Friday, May 2
THE WAILERS
Vibes Main 1, Medford, OR
Doors 7:30/Showtime 8:30pm
$25 adv
All ages
 
BOB MARLEY¹S ORIGINAL BAND, THE WAILERS, ROCK VIBES MAIN 1 IN MEDFORD ON
FRIDAY, MAY 2 

 

The Wailers, are back led by Aston ³Family Man² Barrett and plan to carry on
the spirit and musical dominance that was created by Bob Marley and the
Wailers with shows throughout the west . The Wailers will bring down the
house at Vibes Main One club in Medford, OR on Friday, May 2 performing hit
after hit. The show opens up at 7:30pm and music will start at 8:30pm. Vibes
Main 1, 821 North Riverside Drive, Medford, OR 97501 is an all-ages venue.
 
 
Recognized throughout the world as the architect of reggae, ³Family Man²
created a music genre that rose to world domination when he teamed up with
Bob Marley as his bassist and musical director to form Bob Marley and the
Wailers.  ³Family Man² and his band, The Wailers, continue to tour the world
leaving no doubt that the musical legacy he and Bob Marley created would
continue.
 
³Family Man² has pushed the limits of The Wailers, by assembling original
band members that toured with Bob Marley making this reunion an
unprecedented musical event.
 
The name Wailers first applied to groups led by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and
Bunny Livingston in the mid-sixties, when ska was the ruling sound in
Jamaican music.  By the end of the decade this triumvirate had teamed up
with the Barrett brothers and begun to dominate the early reggae scene,
recording untold hits for producer Lee ³Scratch² Perry.  After signing to
Island Records in 1971, the name Wailers referred to Bob Marley¹s band.
When Peter and Bunny left the group two years later, the position of musical
director was officially passed onto Aston ³Family Man² Barrett and his late
brother Carlton, who died in 1987. Bob Marley and The Wailers would then go
on to break musical history by selling well over 250 million records
worldwide. Clearly, ³Family Man² is the sole beneficiary of The Wailers¹
mantle and whilst other long-standing members still record and tour with the
band, it is Marley¹s former bassist and musical arranger, ³Family Man², who
continues to spread his musical legacy.  The lead singer is former City Heat
vocalist Gary ³Nesta² Pine, who is widely regarded as The Wailers¹ best
front man since the late, great Bob himself.
 
In summary, The Wailers Band remains the world¹s ultimate roots rock reggae
outfit.  No other aggregation can match them for either the depth or quality
of their hit songs, or their widespread appeal.  The cap still fits, and
yes, the crowd still wants more.
 
Advance tickets are available in Ashland: Music Coop, Lowdown; in Medford:
Bad A$$ Coffee, Six One Nine, Music Head; Merlin: Victoria¹s Station: Grants
Pass: Listen Here: Williams: Williams General Store; All Ticketswests
outlets; Online at www.renegadeshows.com  ,
tickets.com ticketswest.com, jambasetickets.com. For information or phone
orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801.
 
For more information or credit card phone orders call Renegade Productions
at 530-583-2801.

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Renegade Productions
Kaati ­ publicity
775-337-8344
 
SPRING REGGAE BASH
Saturday, March 29 
Live, from Jamaica -
THE ITALS featuring Keith Porter
Opening band: Second Nature
Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
Doors 8pmShowtime 9pm
$20 
All ages
 
 
THE ITALS BRING ROOTS REGGAE TO HISTORIC ASHLAND ARMORY ON SATURDAY, MARCH
29
 
The Itals featuring Keith Porter, will be performing at Historic Ashland
Armory at 208 Oak Street in Ashand on Saturday, March 29 at 9pm. Tickets are
$20 and the opening band is Second Nature.. Treat yourself to the
honey-sweet harmonies of one of Jamaica¹s finest reggae trios ­ The Itals.
 
Hailing from the the ³Golden Era of Roots Reggae,² the Itals' harmonies
first hit the charts with "In a Dis Ya Time" (1975). Described by Keith
Richards as "the perfect reggae track," he made sure the song was included
in the Rolling Stones' Artist Choice CD (released 2003), available through
Starbucks Coffee from Hear Music, a division of EMI (as well as in selected,
major chains).
 
As the Œ70s turned into the Œ80s & Œ90s, classic albums like "Brutal Out
Deh" and "Rasta Philosophy" delivered cultural hymns by the dozen,
catapulting the "Give me Power" LP to #1 on CMJ's "Reggae Route" chart.
Pollstar selected the ITALS among their top 100 artists in 1985. And the
group has performed throughout the world, including at Reggae Sunsplash.
 
