Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

**SistahD** · 07-18-2011, 01:39 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival!

SATURDAY AUGUST 20, 2011 

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Mavado, was raised in an area known as "Cuba", a micro ghetto within the heart of Kingston, Jamaica's Cassava Piece community. His grandmother gave him his first musical experience at a young age, bringing him to church to sing. 

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Gyptian rose to international acclaim when his debut single Serious Times hit the top of the local and overseas reggae charts, and defeated even Junior Gongs Top Ten Billboard hit Welcome to Jamrock, to be declared Jamaica's Most Important Song of 2005. 

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Jahvinci, A dancehall artist. popular with younger party goers. one of Jamaica's finest production for the 2000s Not only is the song well put together but it touches on a real social issue that most individuals like to keep quiet about. Jah Vinci never fails to tell us a story through his music. I like his style.

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Exco Levi,Also known as Wayne Ford Levy, he was born in Jamaica, the son of popular reggae artist Michael Levy a.k.a. Professor Wayne. Exco grew up in church, and sang on the youth choir, where he developed his passion for music. In addition to his vocal training, he learned to play the keyboard and gained a greater understanding of harmony and composition.

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Don Skillachi, is a songwriter, producer, entrepreneur and let alone presently holds a major radio buzz for his first album single entitled "Number 1" which is a collaborative production featuring Eyesus.

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Ammoye, Named after the Italian word for Love, Ammoye is to music what the stars are to the sky – beautiful. The smoothness of her voice draws listeners in, and the power of her lyrics holds them as she effortlessly sings about Life, Love, and justice. From the age of 5, Ammoye knew her calling was to perform music.

Sir B, born Byron Ellington, was born in Jamaica from the Rockfort area in Kingston 2. As a youth he grew fascinated with reggae music and was lured by the powerful sound system masters, such as Stereograph, Blackstar, Jah Love, as Killamanjaro. He started to play drums in a band every weekend with friends, but eventually started his own sound system called; Board of Education. His love for the music merged into collaborations with other soundmen such as Boeweeble International, the legendary Leroy Sibbles, and his sound system called Papa Melody amongst many others.

**SistahD** · 07-18-2011, 01:57 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival!

SUNDAY AUGUST 21, 2011 

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Beres Hammond born the ninth of ten children; Hammond grew up listening to his father's collection of American soul and jazz music; including Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. He was further influenced by the native musics of ska and rocksteady, in particular Alton Ellis.

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Wayne Wonder has been nominated for an Artiste Of The Decade award along with Shaggy, Sean Paul and others for the upcoming annual EME Awards, Kingston Jamaica.The sensual, honeyed vocals of Wayne Wonder have made him a consistent hit maker with extraordinary songs for lovers.

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Sharon Tucker is blessed not only with melody and well trained vocal chords, but sings with a sweet, distinctive voice that is synonymous with a family of very talented singing legends, including the classical singer Jimmy Tucker, her uncle; popular gospel singer Junior Tucker, her brother and Nikki Tucker, her sister.

Third World, 35 years of providing the world with reggae music, Third World continues to be one of the most recognized reggae groups out of Jamaica. Popularly know as "The Reggae Ambassadors", Third World continues to travel the world to satisfy the many fans that enjoy their brand of music.

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Soul Vendors the orignal Studio One band with Joe Isaacs , Lester Sterling, Brian Atkinson, Hux Brown, Hux Brown, Peter Pan. Studio One is one of Jamaica's most renowned record labels and recording studios, having been described as "the Motown of Jamaica.

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Willie Williams, He first recorded at Studio One in the late 1960s, while he was still in school. In 1969 he started his own record label called Soul Sounds and among the artists he recorded was Delroy Wilson, The Versatiles, and Rhythm Force (a pseudonym for The Wailers).

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Heptones, "Robert", "Nago Morris" & Earl Morgan Earl Morgan and Barry Llewellyn first came together as "The Hep Ones" in 1965 in Kingston but they soon changed their name to "The Heptones". The name was chosen by Morgan after seeing a Heptones Tonic bottle lying in a pile of refuse.

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Iley Dread, Colin Levy a.k.a. Iley Dread, singer, songwriter, producer, began his humble beginnings in Hanover, Jamaica and later migrated to Canada and emerged onto the Canadian Reggae scene in Montreal, Quebec In 1992. BIG crowd pleaser!!

