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  • REGGAE STARS CULTURE, MAXI PRIEST, HEPCAT AND ISRAEL VIBRATION FEATURED AT HOLLYWOOD BOWL ON KCRW'S WORLD FESTIVAL REGGAE NIGHT IV PROGRAM
  • Aug. 28, 2005
  • KCRW's Anne Litt Hosts

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, AT 7 PM

    Generously sponsored by 21st Century Insurance

    Media support provided by KCRW 89.9 FM and Charter Communications

    The Hollywood Bowl's annual World Festival, presented in conjunction with KCRW 89.9 FM, continues with Reggae Night IV, which pays homage to old school roots reggae, on Sunday, August 28, 7 p.m.

    Laying down the groove are four acts that lead the pack. British reggae/pop phenomenon Maxi Priest, whose 2005 album 2 the Max includes the hit "Believe in Love," is the world's most successful solo reggae artist since Bob Marley. Dedicated to the principles of truth and justice, Israel Vibrations has emerged as one of reggae's most spiritual and positive groups.

    L.A.'s own Hepcat mixes Caribbean melodies, soulful harmonies and swing-inspired rhythms in a ska/rocksteady beat that appeals to Rastas, skate punks, mods and Latin jazz fans alike. Culture - whose album Two Sevens Clash was the only reggae album to make Rolling Stone's Top 50 list of all-time coolest records - offers harmony-based roots reggae The New York Times calls it "conscious reggae." Anne Litt of KCRW's "Weekend Becomes Eclectic" hosts the show.

    Over the course of 10 albums and countless live performances, singer MAXI PRIEST has unleashed a one-world music that heals, rejuvenates and uplifts. The U.K. native, the second youngest of nine children of Jamaican parents, has a sexy soulful sound and has earned accolades for balancing hard-core reggae vibes with more mainstream pop sensibilities. Since his 1988 debut, Priest has become one of the most successful reggae solo artists in the world, second only to the legendary Bob Marley. With numerous worldwide hits and the no. 1 pop chart smash "Close To You," Priest is recognized for helping to spread the gospel of reggae and Caribbean music. His most recent album, 2 The Max, released in 2005, includes the hot new single "Believe in Love" and dancehall tunes "Full Hundreds" and "Sweat A Go Buss," featuring Beres Hammond. In 1996 Priest release the hit CD Man With The Fun, which contained the Grammy-nominated crossover single "That Girl," a duet with Shaggy. Among his other hits are Priest's collaborations with Roberta Flack, "Set The Night To Music," and with Shabba Ranks, "Housecall."

    Overcoming tremendous personal obstacles, Jamaicans Cecil Spence (Skelly) and Lascelle Bulgin (Wiss) have endowed their band ISRAEL VIBRATION with a deeply spiritual element. The singers' positive vibrations, resonating sound and traditional roots reggae have been spellbinding audiences and critics for two decades. Both victims of Poliomyelitis (Polio), they met as children in a rehabilitation center. The youths never let their physical situations overcome their willpower and creative abilities. Finding strength in the Rastafarian faith, they began composing and singing songs that expressed their spiritual beliefs. Their 1976 hit "Same Song," brought the group international attention. Following a split, the two reunited in 1988 and have never looked back. Israel Vibration's album Jericho, released on RAS Records in 2000, helped redefine "roots reggae" for the new millennium. The rich vocal harmonies deliver lyrics from the heart. Earlier albums include Strength of My Life, Praises, Forever, Vibes Alive, IV, and On The Rock, whose videos "Rudeboy Shufflin'" and "Feeling Irie" aired on BET and other programs abroad. Free to Move hit number one on the CMJ New World charts.

    The vocal trio CULTURE, led by mystical and charismatic singer and songwriter Joseph Hill, helped define the sound and style of Rastafarian roots reggae. Its 1977 debut album, Two Sevens Clash, a spiritual manifesto against racial injustice and poverty that won a huge following in Jamaica and U.K., is still considered a roots reggae landmark. Rolling Stone included it on its Top 50 list of all-time coolest records, the only reggae album on the list. More than two-and-a-half decades later, Culture, which also performed at the legendary One Love Peace Concert in 1978, released the acclaimed album World Piece in 2003. Rich with Hill's entrancing melodies, blazing brass and funk elements, it shows why Culture is still at the top of the roots reggae roster.

    Reflecting the melting pot from which the band hails, LA's HEPCAT has carved out a richly textured sound that layers ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul and jazz. The nine-piece group released its first album Out of Nowhere, in 1993 on Moon Records, showcasing its songwriting chops, and tight vocal and instrumental work. Three years later Scientific was issued on BYO Records, fueling its growing reputation. Hepcat's 1998 album Right On Time has firmly put the group at the forefront of modern ska. With complex vocal harmonies from dual front men Greg Lee and Alex Desert, who also starred in the hit cult film "Swingers," Hepcat's vocal attack is as full-bodied as its music. The group, previously featured on the Conan O'Brien Show, has opened for such renowned acts as Desmond Dekker, the Wailers Band, the Specials, and Ben Harper, among others, and its videos "Bobby & Joe" and "No Worries" garnered considerable airtime on MTV.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2005, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue at the 16th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2005 at 7 PM

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood



    KCRW'S World Festival

    Reggae Night IV:

    CULTURE

    MAXI PRIEST

    HEPCATS

    ISRAEL VIBRATION

    Generously sponsored by 21st Century Insurance; media sponsors are KCRW 89.9 FM and Charter Communications

    Tickets ($4 - $92) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records, and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details.
    For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane, 213.972.3422; Libby Huebner, 562.799.6055; photos, 213.972.3034