You never know who you will run into at Reggae on the River:
activists and Joan Baez, Julia Butterfly Hill and actors Danny Glover and Leon
have dropped into the biggest party in Northern California.
Reggae on the River started out as a grassroots festival 29 years
ago as a benefit for the Mateel Community Center. The festival went “Hollywood” for a few years glitterati
showing up from all over the world and
tickets selling out at record speed. For the last five years, the Mateel
Community Center has presented Reggae on the River at a smaller site. Benbow
Lake State Recreation Area. This year, August 1-4, the Mateel Community Center
proudly presents Reggae on the River at its original site at French’s Camp in
Piercy, CA, with large scale acts such as Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage, Julian
Marley, Nkulee Dube, the Meditations and more. www.reggaeontheriver.com. Thousands of revelers descend on the
festival every year for the chance to camp among the majestic California
redwood trees and wade in the legendary Eel River.
Tarrus Riley performing this year at ROTR
I recently spoke with Justin Crellin, General Manager for the
Mateel Community Center and Reggae on the River. Crellin, who hails from Virginia, relocated
to Humboldt county and started out as festival equipment manager for Mateel
Community Center and Reggae on the River in 1998.
Shelah
Moody: What is the significance of the festival returning to its original site
this year?
Justin Crellin: Going
home to our original venue, French's Camp, which has always been the festival's
spiritual home and where we've been working to get back do during our years of
living in "exile" in Benbow (which served us well, but did not allow
for the camping on site, nor other elements of the ROTR experience).
SM: Reggae on the River, since its inception,
has become so popular that it was even referenced on an episode of the cartoon
"South Park." In your opinion, what has made the festival so popular
over the years?
JC: The community
most of all, but also the beauty of the natural environment where the festival
is held. In its inception, ROTR was one of the world's original
celebrations of reggae music and reggae culture was a natural fit for the
alternative community residing in the hills of southern Humboldt and northern
Mendocino.
SM: How did you go about choosing this year's
eclectic lineup? I see that you've booked ROTR favorites such as Jade Steel and
Nuklee Dube.
JC: We strive for
balance and diversity. Though it is mostly a reggae show and we try to
represent the full diversity of reggae music (as much as possible anyway), we
also like to spice things up with a handful of "world music"
acts. We also look to present a nice mix of both male and female performers,
classic and emerging artists, touring NorCal favorites and artists who rarely
(or have never) played in our region, acts supporting new albums (along with a few we haven't
heard from in a while), etc. For this
homecoming year we also went back to our roots and booked an act (The
Meditations), who was with us for the very first ROTR in 1984 and who will be
marking their first time back at the festival since this very first year.
As for the specific artists you mentioned, we loved Nkulee Dube so much last
year and got such a great crowd response on her that we broke our own unwritten
rule of not repeating artists in back to back years and made an exception for
her. Jade Steel will be joining a host of other favorite vocalists and
DJs from the Emerald Triangle and beyond in a track set showcase (with lots of
special all-star guests) on Thursday, August 1st to kick things off for our
early arrival ticket holders.
SM: How
long does it take to organize a large scale event such as Reggae on the River.
JC. All year (and
then some)! Meetings, etc. start ramp up in January and things get busier
and busier as we approach showtime.
SM: I've
been attending ROTR since 1992, and I am particularly curious why people feel so
comfortable walking around nude at the ROTR. :)
JC: I don't think
nudity it is quite so prevalent these days as it once was, but ROTR is also a
"free zone" for a lot of folks and a place where maybe they feel more
comfortable to let go of their inhibitions to commune with nature and soak up the vibes.
SM: What do you, personally enjoy about
working with the festival?
JC: I like the
nature of the work, the people I work with, and the feeling of being part of
something much bigger than myself. It is also fun to work with the
artists and to be involved in creating the larger experience that keeps fans
coming back to ROTR. We do this for them (and for the Mateel Community
Center and other local non-profit groups who fund raise through the event).
The fact that ROTR is produced by and benefits the non-profit Mateel Community
Center is also something that sets it apart from a lot of other festivals.
SM: Can
you tell us a little about the Mateel Community Center?
JC: We provide a
variety of arts, education, cultural enrichment, youth and social service
programs to the rural southern Humboldt community and also offer a meeting
space and venue for rent. For more info on all we do, please visit www.mateel.org.
SM:
Give us five fun facts about Reggae on the River.
JC: 1. It’s a Grassroots
production- for and by the community!
2. This will be the first year back at French's Camp since 2005.
3. Our team mantra for the year is "Back to the Future"- as we
look recreate the event on the model we used in the past, but in a new format
for a new era of fans.
4. We are keeping the numbers smaller than previous years at this venue
(only 6,000 public tickets available) to make for a more intimate and family/
community friendly experience.
5. It’s been called the "Best Place on Earth." Come
experience for yourself!
