The Charlemont Roots Reggae Festival returns this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 8 from noon to 10 p.m. at the Charlemont Fairgrounds. The festival has deep roots in Franklin County, starting in 1985 when Ras Jahn Bullock and Loose Caboose first held a reggae show in Charlemont. Abdul Baki would later establish the Charlemont Reggae Festival in 1997, and it has endured over the years becoming a popular annual event.
Last year, local reggae musician Shanti Starr of Wendell took over the running of the festival. Aided by a dedicated team of volunteers, Starr’s first year at the helm was a success, and she returns this year.
“Last year was actually great,” she said. “Everyone had a great time and there were smiles all around. People were glad that it was happening.”
Because it’s a new era for the long-running festival, Starr has rebranded it the Charlemont Roots Reggae Festival. The edition of this year’s festival is also referred to as the King’s Lion Roots Reggae Festival as it falls on Aug. 8, which astrologically is a time when the alignment of the earth, the sun in Leo and the star Sirius peak, signifying a great energetic shift.
“It is a kind of a celestial thing,” Starr said. “It’s like when portals open up. It’s a cosmic thing that I thought was really fun.”
As in previous years, you can expect food and craft vendors, and activities for kids. While no major changes have been made to the overall festival, Starr also pointed out that they are bringing in some interesting new artists, including a caricature artist from Boston. There will also be some new food vendors like Ginger Love, who she said will be making some “awesome creations.”
But most importantly, the family-friendly festival is all about the music. “We have a great lineup this year including some international artists,” said Starr.
The lineup includes Prince Negasi, Ras Iba and the Riddim Warriorz, Ras Moon, Shanti Starr and the Afro-Reggae All-Stars, The Equalites, Wheel Out, Root Fiyah, Gaia Roots, Nephertiti, DJ Trends and DJ Concert.
One of the headliners, Prince Negasi from Portmore, Jamaica, mixes roots reggae, hip-hop, R&B and traditional African influences. His lyrics focus on spirituality, social awareness and cultural identity.
“He is a real upcoming rising star who is very talented,” said Starr. “He plays all original music. He’ll be a lot of fun.”
Starr said she is looking forward to Riddim Warriorz from the Virgin Islands, who will be performing with Ras Iba. Iba, from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, is one of the island’s most celebrated singers. He found the Rastafarian faith early in life, so his lyrics often explore peace, reflection and other Rastafarian themes.
“We will have some guest artists in between acts while they set up,” Starr said, noting that there will be some surprise guests not officially on the lineup. “We will have different singers get up and jump on the mic, just to keep things lively. We have a whole crew from Jamaica coming up from Boston.”
The festival will also feature many local favorites, including some who have been involved with the festival since the early days. This includes the roots reggae soul band The Equalites, who have been together for more than 30 years. Wheel Out, led by Roosta, combines hip-hop, jazz and funk, and has been a festival regular for many years.
Besides organizing the festival, Starr is a skilled multi-instrumentalist and leads her own band, the Afro-Reggae All Stars. The band mixes West African instruments such as the balafon and djun djun with reggae. She also plays with Gaia Roots, a world music group that features traditional West African and Caribbean music along with original songs.
Baki, with whom there wouldn’t be a festival, works with the band Root Fiyah these days. Their music is inspired by the rocksteady period in Jamaican music and blends originals with covers. Baki will also lead an opening prayer with Nyabinghi drumming and chants. Everyone is welcome to bring their drums and join in the heartbeat of Rastafari. The prayer starts at 12:30 p.m.
This is just a glimpse of what you can experience at this long-running event.
“I love this festival,”Starr said. “It’s a great community event and I have been a performer since day one. And we have shown the community that we can have a great time up there.”
Gates open at noontime and children 12 and under are admitted for free. For more information and tickets, visit Charlemontreggaefestival.com. The festival has a rain date of Sunday, Aug. 9 and Starr said they will post on their Facebook page if the date must change.
Summer stage series at Tree House Brewing winds down
The summer stage series at Tree House Brewing Company in South Deerfield is fast winding down. After Thursday night’s show with Oteil Burbridge and Friends, there are only three shows left in the series, and two of these — Violent Femmes on Aug. 13 and Modest Mouse on Aug. 20 — are sold out.
That leaves the Guster show, with special guest Toth, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. as your last chance to catch a performance at Tree House this summer.
The Guster show might be of special interest to local music fans because opener Toth is the solo project of Alex Toth of Rubblebucket. I mention it because Rubblebucket has a large following here in western Massachusetts and Toth’s recent album, “And the Voice Said,” is definitely worth your time. Toth also recently released a video for his song “Easy.” The video was recorded in a Brooklyn cathedral, where he was backed by the 80-voice Brooklyn Choir Project. Alternative pop-rock band Guster is known for their live shows that mix humor with their catchy songs.
Alternative pop-rock band Guster is known for live shows that mix humor with catchy songs. Tickets are available at DSPshows.com.
First Friday features Turners Falls Vinyl Crawl
We don’t always realize how fortunate we are to have such great record stores in our area. Turners Falls alone has three stores, and they are being celebrated this month with a vinyl crawl this Friday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m., as part of the town’s monthly First Friday event. The vinyl crawl will take place at the three locations, all conveniently located within a quarter-mile stretch on Avenue A.
At 5:30 p.m., you can head to Breakdown Records at 59 Avenue A and enjoy an all-vinyl DJ set by E-Mag. Then at 6 p.m., there will be karaoke at Music Connection at 187 Avenue A, followed by a performance by pianist Dan Becker at 7 p.m.
Two Ghosts Vinyl Cafe at 104 Avenue A will be giving away posters signed by Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. Barlow was originally going to be present to do a signing, but he will be busy at the Lou Barlow birthday bash that is happening at the Shea Theater Arts Center on Friday night. I hope you’ve got your tickets because that show is now sold out.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.