What a Gwaan,
Keeping you up on all the happenings in the Reggae world I want to give you a heads up on a new artist that should definitely be on your radar. First making a splash on the Collie Monster Riddim with his hit “Boom Draw,” Mitch has been swooped up by Sly and Robbie for his debut album “Original Yard Man.” As you know I will listen to just about anything that Sly & Robbie produce, but I really think that this project was a major success for them as they remain the most innovative production team in Reggae. Mitch has a sound reminiscent of Akon and the Rhythm Twins laid the foundation for him to bust on the scene and infiltrate the Dancehall. Featuring new and classic riddims as well as guests appearances from Wyclef, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, and rapper Scantana this will definitely be an album that every DJ is sure to have.
The record starts strong with “Want No More” over the legendary Baltimore Riddim, then moves on to a hard hitting Hip-Hop feel on “Follow Me” and “Ghetto Heaven.” The cuts you’re sure to hear spun by your favorite Selectah are the aptly named “DJ,” “Bounce,” and “Grown” which sounds more like something coming out of Atalanta than Jamaica. And though this is a fresh step for Reggae, Mitch also has a few tracks for us purists with “Borrowed Time,” “Come Back Baby,” and my personal favorite “Special For You.” Mitch seemingly came from nowhere but apparently he expects to be around for a while with his signature tag line “It’s Mitch Again!” Check the videos below and catch the vibe.
First off, let me apologize for not posting over the last few weeks but I have been busy doing the only thing that tears me away from the keyboard… and that’s live Reggae. We have been blessed with summer full of Reggae concerts and festivals starting in June with the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (SNWMF) and continuing through an epic Reggae Rising a few weeks ago along with other various shows here in the San Francisco Bay. Every night there seems like another show that can’t be missed such as Mykal Rose last week and a Beres Hammond show last night. Phew… I got to send a special shout out to the bredren of Woven Roots from Humboldt County, who put on a wicked show at Pier 23 before backing up the Virgin Island legend, Army. I had heard some recordings but technology can be deceptive so I was pleasantly surprised with their musicianship and live dub sections. Definitely check out their debut album, “Storms of Change.”
Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, SNWMF has taken over the irie void left by the transformation of Reggae on the River to its current manifestation of Reggae Rising. Sierra Nevada really stepped it up this year with a stellar Roots Reggae line up highlighted by legends, Sly & Robbie, The Abyssinians, The Heptones, Ras Michael, Mykal Rose, Junior Ried, and also contemporary artists, Tarrus Riley, Anthony B, Etana, and Bushman. This was a really special show because this was my first time seeing many of these artists since I was a kid. Going into it, I was most excited for Mykal Rose, because I had recently listened to the entire catalogue of his work as well as his dub projects, and I was not disappointed. Backed by his own band, Mykal tore the place down with classic Black Uhuru tracks such as, “Sensimillia,” and “General Penitentiary,” but also included his more recent work such as, “Real Jamaican” and his collaboration with Damian Marley “Shootout.”Sly and Robbie were incredible as usual playing for what felt like 5 hours on Saturday night. Starting with a wicked dub set then into a lover’s rock session with the backup singers, then on to a set with the incomparable, Cherine Anderson, who has one of the sweetest voices in Reggae and who also may be this genres most beautiful woman. Other shows that I was particularly impressed with was Bushman, Etana and I thought the star of the show was Tarrus Riley, who has one of the most powerful and fine tuned voices I have ever heard live. Even with all that, my favorite moment of the festival was when Anthony B brought several children on stage and dedicated a song to the youth and the parents. I thought that was a very nice touch and really embodied the spirit of the festival. It was a moment that I will not soon forget so thanks to all the artists and the people of Epiphany for such a great SNWMF 2009.
Reggae Rising
Reggae Rising has come a long way and has endured lots of skepticism from the Reggae purists but there is one reason I can’t bring myself to miss this yearly gathering. That reason is the music. Artists come from all over the world for this one festival and look at it as a way to reward and share their craft with their core fan base here in the United States. Some people love New Years or Christmas, or celebrate their birthday for weeks on end, but I have Reggae. It’s that simple. You’d think that after 18 years of going to this festival I would have exhausted my enthusiasm but my 19th was the most highly anticipated and still the greatest yet. Joined by 17 close friends, we were blessed with show after show of great artists giving it their all. There were one of a kind performances from: Luciano, Aswad, Gentleman, Freddie McGregor, Capleton, Marcia Griffiths, Toots and the Maytals and the list goes on. After announcing the additions of Demarco and Luciano during the weekend of SNWMF it was clear that the people of Reggae Rising had a statement to make. This is still the festival for contemporary Reggae. So they were able to also get people like European dancehall star Million Stylez, Demarco, Lutan Fyah, Chezidek, Rootz Underground, Deserie, Nyorah, Queen Ifrika and many others to also bless the bill.
