Luciano Performs at Crash Mansion – As Part of His Summer Tour

Photos and Review by Jan Salzman

I eagerly anticipated this show as, about six weeks prior, I caught up with Luciano at a CD release party held at a Jamaica Live event insie the club, Dragonfly. This Crash Mansion show, in downtown LA, was another great production put on by the group known as Jamaica Live.

The club was packed as Jah Messenjah Band took the stage about 11 pm. First up was Luciano’s long-time music associate and friend, Mikey General, who livened up the crowd with “Power of the Most High, Jah.” At one point during his show, Mikey told about the tribulations he went through in choosing to wear dreadlocks, and his choice to follow the Rastafari path. He did a short but magnificent set.

Steel Pulse and Stephen Marley Draw Huge Audiences at SunFest!

By M. Peggy Quattro
Photos Lynn Dearing

May 6, 2008 – Palm Beach, Florida  – Another picture perfect weekend for a picture perfect festival. Founded in 1982, SunFest, Florida’s largest waterfront music and art festival, is held the first of every May and attracts more than 275,000 visitors annually. The ever-popular 5-day Fest stretches for nearly a mile, tucked between the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway and the architecturally beautiful downtown West Palm Beach.

The Fest always features the finest in music, food, art, and fun for the entire family. This year, SunFest’s diverse headliners, spread out over three stages, included John Legend, Fergie, Sheryl Crowe, Little Feat, The Black Crowes, and Morris Day and the Time, to name just a few. Reggae fans can always count on catching the Reggae train at SunFest, and this year’s featured performers included Steel Pulse, Stephen Marley, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Matisyahu, and Made of Hemp. Continue reading →

Freddie McGregor and John Holt & A Sell-Out Performance

Backed by the New York Symphony Reggae Strings and We the People Band

By M. Peggy Quattro
Photos Dreamy Riley

April 25, 2008 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – What promised to be an elegant evening of Reggae classics and Reggae strings turned out to be even more than that! The beautiful Broward Center of the Performing Arts was soon filled – from the main floor and mezzanine, to the balcony and boxes – with dedicated fans as excitement and anticipation filled the air.

When Freddie McGregor and John Holt, two of Jamaica’s most beloved and respected singers, come together, backed by the powerful 11-piece Lloyd Parkes and We the People Band AND the 19-piece New York Symphony Reggae Strings, you know it is an event you just ‘cyaan’ miss. The South Florida Jamaican community turned out to support and honor the two legends as they went through a catalogue of hit songs, and had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing the whole evening long. “You don’t have to stay in your seats,” Freddie told the throng, and we certainly did not! Continue reading →