The ITALS' CD¹s express the same, solid harmonies that put the ITALS in the
ranks of the Mighty Diamonds and Culture.
 
Advance tickets are available in Ashland at Music Coop, in Medford at Bad
A$$ Coffee, Six One nine, Music Head; in Merlin at Victoria¹s Station; in
Grants pass at Listen Here; in Williams at the General Store; all Tickets
West Outlets and online at www.renegadeshows.com

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MIDNITE - 100% Roots Reggae from St. Croix AND PREZIDENT BROWN
Historic Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
Doors 7:30/Show 8:00
$25
All ages
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  FROM  RENEGADE PRODUCTIONS
 
MOST PROMISING ROOTS REGGAE BAND OF THE MILLENNIUM ­ MIDNITE FROM ST. CROIX
ALSO PREZIDENT BROWN - AT HISTORIC ASHLAND ARMORY ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29
 
 
Renegade Productions presents the hottest roots reggae band to come out of
the Virgin Islands to date, MIDNITE at the Historic Ashland Armory in
Ashland, OR on Friday, February 29. Opening band PREZIDENT BROWN will start
the all-ages reggae dance party at 8:00pm.  The doors are at 7:30pm and the
tickets are $25.
 
Hailing from the Island of St Croix, Midnite is one of the most promising
roots reggae bands of the millennium. They are vanguards of conscious reggae
whose profound and innovative lyrics are sincere and deeply rooted. Their cd
recordings and live performances will have reggae and non-reggae listeners
open to the messages they bring.
 
Lead singer Vaughn Benjamin's electrifying voice seems an amalgamation of
many great voices in reggae--soulful, chanting, edgy. Vaughn's potent
lyrical style and his brother Ron's exquisite keyboards and musical
directorship form the nucleus of this musical quintet. Midnite weaves the
cultural lyrics of "old school" roots music with modern day experiences to
create a unique listening encounter. Reggae - naked and raw is an apt
description for Midnite's musical style, in which they forgo the frills of
extensive remixes, overdubbing and other musical refinements.
 
Midnite explodes in live performances with sets that often exceed three
hours. Their vigorous, weighty sound, driven by the punchy bass lines
creates a vibe that penetrates straight to the heart. These epic musical
communions have earned Midnite an enormous following throughout the roots
community. This is especially true in St. Croix, Puerto Rico, Brazil, St.
Louis and here on the West Coast where they have toured extensively.
 
By breaking all the rules, Midnite is setting a new standard. Armed with a
firm foundation in Jah Rastafari, their natural talents, and a strong and
uncompromising musical vision, Midnite champions a unique sound that is on
the cutting edge of modern roots music.
 
Prezident Brown (born: Fitz Albert Cotterell) has been called, "One of the
most interesting cultural dee-jays since U Roy". Emphasizing positive
messages, Prezident Brown has continued to pioneer his own direction,
developing his own approach to dee-jaying that he calls, "The chanting
stylee". 
 
 Born to a Seventh Day Adventist family in Colonel Ridge, Clarendon,
Prezident Brown grew up in the small town of Oracabessa in the Parish of St.
Mary, Jamaica.  He was forced to leave school at a young age when his father
died leaving him with his mother and three sisters.
 
 Prezident Brown launched his musical career at the age of fourteen, when he
began dee-jaying for the Sound King Stereo Mix at the Bamboo Lounge.
Initially known as Junior Ranking, Prezident Brown was dubbed, "Slim Brown",
by dee-jay Nicodemus.  When he recorded his debut single in 1988 Prezident
Brown was named, "Dancehall Doctor". The late Jack Ruby, producer of Burning
Spear¹s albums, ³Marcus Garvey², and, ³Man In The Hills², bestowed the
title, ³Prezident², upon him.
 
In 1989, he joined Courtney Cole's label, Roof International, and began
performing and dee-jaying at the Rooftop Club in Ocho Rios.  In 1990,
Prezident Brown became involved with producers Barry O'Hare and Steven
Stewart at Grove Music in Ocho Rios. It was Barry O'Hare's X-Rated Record
label that became Prezident Brown¹s home base and it was X-Rated Records
with Runn Records that launched his career in Europe.
 
