EXCLUSIVE: See everything that happened during Groundation's South America run! See it on Surforeggae!

Groundation, a band from Califórnia/EUA, is once again passing through América do Sul. In this fourth tour of the group in this area of the globe, fourteen different cities were featured, distributed in three countries (Brasil, Argentina and Peru). Several surprises, many novelties and very high vibration, all this combined with the incomparable technique of its musicians is making this one of the biggest tours of an artist from Reggae International by América do Sul. The band's growth in the country is impressive. Undoubtedly, currently the Groundation is one of Reggae's three international attractions that takes the most public to the shows around here. The Surforeggae/Intershows, once again promoting the band's tour, was (and continues) accompanying the group throughout the cities. We will be here this way, making a balance of everything that happened in the first two weeks of this unforgettable tour!

THE START OF ALL – VICTORY/ES

The starting point of the tour was scheduled to take place in the beautiful capital of the Espírito Santo (Vitória). Equipe Brasileira arrived in the city early in the morning to wait for the musicians arriving from Califórnia and Jamaica on separate flights early in the afternoon. However, a delay in the international flight of 8 out of 10 members caused them to lose the connection and only to arrive late in the afternoon. The same happened with the two backing vocals that were coming directly from Jamaica, which due to a problem in the aircraft during connection in Panama were only arriving at Vitória at midnight, time when the Ilhacústico was already crowded. Everyone knew that Groundation had grown a lot in Vitória, but the audience exceeded all expectations, exhausting the tickets to the show, and hundreds of people were still outside. The vibration in the show was sensational and the band quickly forgot the weariness of the flight of more than 14 hours from which they had just arrived. Singing almost every song, the audience of Vitória showed that it is prepared to receive great Reggae names. Highlight also for the entire production of the event, which once again did a very good job – Team Surforeggae/Intershows congratulates everyone involved in the excellent work! In the show, highlight the two backing vocals – Stephanie Wallace (which replaced Kerry Ann Morgan who left the band to pursue solo career) and Kim Pommell, who danced, jumped and rocked the audience a lot throughout the performance. The fusion of jazz and various elements such as the Latin percussion of James ‘Mingo’ Lewis Jr. provoked euphoria moments in tracks such as “Picture on The Wall”, “Weak Heart” and “Praisin’”.

NEW MARKET: NEW FRIBURG

One of the features of this 2009 tour was exactly the opening of new markets for the band, that is, producers from other cities where the band was never interested in performing a show. Unfortunately the amount of dates we had available was not enough to meet all these requests, but one of the great privileged was exactly Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro. First in the morning, after the Vitória show, the band followed by bus to Nova Friburgo, where it arrived in the middle of the afternoon and was very well received by the local production of the event. In a very welcoming climate, the city received an unprecedented show from the band, which once again showed what it came for. The event attracted people from various locations, from the Rio de Janeiro capital to people from Vitória who said they couldn't get into the show the day before. The public asked a lot for an encore, which unfortunately was not possible! We apologize for this because the whole band and team were going straight from the show to the Aeroporto do Galeão (RJ) to take the flight to Lima at the Peru.

“ NOSOTROS EN SAN BARTOLO, LIMA” - PERU

Everyone was already informed that the itinerary to be able to perform the show on Lima at Peru would not be easy! As soon as the presentation was closed in Nova Friburgo, everyone left by bus to Rio Airport to make a long and tiring flight, but at the end it was highly rewarding. When we arrived at Lima – at Peru, we faced a tremendous bureaucracy of Customs Peruana, which required the payment of a shorts for the entry of the instruments into the country, ensuring that we would not sell them there (laughs). After more than an hour at the airport to resolve the situation, we set off and saw the reality of the capital Peruana. Everyone was impressed by the conditions of the city, which was built in a desert, where pollution and poverty hatch right after leaving the city’s most modern and beautiful airport. The show was held at Peñascal Rock Bar in San Bartolo in the capital. For the first time in the city, the Groundation certainly did a memorable show, accompanied by a highly vibrant audience who could sing much of the songs. The desert climate of Peru was broken by an unexpected rain that marked even more as a special moment for everyone.

BACK TO BRAZIL: THE TIME OF ST. Paul!

