R.A.W. Conference Report

[Evan C R]

Greetings Reggae Massive & R.A.W Idren!

I know, I know. I should have written this sooner. Too much to do and too
little time! That's what happens when yuh get energized by a meeting as
upful as the recent Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide conference in Salt Lake
City. So where do I start? I heard about and joined R.A.W. because of the
Internet. Finding good info about reggae is tough, even in Chicago. When I
started looking 叢on the net I found some good resources, made some good
friends and heard about R.A.W.. Seemed like a pretty active and conscious
group of Idren, so I sent in my fee and joined. Time passed, I saw more
and more R.A.W. members on-line, hooked up with them for shows and began
to get involved forwarding the vibe in my own small way. With no small
amount of encouragement from my R.A.W. sisters and brothers, I decided to
make the trip Salt Lake City to see just how serious and professional this
outfit called R.A.W. was. Why not? I had enough frequent flyer miles for a
ticket.

I knew it was going to be a good experience when I landed in Denver.
Walked into the lounge and as mi foot hit the door, Bob Marley's voice
came over the stereo. Not just one song on the radio, but the whole CD.
Yes I. Give Thanks. Surely this was a positive sign from the Almighty Jah.
In fact, everything about the trip was going well. Amoreena at TravelQuest
had the car and hotel all set and was very helpful about the bookings, the
copies of Caribbean Pulse Magazine that I volunteered to take had
arrived in time and I was even able to borrow a video camera to record
some of the proceedings.

Arriving at the hotel, it was time to try and find Idren I've never seen
face to face. Diane Issachar, photographer extraordinaire of Rhythm Vibes
magazine, Red I, a R.A.W. member from Chile and a few more I knew were
at the hotel. Didn't take but a minute as an impromptu soccer game was in
progress in the middle of parking lot. The dreadlocks were a good
indication that these folk probably weren't from Salt Lake City, and when
Diane said Hi, Evan (never having seen me in person) it really felt like
family. Bob Slayton of One Love Productions had his van open with the
stereo cranked and reggae riddims filled the hotel while his two Akitas
watched the soccer game in amusement.

A quick dinner and dessert and it was off to check the clubs hosting the
Friday evening showcases and help load in equipment if needed. The Dead
Goat Saloon and the Safari Club were about 50 yards apart. Fridays shows
were Insatiable and Shagnatty at the Dead Goat with Jahstice and Irie
Heights playing at the Safari Club. I caught Jahstice at one place and
Shagnatty at the other. Jahstice really did an excellent job throughout
the conference, both at the Friday night show and backing other performers
and doing their own set on Saturday, be sure and catch them if you get a
chance, Respect. Shagnatty helped sponsor the conference and brought us a
taste of Arizona reggae, fusing technology, conscious lyrics and an
energetic presentation into a unique style all their own. I missed
Insatiable (a Ska & rock Steady band from Salt Lake City) and Irie
Heights, but word was that they gave good performances as well.

Bright and early Saturday morning I ran headlong into the one
disappointment of the trip. The coffee at the hotel was so thin you could
see the bottom of the cup. Not good for the late night crowd. At least it
was complimentary! A quick run to the Utah State Fairgrounds for the
conference sessions and that problem was solved. GOOD coffee and juice
were there to greet us.

Papa Pilgrim opened things up with thanks for all the prayers for his
recovery and a report on his progress. He's still getting his strength
back, but looked to be recovering well and was clearly moved by all the
support he's gotten from all the R.A.W. members. While Doctor's (as well
as Rastaman Nane and Kayt's) orders prevented him from spending as much
time as he wanted taking part in the proceedings, his presence was felt
spiritually throughout the conference and he somehow managed to show up at
exactly the key moment during most of the presentations and showcases.
Much Respect Papa, We love you.

Papa Pilgrim and Rastaman Nane gave an inspiring opening address,
underscoring the importance of the committed reggae fan to the
organization as well as offering specific advice for those seeking success
in the industry. Big Mountain manager Bruce Caplan followed with the
keynote address, answering questions and providing a both a dose of
reality and excellent advice for finding the less obvious opportunities
for spreading the reggae vibe. Compilation CDS, film and video scores and
even the "business" of MTV were part of the thought provoking discussion.

