthday. What's that like?

I mean, being in the music industry and just kind of like, it's almost

like, you know, you go through these waves or moments where you're like,

you're fully busy and then you're not, you know, And. Yeah, so there. These. Did

these. Did these pauses there. Yeah. You know,

and so what is that like? I'll tell you what that's like. That

is why I have so many other

projects. You gotta have. Well, I

mean. And I mean, I speak. We talk about this all the time. I tell

people, yeah, you gotta have multiple streams. You gotta have multiple streams of

revenue. You've gotta. You know, you can't rely on one thing. You

cannot. You cannot. Because it just. And I think nowadays more

than ever, people are starting to realize that. And they're like, you know what? I

do need to have a side hustle. I do need to have this. Or listen,

I tell my sons this all the time. I was like, you guys might have

a career, but I guarantee you, you're going to have a career that's

punctuated with a number of side hustles and opportunities

where you're going to get to do things that you're really good at. And

people will pay you for it. Yes. And, you know, you should take advantage of

it. Take advantage of it. Like, I've always been a

busybody. I like to learn new things. I like to keep myself,

you know, entertained also. Yeah, but when Covid

happened, it was a real wake up call. Yeah. When Covid

happened, the entertainment industry shut

down. It shut down. Other industries were able

to slowly come back to. But entertainment is all about

socializing, and Covid was anti

socializing, so. Well, I think. I think people don't

realize that most musicians

make their real money on tour. Oh, yeah. Like, period.

That's why everybody and their mother wants to go out on tour. Because that's how

you make. That's how you really make your money. The only Way right now. Yeah.

So, yeah. I mean, that's. And I think people don't always appreciate that. They.

They just think, oh, I've listened to your album so many times on Spotify or

on Apple Music that. And then it's like, no, you must be making money.

Yeah. No, that does not translate that way. I mean, even Taylor

Swift goes out the Heiress tour. I mean, it's over now, but I mean, that's

why she was on tour. That's why Beyonce was on tour. I mean,

that's how they make their money. And they can make a lot of money. They

can make a lot of money. Yeah. The GDP of a small nation between

Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Oh, my goodness. You know, they. I told

somebody I was explaining to somebody, I was like, man, you know, being a roadie

with like, Taylor Swift, it's got its benefits. I mean, she gave

every single person on her staff, every. And this

is everybody from the truck drivers on up. They all got a hundred thousand dollar

bonus during the Heiress tour. But I mean, she's

super generous, though, anyway. But I mean, you know, it's just. That's.

I mean, that's kind of cool when you think about it. Listen, Randy, I was

on tour with Stephen Marley while she was on tour,

and one of our bus drivers, he was so pissed

because he's like, I had the option to do Taylor Swift.

Oh, man. And he didn't take it. No. When he heard about

that bonus. Oh, my goodness. Yeah.

Yeah. So, I mean, those can be life changing for people. I mean,

it's like $100,000. That is. It's nothing to sneeze

at. And she didn't have to. Yeah. You know? Yeah.

So I appreciate her for that. Yep. Yep. So. No, but I mean,

there's. That's just something about the music industry. And I know a lot of people

that were like, oh, they would dream about getting into this industry, but

there is. What people don't see is all the hard work that you put

in. All of the hours either behind a console or sitting

in a booth like we're sitting in, or, you know, looking at the

musicians and another side of. The sound studio rehearsing all night.

Yeah. I mean, driving all day in a bus. All night

in a bus, trying to sleep in a bunk. Yeah. It's crazy. I was

just looking at. Because I was looking at. I'm a big fan of Jamiroquai.

Oh, me too. And I wish he'd come back to the States. I know he

doesn't listen to my podcast, but for those of you that like Jamiroquai, he. He's

been on a. On a huge tour through Europe. But I. What I found

out was that he's actually been. You taking a bus from once, because you can

do that in Europe, but he's been taking a bus from one city to the

next. And that's just kind of how they all stayed together. But after they did

Austria, they got in a bus and they went to Italy, you know, and then

they did Milan and then Florence and, you know, and so it goes on from

there. But I mean, you know, there is a grind aspect to

it. Oh. But I also, from what I understand and people that I've talked

to that have been on tour like that. There's nothing like it, though. No,

there's not. And, you know, I've lived some of my best life on

tour and some of my worst. It was challenging for me because I

had to figure out how to tour with epilepsy,

you know, so in the beginning, that was hard.

