Reggae legend Lee Scratch Perry will return to Liverpool on Saturday, November 13th for a live show at 24 Kitchen Street. This is an 18 and over event that’s schedule to start at 7PM local time.
Tickets, which range from 20 to 25 pound sterling, are available via skiddle.
Damien Ceza, who hails from Staten Island in New York, started his career in the music industry in 1990 with Tribal Force Sound.
During the 90s, Ceza was heavily influenced by world renowned deejays: Funkmaster Flex, Sting International, Bobby Konders and Dahved Levy. His own journey started out in a small venue on Staten Island called Consequences. There he incorporated the styles of the aforementioned selectors by blending Hip-Hop with Dancehall. As his popularity grew, he ventured over the bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn and begun frequenting nightclubs like Club Callaloo, Club Legends, Biltmore Ballroom and Caribbean City. While observing the more established sounds at these discotheques: King Addies, Earth Ruler, Spectrum and Massive B, Ceza started to really respect and appreciate Dancehall music, culture and lifestyle. Shortly thereafter, he begun getting dub-plates done for his sound at the popular Mad Lion’s recording studio, which is also located in Brooklyn.
By 1994, he was playing at legendary clubs like Limelight, Palladium, Club U.S.A. and China Club; all this while his own popularity was on the rise in Manhattan. These were clubs that were known for having House music in the main rooms; however, they also had secondary rooms that featured Hip-Hop and Dancehall. Damien Ceza took what he learned from the Dancehall culture in Brooklyn and brought it to Manhattan. This catapulted his career and brand; resulting in him playing up to five nights a week. On some nights he was even double booked, playing at a club from 10PM to 1AM; then again from 2AM to 5AM.
In 1998 he decided to step back as he became a father to two sons. He felt that spending time with his boys was much more important than being out at a club until 6AM five nights a week. That being said, he switched up his work routine and decided to do more private parties such as weddings, Sweet 16’s, corporate events, etc. By 2003, he had three sons and a daughter to provide for. Though he continued playing music, he was not doing it as much as he did before. Alas, he started focusing on a Wall Street career and spent less time playing music.
In 2020 Damien became interested in producing. His lifelong friend, D.J. Pumpamatic, was putting out tracks and took him under his wings. He learned a lot from him about producing, engineering and mastering music. He then started his own Roots Records label in 2021 with the intent of creating Dancehall music that is clean, fun and inspiring. His productions are heavily influenced by 90’s type Riddims, big kicks and bass lines that vibrate through the listener’s body when played at clubs. His goal is to make music that will put Dance back into Dancehall. His first production is a Dancehall compilation called Midnight Run Riddim. It features various artists and was released on July 12, 2021. His second production is a Dancehall single titled Get Yuh Energy Up, performed by Asta-G. It was released on July 13.
A few days ago Nigerian soul singer Nneka released a captivating single dubbed Tea. She is now following up by sharing the official video for the record.
The stunning visuals, which were conceptualized by Seal Kamson, is now on Nneka’s YouTube channel. Click here or on the image above to check it out and remember to like, comment and share.
Xana Romeo, the youngest daughter of veteran reggae artist Max Romeo, is gearing up to release a brand new album in August. The project, which is dubbed The Roots Of X, has nine tracks and will feature collaborations with Azizzi Romeo, Addis Pablo and Max Romeo.
Although the album will not be officially out until August 6th, it is now available for pre-order on Apple Music and other streaming platforms.
On Sunday, July 25th, two legendary reggae bands, Third World and The Skatalites, will perform at Bernie’s Beach Bar (located at 73 Ocean Blvd.) in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Tickets for this event, which are currently going for $25 USD, are available via Ticketmaster.
Garfield Thomas, who is publicly known as Rufftop Rock I, is reggae recording artist who has a rich musical history which started when he was a child.
In his childhood days Thomas resided in a small community known as Two Rivers in Roses Hill, St. Andrew, Jamaica. Like a lot of Jamaican singers before him, he started singing in church. Though he recalls always belting out songs when he was a youth, there was one particular experience that he felt was significant in him deciding, definitively, that he wanted to sing professionally.
One Sunday after returning home from service, he was in a chocolate tree on a banking looking at the river; for some inexplicable reason he began chanting a popular gospel song: “I need another touch from the Lord, to guide me on the way to go home.” As the words left his mouth, tears ran from his eyes; and that was the moment that served as a catalyst for his career in music.
Unfortunately, due to political unrest in the aforementioned community, Thomas’ family, specifically his mother and six siblings, had to relocate to Allman Hill in the tiny district of Spring Field in St. Catherine, Jamaica. This is where Garfield started to experience music outside of the church.
The area had a popular sound-system called Prince Fame that would keep regular dancehall sessions. At these gatherings young Garfield got the opportunity to perform in front of an attentive audience. He also spent a lot of time honing his craft on a smaller sound called Brimestone. With Brimestone, in addition to performing, he was allowed to select music and compete against other artists to see who had better lyrics, flow and style. These clashes were instrumental in sharpening his music skills.
Garfield, who was now being called Daddy Mutt, soon became best friends with Fiyaneer, the son of one of the sound-system owners. They began making music together, like a duo, and were constantly in the streets pursuing new opportunities. One such opportunity came in the early 90s when they met the operator of Nitty Phonic Sound. The connection with him led to them linking up with Bescenta, another talented artist whose addition to the team transformed their duo to a trio called Kill Dead Crew. By the late 90s the group started to gain traction, so much so that they had to change the name to something that was more accepted. They decided to go with New Generation. Around the same time, they got the chance to do a few shows in the U.S. and once they saw that the group had the potential to be big, they opted to change the name yet again, this time to something with more significance: Kana Stone.
Garfield, who had now switched his name to Mutt Daddy, has shared the stage with artists like Nadine Sutherland, the Marley brothers and several other top-tier reggae and dancehall artists. He has done so as an individual act as well as with the ensemble Kana Stone.
Regretfully, the men dismantled the group in 04 / 05 when Bescenta decided to leave. However, they did remain friends and continued working on their respective careers. That being said, in 2006 Rufftop entered Jamaica’s Festival Song Competition. Sadly, he did not win, but was acknowledged and awarded for his stellar performance. His final name change was made shortly before the contest.
Prior to the competition Fiyaneer had suggested that he change his name from Mutt Daddy to Rufftop. He told him this because at the time Garfield was making it known that he was not very comfortable with the name Mutt Daddy and was seeking something that better represented him. Fiyaneer went with Rufftop because Garfield was always eating a biscuit with the same name. Rufftop agreed and immediately took on the new moniker. Rock I was added when the producer he worked with during the festival competition told him that Rock I would suit him better than Rufftop. Not wanting to lose the Rufftop, he decided to use both: hence Rufftop Rock I.
The following year, in 2007, before migrating to America, Rufftop Rock I worked at the Bob Marley Birthday Celebration at Ranny Williams Center in Kingston.
Rufftop Rock I now lives in the United States and is working with one of the most respected record labels in the reggae-dancehall industry, Reggae Vibes Music. They just released his new four-track EP, titled The World Needs Love. It goes without saying that both Rufftop Rock I and the team at Reggae Vibes Music are now in full promo mode as they hope to use this project to expand his fanbase.
Next Sunday, July 25th, Jamaican-Canadian gospel singer Marvia Providence will perform live at Redemption Church International, which is located at 306 Rexdale Blvd. unit 12 in Etobicoke, Ontario (Canada).
Persons wanting to experience this event can do so by either watching online or in-person, as there are limited seating available. Click here for tickets and additional information.