Friday was highlighted by Rebelution, whose bassist Marley, who is the only person with that name who has been at that festival more often than me, as they announced that it was his 26th year. Nyorah also stood out but had some sound issues that affected the delivery. Luciano came with his usual energy and incredible stage show as the night cap, but I thought Queen Ifrica really stole the show. With a diverse mix of singing and chanting she represented for the sistren and really left her mark in her first visit to Reggae Rising. Nuff Respect…
Saturday was a marathon of unmissable performances starting in the early afternoon with Rootz Underground who had entirely new show from the last time that I saw them featuring many brand new songs from their new release, “Gravity” set to drop in the early part of 2010. They had the same Roots Rasta vibe but added a certain hiphop/ electronic element and looked much more confident on stage so big up to the bredren of the Underground. Dezarie followed them; putting on a very spiritual set which I thought was a nice addition to the day that can often be dominated by dancehall. Million Stylez followed her and put on a good lyrical show but was slighted because he didn’t perform with a band. He and Demarco were the first artists I’ve ever seen do that and I hope they are the last. Chezidek (backed by a band) followed him and was the surprise of my Saturday with his surprising powerful and clear voice. He also performed several wicked new tunes so definitely keep an eye out for his next project. They switched the schedule to have Toots next instead of last which I thought was a good move to then have Lutan Fyah and Capleton close it out. Lutan Fyah really came with his best and sounded well rehearsed was clearly a fan favorite. Capleton of course had the entire place dancing with hit after hit but really made a statement with his silver encrusted white/Burberry robe ensemble. I’m never disappointed by his custom threads.
Sunday was a good wind down and featured several Reggae legends. One my favorites, Freddie McGregor, came and blessed the place along with several artists from his Big Ship Record label Laden and Chino. The Original Wailers also came and gave everybody their dose of Marley covers but the sisten really came and stole the show once again. Sister Carol and Marcia Griffiths both came and put on electrifying performances and I thought really exceeded expectations. Nuff respect to the Empresses. Capping the roots session was an extremely rare (maybe 15+ years since they last performed in the US) performance by English drum and bass duo, Aswad. They displayed a talent and excitement that could only come from decades in the business and gave the youth a much needed dub lesson especially with the absence of Sly & Robbie. I will never forget the 2 minute intro to the extended Dubfire version… Gentleman and the Far East Band headlined the night for the 2nd straight year and showed why when they delivered a custom show with many extended versions and brand new tracks from his upcoming album. He even used it as a testing ground for tracks he was considering, which I thought was really special. I don’t think they’ll bring him back for the 3rd straight but I hope that his next tour makes it over the Atlantic. If you ever get a chance to see him, don’t miss it.
This year at Reggae Rising was unbelievable and I thought a very successful over all execution but there were several disappointments that I would be remiss to mention. The first was the overall organization which I thought took a major hit from the previous years. There were countless people at will call on Thursday struggling to get tickets they had paid for and there was very poor communication between staff on how to resolve the issues. There was also the artists playing with DJs which there is no place for. There are dozens of bands hired for this festival and it doesn’t do the artist justice to make them play with a background track because the fan cannot help but compare it to the other acts. No disrespect to Demarco and Million Styles because theycame with it anyway so nuff respect. Of course these are minimal criticisms because the festival was such a blast but I hope that the people of Dimmick Ranch make some organizational adjustments before next year’s festival. I’ll have to make it special since it will be my 20th. Who’s with me!?
Give thanks and praise to the Almighty Jah for the inspiration and grace to make this movement a reality. Reggae has had a long road and is finally gaining the traction it needs to really succeed here in the United Sates. Since Bob Marley and the Wailers, Reggae has struggled to thrive here but with the persistence of Sizzla, Capleton, Buju and others, the doors have been opened it has opened for artists like Sean Paul, Sean Kingston, Rihhanna, Demarco, Serani, and other Caribbean artists that now enjoy great pop notoriety. Check back soon for my reviews of my favorite albums released this summer.
