Upcoming Dancehall Acts Blaze Mob and Chino McGregor (Right) did a great job setting the stage with great energy for legendary Reggae acts U-Roy, Johnny Osbourne, Freddie McGregor, The Abyssinians and Sister Carol. Dancehall, Lovers Rock and Conscious Reggae fans were in bliss, considering the festival included such pioneers in these Reggae sub-genres. There was also a great selection of Caribbean food on this “Doctor Dread’s Jerk” sponsored festival. This festival was a definite success despite off and on lighting issues the artists did a great job ignoring.

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Twilight Concert Series 2014
Lee “Scratch” Perry
The Godfather of Dub and Reggae has returned…. Grammy Winning Reggae Icon Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s returns with the highly anticipated new LP “REPENTANCE”– with the sexually charged club anthem “Pum Pum,” as the debut single which demonstrates Lee’s mastery of all sounds. The album touches on a multitude of genres ranging from hip-hop & dancehall to club ready dance hits. By now you’ve heard the story that’s been followed by major music outlets from Billboard to Pitchfork. Starting with a chance meeting between Perry and hyper-energetic artist/producer Andrew W.K. at SXSW in 2006 that spawned an unthinkable friendship leading to a musical collaboration that would result in Lee Perry’s latest studio album. “Repentance” is considered the best album he has produced in decades, standing alongside the innovative records of the 60’s & 70’s where Perry placed the DJ in the role of the artist. What Perry created can easily be seen as the prelude to the dance, hip hop and pop music genres which makes it easy to see where artists from Jay Z,,Santogold, Hot Chip, M.I.A., to Spank Rock cut their teeth and found their sound. With “Repentance,” Perry has truly reclaimed the thrown. He continues to influence the musical landscape of today by redefining every genre of music he touches with his unprecedented vision and production expertise. He remains revered by his peers and seen as one of the most influential artists by many of today’s contemporary performers. Guest artists include electronic maven Moby, seminal producer Don Fleming, bassist Josh Werner of Matisyahu, drummer Brian Chippendale of staccato noise duo Lightning Bolt! and adult entertainer Sasha Grey.

Mexico68
Collectively aesthetic! MEXICO68, is a (13) piece afrobeat band based out of Los Angeles’ Eastside, California and is heavily influenced by the polyrhythmic sounds of Nigerian Recording Artist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Africa 70. Dominating the underground airwaves far and wide, MEXICO68 juxtaposes chicano funk with the body-moving and elucidating vibes of Fela. “Afrobeat will be one of the musics of the future” -Miles Davis Afrobeat no go die!

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Julian Marley is an accomplished lead guitarist, following the footsteps of his brother Ziggy and of course defunct father Bob (RIP). He offers great energy with dancing and swindling his long locks as well as vocals that would make Bob proud. Though reserved, he interacts well with the crowd. The Uprising Band did a great job backing him with cutting-edge Reggae music and great vocals. They performed their now classics such as “Systems” and “Boom Draw”, as well as Bob classics such as “Rebel Music” which always make the crowd go crazy especially when sung with that trademark raspy Marley genetic voice.

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Julian Marley, though reserved, gladly posed with Wolof Times reporters Bunaama Diagne and Sunny Moore.

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Rising star Daniel Bambaata Marley (Ziggy’s son) was in attendance of the Festival as a spectator and in support of his uncle Julian Marley, the main act who performed with his “Uprising Band”.

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Reggae legendary Band “Black Uhuru” performed with original member Derrick “Duckie” Simpson who hasn’t lost a step in his vocal delivery and radical political message. Newer member Andrew Bees is doing a great job filling voids left by the departure of Mykal Rose and Junior Reid with great vocals. The band performed classics such as “What is life”, “Guess who’s coming to dinner” and “Sinsemilla” much to the delight of the crowd.

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Jahgun & Reggae Motion did a great job opening the festival and set the tone with Jahgun (Originally from Brazil) delighting the crowd with his singjay style while Reggae Motion backed him with great sound and vocals. Jahgun’s son also performed alongside his father much to the delight of the crowd.

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Reggae Pon The Mountain took place in Topanga Canyon, seemingly isolated and remote area yet somewhat close to the Valley, Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu areas. The Festival featured major acts such as Julian Marley & The Uprising, the legendary “Black Uhuru”, as well as local bands such as Jahgun & Reggae Motion, Quinto Sol and Iya Terra. The small performance stage is great for fans who want to feel close to the artists or bands, though limiting of the artists’ dances or movements. The natural setting in the mountains definitely added to the Caribbean Reggae vibes that Hippies and Reggae fans crave. The Festival also offered as usual a great variety of art, clothing and food vendors. The event was a moderate success with attendance which could be considered convenient in regard to crowd control, especially for the spectators who like to interact with the performers or get close to the stage.

