- Death of Dancehall Star leads to changes in Reggae on the River line-up

- Reggae Rising "Postponed"

First some sad news: As reported in the  Jamaica Observer, "Godfather of Dancehall" Lincoln "Sugar" Minott died on July 10, at the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew, JA. He was 54 and according to a friend had a history of heart trouble. Minott had just completed a new album. He and and his daughter Fire Pashon were about to embark on an American tour and were booked to perform at Reggae on the River at Benbow this coming Sunday.

The folks at the Mateel sent out this note today:

It is with heavy hearts that we share with you the news of the passing of one of reggae music's true legends and one of Reggae On The River's headlining artists, Sugar Minott. He passed away suddenly in Jamaica on Saturday, July 10, just before he had planned on embarking on a US tour highlighted by a performance at Reggae On The River. This is a great loss for Jamaica and the international reggae community and our hearts go out to all his friends, family, and fans.

As a tribute to his ever-lasting musical legacy, the 26th annual Reggae On The River will be dedicated in Minott's honor.  On Sunday there will be an all-star tribute to Sugar Minott led by Don Carlos and friends. May you Rest in Peace Sugar.... you will be missed by all.

Understandably, Sugar's daughter, Fire Pashon, will also not be performing at the festival.  Due to this unforeseeable change of events, the Mateel Community Center will now welcome a champion in the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement, Prezident Brown, along with a warm up set by Cali favorites, Reggae Angels. 

The revised festival line-up on Sunday, July 18 is as follows:

10 a.m. - Gates open

10:45- Seed N Soil

11:25- Messenjah Selah

12:45- Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca  

2:30- Reggae Angels

2:55- Prezident Brown

4:40- Sister Carol

6:30- Dezarie

8:20- Don Carlos

8:50 All-Star Finale for Sugar Minott

 

News from the other local Reggae festival came not in a press release, but in message on the Reggae Rising Festival webpage and their Facebook page. As you have probably heard, Dimmick Ranch LLC failed to meet requirements to get the permit required for this year's festival, which was supposed to take place August 6-8 at Dimmick Ranch. At a special Planning Commission meeting on July 6, Tom Dimmick was asked what would happen regarding tickets already sold if his permit was rejected. At the time he said he was considering two options: either move Reggae Rising 2010 to a new location or ask ticket-holders to wait for "something better down the road."

It seems he is going with Plan B.

Today's post is titled, "Reggae Rising Festival Postponed."

Reggae Rising has been postponed until August 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2011. It is a difficult loss this year for the community of Southern Humboldt, and an even greater loss for the world community of reggae fans that have come to love and expect this event each year. Tickets for the 2010 event are not refundable and will be valid for the postponed festival.

In addition to honoring the tickets sold for the 2010 event at next year's festival, we will also be including many High-Grade Upgrades exclusive only to those who purchased tickets for the 2010 event. Among these upgrades will be Free VIP Access, Free T-Shirts, Free DVD's, Free Digital Downloads, and More.

However, looking at the big picture, the most crucial value in keeping your current ticket for next year is the positive support you offer to us by doing so. Your support, love, and positivity is the key to the Irie and Conscious Vibes we all know, respect, and need in our lives. All of these essential elements will work together to bring Reggae Rising back next year stronger than ever. Please accept our sincere apologies as we are truly sorry for this major let down and urge all current ticket holders to please remain positive and tuned in for important future announcements...

Meanwhile some disgruntled ticket-holders are taking action, again via Facebook. A new group formed called "IF THEY DON'T REFUND REGGAE RISING TICKETS WITH THE QUICKNESS..."

Creator John Pusch, a reggae fan from Fairfax, describes it as, "A group for all the people and people who know people who bought their tickets to Reggae [Rising] ahead of time to join together as a group and move forward with a class action lawsuit against Tom Dimmick if refunds are not issued before July 20th."

Addressing Mr. Dimmick directly, Pusch continues, "Ripping people off is not Irie, y'all shouldn't have been selling tickets if you had knowledge that permits may not be issued. Reggae fans like to promote peaceful solutions to their problems but come on Tom, I don't care if you have to sell your ranch to pay us back."

A quick read through the posts and comments on the new FB page and on the Reggae Rising Festival Facebook page shows that some have had success getting ticket refunds from their banks or credit card companies, while others have not.