Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

The second night of Reggae Sumfest 2009 was actually a bit of a let down for me. This was International Night Number One and the line up was heavy on pop and sparkle which is not really my style of music. The night started early with some great new performers like Ras Penco and Hezron which were followed by strong performances from Lutan Fyah and Coco Tea but the rest of the night was weak and full of pop and r&b artists that did not interest me much.

I took lots of breaks and sat out much of the mid section of this evening . I skipped performances by Jazmine Sullivan and Keri Hilson and the only reason I watched NeYo was to see how he reacted to Jamaicans using his music as they have. He paid tribute to Vybz Kartel and Spice by letting the crowd sing their song to his beat. It was a weak attempt to make a connection with the crowd but it seemed to work Many fans went along with it but there were quite a few hisses and comments about his lawsuit over the use of his music. Seems he has a few people out there that like the Vybz Kartel version of his riddim.

NeYo on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009

I waited it out for the finale with Morgan Heritage and Queen Ifrica but I faded out before the sun came up and Jah Cure went on stage. I was actually sitting on my ass when he went live and I jumped in the bus home while he was performing. I was simply out of gas and unable to stand up any longer after two full days on my feet.

Morgan Heritage put on a strong group performance and then went into solo pieces for Gramps, Peter and the youngest brother and it was a treat to see the many different musical styles they have grown into. Gramps and Peter have more reggae and r&b influences but the younger generation shows more rap and hip hop.

Morgan Heritage Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica has impressed me with her powerful stage presence and her ability to sing gracefully but with power. She did a rendition of Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror and she did it with style. The crowd appreciated her performance and everyone sang along as part of the Sumfest Michale Jackson Tribute.

Queen Ifrica Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica tributes Michale Jackson Man in the Mirror at Sumfest 2009

Reggae Sumfest 2009 Friday International Night 1

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the first show in the One Love Concert Series held at Negril Escape Resort and Spa and it was one of the best reggae concerts in Negril that I have seen in the two years that I have been living in Jamaica. Jamaicans love music and there have been literally 100’s of shows to see but to be truthful they can often times be aggravating to say the least.

From chatty DJ’s who just can’t let a song play for more than 30 seconds which of course makes it impossible to catch a groove and dance with to the hours and hours of delays and endless technical issues most shows are plagued with because of low grade equipment or inexperienced technicians and ending with the worst the no show artists who never make it on stage because they are not there or the show gets shut down for running to late. It’s unreal to me how messed up some music shows in Negril can actually be and in many ways it really takes away from the overall experience.

Jamaicans love to party hard and late with many events not even starting until 10PM and running well past the 2am curfew occasionally enforced by zealous police officers who will shut an event down sometimes before the promoters and artists even get them started. I cannot tell you how many times I have expected to see a Jamaican artist at a reggae show in Jamaica and I ended up leaving home early in the morning of the next day wondering how things ended up so. I have even wondered to myself on one or two occasions if the artist was ever going to show up at all.

I went to a Vybz Kartel show at Club Scrub A Dub and it was 2 hours behind schedule when gun shots went off outside the club and a hail of rocks and debris were tossed over the fence at the police force who immediately shut the show down and evacuated everyone. About 200 people ran out and fled the scene and of course the promoters kept all the money for a show that never was. Imagine how much money you can make it you dont actually have to pay the artist but instead pay a couple gangsters to pop some shots. Sounds off the wall but not in Jamaica.

The reggae concerts held at Negril Escape are far and away a different experience and one I can guarantee you will enjoy. To begin with the show starts promptly at 8PM and end by midnight which makes it so you can still stand up when the main artist hits the stage and at this show people were actually dancing rather than simply swaying to the beat. At 2am it can be a little harder to get motivated by reggae music but there was no problem at the Negril Escape shows because by 2am I was well asleep. Many of the people at the show were guests of the resort and many of them commented on how convenient it was to watch a reggae concert on the edge of the Caribbean Sea and then have the luxury of walking a few steps to your room after a night cap at the seaside bar and restaurant.

The first show in the series featured headline artist Queen Ifrica with her friend Fyahkin along with local Negril artist Edge Michael and DJ Gemini who kicked things off on the turntables with some high energy mixing of top reggae hits to get the crowd warmed up. Edge Michael is a popular Westmoreland musician with a number of hit songs in rotation on the local radio stations and his performance at Tuesday nights show was crystal clean and reflective of the maturity and experience this young artist has gained in the last year. Edge Michael is great singer and stage performer but his real talent may be in self promotion and marketing as you can see his face in about a zillion places from Black River to Mobay and all parts in between.

This show was my first experience listening to Fyahkin perform and I was impressed with his vocal abilities and stage prescience which were strong but not over powering as so many young Jamaican males can be. It’s strange to me how often a young artist will come out on stage screaming out unintelligible lyrics that not even most Jamaicans can understand in the confused belief that noise makes them seem more powerful.

The backing band was also very impressive and a great improvement over the regular house band used in so many shows around Negril. I won’t give out there name because they are friends of mine but it’s a bit tiring to hear the same band play at so many locations in Negril. For the longest time I thought there was only one keyboard player in the whole of Negril because this one guy was so popular. What I found out later was he was the cheapest and one of the few who had his own keyboard. This show was much better and the band held their own for a great acoustic set and even got compliments from Queen Ifrica who commented on how well they performed and how it inspired her to push herself. You can see in the attached video on YouTube that the band did a great job and the bass player should be complimented for his ability to play so well with Ifrica during her many rap sessions.