Had some episodes, but, you know, I had to learn about myself

because I was determined to be on tour, to

do music, to travel the world. I love traveling.

I love new cultures, new people. So there's so many challenges

to touring. I had a daughter when I was really young. So,

like, being away from her, being away from all of the things

in her life, that's hard. Just being away from my

family in general. I would go to Jamaica sometimes for one day. I

remember this one tour, it was like a nine week tour in Europe.

And then I remember, like, flying to Jamaica and we were there for like a

day, day and a half, and then I had to start a U.S. tour. Yeah.

But now I'm like, those were the good days.

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's amazing. So

in all of your travels again, you've hung around reggae

royalty, you've gotten Grammy recognition for your

work with Burning Spear and Damian Marley. What do moments

like that mean to you, both personally and professionally?

Because it seems like just the Grammy recognition alone is kind

of like a punctuation for you that, okay, this wasn't

wasted time, and that I do have something to show for my efforts.

Yeah, it's. I don't know. I have a syndrome.

You know, what's that? Feeling undeserved. You know,

so sometimes it's hard for me to accept certain things,

but I do recognize them. You know, I

recognize that. Oh, my gosh. I had the opportunity

to work closely with these legends. To work.

I performed on more than one of Burning Spears albums and Just

to be in the studio with him, like, I feel, like, so

honored and chosen. Yeah. Yeah. But

more than anything, I thank my father. I think

because of him, multiple doors were open to me. Is your

dad still around? He passed away when I was 16. I'm sorry, what was his

name? Anthony Bradshaw. And he was Burning

Spears guitarist. And if you

watch when I miss him, I go to YouTube and I watch Burning

Spear live in Paris, 1988. Oh, wow. It's that Zenith

concert. And the first thing you will hear is my father

introducing the Burning Spear. When I just need

to hear his voice, I go to YouTube. You go to YouTube? And I'm so

grateful. I can do that. Like, I mean, it's amazing. I know. I have this

feeling about my grandfather because I can go watch some of

his old news broadcasts and things of that nature, and it's. I mean,

I know he's dead, but, I mean, he's still with me. And every now and

then, I'll see, like, a special on Netflix, and then I'll be like, oh, wait,

there's my grandfather. I see him and I hear him, and I'm like, oh.

And it's crazy to recall, right? Like, as soon as you hear the

voice, you're like, right there. It just brings you right back to, like,

a moment in time where you can hear and see that person physically in

front of you. Yeah. I mean, that's why I tell people all the time. I

mean, that's why I really love podcasting, because it's like I'm capturing so many

different voices, you know, for hopefully for eternity.

Right. That this will always. Somebody in Stardate

3029 will be able to access these files and listen to

this episode and be like, oh, wow, this is what they were talking about back

in 2025. So. But I mean, there's just something about

the human voice and that pattern and the recognition

that comes along with that. So, yeah, no, it is super

powerful. So the Grammy recognition for you was

meaningful. And again, like, I would say probably any

musician, you suffer for your craft. Right? I mean,

you do, right? Because it's like, people don't see the time

and effort that goes into the behind the scenes. All we see

is once we've given that ticket up to that turnstile and we walk into

that venue and see you up on stage. That's it. Yeah. It's

like. And that's like. And there's, like, about 95%

of all the real work happened before that. It happened before.

Yeah. And the other four and A half is going to happen after I get

off stage. Right, right, right, right,

right. Yeah. That's the short part, being on stage. And I live for

that moment. I can imagine. I live for that moment. I got to see

you, and I told you this. I got to see you perform at the Jones

center and with Shout out to Anthony and

Reginald James and those, put together a really nice program,

and then you performed. And I mean, it was a real intimate setting. There weren't,

like, a lot. Lot of people there. But I mean, you just brought it. I

mean, you were just like. You were really. I was really impressed. And again,

I didn't know you at the time, and I was just. I love reggae. So

I listened to your set, and I was just like, oh, this is really good.

