It’s the first day of the mighty month of August, and as good a day as any to celebrate festival culture. If you are headed down to the 36th installment of Reggae on the River, or interested in such, I hope you have a great time. There’s plenty of info about it found elsewhere, so […]
Reggae on the River
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos: Return of ROTR
For the 35th year, Reggae on the River, which has seen its share of tumult and financial struggle, brought crowds, musicians, artists and vendors to a multi-day party on the North Coast after a five-year absence. From Aug. 2-4, reggae lovers returned to County Line Ranch for camping and live performances, hosted by the Mateel […]
Posted inNews
Mateel Announces Reggae Legacy to Replace ROTR
After High Times abruptly cancelled this year’s Reggae on the River festival, the Mateel Community Center Board of Directors decided to offer an alternative event located entirely at the financially strapped Community Hall. Today, they announced what they are calling the Reggae Legacy 2019 event on the traditional ROTR dates, the first weekend in August. […]
Posted inMusic
Summer Farewells and Metal as Hell
It’s been an interesting local news cycle as far as the local music scene is concerned. The Mateel Community Center can’t seem to catch a break, with back-to-back cancellations of Reggae on the River and the Andre Nickatina show in July. This doesn’t augur well for the state of SoHum or the rest of the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Village Down and Holding in Prison
Make sure and pour a little bong water out this week for Reggae on the River and its Cannabis Village. We hardly even knew ye, Cannabis Village! For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, High Times unceremoniously pulled the plug on the 35-year-old festival June 17, posting a brief message on the concert’s website saying it […]
Posted inNews
UPDATE: Reggae on the River Cancelled
UPDATE: Dusty Hughston, a Mateel Community Center board member, confirmed that the 2019 Reggae on the River show has been cancelled. “It’s real. They called me and the treasurer,” he told Redheaded Blackbelt. The Mateel Board will release a complete statement but at this time Hughston said that though the board won’t have the money […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Now Entering Babylon: Reggae on the River with High Times
“Every time I get high/ Babylon falls.” It was late Friday afternoon at Reggae on the River and the first live musical act on the lineup was just getting started. Hempress Sativa, born Kerida Johnson in Kingston, Jamaica, was performing with her band the Unconquerebels. At the mic, the self-crowned Hempress shone in a Rastafari […]
Posted inNews
Mateel, High Times Create Partnership to Save Reggae on the River
The Mateel Community Center’s board of directors voted last night to approve a partnership with High Times Productions to put on Reggae on the River. The deal was announced in a press release this morning with few details, other than that the production company, the event-management arm of High Times Media, will “assume responsibility for […]
Posted inNews
Poor Reggae on the River Attendance Leaves Mateel Community Center’s Future in Question
Redway’s Mateel Community Center is in a state of crisis after its biggest annual fundraiser, Reggae on the River, not only failed to meet revenue projections but left the center with a “significant” debt. “Very challenging times lie ahead, there are difficult decisions to make, and the future of both ROTR and the MCC is […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Irie Stylings at Reggae on the River
Instagram-ready festival wear has become its own species of personal expression. The styles at Reggae on the River are certainly qualify, whether on performers, fans or the vendors, workers and volunteers who make the show possible, including volunteer security personnel, medics, food truck operators, cooks, camera people, sound technicians and journalists. Oven-like August temperatures presented a […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Reggae Colors
By now, everybody who was grooving to irie sounds at French’s Camp last weekend during Reggae on the River has packed away their tents, shaken off the dust and returned to solid cell service. If you missed it or just miss it already, photographer Erica Botkin was right in the middle of the colorful four-day […]