Boonville, CA (Top40 Charts/ Zion Bound Media) - The artist lineup is nearly complete and tickets are now on sale for the 14th annual
Sierra Nevada World
Music Festival taking place June 22, 23, and 24th, 2007 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California.
This yearly summer solstice celebration creates a veritable global village where people come to a beautiful setting to enjoy a diverse lineup of new and legendary artists from around the world. Now in its 14th year, the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (SNWMF) features three days of music performed on two stages, convenient camping, an eclectic group of ethnic food and cultural craft vendors, dance troupes, and educational children's activities. The first two days culminate with an authentic late night Jamaican-style dancehall session.
As festival organizer and founder Warren Smith notes, "There are so many great artists, bands and DJ's in World and Reggae and this provides us a wonderful foundation to work with as we create the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival lineup each year. Our intention is to invite performers and recording artists from both the past and present-some of whom make their first-ever Western U.S. appearances here."
The 2007 lineup features Toots & The Maytals and Carlinhos Brown. Maytals leader Toots Hibbert is credited with coining the term "reggae" with his hit single "Do The Reggay" back in 1968 and maintains a rigrous tour schedule, including a recent appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Percussionist and vocalist Carlinhos Brown is a household name in his native Brazil performing his Afro-Bahian sound that has led to numerous hits on the charts.
Coming from Europe are Ojos de Brujo an eight-piece band from Barcelona whose music is centered in Flamenco with elements of hip-hop, and pop and African-French sister duo Les Nubians, whose neo-soul genre crossing led to a chart-topping album "Princesses Nubiennes" in 1999.
Also on the lineup are Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars who have been in the spotlight with appearances on CNN and Oprah after a documentary featuring their story as refugees from civil war was released. Their CD release "Living Like A Refugee" received the honor of being named one of Amazon.com's top picks for 2006.
The centerpiece of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival each year is reggae in all of its varied forms and this year's lineup is no different. Energetic and powerful vocalist Luciano, "The Messenger" of conscious reggae returns to SNWMF for his second appearance. Firebrand reggae dancehall "singjay" sensation Turbulence is slated to make his first West Coast festival appearance. Vocalist Junior Kelly, who's prolific song writing has cemented his position in the realm of reggae's most sought-after artists will also perform. Tony Rebel comes to SNWMF as a veteran in the industry and one of the pioneers of the "singjay" style, as half toaster, half vocalist, with his 1996 hit "If Jah."
"The King of Ska" Derrick Morgan takes it back to the roots making his second appearance at the festival with 48 years of experience to call upon and numerous top-selling singles. Making their first appearance since 2001 are The Ethiopians who released one of ska's all time classics "Train To Skaville" in the '60's. The Maytones also trace their roots to the 1960's with a string of hits that explored Rastafarian themes, and they make their first-ever SNWMF appearance.
In his third festival appearance is Seattle, Washington-based is reggae veteran, Clinton Fearon, original member of The Gladiators. Earl Zero, whose song "None Shall Escape the Judgment." remains a '70's reggae mainstay, will perform his own brand of classic reggae that is essential to the festival's distinctive lineup.
The traditions of the drumming and dancing are consistent elements of the SNWMF lineup each year. This year, the group Kusun Ensemble who hail from Ghana, West Africa will perform a new brand of music and dance they have dubbed "Nokoko." Santa-Cruz, California's own group SambaDa will bring its own brand of Afro-Brazilian/ funk flavor to the festival.
The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival has blazed the trail as a presenter in support of reggae music from outside of Jamaica and in particular, music from other parts of the Caribbean. This year the Virgin Islands-based record label I Grade Records presents a showcase of artists including NiyoRah, Abja and Yahadanai.
From Mexico come Rastrillos, a band of 15-year veterans on the reggae scene whose unique style Jazz-influenced guitar and horn lines, rapping, and Indian sitar.
Appearing on the 2007 festival lineup as part of the next generation of reggae artists are: Jamaica's Queen Ifrica, Chezidek, and Mark Wonder, and Elijah Emanuel and Malika Madremana both of whom have Puerto Rican heritage and hail from California.
Working the controls in the late-night dancehall held inside the fairgrounds' exhibition hall is the Virgin Islands' self-described "vinyl musician" Aba Shaka. He will be joined by the legendary Stone Love Movement Jamaican sound system who are a mainstay in the SNWMF dancehall. Coming to the turntables with three decades of experience is New York's Downbeat The Ruler sound system who maintain one of the world's most extensive collections of specialty "dub plate" versions of reggae songs.
Please refer to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival website: www.snwmf.com for frequent updates including the addition of performers to the lineup. The schedule with an exact order of performers on each day will be announced in the coming weeks.
Three-day tickets are on sale now by mail order, at independent ticket outlets,Ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. For event gate times, camping reservations, mail order information and a list of independent ticket outlets please visit: www.snwmf.com or call the festival hotline at (916)777-5550. Single-day tickets will be released for sale as the event approaches in June.
The 2007 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival takes place June 22-24, 2007 thirty minutes from Ukiah in the scenic Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, California. The festival features two stages, a diverse lineup of artists, multi-cultural food and crafts, children's activities and an authentic late-night Jamaican dancehall. Each year people from around the world come to celebrate the summer solstice and experience the live performances of World and Reggae artists and deejays, many of who make their first-ever West Coast appearances on the SNWMF stages.
