Bayside Rocks mourns Issacs, salutes living legends and gives back to next generation of musicians
MIAMI – Bayside Rocks Festival is not only being hailed as “The Woodstock of Reggae” for its nod to the nostalgic era and artists of The Bob Marley One Love Movement, but it is also a “party with a purpose” donating a portion of the festival’s proceeds to Voices United, a Miami-based non-profit organization for kids and teens devoted to promoting cultural diversity through the performing arts.
Ironically, the passing of beloved reggae legend and international superstar Gregory Isaacs of lung cancer on October 26th, 2010, further underscores the need to celebrate and support events like Bayside Rocks Festival, a “once in a lifetime experience” and legacy of the original “Rockaz Movement.
In a 2001 interview, Mr. Isaacs reflected on his legacy. “Look at me as a man who performed works musically,” he said. “Who uplift people who need upliftment, mentally, physically, economically — all forms. Who told the people to live with love ’cause only love can conquer war, and to understand themselves so that they can understand others.”
It is with this same sentiment that Bayside Rocks Festival offers a salute to and performances by such reggae icons as three time Grammy Award winner, the Legendary Bunny Wailer of the original Wailers; Grammy Award winning Steel Pulse, the Grammy winner who coined the word “Reggae” himself – Toots & The Maytals, Marcia Griffiths of the original Bob Marley & The Wailers’ I-Threes, 100 % Roots Rock reggae from out of St. Croix Midnite, and Puerto Rico’s own Cultura Profetica and more.
The caliber of reggae pioneers, some of the last living legends from this era, performing on the same stage, is the underlying mission of Bayside Rocks Festival, promising to be an historical event in reggae. This seminal event, coined by the community as “Miami’s reggae festival”, seeks to bring all cultures together by ensuring reggae music is kept alive for the next great era of “One Love” music, by contributing to Voices United, an organization dedicated to encouraging children ages 6-18 to express their concerns and ideas by writing their own scripts, composing music, developing choreography, and set design. www.voicesunited.org
Watch video of Voices United:
www.sflcn.com/multimedia.php?id=f7JFdyr5DVs
Bayside Rocks Festival will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to Midnight at Bayfront Park at 301 N. Biscayne Boulevard, in Downtown Miami. For tickets or more information about Bayside Rocks Festival, please call the general hotline at 305-763-4509, email [email protected] or visit www.baysiderocksfestival.com.
