the hum / By Bob Doran

Forever

(Jan. 25, 2007)  The metaphor was unfortunate, even if it did declare itself a metaphor. The subhead in the Times-Standard preview of Wednesday night’s Winter Ruckus 4 promised “six exciting acts that plan to metaphorically burn the place down.” Of course the hardcore hip hoppers, Tech N9ne, Potluck, LCA, SubnoizeSouljaz and Blaze Ya Dead Homie do not really intend to burn down the Mateel Community Center - but those who know the history will recall that an arsonist did just that back in 1983, and SoHum has not been the same since. (BTW, the Ruckus is Wed. Jan. 24 - that’s tonight, if you picked up this paper when it first hit the street.)

You’ve probably heard the story about what came after that fire. Members of the self-proclaimed Mateel Nation united to rebuild, put on a little fundraising concert that kept getting bigger, and they eventually rebuilt the Mateel bigger and better than ever. And the headquarters for the Mateel Nation, a counterculture enclave dedicated to peace, love and unity, seemed to be thriving, mostly thanks to that annual fundraiser, Reggae on the River. Forgive the overblown hyperbole, but, to quote Honest Abe’s Ettersburg Address, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”

While things seem to be moving forward with Reggae 2007, the battle is not over. No lawsuits have been filed, but lawyers are exchanging letters. Results are in for the Mateel Board election: The incumbents and their supporters won. Boots Hughston of 2B1, the new production company, met with coordinators last week, and everything remained civil; some of the old crew will stick with the show and the “no confidence” dissidents loyal to People Productions are mostly remaining quiet, at least for now. What will happen in March when the Planning Dept. reviews the Mateel’s Reggae permit remains to be seen. (I’m guessing “safety” might come up.) One would hope that no one wants to destroy Reggae; certainly no one wants to burn the Mateel down - again.

The “house that Reggae built” has not exactly fared well through all this. An Oregon-based concert promoter who called me yesterday said he wanted to bring KRS-ONE to the Mateel Jan. 31, but was told the place is not adequately staffed - instead his show will run at Mazzotti’s. (Winter Ruckus 4 was booked ages ago, before the mess got so ugly.)

Forgive me if I sidestep the question of why the nonprofit is broke, but that’s the case. The MCC just received a cash infusion from Boots, basically an advance on his licensing fee, but the organization needs more money.

“We need to get the staff back in and get the hall open,” explained Mateel Executive Director Taunya Stapp. “People don’t think the Mateel hall takes a lot of money to run - it does. We’re looking at how to keep the place open, to pay the utility bills, insurance, the staff, all those things. We have no money.”

What to do? How about a classic SoHum-style benefit? They’re calling it Mateel Forever.The multifaceted “all-encompassing” event is scheduled forSaturday, Jan. 27, from afternoon (4 p.m.) until the wee hours. It begins with a blast from the Garberville Town Band, followed by performances by some of the theater/dance groups that use the hall - Feet First, Recycled Youth, Random People Monologues, among others. Then you have the usual “gourmet” dinner, crafted by an all-star collection of chefs led by Andrew Perrone. (5:30-7 p.m.) Dinner and after-dinner music is provided by Del McCain and Marcia Mendels, Bill and Victoria (from Subconscious Revolt), Tom Pavone,and the “out”spokenAnna “Banana” Hamilton. Then it’s boogie time, with neo-classic rock by The Non-Prophets, alt. rock by The NPK, and funky hip hop by Subliminal Sabotage. You’ve got the requisite raffle and silent auction on the side - and what would a Mateel show be without reggae? DJs Sister Yasmin and Dub Cowboy should keep the positive vibes flowing on the turntables. The SoHum/Jamaican band Massawa, with Stevie Culture on keys, closes the show, backing Jamaican “conscious” dancehall artist Little Hero. He may not be big in the U.S., but Little Hero (aka Paul Nathaniel Gayle) is a rising star in Jamaica with a number of hit singles under his belt, including “Inna De Ghetto,” a No. 1 in 2005, and more recently “Prayer Time,” which topped the JA charts last fall. It’ll take more than prayer to get things back on track. All involved in the Forever benefit are volunteering their time and energy “in the spirit of unity.” A bit more unity is in order all around.

People Productions has been pretty quiet of late, which is not to say they haven’t been busy doing what they always do: booking reggae concerts. They have Steel Pulse and Morgan Heritage coming to the Mateel Feb. 23; in March they bring reggae to Indigo in Eureka, including Midnite (March 14) The Skatalites (March 23) and Sizzla (March 29).

1 2 3 NEXT PAGE >SHARE