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Visionary, A visionary is defined as: 'A person of unusually keen foresight.' Visionary considers himself inspired by the Almighty. This rising sun spreads his positive lyrics to awaken the worlds' consciousness and to encourage the pursuit of higher heights.



 check site for more info - tickets and directions

**SistahD** · 07-18-2011, 01:59 PM

Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

The 8th Annual Montreal International Reggae Festival return to the Quays of the Old Port

Last year, the Montreal International Reggae festival (MIRF) showcased Mr. Vegas, Cham and Lady Saw as headliners. This year, the MIRF team promises the most recognizable artistes in the dancehall industry with headliners such as popular dancehall entertainer: Mavado, the legendary Beres Hammond and international artiste of the year: Gyptian, each taking the stage at the Quays of the Old Port of Montreal during the two-day festival on August 20th and 21st, 2011 for the 8th staging of the event of what has become a tradition for reggae music supporters around the world.

This year’s festival will also see top artistes appearing on the MIRF stage for the first time. Nominated for Artiste of the decade last year at the EME Awards, Wayne Wonder will take center stage with the Harmony House Musicians along with Sharon Tucker who continues to mesmerize her audiences with her sweet melodic voice, her humbling personality and her experience as a true artist. The line-up has further been diversified by the inclusion of the one of the longest running and most diverse bands Jamaica has ever produced: Third World. Founded in 1973, this band is known for their smashing hits, sold-out tours worldwide and inspirational messages.

The 10 time Grammy nominated band is expected to give a stellar performance at this year’s festival. The Reggae Ambassadors’ continued popularity can be attributed to their timeless music as they continue to connect with their fans across the globe.

The diversified line-up includes a mix of established, current and up-and-coming acts. The roster includes Jah Cutta and the Determination Band, Ijah, Iley Dread, Visionary, Dan Fiyah Beats and more. 

Full event details here!!

**evanovitch** · 07-21-2011, 12:59 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival!

Mi mite haffi check dis out

**SistahD** · 07-24-2011, 02:49 AM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival!

The lineup is looking quite good!

...and the vibe in Montreal is a whole different world compared to other cities!

**evanovitch** · 07-28-2011, 03:06 AM

Hotel recommendations please

Airfare looking good...need hotel

**kia027** · 07-28-2011, 08:17 AM

Re: Hotel recommendations please

See a list near the Quais du Vieux-Port de Montreal

**SistahD** · 07-30-2011, 12:28 PM

Re: Hotel recommendations please

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Airfare looking good...need hotel </div></div>

Will see if I can get you the info for where the artists are staying...

This one is reasonably close to the Old Port - and close to St Catherine for shopping
as well as being close to hotels where the bigger artists generally stay -prices reasonable - about $10 taxi ride to Old Port

Hotel Travelodge Montreal Centre
50 René-Levesque West
Montréal, Québec
H2Z 1A2 http://www.travelodgemontrealcentre.com/contact-us.htm

514.874.9090
1.800.363.6535
1.800.578.7878

Will come back with more after I get back from visiting mom in nursing home...

**SistahD** · 08-13-2011, 12:48 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Getting close!

**SistahD** · 08-21-2011, 11:43 AM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Pictures soon come...

Yesterday was a day of excitement - awesome weather with a perfect setting next to the Quays of the Old Port in Montreal... started off with a short (2 hour drive), checking into hotels and an informal get together with Ottawa crew, food - drinks - music - laughs and getting into that Reggae Festival fever!

Headed over en mass to the festival site (what a sight!) and proceeded back stage to see who's chilling! Ran into Angola (conscious singer -performs later today) , Exco Levi ( Bleaching Shop), Michael (Visionary) Thompson, Jahvinci and Gyptian...

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Mavado did not catch his plane from Guyana... and he could only get a visa for Saturday so could not perform.... Shame considering how much $$$ he charges and he cannot even catch a flight on time!


Spent a good amount of time chatting with Michael Thompson - in addition to his artist portfolio, he also has a book out `The Hidden Agenda of Reggae Music` (available at Amazon) Book review and interview to follow!

**SistahD** · 08-21-2011, 02:43 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Reggae legends Third World feel irie at Montreal International Reggae Festival, Aug 20-21

Old-school roots reggae may be going the way of vinyl and CDs, displaced by new-school dancehall. But for international audiences raised on Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff and Toots & The Maytals, there are few performers out there still carrying the roots-reggae torch.