Adjourning to a generous buffet lunch, the 60 to 75 (my estimate) R.A.W.
Idren present had a chance to network, check out the materials in the
doggie bags and catch a little of the Beck concert going on simultaneously
at the fairgrounds before re-convening for an interesting audio
presentation given by Radio DJ Kathy Aldus. Based on materials prepared by
Todd Campbell, her Rhythm Showers presentation gave us an interesting look
at the similarities, relationships and historical background of select
reggae music that went beyond the riddims to include a lyrical
perspective. There really was something for everyone at this conference.
Solid business advice, history, ample time for networking, great music and
most of all a genuine love and respect from and for everyone present. Give
Thanks.

True to the conference's theme "Crossing All Borders", Red I (Richard
Pollman S.) From Chile was next up to report on Reggae In South America.
Luckily, we reminded him to grab his materials from the hotel before we
left. We had hoped to sneak back at lunch and grab em then, but this was a
busy crowd, no time for foolishness!

In what I found to be the most well prepared and stimulating presentation
of the conference, Red I introduced not only the performers of South
America but gave us a detailed look at the overall scene from conscious
perspective without ignoring commercial realities. The presentation
sparked an excellent discussion that underscored the importance of
communicating the message IN MANY LANGUAGES. Do a song in Spanish or
French, translate the LYRICS. As Red I said, Julio Englesias sings in 27
different languages and butchers all of them. They still sell. More
importantly, it helps shift the mainstream's perception of reggae as only
叢arty music' by revealing the conscious message of the lyrics. You can
check his article in Reggae Report Vol. 14 # 3 1996. Communication
technology such as the net facilitates Crossing All Borders with Jah words
and work. Its time we make sure the WORDS are loud and clear for all
people to understand. Even if you don't speak more than one language, you
have a friend that does or can find translation software. Don't forget
there are more than 800 R.A.W. members livicated to spreading the vibe,
bet there are quite a few languages spoken or written there. 鮮uff said.

The final presentation of the busy day gave the Queens (Rootsman Bird's
choice of words) a chance to address issues facing Women in Reggae. A
panel of Sistren consisting of (I know I'm forgetting someone here,
forgive me please) Carol Bruno, Cynthia Morris. Cathy Heald, Kathy Aldus
and Diane Issachar provided personal insights to the challenges faced by
Women. Interestingly, there was little focus on slackness in the dancehall
and like topics. Choosing to focus on the positive, the discussion focused
more on the power of Words. Choose them carefully and with RESPECT.

A few closing words and business for the day was over. It was time to get
ready for the big Saturday show. A drumming circle was happening in the
park or we could get some food on our own. I took the time to relax a bit,
re-charge the camcorder batteries and grab a bite.

The evenings entertainment was set for the Horticultural Building in the
State fairgrounds. The large hall meant ample space for dancing and moving
to the reggae riddims for the 500 or so Ambassadors and Salt Lake City
residents. Jahstice pounded out rock solid riddims as the backing band for
the first two performers, Hylton "The Whistler" Brown and Ras Alan.
Whistler kicked off the show with an energetic six or seven selections
featuring his trademark whistling. Since he took the time to personally
introduce me to his music at the hotel before the show, I enjoyed his
performance even more. Thanks Hylton! Respect! Red I and I & I soon come
see yuh in Mo' Bay. By the time he was finished, the crowd was nice and
loose, the mix was right and we were ready for more!

Next up was Ras Alan. I must say I didn't know quite what to expect from
the Blue Ridge Mountains in Appalachia. Since I had a chance to reason a
bit with Ras Alan (as well as his lady and young son Nesta) at the hotel
before the show, I knew we were in for a good, rootical performance. You
could see Jah Love in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he spoke. He
also had the foresight to send a tape of his material to the backing band
long before the show. Giving Jahstice the opportunity to hear the material
in advance certainly paid off as they sounded pretty tight after only a
few hours actual practice with Ras Alan. I must say I was impressed.
Jahstice's rootical reggae blended perfectly with Ras Alan's spiritual yet
politrick aware lyrics and mountain style guitar. The sound was well
accepted even by the "hard core" reggae audience, but you could hear the
North Carolina loud and clear too. I said to myself "even a long neck beer
drinkin' redneck would enjoy this. Just imagine if those folk finally got
the message behind the music! Rootsman Bird took the stage to help close
Ras Alan's performance and introduce the crowd to The Teacher, a young DJ
making his debut. Perhaps he was nervous about his first performance, but
his deep, rough chatting style often cracked. I'm not a huge fan of this
style, so I won't say much other than it seemed a few more lessons are in
order before the Teacher could satisfy a Chicago crowd. Respect for his
efforts.

