REGGAE RUNNINGS - 19 November 2008

By Jesse I


After a good run of international tours over the last year, Australia’s weakened dollar appears to have thrown a spanner in the works, postponing planned shows by both Anthony B and Lutan Fyah. It hasn’t stopped the big boys though, with the East Coast Blues and Roots festival just announcing African reggae legend Alpha Blondy for 2009, as well as crossover dub specialists Easy Star All Stars.

This year’s Raggamuffin festival lineup was pretty unexciting, but next year’s was looking a lot better - until Stephen Marley just pulled out with a supposed knee injury. Remaining on the bill is Shaggy, Ziggy Marley, Inner Circle, UB40’s Ali Campbell, Arrested Development (when did they become reggae? I must have missed something), and Eddy Grant (what they hell were they thinking?!). Raggamuffin 2009 takes place Sunday 1st February at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

There’s a fair bit of reggae action coming up this weekend, starting with the Australian World Music Expo at the Arts Centre and The Spiegeltent, kicking off Thursday and running til Sunday night. The event promises to showcase traditional and contemporary indigenous, roots and world music, from the Oceania, Asia and Pacific region – check www.awme.com.au for the full program.

Saturday night it’s Pressure Drop at Laundry, featuring special guest Judgement (the winner of Sydney’s recent 45 Shootout) as well as Sista Sara, Dangerous, and the usual residents.

Also on Saturday, Entice Entertainment presents World Reggae United at Bar 303 in Northcote, featuring live acts Tort Tribe, Kobya, Black Roots, Presys, Achol! The Rebel, and more.

Saturday 13th December brings a very special guest to Miss Libertine, as Sentinel Sound selector Meska comes all the way from Germany for More Fire. Sentinel is one of the top-ranking clash sounds in the world, and the only European sound to win World Clash since the UK’s Bodyguard won in 1994. Meska will be coming fully armed with a dubplate arsenal unlike any Melbourne has heard before, so don’t miss this one if you’re a dancehall soundsystem fan! Support on the night comes from Chant Down, Krazy Dayv, Spinn-Aphex, and Sista Racquelina.

If you’re looking for a mid-week reggae fix, Ring The Alarm is still going strong every Wednesday at Laundry in Fitzroy. Ranking Yoni has replaced Sista Itations in the resident rotation (with Ras Crucial, Dizzy Dee and I) and upcoming guests include Tempa and Sofire (tonight), Bellyas, Redbelly, Andy Ites and Bonnita.

Finally, it feels like there have been way too many obituaries lately, but this month we have to mark the passing of Byron Lee, one of the real pioneers of Caribbean music. With his band The Dragonaires, Byron Lee took ska and mento music to the world in 1964, backing artists such as Prince Buster and Jimmy Cliff at New York’s World Fair. Byron Lee went on to become reggae-dominated Jamaica’s biggest exponent of calypso and soca, and he’ll always be remembered as the bringer of “carnival” to his homeland. He died of cancer on November 4 at the age of 73.