And I mean, you were very, you know, very passionate on stage. And I could

see again that you really. Not that you just practice, but you really

are good at your craft. Thank you. Yeah, I love it. Yeah. So it's

good. So speaking of your craft, it took you

almost to your age of 50 to release

your first solo album. Why was now

finally the right time? I get it. As you shared now, you've said, hey,

you were out touring, you were out participating on other people's

albums. So it's not like you haven't been on an album. You just have not

created your first, your only, your. Your album. And so I'm

curious to know, why was now the right time to do Island

Girl? It was just now. Yeah, it was now. I mean, 50,

like, when you're looking at 50, it's like, what's after that?

You know? And I wanted to have something for myself

to look at, to appreciate that. You know, I've been learning to

crochet. Now. Here's the blanket. Right, right. You know, just something like that.

Sure. It was a personal goal. And I thought

50. It sounded better than 51. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, half

a century, you know. Or as I like to say, halftime. Right. Yeah.

So now, you guys, the second half that you're about to embark upon.

Yeah. And I had time. I had time to do it. Okay.

Yeah. I had the time because I didn't tour much last year, and

it was like a sense of accomplishment. Like, I didn't just sit around for a

year. Sure. You know, and then I. Then 50 slapped me in the face.

Like, what have you done? Right. What do you want people to take away

from this album? That's a good question. Take away from

this album, really? It's just. It's A calm down, a

slowdown, chillax. I mean, things don't have to be that

serious. Yeah. You know, there are a lot of serious things

happening. Sure. But we can actually calm down, calm

ourselves down, you know, and that's island time for me.

Island time is finding that space where no matter what

is happening, I can calm myself down

so I can see it, I can look at it. I can deal with what's

going on. And so the album, I wanted it short.

The tracks are not too long. Yeah. I'm not trying to

change the world. Yep. I'm just saying right now, where

I am, I'm slowing down, I'm taking it easy, I'm

enjoying life. And I see you. And that especially

is in the song called Always rb. Because I

see you, my friend. And so we're here together at 50.

You'll always be my friend. We're gonna take things on island time and

deal with life. Yeah, I love that. Did you write all the

songs? Yes. My sister and I and my uncle. This whole project

was between the three of us, really. Other

musicians played, but my sister and I and Uncle Devon, we wrote

all the songs on there. And through that process. I mean,

nowadays with technology, people don't even have to be in the same room with

you to do that. But what was that like? No. Yeah. So

the most of the writing, because my sister, she lives in Atlanta. Okay. So I

haven't seen her in years. Really? Yeah. Yeah. So it's online. Like,

we had our weekly sessions twice a week. We had our

writing sessions after work and just, you know,

facetiming or just on the phone talking and

vibing with stuff. I'd send her an idea and vice

versa. And same thing with Uncle Devin, because he's in Jamaica. Sure. So

he would. Oh, this melody is cool. And he would send it to me, or

I would hum something and send it to him, and he would start creating

some music around it. Right. And so we started like that.

So we had the, you know, like, the framework of certain songs.

And then I went to Jamaica, went home. It's the first time

I actually stayed at home in Portland,

Jamaica, for two solid weeks. Oh, wow. I visit.

Yeah. Yeah. But I don't stay. You know what I mean? Yeah, exactly. Like, I'll

go to Portland for a day or two. Sure. And most times I stay in

a hotel or, you know. But I just went home and

just. I didn't rent a car. Yeah. I just stayed home. We get up and

we try. My uncle is very, you know, we go to the Studio at

this time. So we have breakfast. You know, he does all these things, and then

we go in the studio and he has to pray and play his gospel

music. And we bless the studio and our intentions. We get

started, and then no more than three songs per day. Okay. So

we don't want to get overwhelmed. Sure. You know, and so just finding that

flow and being with him, because I hadn't spent much time around, and he's my

favorite uncle. Yeah. You know, and it just kind of

just happened naturally, really. It flowed. The ideas came

out, the music came out. We got Dean Fraser and all kinds of

amazing musicians to contribute to the tracks.

And I did my part, you know, record the

vocals and stepped away. Yeah. And I think that is why

the album was released, because I did my part and stepped

away. Otherwise, I would have kept recording. Right. Or kept

meandering editing. I love to edit. Oh, my gosh. Editing is

great. Yeah. Right? Yes, man. So.

Well, that's exciting. I. I have. I've listened to two

songs on. On the. It's. There's nine songs on there. Eleven.

Eleven. I'm sorry. Okay, so. And then are any of.