Now it was time for Jahstice to give us a taste of their own stuff. Nice
vocals and a continued rock solid performance had the crowd bouncing so
much I had to stop taping! This winner of 6 Brammy Awards (the Bermuda
equivalent of a Grammy) had obviously been around a while, they knew how
to please. By the time Jahstice's fine set was over, I was feeling tired.
One good long day. Knowing we had an early wake-up call in the morning and
having seen them the night before, I decided to skip Shagnatty's closing
set when they started to strike the stage to set up for the new band. I
guess it was a mistake to strike the stage because I later heard that most
of the crowd decided it was over and left. It was a real shame to hear
that Shagnatty, the headliner and official sponsor had to play to the
remaining few. Respect due for their professionalism in going on with a
full set and giving the die-hards that night a nice intimate performance.
I know many, many bands that wouldn't have done the same.

Jah treated us to another beautiful day on Sunday as we rose for the last
day of business. R.A.W. business was followed by a presentation on
multimedia and music given by Jack Pickett. An overview of emerging
technologies such as new "laser read disk" formats containing audio,
video, interactive elements were discussed as well as the present and
future impact of the WWW and Internet on the industry. Last, but not
least, we were given a look at the Reggae Theater of David Daniels. With a
background that included running for Mayor of Denver in 1987 and a 1988
bid for the Vice Presidency of the United States as Eugene McCarthy's
running mate, it was clear that politricks would be a target of his
performances. Video excerpts of his production of Malcolm X Meets Peter
Tosh prepared us for the closing show of the conference that night. His
one-man show called Kolorado A Western Tale... exposed the myopia of a
stereotypical Bronco fan. Primarily an indictment of mainstream America's
indifference to building strong spiritual and cultural roots, it closed,
as I recall, with the Bronco Booster (or is that Bronco buster) starting
to feel the first light of Jah's message after being exposed to the music
by a friend. Listen to the Words. The show had good attendance, but after
hearing about being barricaded in a university by the police during a
performance years earlier, I saw a few looks of concern as we heard sirens
outside as David smoked spliff on stage (Real or simulated, I don't know
and don't care). All concern was unfounded. Jah protects his children.
Give thanks.

The last night at the hotel was a late one. Trading stories, business
cards, jokes, the feeling of Inity and One Love until the wee small hours
of the morning. Lotsa hugs goodbye and last minute phone number exchanges
and it was off to the airport after a few hours of sleep to head home. The
flight back was direct, so I didn't get to see if Bob was still playing in
the Denver airport. I didn't need it. It was playing loudly in my head,
heart and soul thanks to a totally positive experience. High marks for
professionalism, organization, spectrum of activities and performers and
most of all the love and respect given to this first-time attendee. Give
thanks and praises to the most high Jah Rastafari.

One Love and RAWspect,
Eva...@aol.com (Reggae Ambassador Worlwide # 547)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...In everyting yuh goin' to do, there is a wong way and a right way.
And if yuh listen good, yuh will know the right way, yuh know?
Because there is a voice inside talkin' to everyone. Seen? Seen."
-- Hon. Robert Nesta Marley c. late 1980/81
Respect and Jah Guide from Evan, Reggae Ambassador Worldwide # 547
E-mail: hire...@interaccess.com or eva...@aol.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Ronald E Lam]

In a previous article, eva...@aol.com (Evan C R) says:
>Greetings Reggae Massive & R.A.W Idren!

[ plenty snipped ]

>Eva...@aol.com (Reggae Ambassador Worlwide # 547)

excellent comprehensive report, evan...thanks...nuff respec...
keep things moving now, star...
--
jah music is inity and oneness...one earth, one people, one world....
raw 214...roots-ee...///// http://www.xmission.com/~turq/Ark_Band (raw 230)

[Evan C R]

Greetings,
Saludos,

I have posted the conference report I wrote in English and computer
translated into Spanish on the Cool Runnings site (currently under
re-construction) at the following URL's:

Yo he anunciado el informe de la conferencia yo escribí en inglés y
computadora
traducidas en español en el sitio de los Funcionamientos Fresco
(actualmente
bajo la re-construcción) al siguiente URL:

English: http://www.coolcrew.com/coolsite/rawrepte.htm
Español: http://www.coolcrew.com/coolsite/spanish/rawrepts.htm

Jah bless,
Jah bendiga,

Eva...@aol.com (R.A.W. # 547)