Organizer sees need for fun, fills it with reggae
Neel Austin, one of the organizers of Saturday’s Huntsville Reggae Festival, is frank about how the city’s first reggae fest came to be.
"There’s need for a little reggae, a little fun in the community," Austin said. "There’s nothing going on in the community, so we said, ‘Let’s try it.’ "
Starting at noon, the grassy patch that snuggles up to the loading dock in the Flying Monkey’s parking lot will transform into a Caribbean party.
Austin says there will be music pumping out of a sound system throughout the day as well as poets and a lineup of live local reggae bands.
African and reggae music crew Resonance, made up of Obed Motogbe on keyboards, lead guitar player Daniel Boahmah, guitarist Shola Awoyale, Edward Anassah on African drums and Tatu Nyaku on bass (who are also predominantly University of Alabama in Huntsville students), will perform during the afternoon.
Local reggae band Cush will also get down, as well as two members of the popular former roots reggae group Reggae Mystics.
"A lot of people are in reggae, but we wanted the authentic stuff," said Austin, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Austin is organizing the festival - which will run until 7 p.m. - with Jagan Daley.
Austin said he hopes to attract some of the crowd that comes into the Monkey for its Saturday Artist Market, which also starts at noon, and in turn send reggae fans their way.
To supplement the entertainment, the Huntsville Reggae Festival will have food vendors, including authentic offerings of Jamaican jerk chicken.
The festival, like the music it is celebrating, will be family-friendly with child-centered activities.
"Reggae is about love," Austin said. "There are different variations but reggae is about love and unity."
Huntsville Reggae Festival
When: Saturday, noon-7 p.m.
Where: Flying Monkey Arts Center, 2211 Seminole Drive
How much: free, flyingmonkeyarts.org, 429-8145
