The inaugural Reggae Vault Classics event, which took place on Thursday, April 21st at The Sound Table in downtown Atlanta‘s historic fourth ward district was truly a refreshingly joyous occasion. I would definitely look out for the next installment in this promising party series.
Here is a glimpse into what took place:
Gallery: Reggae Vault Classics @ The Sound Table
A special reception was hosted recently honoring Her Excellency Audrey Marks, Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States (second left), the first female to hold the post. Jamaica Tourist Board’s Business Development Manager Victoria Rogers (second right) was in attendance to share the occasion, where the Ambassador provided an update on business/investment opportunities in Jamaica. The reception took place at the Law offices of Baker & McKenzie overlooking the White House and featured Jamaican food and cocktails.
International reggae/ska singer Toots Hibbert of Toots & the Maytals, whose 1968 hit single “Do the Reggay”, is credited with coining the word reggae, said in a recent interview that he would love to collaborate with US rapper Eve.
‘EVE is a great artiste and I would love to collaborate with her on a song – old or new. I think it would be an interesting mix of our creativity and vocal style. She is one of the most versatile talents coming out of the hip hop movement…she can rap, write, act and has a lot of fashion style…great talent” he said.
Toots will have the opportunity to let his feelings known to Eve on March 12, 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica when she performs at the 7th Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards. The two met almost 10 years ago, when they performed at the ‘Bob Marley, One Love Tribute Concert’ at James Bond Beach in St. Mary.
“She was then and still is, a very beautiful artiste” Toots affirmed. “It was a pleasure meeting her and I look forward to seeing her in Jamaica again.”
Toots and the Maytals, originally called The Maytals, are considered legends of ska and reggae music. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Following the release of “Monkey Man” – the group’s first international hit in 1970 – they have recorded hits like “Pressure Drop”, “54-46 was my number,” “Monkey Man” and was featured in The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff, named as one of Vanity Fair’s Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time. The group’s current release, titled Flip & Twist which was released last year, has so far spent 3 weeks atop the Jamaica Music Countdown (JMC) Albums Chart and features Toots singing, R&B, funk, gospel, blues and country in his own inimitable Jamaican style. The next release will be a DVD of the documentary Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots & the Maytals which premiered on BBC last month.
“I am always working on new material and have a few singles in the pipeline for release by the summer and another studio album in production. I will continue to work on completing that album in between upcoming tours of Australia, North America and Europe” he said.
Last year Toots was honored at the EME Awards with a “Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contribution to the reggae genre.
“It is always nice to be appreciated for your work and last year’s EME honour was particularly nice because it was a Jamaican award” he said.
This year to show his appreciation for what the EME is doing to move the industry forward, his label will be a sponsor of the glitzy awards show.
“D&F Music is pleased to support the growth of the EME Awards and the promotion of excellence in the music. Jamaica’s music industry needs this type of award show to recognize and promote the standard of excellence necessary for us to continue to make music the world wants to hear” he said.
Jamaican, Roy `Gramps´ Morgan delivered a stunning performance during the HLSCC’s Reggae Showcase on Saturday evening. The talented reggae singer displayed his flexibility as a solo act, using his rich deep-based voice that has made him stand out when performing with his siblings in the popular Morgan Heritage band.
Gracing the stage in a tightly worn suit vest, tie and jeans, Gramps wasted no time in letting the crowd know that his lyrics and music were smooth and mellow – the type that has been overpowered by dancehall music in recent years.
The show was part of the 16th season of the college’s Performing Arts Series.
His opening number, `When I Come Home´, set the tone for what was to come, and what followed was smoother, sensual reggae music as the reggae singer interacted with the audience, sharing relationship advice and the importance of love amid his songs.
He immediately recognized his surroundings. “We are going to have a nice mellow show. We don´t have any big speakers to blow you away,” Gramps told the audience.
Asserting himself with the microphone, Gramps dipped into his debut solo album, `Two Sides of My Heart Volume I´. He noted that Africa is going through a hard time and asked that people to continue to pray for its people. The call came as he sang `Time´, which called for black people to unite. He then continued his call for unity as his voice melted over `All Together´, another track from his debut album.
He told the audience that the reason he came to Tortola was to show that there are still good men in the world. He urged that people make peace and not war, while acknowledging various conflicts taking place globally, including Egypt.
“Look around…bird ah drop from sky and fish ah run from sea. These are serious times,” Gramps stated.
Mixing the rhythms of sensual soul music, including `Let Me Love You Down´, Gramps proved that he was able to mix and match music from different genres and timelines. He told the crowd that his father has 30 children and that they were all alive and not in prison.