But one of reggae’s greatest all-time bands, the legendary Third World – who crossed over to the mainstream with their mix of rock, pop, funk and reggae – are still cranking out new records and touring the world almost four decades after guitarist Stephen “Cat” Coore co-founded the band with keyboard player Michael “Ibo” Cooper back in 1973.

“We’re not making as much money as the younger guys are today,” says Coore, now 55. “I mean, what they’re earning – compared to what we made at their age – is astounding. But we are thankful we’re still around.”

So are international reggae audiences who grew up grooving to an incredible run of Third World classic songs, from 96° in the Shade to Now That We Found Love, a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic that brought the band to the attention of Stevie Wonder.

“When Bob [Marley] passed away in May 1981, Stevie came down to Jamaica and spent quite a few months there just digging the vibes,” Coore recalls. “By the time Reggae Sunsplash rolled around that summer, Stevie invited us over to his villa where he said he’d like to join us [during our set] that night at Sunsplash. So that’s what we did. We rehearsed Master Blaster (Jammin’). He joined us onstage for that and Now That We Found Love. That led us the next year to finishing our new album in his studio, which led to Try Jah Love [which Wonder co-wrote with Melody A McCully], a song that is now sung in churches across America.”

When it comes to religion, though, Coore himself says to each his own.

“You know, Rastafarianism for me is more a philosophy to help guide one’s life,” he says. “For others it is a religion. For me Rastafarianism is a philosophy that espouses harmony and respect. In the end, how we deal with the good and the bad in our lives is what defines us.”

These days Coore wishes the current crop of dancehall performers would embrace more conscious lyrics – a subject he brings up during our interview.

“It’s true that [roots-reggae] is music of the past,” Coore explains. “But it has retained its relevance. Even in dancehall music there is still a strong reggae presence. Lots of musicians have retained that sound. But dancehall has its weaknesses. I won’t mention any names but some of these artists push [slack] lyrics. A lot of them are frivolous. Whereas when we were young it was all about the message we were sending.”

Coore may not name names, but I will: Nothing arguably has done more to hurt reggae internationally in the last decade than the anti-gay lyrics of dancehall reggae superstars Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Capleton, Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel and Elephant Man – performers I call the unmagnificent seven.

The backlash in Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and North America has forced the cancellations of hundreds of concerts worldwide and caught in the crossfire have been artists like Third World and Beres Hammond (who also performs at the Montreal reggae festival on August 21), such as when the U.K. festival Reggae in the Park at London’s Victoria Park pulled the plug on their entire festival one year, costing many old-school acts a healthy paycheque.

Beres Hammond also performs at the Montreal International Reggae Festival on August 21
“The anti-gay lyrics have definitely been a part of it, but it’s also all that gun business,” Coore sighs. “It’s very negative and has helped [kill a lot of the business] globally. This gun business has been a great disappointment to a lot of us.”

With the traditional reggae circuit drying up overseas, it has become increasing rare to see great live acts like Third World headlining in Montreal.

“Thank goodness for jazz festivals and reggae festivals because a lot of the traditional acts – Toots, Third World, Steel Pulse – our livelihood is based on festivals,” says Coore, proud that his band’s new album Patriots also features guest vocals from the late Gregory Isaacs (“It may have been his last-ever recording, I’m not sure,” Coore adds).

And after 38 years on the road, Third World can still wow a crowd, just like they did before 30,000 stunned music fans when they opened for the Jackson Five at the Jamaican National Stadium back in 1974. Before long, they were playing in England where Island Records’ Chris Blackwell saw them perform. Blackwell immediately offered them a record deal and a slot on a European tour, opening for one of his artists, Bob Marley and The Wailers.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Montreal's very own Jah Cutta also performs at the Montreal International Reggae Festival on August 21
In addition to their substantial music catalogue, also key to Third World’s longevity in the often shady reggae business has been the band’s consummate professionalism. Third World were even added to the Montreal reggae festival bill at the last minute last year after a very unprofessional Bunny Wailer bailed, unfairly sullying the festival’s name.

Unfortunately, when Third World arrived in Montreal the skies just opened up and it poured rain.

Amazingly the Montreal reggae festival survived last summer’s devastating one-two punch.

“We were ready to perform but the weather just didn’t let up,” Coore recalls. “But we’re back this year. We have always loved Montreal, the city has been a great tour stop for Third World over the years and we’re going to give you a show to remember.”