I & I have been faulty on my promise to keep you up to date on the happenings in the Reggae world, but no more. The latest and greatest in Reggae news was the 2nd annual Reggae Rising Music festival in Humbolt country California. This festival has actually taken place for 25 years, but last year a legal dispute between producer People’s Production and host Mateel Community Center that lead to the Reggae Rising. I have been fortunate enough to have been present for 18 of those 25 years. Though many fans were sceptical of the”Irie-ness” of the festival following the dispute, no one can deny that the line ups and special guests the last two years has erased any doubt about the greatest Reggae Festival in the world. At Reggae Rising 2007 the The Marley’s performed with special guests Mr. Cheeks from Lost Boys and Chali-2na formally of Jurassic 5, but in 2008 they stepped it up another notch by reuniting Black Uhuru for a special performance to highlight Saturday night.
Following a mind blowing performance by Jr. Ried featuring Sly & Robbie, Ried and the rhythm twins were joined on stage by Don Carlos and Garth Dennis to perform classic anthems by Black Uhuru. It was clear they hadn’t performed together recently due to the chemistry on stage, but I am so thankful to have witnessed such a momentous event. And of course Sly & Robbie was the familiar rock playing for at least 2 straight hours with three different artists (Reggae Angels, Jr. Ried, and Black Uhuru). The performance even carried on the the next night when Don Carlos brought Jr. Ried back on stage during his solo performance to play more Black Uhuru classics. I can only hope this leads to a reunion record.
I felt somewhat bad for Turbulence and Sizzla who had to follow this historic performance, but they must have been inspired because they were the best live performances from dancehall artists that I have ever seen. It was my first time seeing Turbulence who was surprisingly melodic and extremely dynamic on stage while commanded the crowd. I will not miss another performance by this talented young artist. Sizzla closed Saturday night and did not hold back. For those of you who don’t know about the tension there can be at a Sizzla show let me just outline a few things that could go wrong. First of all, Sizzla has such a large body of work, that the set list might miss fan favorites in favor of songs on the current album. Sizzla also is known to use profanity and derogatory remarks against homosexuals which can seriously damage the vibe of a roots Reggae show. But at Reggae rising 2008, none of these things happened (to his credit he also did a very good performance in 2006). He was dynamic on stage and seemed to feed of of the energy of the night keeping it positive till the last beat. Much respect bredren.
Before we go on to Sunday’s highlights I would be wrong not to mention the performances that Tanya Stephens and Beres Hammond threw down on Friday. I overheard many people saying that Tanya was the reason they came to the festival this year. She blew away many people in 2007 and she s did not disappoint in 08 with a great performance showing the strength and command that only a woman can. Personally, Beres Hammond was 1/3 of the reason I was especially excited about this years lineup. He has one of the purest and cleanest voices in Reggae music and is known for putting on a spectacular show. He was extremely humble and grateful for the honor of being featured and seemed to have the most fun on stage out of anyone that performed all weekend.
Sunday was great finish to the weekend and featured performances by Collie Buddz, Gentlemen, and Don Carlos. Collie Buddz performed a lot of the remixes and news tracks that he released since performing in 2007, but lack of a studio release limited the potential of the show. Don Carlos capped off the entire festival with a one of the Irie-est roots performances that I have ever seen and brought Jr. Ried back for a second Black Uhuru jam session. Don is the godfather of Reggae and he embodied the spirit of the music that night with humility and graciousness. Few things can upstage a Don Carlos performance in my mind but Gentleman made quite an impression on me. For those of you who are not familiar with Gentleman, he is a German Reggae star that has collaborations with pretty much every major Reggae Artist in the world. His appearance is very unassuming but his performance was the highlight of the weekend for me. He was the guy that I went and looked for at the record store on Monday. His crowd control was fantastic and his voice was surprisingly rich for a man of such small stature. He performed hits from his various albums released over the past decade including several collaboration tracks such as Fire A Go Bun Dem featuring Capelton and his latest hot Celebration featuring Alborosie. I will definitely be keeping an eye on the Gentleman US tour schedule.
The only problem with Reggae Rising 2008 is that fans will have too high of expectations for 2009! Peoples Productions has a serious task ahead of them to live up to this year. Nuff respect to all the organizers, Volunteer and of course the Musicians for making it an experience that I will not forget.
Bless-sed Love
-One Lovell
Check out my video playlist of fan Youtube videos.