In the second half of his show, Gramps could not resist the keyboard, which he plays when Morgan Heritage performs. Sitting at the piano at centre stage, Gramps turned to more conscious selections, including `Down by the River´. `She´s Still Loving Me´ was his next song and surprisingly, Gramps wanted more of Tortola as he took off his dark sunglasses, much to the approval of the female fans in the sold-out audience.
“I got to come back to a terrible (powerful) sound system where you can feel the base. Tell Lime it’s not enough, you have to bring Gramps back,” the reggae singer asserted.
Gramps paid homage to Tortola as he performed for the first time in the Caribbean, `The Almighty´, a song with a dancehall flare to it that features Buju Banton. Gramps then moved to a spiritual rendition of `Psalms 23´ which he had collaborated with Banton a few years ago. During the song, Gramps urged the audience to pray for Banton, who is facing drug related charges and is expected back in court this week.
To end his performance, Gramps sang `Wash the Tears´.
Gramps left the stage, but not before promising to return to Tortola and to let fans know that Morgan Heritage will resume touring together next year. Following the show, Gramps met, greeted and signed autographs with fans, who waited patiently for their up close and personal rendezvous with the international singer.
He is one of the legendary Denroy Morgan´s 17 sons, who, at the tender age of nine, became a member of the family band. However, his father has always believed that the children will one day embark on their own journey to achieve solo stardom. Now it appears that one family member´s solo journey has begun.
A burgeoning solo artist, Morgan is on a mission to reinvent himself. At a time when reggae music is in a state of dejection and dancehall lyrics are redundant with nothing but a cache of clichés, slangs and slogans, he feels it is the right time to go solo.
His first official single, “Wash the Tears,” came shortly after this decision and it was a mega hit, debuting at Number Eight on Italy´s Top 20 Singles Chart. The song was composed, written and produced by “Gramps” on his Dada Son Entertainment label, a subsidiary of the Morgan family´s Gedion Music Group.
With the interest of both his fans and critics now to his advantage, Mr. Morgan announced the launch of his debut album, “Two Sides of my Heart (Volume I),” in 2009 and began making preparations to introduce himself to the world.
Once released, the album topped reggae album charts in several regions including Jamaica, Europe, and sections of the United States, including New York and Florida.
The album also received rave reviews from a number of prominent websites and print publications worldwide and earned “Gramps” the Album of the Year award at the 6th Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment Award Ceremony.
As an artist, Morgan is dedicated to conscious roots reggae and lovers rock. As Chief Executive Officer of Dada Son Entertainment, he plans to brand the label through multimedia ventures, including independent films and the internet. In addition, to his solo musical pursuits and production, he also manages the company´s roster of artists.
US based Jamerican king of comedy Raymond 'Rayzor' Davis
US based comedian Raymond ‘Rayzor’ Davis, whose rise from struggling local comic in the 1990s to national touring act with an HBO appearance will co-host the 7th annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards, event founder Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess said in a recent statement. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 12 at The East Lawn of the historical Devon House site, Hope Road, Kingston. Razor joins rapper Trina – who was previously announced as an “International Friend of Reggae” honoree – as the second international superstars slated to perform at the EME’s this year.
An enthusiastic-sounding Burgess said, “Rayzor’s popularity is very well known and documented. The EME’s got lucky, in that an appearance that he had alongside Cedric The Entertainer was rescheduled. We are extremely happy that this top class comedian, who has such strong Jamaican connection and international appeal will join us this year…People are gonna be in stitches!”
Davis, who was born in Brooklyn N.Y., said “I am very happy and honored to be asked to host Jamaica’s most prestigious music award show.”
Razor’s first attempt at a career as a comedian was at an audition for “In Living Color,” an American television series which originally ran on the Fox Network in the USA from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994.
“My friends and family got on me,” he recalls. “They said, ‘You don’t try out, we don’t want to hear no more jokes from you. That’s it.”
He didn’t get the callback he was hoping for but the audition changed the course of his life forever. After years of honing his craft at Studio 183 in Carol City, he took his act on the road in June 2005 with a knockout five-minute set on the HBO stand up series “P Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy.” He has since toured nationally and have appeared in music videos for international superstars like Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, Trina, Ludacris and Fat Joe. Last month, he headlined the Palm Beach Improv and can be found at poetry nights at South Florida venues such as Jade in Miami Beach and the Kola Nut Cafe in North Miami Beach. His new CD, “Sh.. on Digital” was recently released to rave reviews. He is also set to star in the upcoming independent film “Life of the Party,” a mockumentary set in South Beach. The EME Awards in Jamaica will be another big feather in his cap and he is all too excited to make a positive impact.
