Published:Monday | January 11, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Rebel Salute 2016, which will be held on Friday and Saturday in St Ann, is the second event in Jamaica to be granted a marijuana exemption. The first was Rastafari Rootz Fest in Negril, Westmoreland, last November.This has facilitated a section of...
Published:Friday | January 8, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Rebel Salute 2016 takes place at Grizzly's Plantation Cove, Priory, St Ann, on Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16. Subtitled The Preservation of Reggae, as have a number of previous stagings, it presents two nights of extensive line-ups...
Published:Wednesday | January 6, 2016 | 10:44 AMMel Cooke
It is very unlikely that anyone who attends the 'One Night Only' staging of the Original Startime at the Mas Camp, National Stadium, on Saturday night is going to hear a new song. And, overwhelmingly, chances are that is just how they like it....
Published:Monday | December 28, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
It is the first Sunday of 2016 and three days after New Year's Eve, so it's a strong possibility that one of two things (or both) has happened - the effects of the partying, (if there was any), have worn off and the...
Published:Friday | January 1, 2016 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
In 1786, the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns almost came to Jamaica to live and work on a slave plantation. However, even as he prepared to come to work as an overseer/bookkeeper, Burns finally got a deal to publish his first book: Poems,...
Published:Tuesday | December 29, 2015 | 7:03 PMMel Cooke
Tony Rebel reflects on effect before exemptionThere was mirth at the launch of Rebel Salute 2016, held earlier this month at the Marriott Courtyard, New Kingston, when Justice Minister Mark Golding handed over a letter of marijuana exemption for the...
Published:Sunday | December 27, 2015 | 2:40 PMMel Cooke
Sting 2015 came to an abrupt end just past 6 a.m. yesterday at Jamworld, Portmore, St Catherine, with Beenie Man and Elephant Man among the billed headline acts who did not perform, in addition to a touted Ninja Man, Gully Bop and Merciless 'three-...
Published:Wednesday | December 23, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Admiral Bailey at Jamworld for Sting and Bounty Killer in Black River for Extravaganza (as well as Galliday Bounce in Ewarton tomorrow) are among the performers who would have stepped out to entertain the crowds this holiday weekend. They are among...
Published:Wednesday | December 23, 2015 | 5:32 PMMel Cooke
In two to three days, we will know how Sting 2015 has fared, with a line-up that is a far cry from what has been served up in recent years. The date - Boxing Day - is the same. The venue - Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine - is the same. But the...
Published:Tuesday | December 22, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
The late postponement of a concert with Sanchez and Half Pint at Club Famous, Portmore, St Catherine, originally scheduled for Saturday, may have significantly reduced the audience on Sunday. However, fewer numbers meant that a higher percentage of...
Published:Friday | December 18, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Poet Mutabaruka said "dem invade Angola again", Robert 'Bob' Marley, the father, and Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, the son, referred to Angola briefly in song, while Jah Bouks made it central to his song which became popular in 2013, but was first...
Published:Friday | December 18, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Speaking at the launch of Rebel Salute 2016, slated for Grizzly's Plantation Cove, St Ann, on January 15 and 16, the event's founder noted the passing of the years."This evening, we gather because of the 23rd staging of Rebel Salute. Anything over...
Published:Friday | December 18, 2015 | 5:39 PMMel Cooke
REBEL SALUTE 2016, which will be held at Grizzly's Plantation Cove, Priory in St Ann, on January 15 and 16, has been declared an exempt event under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015. It will be the second event held in Jamaica which has been...
Published:Wednesday | December 16, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Outside the US Embassy at 142 Old Hope Road, St Andrew, is not known for voluble, happy Jamaican chatter, as tense visa hopefuls wait their turn to enter the building for a chance to enter Uncle Sam's land.On Tuesday afternoon, though, the situation...
Published:Monday | November 30, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Financial problems are a major cause of contention between couples, leading to friction, break-ups, and issues of all and sundry. The late Ruddy Thomas and Gregory Isaacs were wrong when they sang Loving Pauper and All...
Published:Friday | December 11, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
On the second night of the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise's first leg, which started on Monday, November 30, in Miami, USA, a duo came on the main stage. They were introduced to the audience as Chris and Rob, and the former was handed the...
Published:Friday | December 11, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
The 30th anniversary staging of Sting on Boxing Day 2013 was built largely around a rare Jamaican performance by deejay William ‘Super Cat’ Maragh, also widely called the Wild Apache and Don Dada among dancehall enthusiasts. Two years...
Published:Wednesday | December 9, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
So, there I was sometime last week, at a window in a dining area on the upper deck of the Norwegian Pearl eating fruit (yeah yeah, so me a gwaan like me neva get whe pon de whole heap a food, buffet style, too, so yu coulda go as much time yu want...
Published:Monday | December 7, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Ahead of the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, which is now into its second consecutive round trip between Miami (United States) and Jamaica, the quartet TOK had well-publicised unity issues. Still, they made the trip on the Norwegian Pearl and...
Published:Sunday | December 6, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley was as much a gracious host as a standout performer as he closed last Thursday night's concert segment of the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise.Anchoring the penultimate night of live performances aboard the Norwegian...
Published:Monday | November 30, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
It is amazing how many women get - and stay - involved with men who do not care about them.Similarly, it is fascinating how many women dismiss a decent man with whom they are involved and move on to a single life or a singularly...
Published:Thursday | December 3, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Dancehall was the order of Wednesday night on the Norwegian Pearl as the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise sailed along the North Coast en route to Ocho Rios, St Ann, after arriving in Montego Bay,St James, that morning.Dancehall did not mean...
Published:Tuesday | December 1, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Gramps Morgan was at the keyboard while his son Jemere embraced Morgan Heritage lead singer 'Uncle Peetah' on stage. And live concert closer, Stephen Marley, also presented generation next in his son Jo Mersa to an enthusiastic audience on the open-...
Published:Friday | November 27, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
As the general election draws closer, although the date is yet to be announced as the prime minister awaits a divine whisper, music is a significant part of the campaigning. Although popular Jamaican performers have appeared on political platforms...
Published:Friday | November 27, 2015 | 12:00 AMMel Cooke
Electronic Dance Music (EDM) has been here before parties like Electronic Dance Xposed at Caymanas Estate in December 2013 (for which Australia's DJ Tydi, Vika Koneva from Russia and DJ Lema from the US were billed) and the upcoming Paradise Lost...
