Reggae In The Hills is a 1.5 day Reggae/Reggae Rock Concert Hosted by Pato Banton and Yellowman with vendors, camping, and many very cool amenities. This year’s festival will be held at Calaveras County Fairgrounds in beautiful Angels Camp, CA June 2nd of 2012.
The festival’s main stage, hosted by Emcee Lance-O (Kulcha Shok), features a “Tropical Theme” complete with palm trees and tropical plants infused with the latest state-of-the-art sound and LED video/lighting (millions of colors and endless movement). Music will be seamless in between sets with Dj Selekta Lou, Mountain Lion Soundsystem and special guests bringing the positive vibes. The second stage, hosted by DJ JRas w/ lil Chase in the Fairgrounds Park, features a Polynesian Fire & Drum Dance @ Sunset and all the best in local and up & coming bands.
Bellies will always be full as there will be an abundance of curries, fresh vegetables and island style foods derived from the Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Kids can also feast on shark, plantains and basmati rice to corn dogs, BBQ, and cotton candy. Other attractions and amenities include hundreds of acres of campground, an on-site medical clinic, and an indoor tropical chill spot with cooling elements, a beer garden and dub music by Shashamani Soundsytem. Outdoors there is a tropical misting area to neutralize the heat while relaxing, and a kids zone featuring art creations, face painting, bouncy castle, food, and reggae karaoke to sing/emcee to their favorite reggae songs.
Headlining the festival this year is British toaster Pato Banton, who always brings plenty of positive vibes to the massive. Pato and his band the “Now Generation have been touring extensively in support of his 2008 album “Destination Paradise.” Pato has had some measured success over his 20+ year career. While his cover version of The Police’s Spirits In The Material World is probably his best known song, “old-head” reggae fans might better recall his collaborations with Mad Professor and Ranking Roger.
Yellowman is also playing the festival this year. How does one describe Yellowman to the un-initiated? It’s not possible. King Yellowman must be seen in the flesh to be believed. A Jamaican reggae (rub-a-dub) and dancehall deejay, his popularity peaked in Jamaica in the 1980s, coming to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation as the rudest, slackest, ugliest deejay on the rock.
Yellowman first gained wide attention in the late 70s when he won “The Tastee Talent Contest,” where deejays perform toasting. He cut his teeth performing at Kingston’s many outdoor sound-system dances. In 1981, after becoming significantly popular throughout Jamaica, Yellowman became the first dancehall artist to be signed to a major American label (CBS Records). Yellowman performs internationally with the Sagittarius Band, and has toured the world over in places like Nigeria, Spain, Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, England, France, Kenya and the United States.
The other artists playing this year’s festival include
Bushman, Mystical Roots, Fortunate Youth, Thrive, Tribal Theory, Sono Vero, Braata, Kulcha Shok Musik, Shashamani Soundsystem, and Mountain Lion Soundsystem.
Pleasevisit the festival website at http://reggaeinthehills.com for more information.