 In Jamaica the X-Rated label took off as a massive roots revival swept
across the country paving the way for Prezident Brown¹s conscious style of
reggae dee-jaying.  In 1999 the Jamaican record label Kariang released the
timeless, ³To Jah Only² album.  In 2002 Jahmani Productions in the US
released a 2 CD disc called, ³Showcase Volume 1².
 
 The 46 show tour that followed that release took Prezident Brown across the
United States and included performances at The Sierra Nevada World Music
Festival, and Reggae On The River.  Jahmani Productions then released
³Showcase Volume 2², and ³Showcase Volume 3² which includes a live
performance from the 2002 Mt. Shasta Renegade Music Festival. In 2004 the
German based label Chet Records with Sony Records released the album,
³Generation Next². 
 
Prezident Brown now lives in Ocho Rios, in the Parish St. Ann, Jamaica.  He
continues to record and tour.  He has developed a strong following in the
United States and Europe, and continues to grow musically and in notoriety,
as a champion of the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement
Prezident Brown entertains, informs and inspires
 
Advance tickets are available at Music Coop, Lowdown; Medford: Bad A$$
Coffee, Six One Nine, Jacks Board House; Musichead;  Merlin: Victoria¹s
Station; Grants Pass: Listen Hear; Williams General Store;  All Tickets West
outlets; online at jambasetickets.com, renegadeshows.com and tickets.com.
 
For information or phone orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801

Tags: MIDNITE Music

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Thursday, February 7
ZEPPARELLA
Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
9:00 pm (Doors Open at 8:00 pm)
$15.00 advance
All Ages
 
 
ALL FEMALE LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE BAND ZEPPARELLA COMES TO ASHLAND ARMORY ON
FEBRUARY 7
 
Renegade Productions welcomes Zepparella to the Historic Ashland Armory, 208
Oak Street in Ashland, OR on Thursday, February 7 at 9pm. Zepparella are
four women intent on bringing the passion, the beauty, the aggressionŠ the
musicality of Led Zeppelin alive. Not to be missed, the doors are at 8pm and
tickets are $15 in advance. This is a 21  and over venue.
 
Zepparella delivers an explosive, emotional musical journey at every event.
They take on the challenge of balancing their devotion to playing the songs
as close to the original as possible, while taking advantage of their own
musical communication and carrying the audience away on the ride.
 
The combination of personalities in Zepparella is something extraordinary.
>From the first time on stage there was such a strong musical connection that
to the girls it felt like a homecoming. And in a musical career, that kind
of connection may be the most elusive gift of all.
The players:
 
Anna Kristina, the popular Bay Area stage actress, vocalist and solo artist,
brings her seductive style and powerful range to front the band with
consistently transcendent performances.  Her soulful delivery is
mesmerizing. For a list of her many projects and accomplishments, visit
www.annakristina.com.
 
Gretchen Menn applies her dazzling and emotive guitar playing to the leads.
After her stint as Agnes Young in the top-grossing Bay Area band AC/DShe for
three years, and then touring as the second guitarist in the national metal
band BOTTOM, she now takes on the Page lines with an arresting ability that
can¹t be missed.
 
Nila Minnerock¹s seminal bass playing, dark, beautiful, aggressive, melodic,
fills out the bottom end of the band. Her joined-at-the-hip connection with
Clementine began nine years ago in BOTTOM, and close to 20 trips around the
US, Canada and Europe and three records have created the remarkably
intuitive rhythm section that Zeppelin deserves.  Nila also currently plays
in the metal band Mudface with Ted Aguilar of Death Angel.
Clementine tackles the best rock drumming ever written with her own
powerfully passionate style, bringing the Motown influence of the Bonham
groove to the forefront.  As Phyllis Rudd in AC/DShe and throughout the run
of BOTTOM, she developed a heavy-hitting sound suited to attempt Zeppelin.
The musical connection established with Gretchen in AC/DShe and the lifelong
rhythmic conversation with Nila creates the bond required to do this great
music justice.  www.clemthegreat.com 
 
Individuals with widely diverse musical tastes, Led Zeppelin¹s music is
common ground. The magic of Zeppelin was the dynamic energy between the four
musicians, and the songs allow Zepparella to feel that energy too. So it's
natural that they begin a project of original music, The House of More.
 
Bringing the western United States stellar events for over a year, the Zep
Quartette revel in creating spectacular multi-media events. A favorite was a
night celebrating the gorgeous surrealism of the late 60¹s, complete with
Tom Jonesing opening the show and the girls playing an all-Zep soundtrack to
the movie Barbarella.
 