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You do not want to miss this upcoming Festival featuring Julian Marley & The Uprising and Black Uhuru amongst others. You can purchase tickets and obtain more info here: http://www.reggaeonthemountain.org

Alpha Blondy is without a doubt Africa’s Bob Marley and delivered his classic 80s hits such as “Jerusalem”, “Sweet Fanta Diallo” and “Brigadier Sabari”. He sang in various West African languages, French, English and Hebrew with his universal Anti-war and Pro-justice messages. He discussed his profound and fundamental anti-war stance in his post-interview and is deeply affected by the current War situation in Gaza. Alpha Blondy is a rebel who is not afraid to speak up harshly against injustice or oppression and is also not afraid to provoke with the performance of his new song “My American Dream” in which he describes his early 20’s experiences in NYC, stating that his American Dream was an American Nightmare which prompted him to return to Africa. Alpha Blondy was honored by the “Reggae On The River” committee as he was chosen to close out the 30th Annual Festival.

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Israel Vibration mesmerized the crowd with their Roots conscious reggae which contain conscious and spiritual lyrics. Cecil “Skelly” Spence and Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin took turn singing their songs and also danced much to the delight of the crowd.
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Gyptian really mesmerized the crowd especially the ladies with his romantic baritone voice. The crowd went crazy during his performance when he sang “Beautiful Lady” and “Wine Slow”. Gyptian is clearly on the rise and also delivered dancehall like tracks and energy which really hyped up the crowd.
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Jah9 is a very conscious Rastafarian Sista and delivered just that with an astounding sultry voice which she also showcased in Acapella. Her lyrics revolve around Black and Women rights, freedom and healthy conscious lifestyles as well as spirituality.

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Mutabaruka is the Afrocentric voice of Reggae through his spoken word. He delivered very conscious poetry which touched various social issues ranging from Politics, Human rights with an emphasis on Black & Women’s rights, Religion, Food, Health, Nutrition and the legalization of Marijuana. He discussed the latter issue in-depth, during the post-show press conference, though he does not smoke himself. Mutabaruka is by essence an African philosopher, a very critical thinker who can be very humorous. This is demonstrated with his “The Monkey speaks his mind” song, where he criticizes mankind. He performed barefoot and in Traditional African Muslim attire though a Rastafarian. He was accompanied during his performance by a “Moor” holding an umbrella, conveying the image of a traditional African King from the 19th century. His band delivered cutting-edge Roots Reggae that were danceable though Mutabaruka is by essence a spoken word artist.

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Third World recently lost their lead singer Bunny Rugs but haven’t lost step by replacing him with their long time friend and partner AJ Brown who has a great vocal range. They epitomize music in that they are musicians first and foremost from the Bass, to lead guitar, to drums and hand drums, they are to me the “Earth, Wind and Fire” of Reggae. They delivered classic 80s hits such as “Forbidden Love” and Lead guitarist Stephen Cat Coore mesmerized the crowd by rendering Bob Marley classics such as “Redemption Song” with his Cello. Their lead drummer also electrified the crowd by playing the African Djembe very reminiscent of the West African style of drumming. This was a special performance for them as they’re celebrating 40 years of conscious freedom songs and still mourning the death of Bunny Rugs.

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Etana is a real singer and delivered conscious, spiritual and uplifting songs which touched various social issues from Politics to romantic relationships.

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Gentleman is still riding his new school buzz and performed for a hyped-up crowd. He performed with his pregnant vocalist wife who actually opened for him and his German band. He delivered his usual conscious/spiritual lyrics on the Roots Dancehall tip with much energy.

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Mega Banton performed briefly on Thursday for the “early birds” and by himself on Friday. Both performances were electrifying especially for the “old school” connoisseurs, his gruff voice, delivery, flow and lyrical skills similar to Buju Banton dancehall days are still relevant as he doused the crowd with his classic dancehall anthems from his first album “First Position” (1992). He also covered some classic Bob Marley songs and expressed his love and Respect for Damian Marley and actually sang. Mega Banton also did some Hip Hop Reggae much to the delight of the crowd by chattin’ over Rick Ross’ “Everyday I’m hustlin’” as well as Acapella in straight Patois.

