World's Hottest Reggae Artists Announce Raggamuffin Roadtrip

RAGGAMUFFIN FESTIVAL HITS THE ROAD

Fiji l J Boog l Peetah Morgan l Spawnbreezie
to headline the first
Raggamuffin Roadtrip

Pre-sale and special ticket offers for Raggamuffin fans from 9am Tuesday 17 April

Sign up at www.raggamuffin.co.nz

Public on sale 9am Wednesday 18 April

SOME of the world’s hottest reggae artists will embark on the very first Raggamuffin Roadtrip in May and June.

Raggamuffin Roadtrip will kick off on Thursday 31 May in Auckland at the Telstra Clear Event Centre, Manukau, followed by dates in Christchurch, Porirua, Hastings and Rotorua.

The tour features headliner FIJI, who will be celebrating 20 years in the music industry on this tour with his friends, J BOOG, HOT RAIN, SPAWNBREEZIE and Morgan Heritage’s very own PEETAH MORGAN! Top NZ acts will also join this massive line up including SONS OF ZION and SOLJAH. Promoters will also be adding a local reggae band in each venue which will be chosen by the fans.

Festival Director, Jackie Sanders explains, “We want to encourage up-and-coming acts wherever possible, they may be future Raggamuffin stars. We are asking fans in each region to nominate their local reggae heroes and then we will put the top 3 to the vote.”

Raggamuffin is also proud to announce a partnership with the Pacific Music Awards.

The 2012 Pacific Music Awards honours Pacific music and Pacific artists and will be held in the theatre of the Telstra Clear Pacific Event Centre on the same night as the Raggamuffin Roadtrip, making this an incredible night of celebration and great music!

It was important that Christchurch fans could experience the Raggamuffin vibe too, so we will be taking the Roadtrip to The Bedford, or rather the temporary marquee version as the original Bedford is within the red zone. The marquee’s exact location on 1 June will be advised as soon as it is confirmed.

All updates and event info can be found on the RaggamuffinNZ Facebook page

Pre-sale and special ticket offers for Raggamuffin fans from 9am Tuesday 17 April

Sign up at www.raggamuffin.co.nz

Public on sale 9am Wednesday 18 April

Dates and Venue Details:

Thursday 31 May Telstra Clear Pacific Event Centre, Manukau

Book at www.ticketdirect.co.nz 0800 224 224

Friday 1 June The Bedford, Christchurch

Book at www.eventfinder.co.nz

Saturday 2 June Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua

Book at www.ticketdirect.co.nz 0800 224 224

Sunday 3 June Hawkes Bay Opera House, Hastings

Book at www.ticketek.co.nz 0800 TICKETEK (842 538)

Monday 4 June Energy Event Centre, Rotorua

Book at www.ticketmaster.co.nz 0800 111 999

Fiji

George ‘FIJI’ Veikoso is one of the biggest and most enduring Polynesian artists of our time. His golden voice and musical blends have launched him on the world stage as a pioneer of island reggae music. Fiji’s fusion of classic reggae with hip-hop, RnB and jazz set him apart as a performer. His unique style defies the idea of categorizing artists into a single genre of music, giving Fiji widespread appeal and the ability to capture his array of his musical influences.

Fiji’s success comes from his ability to capture the beauty and allure of the island life through music. His early albums ‘Evolution’ and ‘Born & Raised’ can be attributed with the introduction of ‘island style’ music into the mainstream music market. In 1998, he earned the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist & Entertainer of the year, solidifying his place among Polynesian fans and introducing his music to a wide audience of listeners around the world.

His recognizable energy and remarkable stage presence have seen him perform with the likes of reggae superstars Ziggy, Kymani & Damien Marley, Inner Circle and Maxi Priest as well as soul legends Gladys Knight and Aaron Neville. Newcomers to Fiji’s music will instantly embrace his smooth voice and exotic melting pot of sounds, an epic, musical journey from the centre of the Pacific to the rest of the world.

J Boog

J Boog is a man of many influences. The singer of Samoan descent was born in Long Beach and raised in Compton, California. Growing up in the rough streets of Compton, the strong sense of tradition and culture that J Boog absorbed from his family was instrumental in his path to stay off the streets and begin a successful music career. Having worked with artists the likes of George “Fiji” Veikoso and Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage, J Boog has always been destined for success.

Their influence, along with the assistance of the Wash House family have led J to record in several prestigious locations, including Bob Marley's "Tuff Gong" Studio. The results are apparent when listening to Boog's new music. It boasts a distinct Island music sound, coated in hints of traditional Jamaican reggae at the same time. Boog’s lastest album, Backyard Boogie, continues adding to the artist’s impressive list of accomplishments, putting out several hits and featuring as the number #1 album on the reggae billboards.