Advance tickets are available at Music Coop, Lowdown; Medford: Bad A$$
Coffee, Six One Nine, Jacks Board House; Musichead;  Merlin: Victoria¹s
Station; Grants Pass: Listen Hear; Williams General Store;  All Tickets West
outlets; online at jambasetickets.com, renegadeshows.com, ticketswest.com
and tickets.com.
 
For information or phone orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801.

Tags: Music Ashland Armory

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Saturday, February 2

THE ENGLISH BEAT
Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
9:00 pm (Doors Open at 8:00 pm)
$20.00 advance
All Ages
 
 
Œ80s SKA SENSATION, THE ENGLISH BEAT FEATURING DAVE WAKELING PERFORMING AT
THE HISTORIC ASHLAND ARMORY ON  FEBRUARY 2
 
Dave Wakeling and The English Beat will be performing at the Historic
Ashland Armory on Saturday, February 2 at 9pm. This is an all-ages dance
party and the tickets are $20.
 
A story behind every songŠ
 
Dave Wakeling is a hell of a nice guy! Dave loves to tell you the stories
behind his songs, either from stage or after the show. Ask any one of the
thousands of fans who have met him over the years and that's what you'll
hear. Never mind that Dave is the singer/songwriter from two of the most
popular bands of the end of the millennium, The English Beat and General
Public, he's a stand-up man. Whether it's the personal as political in "How
Can You Stand There", making politics personal in "Stand Down Margaret",
taking a stand against global warming as he did with Greenpeace's
"Alternative NRG", or helping little kids stand up proudly with "Smile
Train", Dave has always stood for something.
 
And like the mighty Redwoods of his adopted home of California (dude!), it's
been easy for Dave to take a stand because of his strong rootsŠ
 
Hailing from working-class Birmingham, England, Dave and The English Beat
entered the music scene in the 1979. When The English Beat rushed on to the
music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical
upheaval. Into this storm came they came, trying to calm the waters with
their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance Beat.
 
The six-member band consisted of singer/songwriter Dave Wakeling (vocals &
guitar), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums),
Saxa (saxophone) and Ranking Roger (toasting). The band managed to fuse all
of their respective musical influences - soul, reggae, pop and punk - into a
unique sound that was highly danceable. Along with contemporaries such as
The Specials, The Selecter and Madness, The English Beat became one of the
most popular and influential bands of the British Ska movement.
 
Over the course of the three albums, The English Beat achieved great success
in their home country, charting several singles into the top 10. In addition
to their UK chart success, in America the band found a solid base of young
fans eager to dance to the their hypnotic rhythms. Their constant touring
with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their
popularity in the States.
 
Despite his huge success, Dave didn't stop singing and acting on the
problems caused by the noise in this world. The band donated all the profits
from their highly successful single version of "Stand Down Margaret" to the
Committee for Nuclear Disarmament. They donated their music to causes
including the anti-nuclear benefit album "Life in The European Theatre",
"The World of Music and Dance" album focusing on indigenous people's art,
and lent their voice to The Special AKA's anthemic song of freedom "Free
Nelson Mandela", to name but a few.
 
Dave Wakeling once told me that every great band only has three really good
albums. And true to form, The English Beat disbanded in 1983, after their
third album, "Special Beat Service".
 
The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new oneŠ
 
It was at this point that Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger recruited Stoker
(drums) and Mickey Billingham (keyboards) of Dexy's Midnight Runners, Horace
Panter (bass) of The Specials, and former Clash guitarist Mick Jones to
formed General Public. Their first album, "...All The Rage", met with
fantastic success, charting high in the U.S., U.K. and even winning the band
a coveted Juno award in Canada for Best New Artist in 1984.
 
After the fantastic success of "...All The Rage", the band spent two years
writing and recording their follow-up, "Hand to Mouth". Like "Whappen"
before it, this sophomore effort was more introspective and than their first
album, taking fans along with him in Dave's continual exploration of the
light and dark side of human emotion. The album was a critical and fan
favorite, and spawned two hit singles, "Too Much or Nothing" and "Come
Again".
 
After the second General Public Album, Dave and Roger went different
directions to follow their own muses. For his part, Dave went on to produce
the soundtrack and record the title track for the John Hughes film "She's
Having a Baby". After that he recorded his first solo record, "No Warning".
The album maintained the pop sensibilities for which General Public had been
known, and in addition exposed even more of the mind and emotions of the man
behind.
 