If in any of the songs, is there any ode to,

like, your time here in Northwest Arkansas? Not

particular. I was just curious. So. And it. I mean, it

doesn't have to be. Because, I mean, it should be next song. Yeah.

Next album, for sure. So now you said that you're

more of a recording artist than a performing artist. Can you talk about what

that means to you? I love to record. And why is it so funny? You

just love the record, so. Yes, because I just said the only reason why the

album was released because I walked away. You know, it was not

in my hands. Uncle Devin said one thing to me. He

said, this album is not your baby. Let it go. Let it go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like, I heard this. I'm gonna tell you, this

album is not your baby. Let it go. Because, like, there's so many things

I could have fixed, you know, but because I

love that process of creating, I have a hard time letting

go of that moment. And so someone else has

to be like, okay, it's fine. Like, yep, yep,

we can do this. We can put it out. Yeah, yeah. So that's why I

make that statement, because I find so much joy. No, I

hear you. I hear you. And I think the challenge with that is that most

of us that are creators, I would like to include myself in that because I

create a lot of podcasts. I have to let stuff go all the time and

just be like, I just put it out there. Because people are amazed when I

tell them. Sometimes I don't go back and listen to my podcast after I've created

it. You know, like, I may or may not listen to this one. Right. I

have an editor, so. But I mean, I'll just. I mean, I'm only looking at

qa, qc. I'm not getting into the. Because, I mean, I'm like, on to

the next thing that I'm creating. So as a creator,

that's kind of sometimes how it is. Because otherwise you would just be.

You'd be paralyzed because you'd just be constantly thinking about that

one thing that you created. You're like, oh, I gotta continue. Oh, I can do

this, or I can take this away, or I can add this. There's more, man.

Yeah, that's called analysis by paralysis. So, you know,

but. So let's talk a little bit about your work with

the Source Dispensary. Cause I thought that was kind of funny when you told me

where you worked. And nothing wrong with the dispenser. There's no judgment here

whatsoever. But I'm curious to know, how did that come about and

what is your role there at the Source dispensary? And this is the Source

dispensary, which is in Rogers. Yes, here in Rogers.

My role there now, I am the brand ambassador.

I started there during COVID Okay. As I said,

you know, music stopped. My brain is churning. Exactly.

You know, and cannabis just happens to be

my second passion. So. Okay. You know, and

with the new industry, I figured I wanted to

get into it. I wanted to get into the industry. I wanted to learn.

Right. And the only way to do that was

to start at a dispensary, probably as a bud tender. And lucky

for me, I knew some people that owned a dispensary. There you go. That's

what it takes. Yeah. So I just played my case and. You know,

and they were like, why not? They're like, how? So clearly you

have made an impression because you've created your own line of gummies

and vape products. So how involved were you in

that process? And for you, what makes those products so

different? Well, first, I want to say a big shout out to my

CEO, my boss, Mandy Strickland, who

gave me the opportunity. You know, I asked because I like to ask.

I'm not afraid of hearing a no. So I asked if I

could contribute to that department in that way. And I

basically, I come up with the recipes. You know, I

I do the formulation, and I work it out with

our AI and I talk to the lab. Our lab

tech, Trevor Sharp, he's amazing. Just to make sure that

what I'm imagining, because I'm an artist, you know, it may not

work. Right. You know. Right, right. Logistically, these things

might not or should not be together, but I wanted to

isolate specific cannabinoids for specific

effects. Yeah. You know, cbd. Because I have

epilepsy, that has helped me a lot. Wow. You know, so I wanted a

gummy that was heavy in CBD also. Not just thc,

like, you can get high anytime. Right. You know, but. Right. What else is this

going to do for you? So I added CBD to that

to help with, you know, pain and anxiety and stuff

like that. And then I added cbg, which is great for inflammation and

just some mental focus. And then the specific terpenes.

Just to keep you on island time. Yeah. To create an entourage effect to keep

you like this. But not only that. I used to have

dreadlocks. So coming from that background as a

Rastafarian and a country girl, you know, in Portland,

Jamaica, I prefer real food. I prefer

natural things. I preferred

to not have dyes and all

the unnecessary things in what is supposed to be a medical

gummy. You know, this is a medical state. So I asked

Trevor if there was a way that we could make my gummy

as natural as possible, maybe from fruit purees.

