By Shelah Moody
“Reggae on the River and the Sierra Nevada helped to groom me into the musician I am today. It saddens me to lose such dynamic festivals/reggae family gatherings as these.” —Alreca Whyte, Groundation the Next Generation
“Reggae on the River has been canceled. Refunds will be issued to all ticket holders within 10 business days.”
This is the message that currently pops up when you log on to reggaeontheriver.com.
On June 17, it was announced that Reggae on the River 2019, which had been scheduled for Aug. 2-4, at French’s Camp Piercy in Redway, CA, had been canceled.
Reggae on the River was established in 1984 as a benefit for the Mateel Community Center, which had been ravished by fire.
In 2018, Reggae on the River Festival announced a new strategic partnership with the country’s leading marijuana magazine, High Times Productions, to grow the iconic music and culture celebration.
“High Times had exclusive right to produce the event as of 2017, so it was their decision wholly to cancel the event,” said Eryn Snodgrass, Mateel Community Center board treasurer, and production assistant. “They didn’t provide us with a lot of reasons, but from what we can gather and from what they told us, they were facing another large loss in spite of their efforts. It really came down to, they weren’t getting the ticket sales and the interest and the support of the community for them to produce the show.”
A key question remains: will Reggae on the River 2020 and subsequent festivals take place?
“We at the Mateel are certainly hoping that we can carry it on in one way or another,” said Snodgrass.
“We have to get out of our production contract, and (High Times) has indicated that the Mateel might have the option to do the festival again, wherever it might be. They’ve indicated that they want to do what’s best for the Mateel, for sure. I can’t really speak beyond that, because we are still in the contract with them.”
Snodgrass said that the Mateel community will indeed produce an event the weekend of Aug. 2-4 2019, called “Reggae Legacy,” a tribute to one of Reggae on the River’s founders, Carol Bruno, who passed away this year.
“This event will be in honor of Carol Bruno’s life,” said Snodgrass. “We wanted to honor Carol and everything she did for Mateel and Reggae on the River. It will be flown under the “Mateel Forever” banner. It will be billed as “Reggae Legacy,” and you can look at our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mateel/
for all the breaking news. We’ve just announced Toots and the Maytals for Sunday, Aug. and we will be announcing the headliner for Sat. Aug. 3 on Wednesday, July 3. It will be back to back nights at Mateel Hall.”
At press time, High Times could not be reached for comment.
The cancellation of one of Northern California’s most popular music festivals marks the end of an era. Since 1984, Reggae on the River, a three day summer celebration, has presented the best in music including the Marley family, Lucky Dube, Steel Pulse, Toots and the Maytals, Beenie Man, Groundation, Fenton and the Reggae Angels, Johnny Clegg, Marcia Griffith, Lady Saw, Judy Mowatt, Oliver Mtukudzi and more.
It was indeed a sad day for musicians, performance artists, writers, photographers, producers, stage managers, sound engineers, vendors volunteers and especially concertgoers and campers. Naturally, the loss of revenue generated by the festival will impact not only the Mateel Community Center, a non-profit, but also hotels, restaurants and other local businesses near Redway.
Sadly, a few months prior to the cancellation of Reggae on the River, the organizers of Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, held annually in Boonville, CA during Father’s Day Weekend/Summer Solstice in June, announced its cancellation. (www.snwmf.com). Sierra Nevada, which had been going strong for 26 years, was canceled this year due to the illness of its founder and organizer, Warren Smith.
The 2019 Island Reggaefest, (https://www.islandreggaefest.com/) an annual celebration of Caribbean and Pacific Island culture which had been going strong for seven years in Santa Clara, CA, was also canceled.
“Reggae on the River was THE place for young and old to gather and celebrate the awesome powers of reggae music.” said Harrison Stafford, founder and lead vocalist of Groundation. “I can remember going to the festival throughout the 1990s as a place where like minded people witnessed great performances by the legends straight out of Jamaica. This fueled me personally through high school and into university where I would form the group Groundation and eventually in 2003 we would perform for the first time at Reggae on the River. Later, I would meet Carol Bruno and other members of Mateel Community and they would partner with us on local shows in the Humboldt area. Reggae on the River was an iconic festival that stood as the cornerstone of reggae music in the United States. Now it’s like, if Summer Jam In Germany or Rototom in Spain were to stop, there would be a hole, a vacuum we’re once thousands of soul searching people would gather in the name of unity and love through the magic that is Reggae music...today in Northern California, we are a people without a festival
Other roots/reggae festival devotees, like singer Alreca Whyte, who has performed at both festivals with acts such as Sister I-Live, Fenton and the Reggae Angels and others, feel the loss.
“I used to relish in the ability to be starstruck for a weekend. I remember planning my vacations to Jamaica so I'd always be here the first weekend in August for Reggae on the River and fit Sierra Nevada in as well. I used to be frolicking around backstage with the other youth my age and hailing up the grownups like Della and Ralston Grant, Carol Bruno, who always greeted me with a smile and hug, MC Rocky Bailey, Jah Son—names are too many to mention. Reggae on the River will be greatly missed.”
Many veteran journalists such as Carmelita Harris, producer of Irie Vision TV reggae show, and Michael Ealey of Streetwise Radio would faithfully make the pilgrimage to Reggae on the River and Sierra Nevada each year, documenting each act and attending press conference between sets.
Harris said she noticed that Reggae on the River 2018 was challenged by a lower attendance rate and lack of security in the media parking area, which led to a renown photographer getting her equipment stolen. Harris said she will miss filming the international as well as upcoming artists that Reggae on the River presented. Harris said that despite last year’s shortcomings, Reggae and the River is still her favorite festival.
Beverly Shaw, aka Sista Irie, a writer, photographer and radio personality from Austin, TX, has traveled hundreds of miles to cover Reggae on the River and Sierra Nevada.
“The 2019 cancellation of two major U.S. roots reggae festivals does tremendous damage to our country’s ability to enhance and sustain the progress made in the past 25 years,” said Shaw. “Overall, the U.S. remains sadly deficient compared to Europe, Japan, and other countries in its ability to support the roots reggae message.
“Reggae on the River and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival ensured an ongoing education regarding the cultural roots of the original creatives. This process is critical to the future understanding and acknowledgment of reggae’s cultural evolution.”
Perhaps more than anything, Reggae on the River was a communal experience, where people would gather to share music and good vibes, sharing food, water, rides and camping spaces and of course, stimulants such as ganja. The same with Sierra Nevada.
“I started bringing my children to Reggae on the River as my family grew so they, too, could frolic with the youth their age,” said Whyte.
“It was like a family tradition. It was such a part of the normalcy of life for me that their cancelation leaves a part of me empty. With the recent loss of some of reggae's great artists and musicians, this is just another blow to the conscious California vibes that we have all come to love. I grew musically because of these festivals. They were platforms that put normal girls like myself from my tiny seaside town in Belmont Westmoreland, Jamaica and put us in front of huge audiences. Reggae on the River and the Sierra Nevada helped to groom me into the musician I am today. It saddens me to lose such dynamic festivals/ reggae family gatherings as these.”
According to Shaw, Reggae on the River and the Sierra Nevada provided an atmosphere much like a family reunion where business, entertainment, and spiritual healing came together in a spirit of upliftment sorely needed in today’s times.
“I pray both festivals will find solutions in a spirit of one love and unity,” said Shaw. “In particular, I pray for the improved health of Warren Smith who devoted his life, along with wife Gretchen, to give us 25 years of unforgettable memories.”
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