“I know that if my mother were still here, she would be overjoyed that her son was offered an opportunity to host a major event in Jamaica. I relishes the opportinity to do this show as I have never done anything of this magnitude in Jamaica before. I have done a few private performances within the hotel circuit but nothing as grand as the EME’s!” he said.
The 2011 Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards will again recognize the top performers within the Jamaican Recording Industry. Awards will be handed out in approximately 30 categories including DJ of the Year, Best New Artiste, Song of the Year, Vocalist of the year and Producer of the year among others. Winners will be determined based on their performance on The Weekly Jamaica Music Countdown (Charts), votes via texts and votes at the website www.emeawards.com.
I-OCTANE PRESS CONFERENCE AND MEET & GREET
WHEN:Wednesday, January 26, 2011
TIME: 6:30 – 8pm Press Conference (Media Only)
8pm – 10pm Meet & Greet (Open to the Public)
PLACE: Negril Village Restaurant’s Rhum Lounge, 70 West 3rd Street, New York, NY
Musician/Singer/Songwriter, Fashion Designer, Visual Artist, Cen’C Love is a 21st century renaissance woman.
Born in America to Caribbean parents, Cen’C was raised between Kingston and Atlanta spending time equally between the two.
In Atlanta, she attended the Dekalb Scool of the Arts. There along with talents such as young R&B crooner Lloyd and professional dancer Saidah Nairobi among others, she studied dance, drama, writing and was trained in classical voice by Jamaican born opera singer, Mrs. Dawn-Marie James nee Virtue.
Cen’C has the sultry voice and soulful sounds of a Billie Holiday, the musicianship of Lauryn Hill and the verbal wit of Jill Scott.
For Cen’C Love art is a lifestyle. Traveling throughout most of her summers with her fashion designer/dancer mom she attended art and trade shows around the US where she received the inspiration that she now applies to her work.
None of this should be surprising since she is the prodigy of the illustrious Wailer family of Reggae and the daughter of founding member of the acclaimed group, Neville Livingston, AKA Bunny Wailer.
The Wailer legacy is clearly apparent in Cen’C’s socially conscious songs such as SYSTEM about the “Babylon” matrix-type control system, and THESE LIES about women with low self esteem and their obsession with artificial identities. Her message of love is poignant and inspiring in songs like PARADISE and HEY YOU, stripping away the fear of baring our souls to love.
In addition to music, Cen’C embraces a natural holistic lifestyle through the practices of Yoga, Meditation, Qi-Gong, and holistic nutrition. She is a very environmentally conscious woman who was raised in a green household before green became the buzzword it is today.
Always on a quest for WISDOM and “OVASTANDING”, Cen’C loves to love and shares this love through her music.
In her own words:
“I was born free with the real truth inside of me,
Guided by the will of The Almighty.”
Its time to wake up the city of Miami and let the comedic festivities begin this Labor Day Weekend Sunday September 5, 2010. Show starts 7:30 pm at the historic James L. Knight Center.Come and get your laugh on with ten star studded acts such as Malik S, Benji Brown, Lil Duval as well as Larry Dogg, Tyler Craig, Doo Doo Brown, Henry Welch, JJ, Marvin Dixon, and Rayzor.
Miami Impresario Chad Thomas is back out to send a positive message and uplift the urban community of South Florida through comedy. “Laughter soothes the soul,” states Thomas. “For so many people struggling to make end’s meat, sometimes all we have is laughter.”
The lineup is packed with ten All-Star talents sure to have the audience out of their seats laughing! Grand Hustle’s and T.I.’s premiere comedian Lil Duval will be amongst funnymen Benji Brown, Malik S, Doo Doo Brown, Henry Welch, Marvin Dixon, JJ, Larry Dogg, Rayzor, and Tyler Craig.
Last year, New World Entertainment’s event, the Third Annual Memorial Day Weekend Comedy Festival, entertained over 5,000+ so you do not want to miss this urban comedic event. It’s sure to be a sell out!
Not to mention:
New World Entertainment in association with Abebe Lewis Marketing and Branding Group is throwing a contest. They are looking for the next big Broward or Dade county comedian daring to make thousands laugh. The winner will have the chance to open up the show and make his/her debut. The contests will be held at Club Play, the West Palm Beach Improv, and the Miami Improv on Wednesday night. For more information email miamicomedyfest@gmail.com or call 786.267.7016. Also visit the website miamicomedyfest.com for further information on upcoming events, media, and press.