Queen Ifrica is well known as a Rasta Lioness who writes and sings songs of empowerment for the women and underprivileged youth of Jamaica. She is very proud of her African heritage and a force on the rasta music scene both locally and on an international level as well. Her style is unique and influenced by the very best in roots reggae with an infusion of hip hop and rap that makes her a cross over in many genres. The crowd reflected this with her many fans from places like Russia, Canada, Italy, America and of course Jamaica all singing along word for word with her more popular songs and clapping and dancing along as she performed some of her new material on the recently released new album titled “Montego Bay”.

Queen Ifrica performed at Reggae Sumfest (yes I went and I am still writing articles and processing video on that) and there was a huge difference in her two sets with this being more up close and personal. Queen Ifrica seemed to appreciate that and she made contact with just about everyone in attendance in some way or another. The Negril Escape is a great setting for a show and the layout is such that everyone gets a great view of the stage and you almost feel like its a private show when the artist is so close. Ifrica took things further by coming out from back stage well before her scheduled performance where she spent time mingling on the edges of the crowd signing autographs and posing for photogrpahs before she ever sang a tune and then she spent at least an hour making sure to sign every autograph and taking every photo her fans wanted. It worked out well as she must have sold over 50 CD’s that she sat and signed and of course the fans were ecstatic to be able to get so close to her.

I never do understand how some people can go to a show and then stand a mile away from the stage and watch a giant TV screen to see the show. For me its aways best to get as close to the artist as possible so you can feel the energy and emotion they put into their music and the One Love Concert Series is the perfect place for that. The Negril Escape Resort and Spa is located on the Negril Cliffs and unlike many shows on the beach you can actually experience the natural beauty of watching a show on the waters edge without the interruption of a fence and security guards to keep out the beach people and idlers who want to catch a free show. At Negril Escape you get to watch the show under the watchful eyes of the moon and stars with nothing in the way but the cool sea breeze.

I look forward to the rest of the series with next weeks show featuring Luciano and my good friend and local artist Timmi Burrel. If you are in Negril and looking for a great reggae show then you must check out the One Love Concerts held Tuesday nights in season at Negril Escape. They have over 20 shows scheduled this year and it makes for a great reggae vacation when you book reservations based on your choice for the best show and your favorite reggae artist. With top names like Queen Ifrica, Luciano and Etana to name but a few it seems the place to be for live reggae music in Negril is the Negril Escape Resort and Spa which is putting on the best run shows with high grade talent in the perfect setting.

Check out the Negril Escape Facebook page or their website for more details and where to book your Jamaican reggae vacation.

Thursday night was Dancehall Night for Reggae SumFest 2008 and it was a great show with some of the biggest names in Jamaican music on hand for a show which proved to be an arresting experience for Bounty Killer and lots of fun for me and a few thousand others. It was my first backstage experience with permission to interview artists and straight up I was out gunned. Me and my little JVC handheld camera could not compete with the professional level equipment and setups that the big players had. These guys came prepared to interview and they got all the interviews they wanted. I was able to get some great pictures and hang out with lots of the artists but the few interviews I did do were horrible as the lighting was crap and the noise in the room made it almost impossible to hear anything beyond the crowds of people. My mission over the next year is to invest in a better video camera and audio microphone for interviewing people properly. I’ll be better prepared for next year presspass access.

I spent much of the evening in the press tent and missed much of the show hanging out backstage with other press people and lesser known artists like Jamaican culture artist Nature and more popular stars like Anthony B and Macka Diamond to name a few. I spent more time with the press people and the event turned more into a networking opportunity as I met many of the top people in the Jamaican music business. I discussed working with a number of artists in developing and promoting their music online and I think the evening went well for me in that regards. I already have lots of work to do from this show and I’ll probably be busy until next years event.

I got some decent photos from the show with lots more to write about in the coming days and weeks but here are some pics from Thursday Night Dancehall night at Sumfest 2008.

Sun sets before the first evening of Reggae Sumfest 2008

Nature interviewed by BBC Radio

Shane-O Backstage SumFest 2008

Hype TV Interviews Serani

Danielle D at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Voice Mail at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Harry Toddler at Reggae SumFest 2008

Jamaican Musician Spice at Reggae SumFest 2008

Macka Diamond at Reggae Sumfest 2008

Anthony B interviewed at Reggae SumFest

Elephant Man at Reggae SumFest 2008

The Crowd at Reggae SumFest 2008

I’m backstage at SumFest in the press booth with lots of important Jamaicans from places like the Gleaner, TVJ and CVM. There are quite a few press people here and they all look far more professional than me and my blog. I did meet one couple from England who are here to blog the event and also are writing a book on their adventures.

We’re both excited about the opportunity we have to interview some top Jamaican musicians. I’m waiting to get my name on a list with my choices for interviews. I’m hoping to meet with Elephant Man and Mavado this evening and possible Beenie Man if he’s taking interviews. I don;t know that I’ll get that far in all of this but I am certainly going to be interviewing someone.

I’ll keep posting as the night goes on. Anyone here want to give me a call at 876-865-8680