And so my first Gummy island time, I thought about our

Jamaican fruit punch. So there's banana, there's guava, there's

mango, there's pineapple, there's coconut. And so we got the fruit purees.

Okay. And made that, added in all the

cannabinoids and whatever color it came out to be.

That's the color. Okay. We use only agave

or beet sugar, and we just source

the cleanest things. And so. So no FD and C,

yellow number 5 and all that other stuff. None of that. They're very

vegan. So if you have Alpha Gal, you can still eat one of my gummies.

Okay. And so once we did that and we saw the success of that,

our CEO is like, all our gummies are going to be made like that now.

Wow. So if they all have the same color, that's just.

So you really have impacted the brand.

I mean, you really are the brand ambassador, but you came in with your own

flavor. No pun intended. And it is taking a hold.

Yes. Yeah. I love that. That's great. That is really good. And they

are delicious. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, I' actually

never had a gummy. I've had friends that have had gummies, but maybe I'll have

to try one and see what it's like. After you get your med card. After

I get my med card. Right. Yeah. That's the key thing. So what people don't

understand. So, like, you know, in Oklahoma, it's. It's recreation.

Yeah, it can be for anything. So Missouri's Wreck

is Oklahoma. Wreck. I think Oklahoma is wreck. Well, I've seen Tulsa King, and

that's all they talk about on Tulsa King. I just saw an episode for the.

First time that's like. Well, it's kind of framed around.

Yeah. You might have a dispensary. Yeah. Never

happened. Right. Well, you know, it's Hollywood, so what do you. What do you expect?

So. But no, that. That's really cool. We'll put a link

to the company on the page because I'm sure. And I've never asked

anybody that listens to my podcast, but I'm sure there's a bunch of people

that. That actually, I'm really surprised. I'm always surprised when somebody's like, oh, I got

a medical card. Then I asked them, well, why do they have it? And they

tell me, and I'm like, okay, I get that. I understand that. Oh, it's wonderful.

Like, I find some. So much joy. Yeah, I find

so much joy. Well, I mean, I just think that, you know, there's

been a real evolution, especially with. Around marijuana.

And so I just find it interesting that these dispensaries have been able

to kind of create their own space, you know, when it comes

to this. And so I think it's really interesting. But, yeah, I'm fully aware

of the medicinal benefits and how it helps people, especially people

going through cancer treatment and things of that nature, with nausea.

Nausea and things of that nature. So I get it. I totally get.

It's a lot. And, you know, at the source, we are all about

educating. Not just ourselves and our budtenders, but the

community. So, you know, we do a podcast, we do a magazine, we

do community outreach just to get information

out there and maybe to help to put someone, you know,

their mind at ease about trying, you know, helping

patients to get a better deal from their doctor

to go get a card, just all that. So we're

not just about retailing. Sure. You know,

educating. We're about educating and including the community

in all facets. Part of my job is we do a monthly

tip match. So each month, I choose not. I We

choose a nonprofit in the area, and we do a tip

match in the store. Oh, nice. And then the company matches that. Okay.

We send out a check every single month. Every single month. Very cool. Every single

month. We just did Nate Walls. Oh, okay. Secondhand smoke.

No pun intended. Well, Nate

is my man, and he. If anybody deserves it, he deserves it

because he's doing good work everywhere. He's

creating good trouble and doing good work all throughout northwest Arkansas.

I've personally been out with him delivering food in several

apartment complexes. And, I mean, I've been around Nate for a

long time. He's been on my podcast more than once. Anytime I hear that he

needs anything or he's doing something, I'm there to support him. So.

Because he's doing. He's doing good work. So. So now.

Well, and I'll. I'll just. For folks that are listening to this that want to

learn a little bit more about the dispensary, I'll put a link in the show

notes to their Roots and Reefer program, which you had on

YouTube. So that way people can check that out and gain a little bit more

understanding of it. Yeah. So I'll definitely do that. Now,

a couple of things before we wind up. You've organized the Bob Marley

birthday tribute at George's for several years now.

What's the heart behind that event? Obviously, your relationship with the

Marley family, but what's the heart behind that? I

mean, I, being an

authentic reggae musician, figured

that I should be the one to present a Bob Marley

tribute. There are tributes all over the country, all over the world,

really, celebrating his birthday every year. And

there's one that happens in Little Rock, and I

wanted to present one here on a proper format

to properly represent the music that most of us grew

up on and just to continue to highlight

his music, his work, his words,

and this message of one love. So we cannot

stop preaching that. And so I thought it was

a blessing that, you know, I saw it. Like, you need to do this.