Tickets can be purchased on
www.miamicomedyfest.com
or
charge by phone 800.745.3000
Floor tickets are $44.50 and $40.50 for Tier 1 and $28.50 for Tier 2.Related articles by Zemanta
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The globe-trotting reggae ambassadors are off to their next destination, Europe. The band, who announced their 35th Anniversary Celebration tour late last year, have been traveling extensively since launching the tour at the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival on January 29, 2010. Since then, the group has performed at Jumbies in St. Thomas, Foxy’s in Jost Van Dyke – British Virgin Islands, Shirley Heights in Antigua, Captain Hiriam’s Resort, Cruzan Amphitheater, Jannus Landing in Florida and at the St. Kitts Music Festival in St. Kitts.
Having covered the Caribbean, the group will travel to Europe for a two week tour. They will perform at the Reggaeland Festival in Plock, Poland, NOWA Reggae Festival in Barcelona, Dour Festival in Belgium and Might Sounds Festival in Czech Republic. Richard “Bassie” Daly states, “While we have traveled to Europe on several occasions, it is always meaningful to us that we get invited back time and time again. We are very fortunate as a group to be celebrating such a monumental anniversary and still having fans that come out to see our shows no matter where we go.”
Third World Band recently released their single “By My Side” featuring Tessanne Chin, from their upcoming album Patriots. In addition to releasing the single, the video, directed by Adrian Allen features Robert Townsend’s popular online series “Diary of a Single Mom” starring Monica Calhoun, Valery Ortiz, Janice Lynde, Richard Roundtree, Billy Dee Williams and Leon – www.pic.tv/singlemom. The video also features clips from Third World’s historical live online rehearsal stream. Upon its release, the video debut at #5 on Suzie Q’s “Video Alley” charts. The single on the forthcoming album Patriots/Third World Music Group,will be available for purchase via Third World’s digital store, which will be launched on August 10, 2010.
Upon their return from Europe, the band will tour the United States and Canada the entire month of August and September. To view the schedule in its entirety, visit www.thirdworldband.com.
OTHER DATES
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MANAGEMENT AND BOOKINGSVictor E. Lewis VicRae Inc. 347-216-6885 347-216-6885 (U.S.A) 876-582-3970 (Jamaica) Skype: VicRaeInc. vicraeinc@gmail.com MEDIA/PUBLICITY Triple 7 Entertainment LLC 201-981-6960 (U.S.A) 876-475-5841 (Jamaica) media@triple7entllc.com
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SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THIRDWORLD35THANNIVERSARYTOUR
WWW.TWITTER.COM/THIRDWORLDANNIV
THIRD WORLD BAND WEBSITE WWW.THIRDWORLDBAND.COM |
New York Life kicks off Island Life Friday Event
A new beginning is underway in the heart of Atlanta’s Buckhead community. Buckhead is the district in the northern section of Atlanta most famous for its nightlife, despite the recent closure of numerous nightclubs. In the area formerly known as Buckhead Village, massive construction projects are transferring the area into The Streets of Buckhead, an upscale shopping area similar to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
From the time of the 1996 Olympic games which Atlanta hosted in all its glory up until the January 2004 debut of the 3 a.m. closing time for Atlanta nightclubs, local party-goers and tourists alike took to the streets of Buckhead nightly to partake of the many options in high-energy dance clubs. It was during that era that Highlanda Sound System was birthed and became Atlanta’s premier mainstream choice for Dancehall /Reggae Disc-jockeys.
Of the many successful events that Highlanda was involved with, one Friday night “bashment” in particular, Fantasy Island at The Deux Plex, still stands as the most nostalgic and probably most talked about Caribbean party thus far. Here, for 18 consecutive Fridays from 2003 – 2004, Highlanda, working with Extreme Media attracted and performed for a diverse crowd of 800 – 1400 patrons weekly.
Bringing it up to the present, Krushmore Entertainment, Mixx Promotions, CaribbeanVibes.com, AtlantaDancehall.com, and MyPartyVibes.com present Island Life at Life Nightclub located at 1789 Cheshire Bridge Road (venue formerly known as The Deux Plex). This summer promises to be hot in more ways that one as the 4th of July party weekend kick-off appropriately entitled New York Life features the sounds of Massive B from Hot 97FM in NYC alongside Highlanda. This will definitely be Massive B with Bobby Konders himself on the 1′s and 2′s and DJ Lion Chef (Primal, Bentley’s, Icon Lounge) is also on the bill to provide the early warm up vibes.
