It’s a sad indictment of the sexism that still permeates much of dancehall culture that women in reggae are usually labeled as one of two things: sexually provocative divas in the vein of Tanya Williams and Lady Saw, or God-fearing roots priestesses raised on a strict diet of socially conscious gospel.
Hermosa Beach resident Rich Demaio wanted to bring his love of reggae music to a wide audience, so Reggae TV, which airs on PBS, was born in 2008.
Reggae TV, which will begin its second season in January, features 30-minute episodes, hosted by Demaio, that present the music through the artist’s perspective. The show airs every Saturday at 11 p.m. on PBS affiliate KVCR, Channel 25, in Los Angeles. The 13 first season episodes can also be seen on its Web site at www.OnReggaeTV.com.
Chesterton native finds ska’s place in music history
While other college kids in the ’90s were draping themselves in flannel and angst while listening to grunge, Heather Ransford Augustyn and her friends put on their Sunday finest and skanked the nights away at ska concerts.
Ska — the precursor to reggae, not the other way around — wasn’t any less depressing in its topics, usually focusing around poverty and the lack of jobs in London and Jamaica in the 1950s and ’60s. But with its choppy guitar strokes on the off beat highlighted by a kicking brass section, it sure was a lot more fun to dance to.
Gyptian Breaks Out of the Dancehall With ‘Hold You’
Gyptian may rule dancehalls like the pharaohs ruled Egypt, but his sudden rise to fame has been one of the year’s more interesting viral success stories.
If you don’t recognize the name, you might recognize the plinking piano riff that serves as the hook from ‘Hold You,’ a song that’s slowly and steadily become one of the biggest dancehall crossovers in years, most recently cracking the UK Top 20, winning Soul Train and MOBO awards and scoring Major Lazer and Toddla T remixes.
Gyptian is crossing over in a big way. Soon he’ll go from play video pokies to starring in international music videos.
Jamaican Reggae Fruit Bun Isn’t the Bob Marley of Desserts
When faced with random items in the ethnic aisle of Publix, I usually fall back on the messages scrolled on the packages. Reggae Country Style Brand Fruit Bun didn’t promise much. “Ready to Eat” it exclaimed. And “Contains Real Fruit.” Beyond that, it wasn’t making many promises about quality or taste, and perhaps there’s a reason for that humility. Fruit Bun is an international treat like australian roulette. But with Fruit Bun like this, sometimes you don’t get so lucky.
Things started well with the Fruit Bun. The open package wafted nutmeg and cinnamon. The gingerbread-colored roll looked glazed and sweet, with bits of dried fruit hidden just below the surface.
Toots and the Maytals at Bayside Rocks Festival
Out of ska and rocksteady, a new kind of Jamaican music sprung up during the late ’60s. It was a hypnotic, midtempo mix of simple, slightly off-balance beats and repetitive riffs. And Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, along with others such as Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, was one of the fathers of this newborn genre.
Jamaican State Funeral for Reggae Singer Gregory Isaacs, the ‘Cool Ruler’
Unless you’re a reggae devotee, you might have assumed that the heyday of Jamaica’s most famous music ended with the death of the legendary Bob Marley in 1981. After that, Marley’s elegance seemed to have been overtaken by the louder and often lewder strains of dancehall reggae. But the thousands gathering to bid farewell to Gregory Isaacs this weekend know better: thanks to Isaacs’ silky vocals and stage mastery — he was called the “Cool Ruler” — the reggae born at the time of the Beatles still pulses strong. Isaacs “kept the tradition of pure singing alive,” says Jamaican musicologist Vaughn “Bunny” Goodison. “He remained endeared to the people.”
Tribute send off to reggae star Gregory Isaacs
REGGAE legend Gregory Isaacs was given a memorable send off at a Harrow Weald church yesterday as family, friends and fans paid tribute to the musical star at his memorial service.
All Saints Church, in Uxbridge Road, Harrow Weald, was packed to the rafters as well-wishers came to celebrate the life of Mr Isaacs following his death at his Harrow home in October – after a long battle with lung cancer.
The Aggrolites: If Only White Reggae Fans Would Discover Them
I’ve never quite understood why so many white people like reggae music so much. I even say that as a white person who likes reggae music. Maybe it’s just a phase. Sometime in middle school or high school, lots of white kids smoke weed for the first time and begin their obligatory stoner cycle. Attendant musical interests quickly follow.
So, yeah, they smoke a poorly rolled joint at a sleepover and, soon thereafter, they start buying Bob Marley shirts from Hot Topic and singing Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” in the shower.
Reggae star Buju Banton free on bail
Reggae star Buju Banton has been granted bail by an immigration court in Florida while he awaits a retrial on drug charges.
The Jamaican was released from jail after Bob Marley’s son, Stephen, put up his own $300,000 (£186,000) home as collateral.
