One of the most influential and long-standing roots reggae artists out of Jamaica – Burning Spear – will be back in Santa Cruz next month for the first time in approximately twenty years.
He will perform at the Santa Cruz Mountain Sol Festival, which is to take place on September 15th, 16th and 17th at the Roaring Camp Meadows in Felton, California. Additional information about this event is available on their website: santacruzmountainsol-dot-com.
“I think we’ve got a bona fide hit record. I’ve never seen results like that before this early.” That’s a statment from Josh Harris, the executive and creative producer of Lutan Fyah‘s newest single, Give It All. The song went live on streaming platforms earlier today – Friday, August 18th – and has already racked up thousands of streams in just a few hours.
Give It All is an intense record, a lovers-rock-reggae tune, on which Lutan expresses his unwavering commitment to his love interest. He performs on a rhythmic reggae beat that’s composed by Harris, who played both bass and keyboard, with Santa Davis on drums, and backing vocals by Nikki Burt. The mixing engineer is Tommi Tikkenen, and the mastering was done by Rose Quartz Mastering.
Give It All can now be streamed and/or downloaded from iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon, and all other digital music stores. It is on the Big Feet Records label, and is being distributed by VPAL Music.
In 1968, Jamaican vocal group The Maytals – more popularly known as Toots and the Maytals – released Monkey Man, a record that eventually became their first international hit song. It is said that it was created affectionately, as a dig aimed at their producer at the time, Leslie Kong.
Approximately half a century later, in 2023, Richie Spice – who is a member of the Rastafari movement – has put his spin on the tune. Opting to maintain much of the original lyrics and flow, Spice has titled his version Rasta Man. Another noticable difference is the more pronounced ska sounds heard on Richie‘s track versus that of the original done by The Maytals.
Richie Spice‘s Rasta Man is among twenty-one songs featured on the Celebrating Jamaica 61 album published by Tad’s Record Inc. Both the single and the LP are available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, and all other music platforms.
Tune into Scotiabank JA’s YouTube channel and Instagram profile on Sunday, August 27th at 6pm for Scotia Unplugged. This is a live performance series that will feature sets by Mortimer, Jesse Royal and Sevana.
On Saturday, August 26th and Sunday, August 27th, Jamaicans in Ontario will celebrate the island’s music, culture, food and lifestyle at the 2023 Jamaica Day Food & Music Festival.
To ensure that all Jamaicans in attendance feel as close to home as possible, the organizers have invited beloved veteran singer Sanchez, and international reggae ensemble Third World to perform.
The Jamaica Day Food & Music Festival will be held at Brampton Sports Park, located at 7575 Kennedy Road (north of Derry Road and south of Steeles Avenue) in Brampton, Ontario.
The next Holo Holo Music Festival is Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th, and it will be held at the new location: the Toyota Amphitheatre (95692, 2677 Forty Mile Road) in Wheatland, California.
Among the performers is Steel Pulse, an international roots reggae band from the Handsworth area in Birmingham, England. They’re set is scheduled for Sunday.
Somerville, Massachusetts-based reggae artist Mighty Mystic will be performing at Moe’s Alley – 1535 Commercial Way – in Santa Cruz, California, on Wednesday, August 23rd.
As is the case with most events at Moe’s, this is a twenty-one and older show that’s scheduled to start at 8pm local time; with doors opening at 7. Mighty Mystic will be supported by other guests acts, as well as popular reggae selector DJ Spleece. Get tickets here.
