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Waterfront Reggae Festival In Providence Getting Ready To Spark Up Full Day And Night Of Positive Vibrations

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PROVIDENCE, RI, July 21, 2015 –The 6th Annual Waterfront Reggae Festival, to take place on Saturday, August 8th rain or shine from Noon to 10:00 p.m. at its new waterfront location at India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island, promises a full day and night of positive island vibrations led by Grammy award winning reggae band, Steel Pulse, along with Third World, Yellowman (recently added to line-up in place of Barrington Levy who is now unable to perform), Mighty Mystic, High Hopes Band, The Copacetics and ambient sounds between sets from Omega Sound’s DJ Realm, WRIU’s Blademan and DJ Matik. The flexible general admission tickets, which allow concert attendees to come and go throughout the 10-hour reggae party, are $40 in advance through Friday, August 7thand $50 the day of the Festival. Kids under 12 are free with a paying adult. For the ultimate reggae fan who is 21 years or older, an exclusive Rocksteady Pass is available for $80 in limited quantities which includes one all-day admission, access to a reserved dockside lounge, cocktail service and a complimentary beverage. All tickets can be purchased online at www.riwaterfrontevents.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.

In addition to the music, the Festival will feature the Reggae Pit with authentic Jamaican food options including everything from jerk chicken, meat pies, curry goat and snapper fish, while multiple bars will offer Red Stripe, other cold brews and festive island cocktails. For the shoppers in the crowd, an Artisan Marketplace of vendors will sell African and Caribbean collectibles, wearables, smoking accessories and body art. The younger reggae fans will also enjoy Mr. Twister who will make balloon creations for kids of all ages from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

“We are thrilled this reggae festival, now in its sixth year, has found a new waterfront home in Providence,” said Michele Maker Palmieri, President and CEO of Waterfront Productions. “With Steel Pulse, Third World and Yellowman, we are featuring some of the biggest influencers of reggae-based music over the last 40 years!” Palmieri added that it is a standing room/festival style event so attendees are welcome to bring a blanket or low chair but no coolers or large bags will be allowed in due to safety reasons.

The Festival’s main headliner, Steel Pulse, is a roots reggae band from Birmingham, England and the first non-Jamaican act to win a Grammy award for “Best Reggae Album”, Babylon The Bandit, in 1986. Other career highlights include 11 studio albums, opening for Bob Marley & The Wailers on his 1978 European tour, contributing the tune, “I Can’t Stand It” to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing” and headlining some of the world’s largest reggae festivals, including Reggae Sunsplash USA, Jamaican Sunsplash and Northern California’s annual Reggae on the River Festival. The band’s latest single is entitled, “Put Your Hoodies On (4 Trayvon)”.

The other 2015 Waterfront Reggae Festival performers are:

Celebrating 42 years of being ‘Reggae Ambassadors,’ Third World is one of Jamaica’s most consistently popular crossover acts among international audiences. Mixing elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock, and later on, rap, Third World’s style has been described as “reggae-fusion.” With 10 Grammy nominations and a catalogue of charted smash hits including, “Now That We Found Love,” “96 Degrees of Shade” and “Try Jah Love”, Third World has toured and recorded with the late great Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder and shared the stage with Santana, the Jackson 5, The Police, Whitney Houston, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and more. In 1986, Third World received the United Nations Peace Medal for their contribution of music and their lyrical prose.

King Yellowman, born Winston Foster in Negril, Jamaica, has an incredible history in reggae music. Influenced by early toasting DJs like U-Roy, he christened himself Yellowman and dressed in a bright yellow suit while peppering his lyrics with jokes about his albinism. Jamaica’s first dancehall superstar, he ushered in a new era in reggae music following Bob Marley‘s death. Yellowman’s early 1980s success brought the popularity of toasting — the reggae equivalent of rapping — to a whole new level, and helped establish dancehall as the wave of the future. His record, King Yellowman, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album in 1985. Yellowman’s rhythms have been sampled by a range of rap artists and he was prominently featured on the Run DMC track “Roots Rap Reggae.”

Born Kevin Mark Holness in the countryside of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Mighty Mystic scored his first international hit with the song “Riding on the Clouds” in 2006. However, it wasn’t until the release of his first album, Wake up the World in 2010 that he became a household name in reggae circles. Peaking at #4 on iTunes Reggae Charts, the album featured several standouts such as “Revolution”, “Better Times” and “Original Love” and appearances from reggae icon Shaggy and roots rocker Lutan Fyah. Mighty Mystic’s brand of “Hard Roots” featuring his Jamaican heritage while adding elements of hip hop and rock has proven to be a magnet to young music lovers and continues to grow. His 2014 sophomore album, Concrete World, recently landed at #3 on the iTunes Reggae Chart and #6 overall on Billboard’s Reggae Chart.

With their roots steeped deep in the tradition of the classic 1970s period of conscious reggae, the High Hopes Band is considered one of New England’s premiere reggae groups. The band combines influences of roots reggae, dub and R&B into its own style and sound. High Hopes has been performing throughout New England and the U.S. Virgin Islands for years. High Hopes has opened for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ziggy Marley, Maxi Priest & Midnite and more. The band’s debut album is entitled, Forever Love.

Forming in the summer of 2010 and hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, The Copacetics are grounded in reggae and ska yet offer a healthy does of soul, R&B, jazz, pop, doo wop and calypso to the mix. They’ve shared the stage with The Skatalites, The Slackers, Fishbone, The Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, King Hammond, The English Beat, The Pietasters, The Scofflaws and many more. Their self-titled debut album, which was released at the start of 2015, was named “Album of the Month” by Reggae Steady Ska.

In addition to the Waterfront Reggae Festival, the J Geils Band “House Party” Tour stops at India Point Park on September 5th and the International Oktoberfest! will be on tap Columbus Day Weekend, October 17th and 18th. Please visit www.riwaterfrontevents.com for all the details.

Partners of the Waterfront Reggae Festival include Red Stripe, GoProvidence.com, GOLOCALprov.com, whatsupnewp.com, The City of Providence, The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, Friends of India Point Park, Metro Motor Group, RI Distributing Co., Horizon Beverage Group and Benrus.

For more information on the Waterfront Reggae Festival, the venue and “Getting There”, please visit www.riwaterfrontevents.com or contact Michele Maker Palmieri, President and CEO of Waterfront Productions LLC via email at mmaker@newportwaterfrontevents.com or call (888) 900-8640, Ext. 709. To receive future Rhode Island Waterfront Events and Newport Waterfront Events announcements, presale opportunities or exclusive packages, sign up at riwaterfrontevents.com and become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/waterfrontevents.

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