Hot Rain

Now days, J Boog frequently tours with Hawaiian band Hot Rain, an up and coming group known for their backing abilities & musicianship, but now more so for their own music. In November 2011, they released their first album "Self Titled" which did not disappoint. With hit songs ‘Love’, ‘Cuz I'm’ and ‘Heavyweight Love’ hitting #1 on several of Hawaii's top radio stations, Hot Rain has the islands grooving to their brand of reggae music.

Peetah Morgan

In the past, countless solo artists have evolved from their already successful groups and branched out to enjoy success on their own. Michael Jackson made the transition several years ago, while artists such as Justin Timberlake have made the move more recently in the past decade.

For many years, Peetah’s distinctive voice has led his legendary family band, Morgan Heritage on some of the biggest anthems in modern roots reggae. Such hits as “Tell Me How Come”, ‘Don’t Haffi Dread’, ‘Best Friend’, ‘She’s Still Loving Me’ and ‘Down By The River’, amongst others is what made the group a staple in the reggae community and the sibling band legendary all over the world.

He is not only transitioning into a solo career, but he is also crossing over genres from reggae to R&B in order to showcase his versatility and musical prowess. As enthusiast of all musical genres, Peetah gets a chance to play out those influences on the first full-scale solo project he has embarked on. He says “I love the music, I live the music, I AM THE MUSIC”, Peetah is definitely ready to embark on his most ambitious venture to date.

Spawnbreezie

With the combinations of island music, roots reggae, and hip-hop, Spawnbreezie has crafted a new kind of sound. Combining the percussions of hip-hop, the skank of reggae and the vocals of the Island music, he calls it, "Island Hip Hop". Spawnbreezie has performed for numerous venues: night clubs, parties, weddings, release parties and has done numerous shows to give back to the community.

In 2002, Spawnbreezie and his family, formed a family band called, ‘Le Atalua Breeze Band’. Being a part of the Breeze Band, he thought it was only fair to represent it wherever his music took him. At that time he was going by the stage name of “Spawn” and was in the making of his solo debut album. In 2005-06, he had finished 12 hot tracks but due to a lack of serious promotion, the album went unnoticed. With persistence and determination, Spawnbreezie hit back in 2007 along with the help of his brothers, and released their first band album, "Breezin' All Nite".

The sound of Island hip-hop began to grow, gaining recognition from both local radio and fans throughout the city of Independence. With awesome reviews in the local area and great feedback from MySpace listeners, Spawnbreezie is ready to take the world by storm. Having become a YouTube sensation, Spawnbreezie is now considered a main attraction of the international reggae scene and is hugely popular in New Zealand.

Soljah

Soljah are a five piece unit hailing from Kaipara, Auckland. The group consists of five heavyweight musicians, who are currently creating waves across Aotearoa with their mesmerising live performances and ground stomping sound. Sporting a powerful combination of heavily distorted riffs with rhythms that knock you off your feet, bouncy drum & bass and tight vocal harmonies that drip with catchy melodies, Soljah are one of those groups built for the stage.

While listening to Soljah's music you will discover an eclectic blend of influences. The heavily distorted guitar lines mixed with jazz harmony come from the master mind of guitarist Les Watene, who has a degree in Jazz. The four on the floor bass drum can be attributed to Tawhiri Littlejohn's history of playing reggae music since he was young. The soulful vocals of Ben Ratima are reminiscent of a love for old school artists such as Stevie Wonder, and the percussive slapping coming from Raniera Littlejohn's bass oozes funk and soul. Jacob Nansen completes the unique mixture with a touch of RnB coming through on the keys.

The five musicians that make up Soljah have been painting their flavour throughout the country alongside many well known Kiwi artists, as they are all highly sought after session musicians, called on by the best for various recording projects and performances. Between the five of them they have played for NZ artists such as King Kapisi, Anika Moa, Savage, Che Fu, Vince Harder, Nesian Mystic, Annabel Fay, Ben Lumis, Josh Leys and Sons of Zion.

Sons of Zion

Sons of Zion are a six-piece fusion band whose sound is compromises a blend of reggae, heavy rock, dub and funk. Their live stage presence has captivated audiences around New Zealand and their infectious mixture of reggae grooves with melodic vocals, phat dubby base lines and metal inspired guitar riffs. There's something for every musical taste within their live performance.

Since the bands formation, things moved very quickly for the group, and they were soon gaining some serious attention and recognition, in particular following their win at the 2007 Soundsplash Band competition. The group launched their first self-titled EP at this event.

Although still fairly new on the local roots scene, Sons Of Zion have already shared the stage with NZ reggae heavyweights such as Kora, Katchafire, The Black Seeds, Cornerstone Roots, Opensouls and House of Shem, with critics heralding them as the next big thing on the scene. Cementing this claim were the announcements the band would play both the 2011 and 2012 Raggamuffin Music Festivals, which are considered the pinnacle in New Zealand reggae music events

ENDS

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