Martha's Vineyard Festival expands in second year

By Dan Ruby

Continuing its busy summer of producing new, expanded and reprogrammed festivals, Festival Network announced plans for a more ambitious but still single-day Martha's Vineyard Festival on August 10.

Unlike last year when the program was a Boston Pops concert with special guests, this year supplements a Pops program featuring Gladys Knight with individual performances by The Neville Brothers, Steel Pulse, piano sensation Minami Morita, and three Vineyard-based performers, Willy Mason, Kate Taylor, and Entrain with Phil DaRosa.

Besides more music, the festival introduces an arts component with an exhibit of "Tribal Art on the Vineyard," showing August 2-3 at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. The festival is also featuring a new film, Zeb - Schooner Life, which will screen all summer at several island locations.

The festival is in Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs MA. Gates open at 1:30 and the music program begins at 3 pm. General admission is $75. A portion of the fee goes to benefit local community organizations. For ticket information and details, visit the festival website.

Festival Network is smart to be growing this festival year over year, integrating it with local activities and choosing an eclectic musical format ranging from classical to folk to R&B. In future years, this could be a full-blown multiday event that would be embraced by the island's year-round and summer residents as a homegrown cultural institution.

By contrast, Festival Network jumped right into two-day festivals with its two new festivals in Jackson Hole WY (August 16-17) and Whistler BC (July 19-20). All three events share a common theme in their siting in resort destinations and eclectic musical lineups.

Pitchfork fest to host discussion about seminal Public Enemy record

Announcement by Future of Music Coaltion

On Thursday, July 17, an important piece of hip-hop history gets its due. Future of Music Coalition is teaming up with the Pitchfork Music Festival to host a discussion about Public Enemy's seminal album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The free event – which features members of PE's production team and music media experts – will take place at 3 PM at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theater.

When Public Enemy released It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1988, it sounded like nothing else at the time. The album's sirens, squeals and squawks were met by fluid beats and frontman Chuck D's unflinchingly observant rhymes. Twenty years later, the record is still considered one of hip hop's finest achievements. It Takes a Nation fused politics and music in unprecedented ways, creating a dense sound collage of rhythm, noise and the voices of 20th century black leaders.

The in-depth discussion taking place in Chicago will explore the making of It Takes A Nation, as well as the cultural events that helped shape its message. The event takes place one day before Public Enemy reunites to play the album in its entirety at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Hank and Keith Shocklee — one half of Public Enemy's production unit, the Bomb Squad — will reveal how they fashioned their powerful world of sound. Harry Allen, journalist, activist and onetime PE "Media Assassin" will join the members of the Bomb Squad in a lively conversation led by documentary filmmaker Kembrew McLeod (Copyright Criminals).

The discussion will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theatre, beginning at 3 PM. Admission to the event is free, but those interested in attending must reserve spots by emailing rsvp@pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

Monterey Bay Reggaefest 2008 (artists not announced yet)

Photo Credit: Monterey Bay Reggaefest

Though the lineup is TBA, the Monterey Bay Reggaefest's 13th annual edition is shaping up to be as excellent as all that came before. Peripheral enjoyments include a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, beer garden and an entire Rastafarian Arts & Culture Museum onsite. 

The festival's also ideal for bringing the kids, as there will be an "fun zone" including face painting, jump houses and other activities. Though camping space is only reserved for RV's, the Monterey County Fairgrounds venue, located about a mile from downtown Monterey, should make the event pretty accessible for campers and non-campers alike. The festival is set for Friday, August 29th, Saturday, August 30th, and Sunday, August 31st.

To find out more about Reggaefest, click here.

Bear Creek Bluesfest in two weeks

The Bear Creek Blues Festival will run through its 5th edition in Slater, Missouri on June 28th, according to the festival's official website. Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials are the main headliners, with other outfits including Lew Jetton & 61 South, Doghouse Daddies, Mr. Fletcher & Scott McCullough.