A public number awaited Groundation in Guarulhos in Internacional Eventos (formerly Phillips). Upon returning from Peru, all tired people went to the hotel to be in one piece for the show tonight. Some technical problems in the sound of the stage caused the show to go through a delay, a fact that had no relationship with the band or its production team, as it was being released. Solved problems, the band once again crushed São Paulo, for a larger audience than at the last opportunity in Expresso Brasil. Until ESPN was present to record vignettes with musicians. The new CD of the group, which will be pressed soon, is called “Here I Am”, and will have participation of Cedric Myton of The Congos, Pablo Moses and the legendary percussionist Sticky Thompson. To get a taste of the new album, four different new songs have been played by the shows. Also highlighted is the cover of “Come Together” of the Beatles, which the band performed with full competence. Click here to see Groundation live on São Paulo with the Beatles cover, "Come Together". As Harrison Stafford (vocalist) himself says, each musician has his moment of prominence in the Groundation songs, it is not a band in which one wants to appear more or less than the other, everyone has their moment to demonstrate their technique in improvisation, so no Groundation show is equal to the other. Click here to see Mingo Lewis Jr. from Groundation making a great percussion solo..

BACK TO THE CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY: HEALTH

On Groundation's last América do Sul tour, more precisely in 2007, Brasília ended up staying out. This only made the audience “seat” by the Groundation show grow, which made the event more than special. The crowded Arena F. C. received the band for the first time, and also one of the best shows on the tour. Marcus Urani (keyboard, organ and melodic) gave a separate show as always, being ovationd by the entire audience and by many friends who already own in the city. The musician's concentration during the performance is impressive. In moments of pure trance and excitement, the same almost brings the instruments to the ground without even realizing it. Moulded by Ryan Newman's aggressive bass lines and the firm beat of Haereiti “Rufus” Te Kanawa on the battery, the sound of Groundation gains incredible vivacity when it joins with the other elements present. The metals of Kelsey Howard and David Chachere, the skill and presence of Marcus Urani, the harmony of the vocals of Kim Pommell and Stephanie Wallace, the precision of Mingo Lewis Jr. and evidently the cadence on the guitar and the affirmation in the voice of Harrison Stafford make the show a unique experience not only for those who like reggae, but for those who like music in general.

REGGAE FOR HERMANS:

Currently Argentina has one of the largest Reggae audiences in América do Sul. Whether in Buenos Aires or other cities like Mar Del Plata or Rosario, the audience is always present and with a very peculiar feature: it is difficult to hit them in vibration! Those who watch a football game know that Argentineans sing and vibrate a lot, which is no different in shows there. Once again at Niceto Club, which has received several attractions such as Israel Vibration, Don Carlos, Pablo Moses, SOJA, among others represented by Intershows/Surforeggae, the Groundation led the “hermanos” to madness. Two dates in Niceto, the first being exhausted and the second with an excellent audience reaffirmed the great prestige of the Argentines by the reggae of the Groundation.

REGGAE IN THE ISLAND OF MAGIA

Following the concert marathon of the tour (5 per week), we landed at 19h in Florianópolis for another performance of the band. The LIC (Lagoa Iate Clube) brought together a good audience, which showed a lot of anxiety to see the Groundation, since in the opening band's music ranges many kept calling the name of the Califórnia group. With a wide audience, Florianópolis had the opportunity to hear not only the group's big hits, but also songs from the new album, which aroused the curiosity of many fans. The show had some delays, which ended up damaging the whole group a bit, since the flight to Recife was early in the morning. But this did not shake the performance of the band, which once again did an excellent show and came back for an inevitable bis, since the audience of Floripa was incessantly asking, even with the time quite advanced.

THERE'S HUMAN HEAT:

Upon arriving in Recife/PE, the group immediately headed towards the beautiful and historic Olinda, next to the capital of Pernambuco. The show, which took place at the Mercado Eufrásio Barbosa, was undoubtedly one of the hottest and most vibrant (and hot-set) tour. The repertoire featured several classical songs from the group, which were very well received by the Pernambuco public. This time the structure of the show as a whole was better than the previous one in 2007, despite the great heat on the Eufrásio Barbosa.

