One of the finest festivals in the land pops off on June 16, 2012. Frederic Apcar Productions presents the 2012 ‘Reggae In The Desert’, Las Vegas’ largest Reggae festival, showcasing both the unifying power of reggae music & the Caribbean lifestyle.
This years headliner is Kymani Marley, roots musician and son of the one and only Bob Marley. Kymani’s brand of reggae incorporates elements of world music, hip hop, blues, rock and a grass roots sound into his music. Ky-Mani has three studio albums to his credit: The Journey (Shang), in 1999, which received mass critical acclaim and peaked at #7 on the Billboard reggae album charts; 2001’s Many More Roads (Fractal Ent/Reggae Vibes) which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album; and Radio (Vox), from 2007, which has more of a hip hop feel than his previous albums and reached #1 on the Billboard reggae album charts.
Ky-Mani has collaborated with R&B and reggae songstresses (Mya, Marcia Griffiths, Tessanne Chin), dancehall giants (Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Mr. Vegas, Alborosie) and hip hop talents (Young Buck, Afu-Ra, Ms. Dynamite).
In 2007, he was the opening act for Van Halen’s North American Tour. He’s also headlined clubs and performed on festivals around the world, from The Netherlands and Hungary to Brazil and Mexico to Cape Verde and Kenya. In recent years, Ky-Mani has headlined Reggae on the Rocks in Colorado, St. Kitts Music Festival, Festival International De Rhythmes Du Monde in Quebec, Rock al Parque in Colombia, and World Festival of Black Arts & Cultures in Senegal.
Ky-Mani is currently recording his upcoming album, Evolution of a Revolution at his father’s Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. This marks the first time that he has worked at the world-renowned studios founded by his father in 1965. Known for his unique style of rock/soul/hip-hop infused reggae sound that transcends cultural lines, Evolution of a Revolution is expected to continue the musical exploration and features collaborations with artists from different musical genres.
His most recent project was a collaboration with Andrew Tosh, son of the late, great Peter Tosh. “Lessons In My Life,” is the lead single off Tosh’s Grammy Award nominated acoustic tribute album to his father, Legacy. He is also currently featured on Protoje’s new album, The 7 Year Itch.
Other acts playing the festival include Third World, Israel Vibration, Tribal Seeds, J Boog, Fiji, Pato Banton, and Fortunate Youth. The festival will be held at the Clark County Amphitheater in Las Vegas, NV on June 16, 2012.
Please visit http://www.reggaeinthedesert.com/ for more details.