Yeah. So every year, you do something. So this will be the

third year, consecutive year that we'll be doing it. Coming up.

And we also send a donation to the

Bob Marley Foundation. Okay. Okay, well. And we'll be sure to

put a link in the show notes to this particular event, which, at

the time of recording, this will be February 6th. February 6th,

20. 20. 26. Okay. And then for those of you that are listening to this,

after February 6th, we will put links in here and how you

can gain information so that you can find out the next time that they do

something like this or the next time that Rochelle is

outperforming somewhere so that you can follow her and learn

a little bit more about her and support her as she performs locally

when she's not out of town doing her thing. So we'll be sure to do

that. One other thing I wanted to ask you is the music scene in

northwest Arkansas is. I'm sure it's changed a lot

since 2005, both good and bad, from what I've heard from

other musicians, because I think it was a pure

music scene several years ago, and it's changed and evolved

as northwest Arkansas has changed and evolved. I'd be curious to know

what has been your experience building a band and creating

music here in northwest Arkansas. I mean, I think, like

anywhere else, it's been challenging, you know, especially

coming in, being a transplant in the area. So

it took years just to feel a part of the musical

community, number one. And then I knew I had

the respect of people because of my ties, you know, because

of the band that I was in and what I did before. But I had

to submerge myself into the northwest Arkansas

music scene and have, you know, encountered

some beautiful people. Patty Steele and Jeff Kearney and Anthony

Ball and Reggie. Yeah, absolutely.

But then I decided to start my local band here,

like, 2013. I don't think we played a show till, like, 2015 or

something. We just kind of rehearsed, you know, because I'm like, okay, I'm going to

present. Was that your local band that performed with you at the Jones Center? Okay.

Yeah, they were good. They were good. Notion. Hip notion. So I have Matt Smith

and Jason Ward and Jay Cranston and Adam

Becker and Phil. But, you know, we started

at Smoke and Barrel down there, and,

you know, late night. No one pays for music

in a college town. $5. Yeah. You know, so coming

from a big stage, like, for me, I had to just think about it

as just jamming. Just jamming when I'm not in tour. Yeah.

And so I had a hard time accepting that people wouldn't pay for music.

But then I had to look at the demographics and mostly, you know,

college kids, but still, you know. Yeah, it was hard,

but I have to play music. So we kept going and doing our thing, and

slowly, you know, you could see acceptance from

the crowd. The scene, not the crowd, but other musicians and

stuff. And I started jamming, and so I got

closer to the musicians themselves. Yeah, the

area changed. Like, every area changes in northwest Arkansas

is blooming yeah, it is. That's an understatement.

So, you know, and so it's like, I think for me,

it's understanding that change is inevitable.

And so I try not to think about how it used to be,

but, like, what is happening right now and how can we still

jam? You know, how can we still get some people out?

So I like to collaborate, so

I live for collaborating. Yeah. Any musicians that are listening?

You guys hear that? Yeah, I'd love to collaborate. I

love to hang out. And any musician who's listening and don't

know this about me, like, if you text me probably at like 2:00am,

1:00am hey, we're having a jam session. You want to come over? I'm

probably gonna show up. Okay. But I don't get the text to stop him, you

know? Right, right, right. I got you. The scene has changed a lot.

I can't put it in words. It's just. You just see it, you just

feel it. Yeah, but we're banding together and

putting on better shows, I think, as a musician, as a.

As a local act, especially if you're. If you're just like a

gig musician, whatever. But, like, put on a better

show for your audience. Yeah, yeah. Don't expect them to be

okay with. Okay. Yeah. Don't expect them to pay

for. Okay. Leave it all out there. Exactly.

Yeah. Yeah. I want to be passionate about coming to see you because I

love how passionate you are about me when I'm there and giving

me what you came to give to me. And it's so great performance. It's so

evident, too, when you go to a really good performance, even in a small venue,

when someone's leaving it all out there. I saw this band, this group

from Washington, D.C. it's called oh, He Dead. It's a

funny, funny name. But they are amazing. They came to the Momentary, and

some friends of my wife and I invited us to the event, and

I wasn't sure what to expect, but they just. They blew me away.