NO ONE'S BOTAR DEFECTED:

With all the attention (all the same – from press to great artists) for the show at Rio de Janeiro, at Canecão, the expectation could not be better. With an excellent structure of light, sound, acoustics, air conditioning, stage it was already possible to predict that this had everything to be an unforgettable show. The crowded Canecão received the Groundation on a memorable night not only for the band, public and for us, but also for the Reggae which again reached a level from which it was distant for many years. With a repertoire that was a real walk through several of the group's albums, the Groundation led to madness the audience present, leaving a very good feeling in all. In the audience, members of Rappa, Cidade Negra, Ponto de Equilíbrio, among many others were checking the sound of the Californian band. The longest concert of the tour was entitled to two bis, as the ecstatic audience could not leave the site and asked for even more. Songs such as “Here I Am”, “Rome”, “Come Together” (Beatles), “Hebron”, “Undivided”, “Rome” and “Freedom Taking Over” made the joy of the carioca audience that was in fact privileged to have such a show in a structure like Canecão. The tour is still a success with five more shows, so Juiz de Fora, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Fortaleza and Belém: SE PREPARE! This is Groundation! Feel Jah!

REGGAE FOR MINES:

Having spent the two days off (Monday and Tuesday) in Rio, the group went by bus on Wednesday to the welcoming Juiz de Fora, in the State of Minas Gerais. The Cultural Bar, recently opened site has a very good structure for performing concerts for privileged 1,000 and six hundred people. With the tickets sold out, Groundation did its first show on Minas, in a stunning vibe and with a repertoire full of band classics, which made the mining audience vibrate and ask for bis. Congratulations to Movimento Reggae Mineiro, an independent initiative that has been promoting, disseminating and moving the scene in the state since 2005.

THE HIGHEST VIBRATION:

For the fourth time in Porto Alegre, the Groundation once again performed on Opinião, also with sold-out tickets. Not even the The Wailers show on the same day in town didn't even come close to threatening, and fans compared in weight, having hundreds of people left outside, unable to enter because of the stocking. The gaucho audience, undoubtedly one of the most vibrant in the country in all the Reggae International shows we performed, once again gave a show. The deafening noise inside the Opinião made the band two encores, making everyone very satisfied. Definitely one of the best shows on the tour! Highlight also the band Humani, by Florianópolis, which opened the show in high style.

BAHIA OF ALL HOLY

The Groundation which in 2007 made two presentations (one of them being at the Reggae Republic Festival) in the capital of the Bahia de Todos os Santos left a great expectation for its return. The best event house in the city (Bahia Café Hall), with capacity for 5,000 people was completely taken, in a show that also brought together two emerging bands in the city - Kayman and Semente da Paz, in addition to consolidated Adão Negro. The event as a whole was a success. In the repertoire of the show, songs such as "Picture on the Wall", "Here I Am", "Fussing and Fighting" (The Gladiators), "Praising", "Rome", "Freedom Taking Over" and "Undivided" led the Baian public to delirium. Salvador had been fasting for a long time, without major international shows, and once again showed all its strength.

HEALTH IN STRONGNESS

After leaving Salvador first thing in the morning, everyone arrived at Fortaleza in the early afternoon, for what would be the penultimate tour show. The weather was perfect at Praia do Futuro, and Banda Donaleda opened the show showing why it is considered one of the best in the country. When everything was ready for the presentation of the Groundation, a heavy, sudden and unexpected rain soaked several equipment on stage, especially the sound table, generating a delay. The public of Fortaleza, quite understanding, waited for the replacement of the equipment, and was soon greeted by Harrison Stafford who said it was a pleasure to report once again in the city. Highlight some tracks from the new album such as "Profit" and "Here I Am", which were very well received by the public.

BELEM: LAST STOP

The end point of the winning tour of 15 shows in 19 days was Belém/PA. The African Bar, which recently received the SOJA, was also staged for the Groundation. The general comment during and after the show was that the band is sensational, and that individually the musicians rock, a fact proved by the solos of each during the songs. Accustomed to a "70s" footprint that is dictated by local DJs, the audience Paraense was surprised by such innovation and new elements present in Groundation music. After the last show, as usual, there was the celebration of all for another big step taken at América do Sul. Soon the album Here I Am will be released on Brasil, and in March 2010 get ready for another big tour of this which is one of the biggest powers of Reggae World!

IMAGES OF THE EVENT

 Click here to see some photos of the tour.

MULTIMIDIA

Click here to see Groundation with the clip "Freedom Taking Over".