Third World co-headlines the Montreal International Reggae Festival with Beres Hammond and others, on Sunday, August 21, at the Quays of the Old Port of Montreal. Headliners on Saturday, August 20, include Movado and Gyptian

source Montreal Gazette

**SistahD** · 08-21-2011, 02:50 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Montreal Reggae Festival: From Jamaica with love

The great Beres Hammond will perform at the Montreal Reggae Festival on Sunday

Beres Hammond, Third World and Mavado headline the eighth Montreal Reggae Festival

Still going strong at 55 years old, Beres Hammond will have you holding your partner tight and swaying sensually to the sounds of his lovers rock. The Jamaican crooner, who got his start in the 1970s as the frontman of Zap Pow, has deservedly been compared to such soul greats as Otis Redding. His latest studio album, 2008&#8242;s A Moment in Time, is well worth giving a listen for such beautiful songs as I Feel Good, Can’t Say I Never Tried and A Place for You.

Other veterans visiting our city this weekend include the guys from Third World, who’ve been at it since 1973, which makes them one of the longest-running bands in Jamaica. Earlier in 2011, they put out Patriots, a 23rd album that notably features a new version of their classic 96 Degrees in the Shade, recorded with Damian and Stephen Marley.

Often referred to as "Canada’s King of Reggae," Montreal’s own Jah Cutta has been making music for more than three decades and has enjoyed renewed attention since signing with Stomp Records and releasing the critically acclaimed Wha Gwan (2007) and A Me Dis (2010).

Among younger artists who’ll perform at the festival, we find Mavado who, like many Jamaican singers from his generation, weaves hip-hop influences into his reggae roots. If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard his tracks Real McKoy and Last Night while playing Grand Theft Auto IV.

Gyptian, born Windell Beneto Edwards, rose to prominence in 2005 when his very first single, the anti-violence hymn Serious Times, became a smash in his native Jamaica. More recently, he had a Billboard Hot 100 hit with Hold Yuh.

Exco Levi is currently experiencing breakthrough success with Bleaching Shop, a song that denounces the practice of skin bleaching, which is apparently growing disturbingly popular in Jamaica.

As for Wayne Wonder, he was recently one of the Artist of the Decade nominees at the EME Awards (Shaggy and Beenie Man tied for the win). Incidentally, if you’re more familiar with Adam Sandler movies than with Jamaican music, you might remember that Wonder did a cover of Hold Me Now on the 50 First Dates soundtrack.

Montreal Reggae Festival
At the Quays of the Old Port, August 20-21



source hour.ca

**SistahD** · 08-21-2011, 03:03 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Rulers of reggae have global message

Stephen (Cat) Coore and Richie (Bassie) Daley on stage last year in the British Virgin Islands. “We’re constantly meeting new audiences, still, after so many years,” Daley says.MONTREAL - Reggae music isn’t just about Bob Marley or even Jamaica anymore. And Richie Daley knows it.

As a founding member of Third World, one of Jamaica’s best-known bands, Daley has spent over three decades touring reggae internationally and seeing its influence expand to unexpected places.

“We’re constantly meeting new audiences, still, after so many years,” the 60-year-old bassist said during a stop in New York before coming to headline the Montreal International Reggae Festival on Sunday.

“People get a pleasant surprise when they hear so much variety in our music – like the fact we incorporate the cello and other classical influences, as well as Latin, African, of course, and so on.”

The six-man band – all Jamaicans who, when they’re not touring, divide their time between Kingston and Miami – has been especially cheered by the openness to their music in Eastern Europe.

“It’s still new to people in Prague and other places that used to be communist,” Daley said. “They’re open to new kinds of cultures. It pleases them to see world influences in our music, and it pleases us to see that it pleases them.”

Touring Europe, the band has met many local reggae musicians who excel at the genre but whose origins have nothing to do with Jamaica. One is the German singer Gentleman, born Tilmann Otto in Cologne in 1975, the white son of a Lutheran pastor. In 2004, his album Confidence topped the German charts, an unheard-of success story for reggae outside Jamaica. Third World heard him three weeks ago when they both performed at the Amsterdam Reggae Festival. “His band sounded just like they were all born in Kingston,” Daley said.

“He’s part of a generation that’s originating their own style, and it’s phenomenal.”