I love that. And they literally flew in for that show, and

they were flying right back to Denver to do another show in Denver the next

night. But, I mean, you would have never known that they'd been going

through all these travel problems. They got there literally about

an hour before the show started, and then they just brought it, and it was

like, yo, these guys, that's what I call a

consummate professional. Nice. That's what you do. And I tell you

people all the time, I tell musicians, the audience is

not here to be your Therapist, like, they don't care. Yeah.

Nobody knows what you're going through. You don't need to show that. Like.

Yeah. Why are you on the stage right now? Yeah. You know. Yeah. Let your

music speak for you. Yes. Put all of that emotions into

what you're doing. Yeah. It makes all the difference.

Well, listen, I want to wind up with this because, I mean, and it's.

You just briefly talked about it, but you mentioned that this year in

particular has been a big year of personal growth

outside of creating this album, which it's a long time coming, but you

finally created it, so shout out to you for that. What have you learned

about yourself through it all? I think I learned that

I'm stronger than I give myself credit for. You know,

fear has a way of crippling us. Yeah. That's just

natural. I have an expression for that. It's called the devil is a liar.

So. Yes. So, you know, you have

that little voice in your head that's not a good voice that's telling you

can't do this or you can't do that, or you're no good, or, you know

what I'm saying? Or nobody cares. And, I mean, that's all. As I

like to say, it's kind of a trick of the enemy, because it

steals your joy. It takes encouragement out of your life

and causes you to walk around thinking that everybody is against

you when it's not really the case. It's not really the case.

So it was. I realized that I could hear those.

Yeah, I could hear the chatter. But, like, I kept going forward,

you know, with. With my plans, and I'm so

happy, and I feel stronger

right now than I did a year ago. Honestly, I had to do

some major changes in my life, and I didn't know if it was

the right thing. But right now, I am walking on

a bouncy floor, you know, there's support, you know. Yeah, yeah.

Beneath me. Sure. Propelling me forward. And I'm

thankful for that. Yeah. Thankful for that. Are you excited for this

second act? I am excited, and I'm curious, too, because I don't know.

Well, I mean, I would. I mean, if somebody told you, you know, or if

you look back, like 10 or 15 years from now and somebody told you,

hey, well, you know, Rochelle, in your 60s, you're going to do

something that's so amazing, it will eclipse anything you did in the first half

of your life. What would you say to that? Well, yeah, I mean, I'm island

girl. You just never know. You never know, Right. I mean, you see this jellyfish?

Because I float. Yes. Yeah. It's going to take me, you know.

It'S going to take you a lot of places. I'm going to float through it.

Well, listen, I certainly hope that you remember us little people

if you end up in your. In your own version of an heiress tour,

giving people $100,000 bonuses with your. With your

musicianship, I don't need $100,000 bonus. I'm just saying, don't forget the

little people. When you are so big that, you know, folks are like, hey, I

gotta get time with her on my podcast. It'd be like, yo, we've

already done a podcast, so let's just make it part two. So. But no, I

promise, Randy. All right, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Well, listen,

Rochelle, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for joining

us. And again, a simple shout out to Shelley

Muber for just being insistent about getting you on this

podcast. I really appreciate her and I also appreciate you and the

work that you're doing in our community. And I just want to encourage you.

Keep going because you got this. And so between what you've already

put out with Island Girl and what's to come next, I mean, we are,

I'm waiting, an eager expectation for that. So thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me, Randy. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, folks, that was

such a fun conversation. I want to thank Rochelle Bradshaw for coming on

and sharing her story. From her time touring with Legends

to building something of her own here in Northwest Arkansas. If you

haven't checked out her debut album, Island Girl, definitely

give it a listen. We'll put a link to the album in the show

notes. And if you're in Rogers, stop by the Source if

you have a medical card and see what she's up to there as well.

Thanks again for listening to I Am Northwest Arkansas. And before I forget,

Rochelle, do you have a website or a link that people you want to send

people to? Www.rochellebradshaw.com.

You heard it here first.

Www.rochellebradShaw.com.

that's it. That's all we have for you folks this week. We will see you

next week with another new episode of the I Am

Northwest Arkansas podcast.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of I Am Northwest

Arkansas. Check us out each and every week available

anywhere that great podcasts can be found. For show

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