Forward as oneŠ
 
After his solo album, while the other ex-members of The English Beat were
busy with their various projects, Dave decided to use his notoriety for
good, and pursued a full-time position saving the planet at a job with
Greenpeace. This didn't mean a break from music, just a break from being the
lead singer, as he stepped inside the mixing booth to produce the Greenpeace
album "Alternative NRG".
 
What made this album outstanding and ground breaking was not just the roster
of rock luminaries who Dave convinced to performed on it, including REM, U2,
Midnight Oil, UB40, Annie Lennox, Sonic Youth, and more, but the fact that
it was recorded in 14 separate venues across America using a recording truck
powered exclusively by solar power - a 160 square foot, 1,920-watt solar
panel array contained in a trailer known as Cyrus. The power produced by the
solar array, once converted to AC (the sun is DC), generated enough
electricity to meet the needs of an average-size house for several days, and
was proof positive of the viability of solar and other forms of alternative
energy.
 
I'll take you thereŠ
 
After a metaphorical bump on the head from Elvis Costello for abandoning his
post as crooner (a true story, ask Dave about it some time), Dave felt the
need to "take us there" one more time. Dave teamed up with old friends to
reform General Public in released their third album, "Rub It Better", in
1995. The album and Dave's return to the stage were met by a huge outpouring
of critical raves and fan support. The album provided yet another hot single
for the duo of Dave and Roger, with their infectious reggae remake of an old
Staples Singers song, "I'll Take You There", climbing the singles charts and
anchoring the soundtrack of the very hip, box office smash hit "Threesome".
 
Having infected a whole new group of fans with Beat-madness, General Public
then decided to disband in 1996. However, true to his philanthropic bent and
always looking to help out, General Public reformed in 1998 to play at
"Sweet Relief", a concert to benefit ailing musicians.
 
The English Beat goes onŠ
 
Having accepted and embraced his true calling again , Dave continued to
perform, touring back and forth across the States. Dave did it old school,
touring clubs and playing countless gig from sea to shining sea,
re-connecting with his Beat and General Public fans and building a strong
and loyal fan base that continues to love his songs and embrace the
evolution of his music.
 
Then, in February 2003, we saw a dream come true for Dave and many Beat fans
as The English Beat reunited for a mini-tour in the UK, culminated in their
acclaimed, sold out command performance at the Royal Festival Hall! Dave,
Everett, Roger, Blockhead and the star of the show, Saxa, took the crowd by
storm! It was a magical homecoming for Dave and a really wonderful
experience for the fans, with band members and fans gathering from around
the globe for a night or irie, ska-ful rock-steady Beat! Being the hard
driving ska legend that he is, however, Dave Wakeling was not content to
rest on his laurels after the RFH reunionŠ
 
Beat this!
 
Tongue firmly in cheek, feet on the ground and eyes on the future, Dave
takes the stage time and again, touring across the States, Canada, the UK
and beyond. He does it for two reasons: First, he loves to play music,
period. Second, his job here on Earth is to bring a message of love, unity
and a steady, rhythmic groove of danceable songs with a message to the
masses. Fans see him as an icon and to the young bands coming up he's the
elder statesman of ska. His swooning croon has been covered by such rock
luminaries as Peter Townshend, Eddie Vedder and Elvis Costello.
 
He's repeatedly referred to in the press now as a "legacy artist" and an
"icon": he's wasn't quite sure what it all meant and thought he might be
entitled to some extra initials after his name (he wasn't).
 
However, he learned what those terms actually mean early in 2006 when, much
to his surprise, bemusement, and eternal joy, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
contacted him and asked him for his trademark Vox teardrop guitar, to bed
displayed in a place of honor alongside the axes of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt
Cobain of Nirvana. Truly a wonderful and humbling experience for a working
class boy from Brum!
 
Dave is currently entering a musical renaissance, and fresh off this legacy
moment, Dave is planning on going into the studio to lay down two new
albums. Dave also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he had done for
the last three decades, with an amazing all-star Ska backing band playing
the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs. Expect the
unexpected and prepare to be blown away by the ever-changing King of Ska!
 
One thing that hasn't and won't change though, Dave Wakeling remains a hell
of a nice guy.
 
Advance tickets are available at Music Coop, Lowdown; Medford: Bad A$$
Coffee, Six One Nine, Jacks Board House; Musichead;  Merlin: Victoria¹s
Station; Grants Pass: Listen Hear; Williams General Store;  All Tickets West
outlets; online at jambasetickets.com, renegadeshows.com and tickets.com.
 
For information or phone orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801.

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