Being closer to the Caribbean, Montreal’s reggae scene counts on a lot of local talent of direct Jamaican stock, some of whom will play this weekend’s fest, like veteran Jah Cutta (Carlton Williams) and Iley Dread (Colin Levy). Toronto-based musicians Exco Levi (Wayne Ford Levy) and Don Skilachi are also on the bill. Jamaica-based headliners include the soulful singing veteran Beres Hammond, R&B fusion crooner Wayne Wonder (Von Wayne Charles), “gangsta-for-life” Mavado (David Constantine Brooks), and roots reggae dancehall singer Gyptian (Windel Beneto Edwards).

But it’s the granddaddy of the pack – Third World – that gets top billing as the band with the most enduring popular appeal. Formed in 1973, the band found success in the late ’70s and early ’80s with an accessible crossover sound that mixed in American soul, funk and disco and produced several international hits. One was their cover version of the O’Jays song Now That We Found Love, in 1978. Another hit, written for the band by Stevie Wonder, was Try Jah Love, in 1982. Between 1988 and 2006, the band was nominated for seven Grammys for best reggae album.

Despite touring with him internationally in the late 1970s, Third World never achieved the fame of reggae’s only true superstar, Bob Marley. But Daley is quick to point out that even though it was Marley who made reggae famous worldwide, he did not invent the style, nor did he incarnate all its diversity of expression. “In every genre of music, people always gravitate toward an icon who represents – how shall I say? – a culture or a sound,” Daley said, giving an example from his youth. “The British Invasion (of the mid-1960s) might have started and stopped with The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, but there are many more groups that helped create the vision that became so popular.

“The Fab Four and Mick and Keith weren’t responsible for everything you saw and heard. I myself was listening to The Dave Clark Five and a whole lot of other English bands in those days who never quite got the applause that The Beatles or The Rolling Stones got. The same thing happened to reggae. Bob Marley did very well by reggae and did a lot for it, but there were other people who were very innovative and creative, and you don’t hear of them.”

Like other venerable reggae groups like Burning Spear and Steel Pulse that survived Marley and continue to perform live, Third World has had its ups and downs and changed its lineup many times over the years. But with its core of all-original members (or near enough) still intact – Daley, guitarist/cellist Stephen (Cat) Coore, and lead singer (since the mid-’70s) William (Bunny Rugs) Clarke – the band remains a marquee name. The band played for the opening ceremony of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, in Kingston, and last year celebrated its 35th year of touring.

Along the way, they’ve also managed to break some stereotypes about reggae artists, the Rastafarianism religious movement they espouse and the ganja (marijuana) that’s thought to be part-and-parcel of their lifestyle.

One surprising example: In their touring contract (viewable on their website, www.thirdworldband.com), the band always request no-smoking hotel rooms. “We live in a no-smoking age right now, and only two people in the band smoke,” Daley explained. For each show, the band’s dressing room is stocked with two cases of flat water, as well as fruit juices, vitamin drinks and herbal tea – and a case of Heineken, two bottles of wine and a bottle of VSOP cognac. The potato chips must be organic, the bread either baguette or whole wheat, and the sugar brown. And the band’s meals are free of pork, not just because (like Jewish kosher food) Rasta dietary restrictions forbid eating animals that feed off dead animals (lobsters and crabs are also no-nos), but also simply because several members of the band are vegetarian.

As to whether everyone in the band follows Rastafarianism, Daley was hesitant to say. Religion is “a personal thing for each individual, and although the band’s music is based upon a strong belief in it, it’s still up to the individual to embrace it as he sees it,” he said. “It was never a prerequisite to be in the band. But the belief in righteousness was always there.” And, he added, that includes condemning something that has given reggae a bad name in recent times: the homophobia voiced in their lyrics by younger Jamaican acts like Elephant Man (O’Neil Bryan), Bounty Killer (Rodney Basil Price) and the Grammy Award-winning Beenie Man (Anthony Moses Davis).

There’s no question the reggae scene has changed over the years, Daley said. “When we first came here (to the U.S., in the ’70s), there was almost no reggae on radio – it was like one in a million, it was never played. Now, you know, reggae isn’t totally identified as mainstream – and that means it’s not really successful – but people know about it and appreciate it.” Playing reggae has become more complicated, he added. “When we started, there was no such thing as a CD, no electronic drum machines, no personal computers. And now, in this day and age, they’ve become an integral part of the music. But one thing we’ve realized is that a computer can play a lot of music but it cannot write music from the soul. To do it, you have to do it yourself – from the heart. There’s no software application to do that; it still has to come from the inside. And that’s what we’re all about.”

