Every Sunday, reggae lovers in San Francisco, California, gather at the Spreckels Temple of Music Bandshell (75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.) in the Music Concourse for their weekly dose of Crucial Reggae Music.
Hosted by DJ Irie Dole and DJ Guid8nce, each week a special guest performer is featured. On the 25th, the last Sunday in August, the guest artist will be Mighty Mystic. This event is free, but you can RSVP on Eventbrite.
Multi-genre recording artist Dollarman is busy working on a new tune that he plans to release at the end of the month. The excitement surrounding this new song is growing, especially as he continues to promote his current single, “We Belong.”
“We Belong,” released earlier this year, has played an important role in helping Dollarman reach a wider audience, especially within the international reggae community. It climbed to the top of various reggae charts and was added to several playlists. It was even featured on a number of reggae-dancehall mixtapes.
The official video for “We Belong” also contributed to its success. As soon as it came out, more fans tuned in. Now, the visuals are getting heavy rotation on quite a few platforms. For instance, U.S.-based Tempo Networks is playing the music video multiple times a day and will continue to do so throughout the month of August.
Dollarman and his team are grateful for the success of “We Belong.” They are hopeful that the same will happen with the upcoming single “So Tired.”
Singer, songwriter, producer, and deejay Rory Pike, who is publicly known as Mr. Pike, is advocating for the return of 90s and early 2000s dancehall. The Jamaica-born Atlanta-based recording artist said as much in his single “Old School Vibes,” shared on Digital One Music’s “Trichotomy the Album.”
On the Baijing Riddim, which is one of three instrumentals on the forenamed LP, Mr. Pike questions the creativity, or lack thereof, of the reggae-dancehall songs being published today. He made a clarion call to the new school performers, suggesting they take pride in their craft by raising their standards. Pike also touched on the dark, dirty, derogatory nature of the tunes that are now flooding the zone, and he gave a concise history lesson on the culture surrounding Jamaican music.
Mr. Pike‘s “Old School Vibes” was well written and delivered. Most importantly, it’s a timely track that should be heard by everyone who sincerely loves and appreciates authentic reggae and dancehall music.
The upcoming Reggae & Food Festival, which is to take place on Sunday, September 1st, at Space Coast Harley-Davidson (1440 Sportsman Lane Northeast) in Palm Bay, Florida, will be headlined by reggae sensation Iba Mahr.
The Rastafarian singer is in the midst of his 2024 summer tour, which began in early June and will go on until late September. Tickets for the Reggae & Food Festival can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Popular live music venue Moe’s Alley will host the Grammy Award-winning reggae group Black Uhuru on Saturday, September 7th, 2024. The show will also feature special guests, The Rudians, an emerging reggae ensemble from Salinas, California.
This is a 21 and older concert that will begin at 8:00 p.m. local time. Moe’s Alley is located at 1535 Commercial Way in Santa Cruz, California. Click here to buy tickets.
Recording artist Prezident Brown will wrap up the month of August with a performance at the Uptown Oakland Reggae Festival, which will take place at Forage Kitchen (478 25th Street) in Oakland, California, on Saturday, August 31st.
This show is special because it’s in support of Prezident Brown‘s recently released album, Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box), published to streaming platforms on July 28.
Other artists confirmed for the Uptown Oakland Reggae Festival are Reggae Angels, Brady Shammar, Princess Alreca, Keteis Oyonde, and Empress Sharon. Black Love Sound is also on the program. Admission is US$25.00.
Reggae Splash on the Vineyard, an event that’s all about celebrating life, love, and unity, will be staged at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center (100 Edgartown Road) in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 18.
There will be a performance by Jamaican singer Marcia Griffiths, who was a member of the I Threes and Bob and Marcia, not to mention her very distinguished career as a solo artist. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 