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Mykal Rose performed twice during this festival, on Thursday with eclectic DJs Gaudi and Danny Ladwa with their reggae influenced electronic music and Friday by himself. He delivered his classic Mykal Rose sing style from the Black Uhuru days and covered classic material such as “Guess who’s coming to dinner” as well as new material from his new album “Crucial World”. The crowd was enchanted as he danced, entertained and got them involved during his performance.

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Sly & Robbie aka Sly Dunbar (Drummer) and Robbie Shakespeare (Bassist) aka Reggae are arguably Reggae’s best producers of all-time due to their longevity and consistent success from the hay day of Roots Reggae to today’s prevalent dancehall, Hip Hop and R&B. They performed with their Taxi Gang Band and set it off with classic tracks they produced for Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru and the likes and also featured artists with great vocal range such as Bitty Mclean.
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The 30th annual Reggae On The River Festival took place at the same location as last year amidst drought and dust. These natural elements did not however deter the Festival from great attendance due to the major line-up, great variety of food including raw vegan organic as well conscious vendors. Early birds on Thursday were able to see local artists while the festival which officially debuted on Friday August 1st featured the following artists:
~Jimmy Cliff
~ Alpha Blondy & The Solar System
~ Gentleman & The Evolution
~ Iration
~ Israel Vibration
~ Gyptian
~ Third World
~ Michael Rose
~ Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang
~ Etana
~ Fishbone
~ Bitty McLean
~ SEE-I
~ Mutabaruka & Skool Band
~ Jah9
~ Megah Banton
~ Meta & The Cornerstones
~ Marlon Asher
~ Iba MaHr
~ John Trudell & Bad Dog
~ Abya Yala
~ i-Kronik
~ John Trudell & Bad Dog
~ Zili Misik
~ Majic
~ Indubious
~ Thicker Than Thieves
~ Ras Marcus Benjamin

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What: The 30th Annual Reggae On The River®

Where: French’s Camp (Humboldt County- Garberville, CA)
When: July 31, August 1-3, 2014. Tickets on sale now!
Why: Celebrating 30 years of Reggae On The River®- back again at the original venue! Not to be missed!!!

Reggae On The River® Celebrates 30 Years! – Back once again at the festival’s original venue- French’s Camp, July 31, August 1-3, 2014

Home once again at our original venue, the iconic Reggae On The River® festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary on the weekend of July 31, Aug 1-3, 2014 at French’s Camp in Humboldt County, CA.

Featuring an incredible line-up to showcase the best and brightest of today’s reggae and world music talent, the 30th annual Reggae On The River will include such luminaries as Jimmy Cliff, Alpha Blondy & The Solar System, Gentleman & The Evolution, Iration, Israel Vibration, Gyptian, Third World, Michael Rose, Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, Etana, Fishbone, Bitty McClean, SEE-I, Jah9, Mutabaruka, Megah Banton, Meta & The Cornerstones, Marlon Asher, GAUDI with Danny Ladwa, Courtney John Project, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Iba MaHr, Abya Yala, Zili Misik, John Trudell & Bad Dog, i-Kronik, Los Rakas, Indubious, Ishi Dube, Majic, Thicker Than Thieves, Paapa Wastik, Winstrong, Bobby Hustle, Jade Steel, and Tchiya Amet- plus DJs, sound systems, and more still TBA! Visit the festival website for more info- and if you haven’t joined already- be sure to sign up for the ROTR e-newsletter and receive the final sneak peeks into the amazing line-up, along with other benefits, offers, and festival news.

The main 3-day festival will take place Friday through Sunday, August 1-3 and tickets for this 3-day concert and camping pass are priced at $190. A limited number of early arrival tickets will allow access to the grounds a day early- on Thursday, July 31- for an extra evening of entertainment and first dibs on camping/ parking. This 4-day early arrival concert and camping pass is priced at $250. Get yours before its too late! Print at home tickets are available online at http://www.reggaeontheriver.com and hard tickets are available at the usual outlets in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties, as posted on the festival website. Please also note there will be no single day tickets offered.

Camping and parking is on a first come, first served basis- with all vehicles charged a fee to park on site. The grounds have been expanded this year to allow for additional parking, camping, and RV options. RV spaces are limited and are available by advance registration only at a price of $500 per RV. RV reservations must be made in advance through the Mateel office at 707 923-3368 x21.

This special 30th anniversary celebration is guaranteed to sell out- so don’t delay in making your plans for this historic milestone event! For more information on the 30th annual Reggae On The River®, call the festival office at (707) 923-3368 or send an email to office@mateel.org. See you on the River!