The 27th annual Ragga Muffins Festival is this weekend, one of the largest reggae festivals in the US and quite possibly one of my favorite events of the year. For nearly 10 years I have been a festival regular, and this year will be no different…except, I will be sharing the experience with you, dear readers.

When the festival started in 1981 it was shortly after the deathragga%20muffins%20festival.gif of Bob Marley, one of the most prolific reggae stars of all time. Back then it was named for Bob Marley and was a way for those who were close to him and the music to honor Marley and recover from the loss. Over time it evolved beyond the catharsis and became a way to showcase reggae artists from around the world.

Last year’s festival marked a return to the festival roots with Barbara Baribino, the leading lady of Ragga Muffins Productions, remarking that she remembered why it had all started in the first place. She had begun noticing that the changing demographic and the craft fair lacking cultural wares. So frustrated was she in the commercialization of reggae culture, last year’s crafts fair was much smaller than in previous years.

“A lot of the vendors do not have anything the people want to buy,” Barabino said when asked why there were fewer vendors this year. “This is a cultural show and over the years I have seen the vendors bring less cultural art.”

While in 2005 a KROQ crowd seemed to dominate – there to see Matisyahu after which they poured out of the music hall, leaving Anthony B. (arguably the best act of the weekend) to play to a practically empty house – the 2007 attendees were a refreshing return to the earthy group, seemingly more appreciative of the music, culture and history of the festival.

This year promises to be a great show and hopefully the vendors heeded the warning and will not show up with the mass produced Marley t-shirts, manufactured hippy gear and smoke shop goods.

The line up is as follows (not in order of appearance):

Saturday, Feb. 16

Beenie Man
Capleton
Anthony B
Sly & Robbie
Collie Buddz
Rootz Underground
Cultura Profetica
Cherine Anderson
Soul Majestic
Idren

Sunday, Feb 17

Alpha Blondy
Midnite
Sly & Robbie
Anthony B
Queen Ifrica
Gentleman
Gregory Isaacs
Tarrus Riley
Ed Robinson
The Aggrolites


Come back next week for a full wrap-up of the weekend festivities.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the feed!

Share/Save/Bookmark

4 Responses to “Ragga Muffins Festival 2008: History and Preview”

  1. 10:20 pm, 14 February, 2008 р.
    Anonymous says:

    I’m diggin’ the blog, Kimberlee! My music tastes tend more toward jazz, gospel and r&b, but your writing style teaches me what’s contemporary. I may not listen to all the music you write about, but I enjoy reading your blog and learning. You go Girl! Connie.

  2. 10:34 pm, 14 February, 2008 р.
    Kimberlee Morrison says:

    I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I tend to like edgy music but I hope to be able to explore a wide range pa styles and genres on this column. I am always open to suggestions and story ideas. In fact I might solicit those from readers from time to time. :-)
    Thanks for stopping by.

  3. 9:44 am, 17 February, 2008 р.
    VinylNotes says:

    Music That Stirs the Soul: Notes on the Sly & Robbie Festival Performance

    Some music moves you to dance, or takes you back to an emotional moment in time…And then there's music that simply stirs the soul. It's hard to define and hard to describe in words (although I will try) what exactly…

  4. 9:31 pm, 18 February, 2008 р.
    VinylNotes says:

    Ragga Muffins Festival 2008: Show Wrap-Up Part I

    The 2008 Ragga Muffins festival was an improvement on several fronts from festivals past. The increased presence of “earthy” people combined with the decrease in the poser/wannabe crowd (Matisyahu fans…grrrrr) was refreshing. This t…

Leave a Reply