One relative bonus of Bear Creek over most blues festivals is that free camping will be offered on a first come, first serve basis on the night of the festival, though a one-night festival such as Bear Creek also wouldn't necessitate camping as much as, say, Ottawa Bluesfest or Bonnaroo.

For more info about the 5th edition of the Bear Creek Blues Festival, go here

Program Announced for Sandy Beaches Cruise #15

Ringmaster Delbert McClinton will once again assemble some of the best in reggae, zydeco, blues, southern rock and Americana for his 15th Sandy Beaches Cruise, set to push off from San Diego on January 17, 2009. Clinton's boat of choice, Holland America's luxurious ms Oosterdam, will take fans on an eight-day journey, stopping at the scenic and (indeed) very sandy beaches of Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo on Mexico's Pacific Coast along the way, returning to the original Southern California port on the 24th.

Of note this particular year are five new additions to Sandy Beaches' already robust traditional artist roster: Geoff Achison, Tab Benoit, Tom Hambridge & the Rattlesnkes, Cyrill Neville & Tribe 13 and Seth Walker.

There are various price levels for accommodation on the cruise, though all must put down a $500 deposit to make a reservation (for individuals or multiple travelers), with a refund of $150 until the 91 days before cruise kick-off. For more info on Sandy Beaches #15, go here.

Main Announcements for Long Beach Bayou Festival 2008

The 22nd annual Long Beach Bayou Festival has been set to run from June 21st to 22nd at Rainbow Lagoon Park in Long Beach, CA. Festival programming puts a heavy emphasis on zydeco this year, including a couple Grammy nominees within that element's ranks, while maintaining a sizeable helping of blues performances to complement the zydeco sets during the two days.

One of the Grammy nom's, accordion maestro Terrence Simien, will be teaching kids the ABC's of Creole music and culture as part of one of the festival's non-musical attractions, the festival

's Lagoon Stage's Cultural, Educational Music Workshops. Other non-aural delights include multiple crawfish eating contests throughout the day, rock climbing, free dance lessons and free arts and crafts for kids.

With major performers including Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band and Simien & The Zydeco Experience, the festival's Cajun and blues performers total a lineup of 21 performers, all of whom can be seen for an advance sale price of $30 or $35 when bought at the gate. For those who want reserved seating as well as backstage access to two of the festival's stages, a VIP option will do the trick for $60. Kids aged 12 and under can come to the festival for free. For more info on the festival, go to its official website.

NW World Reggae Festival 2008 announced

The dates and lineup for the Northwest Reggae Festival's 2008 edition have been released by the festival's organizers. Headliners include The Mighty Diamonds, Macka B and Sister Carol. Other notables include Midnite, Katchafire and Queen Omega.

Organizers have also announced that the festival has moved to a new site, located 20 miles north of Eugene, Oregon and providing camping adjacent to the music area. A three-day pass (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) w/ camping (for Fri. and Sat.) is $110, a two-day pass w/camping for one night (Sat.) is $90 and a Sunday day-only pass is $40.00.  More info on the festival can be found here. 

Midwest Reggaefest set for August 8-10

The Midwest Reggaefest has announced its line-up and dates for its 17th year. The festival is to be held at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, Ohio from August 8 through the 10th. 2008 will be the second year at the Nelson Ledges venue Billed as "3 days of roots reggae, camping, swimming, nature and more," the event will be headlined by Beres Hammond, Midnite and Culture, with Yellowman, Shinehead and Marty Dread as main supports.

$75 buys fans a three-day pass (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) that includes camping for both Friday and Saturday nights, $65 gets a two-day pass (Saturday and Sunday) with camping for Saturday night only, and $25 gets a music-only pass for Sunday. For more info on the festival, click here.

Summer Jam 2008 Videos

The New York hip-hop radio station Hot 97 has just compiled a remarkable list of videos by main stage performers, amateur MCs battling it out and a montage of the most beautiful people seen at Summer Jam 2008. Numbering 9 in total, the official videos can be seen here.