He cites 96 Degrees in the Shade, a roots-reggae hit for the band (and the title of its second album) in 1977. A black liberation song, it retells the true story of the brutal repression of a rebellion by freed slaves in Jamaica’s Morant Bay in 1865. The song features a loping rhythm, stripped down instrumentation and sweet harmonies. The last verse goes like this: “Some may suffer and some may burn / But I know that one day my people will learn / As sure as the sun shines / Way up in the sky / Today I stand here a victim / The truth is I’ll never die.”

Since they started, Third World have released 23 records; their latest, Patriots, came out in Aug. 2010 and can be downloaded off the band’s website. “Our music is there to give an insight into what is taking place in the world and how it affects our people, poor people, and to be a voice for them and their woes and their cries for change, so that they can live better lives,” said Daley, who grew up middle-class in a military family (his father was a captain in the Jamaican Defence Force). Has the world found love – and do we know what to do with it? “Some people have found it, but they still don’t know what to do with it, unfortunately,” the bassist replied. “The world is still at war. What makes a man kill over 80 young children (in Norway)? I’m afraid we might never find out. Same thing for the riots in England. It’s a little bit unsettling.

“There are still some things to give thanks and praise for. But at the same time, a lot of weird things are still happening.”

The eighth annual Montreal International Reggae Festival runs Saturday and Sunday at the Old Port in Old Montreal. Third World plays Sunday at 4:15 p.m. Tickets cost $45 ($55 at the door) for a one-day pass or $80 ($120 at the door) for two days. For more details, including where to buy tickets: www.montrealreggaefest.com or 514-790-1111.

photos and source Montreal Gazette

**SistahD** · 08-21-2011, 03:07 PM

Re: Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

 Island time - The best of the rest of the Reggae Fest

After last year’s disappointing weather and Bunny Wailer no-show, it looks like the Reggae Festival has come back swinging in 2011 with two days of the best in island-inspired performances and parties. Saturday and Sunday are split pretty much equally, with the biggest names in dancehall taking up the first half of the weekend and roots, culture and lovers rock all making appearances for the second and final day of the fest.

But the whole thing really kicks off on Friday as E.B. Club Lounge hosts a sound clash between two of Jamaica’s most infamous sound systems. Killamanjaro and Black Kat will wage a musical battle, pulling out all the stops and lick-backs they can. Competitions between these mobile DJ crews have been a major part of Jamaican musical culture for over half a century. Unique versions of popular songs called dubplates, meant to big-up the sound in question, are used as special weapons to get the crowd on the side of the most successful sound. If you’ve never seen a sound clash, you could do worse than a fight between two of these world-class, and world-famous, sounds.

Day one of the festival’s daytime exploits in the Old Port starts with a whole range of acts, some of them local. Montreal’s own Dan Beats is not to be missed at 4 p.m. Headliners include Exco Levi and Jahvinci, who have both had big tunes in the dance over the past couple of years. Fans of Jahvinci will be excited to know that he’ll give another performance later at E.B.

PEACE, LOVE, UNDERSTANDING: Beres Hammond
Gyptian, whose enormous crossover hit “Hold Yuh” is but one song in his arsenal, will perform prior to the haunting strains of Mavado—the prolific singjay is one of Jamaica’s most successful dancehall artists to date.

On Sunday, Montreal reggae icon Jah Cutta will take the stage at 6:15 p.m., before two other Canadian luminaries, Iley Dred and Sharon Tucker. And the festival ends with a set of strong singers: The sweet-voiced Wayne Wonder will grace the stage just ahead of rootsy U.K. act Third World, who handily filled in for the missing Wailer last year. Topping off a day of reggae is Beres Hammond. Known for his ability to impress the ladies with love songs, Hammond also has produced incredible conscious songs. Always keeping it positive, Hammond is responsible for some of the most memorable music to come out of Jamaica in the past 20 years.

With an enviable line-up and ideal location, Montreal’s Reggae Fest looks set to shine bright enough that the trials and tribulations of last year will be quickly forgotten.

source Montreal Mirror

Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

Montreal Int'l Reggae Festival

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