República do Reggae, the maior festival da América Latina traz novidades! Confira in Surforeggae!

República do Reggae is the largest festival of the Jamaican rhythm in Latin America, and this year, in its fifth edition, it is bringing a series of new features. In addition to the already confirmed main stage with Gregory Isaacs (Jamaica), SOJA (United States), Edson Gomes (Bahia), Mato Seco (São Paulo), Ponto de Equilíbrio (Rio de Janeiro) and Vibrações (Maceió), República is bringing this year the "Resistência" stage and another surprise that should please even the most orthodox Reggae fans. Traditionally, major Reggae concerts in Brazil invite local and emerging bands only to open and close the event. República do Reggae will make history by bringing, for the first time, the Palco Resistência, where 6 bands will perform - Semente da Paz, Moa Anbesa, Kayman, Irmandade Brasmorra, Shamayím Zion and Roots Nyabinghi (Aroots). As if that were not enough, the festival brings a more than special surprise - a "Showcase". The showcase is a format very well known in Jamaica and Europe, where the same backing band invites several artists to take part in the show, making it impossible not to please every taste. It will be a true congregation of Reggae musicians and artists, gathered together raising the flag of peace and bringing the public the true message that only reggae carries. Sacred on the calendar of Reggae fans all over Brazil since 2003, República do Reggae has already featured names such as Alpha Blondy, Gregory Isaacs, U-Roy, Andrew Tosh, Groundation, Lucky Dube, Tribo de Jah, Ponto de Equilíbrio and Edson Gomes on its stage. The event is conceived by Pida, with support from Piatã FM, Itapoan FM, Jornal A Tarde, TV Aratu and Brazil's largest Reggae portal - Surforeggae. For this year, República do Reggae is already expecting excursions and caravans coming from all over Brazil, and even from countries such as Argentina.

ATTRACTIONS OF REPÚBLICA

GREGORY ISAACS Gregory was born in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, in the early 1950s and faced a very difficult life from the beginning, working in a series of professions. Always attentive to music, a gift that was revealed to him later, the "Cool Ruler", as he is called in Jamaica, began his career in 1968 with the single "Another Heartache". Since then, Gregory Isaacs has increasingly won people's hearts with his INCOMPARABLE number of hits such as "Tune in", "Soon Forward", "Slave Master" and "Night Nurse", even re-recorded by the group Simply Red. To this day, Gregory is one of the artists with the most successful songs recorded in the world, with his trademark being his beautiful love songs, sung with feeling and originality. On his 2009 South America Tour his new album - "A Brand New Me" - will be launched, and it will certainly include tracks in his repertoire of hits. The artist remains the Jamaican Reggae attendance record holder in Brazil after drawing crowds of 20 to 30 thousand people, as happened during the recording of his DVD in 2004 in the country. Click here and watch Gregory Isaacs with "Night Nurse". MP3: Click here and download "Come Take My Hand". SOJA The North Americans of SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) are undoubtedly one of the greatest revelations in world Reggae in recent times. After carrying out a major successful tour through Europe, the group is now preparing for the release of its new album "Born in Babylon". Back in Brazil and in other South American countries such as Peru and Argentina, the band promises once again to make a strong impact and win even more fans than on the last tours, which were already a resounding success. With diverse influences ranging from R&B, Hip-hop, Rock and Jamaican Roots Reggae, the SOJA phenomenon in Brazil can be proven by the translation of one of their biggest hits - "True Love", whose video already has almost 2 million views on Youtube alone. The group has a pair of very talented singers who complement each other and a team of first-rate musicians. While Jacob Hemphill has a soft and calm voice, Bob Jefferson carries all the energy of Hip-hop and Ragga influences, making the band even more captivating across the various branches of Reggae such as Roots, Dub and Raggamuffin. Click here and watch SOJA with "I Don’t Wanna Wait". MP3: Click here and download "Losing My Mind". MATO SECO Mato Seco was formed in São Caetano do SUl/SP with the idea of building not just a band, but a foundation of people in unity. From the beginning of its journey, the group already knew that it would have to resist many situations, have the strength not to be shaken by anything and that sooner or later purification would come. Formed by Rodrigo Piccolo (vocals and guitar), Tiago Rezende (drums), João Paz (piano and organ), Osvaldo Ciziniauskas Jr. (bass), Eric Oliveira (guitar), Carlos Eduardo Gonçalves (percussion and voice) and Mauro Peres (percussion and voice), Mato Seco is considered today one of the greatest forces in Brazilian Reggae and has been performing throughout Brazilian territory. On this journey they learned to play their instruments only to play reggae, strengthened their ideals even more and increasingly affirm music in their roots. Since then the gathering of experiences and information has been insatiable, and gratitude to Jah even greater. Click here and watch Mato Seco with "Tem que Viver". MP3: Click here and download "Raiz Forte". PONTO DE EQUILÍBRIO Emerging in 1999 in Vila Isabel, in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, the band Ponto de Equilíbrio is the result of the union of eight musicians with distinct personalities, but grounded in authentic Reggae Roots. The group is formed by Helio Bentes (vocalist), Pedro Pedrada (bass), Márcio Sampaio (rhythm guitar), Tiago Caetano (keyboards), Rodrigo Fontenele (percussion), Marcelo Campos (percussion), Lucas Kastrup (drums) and Ras André (lead guitar). Ponto de Equilíbrio became one of the main references for reggae in Brazil by rescuing its roots and using music as socio-cultural resistance. The lyrics, written by the members themselves, convey messages of equality, love and justice, in accordance with Rastafari philosophy. In addition, the sound features influences from dub and samba and from some regional rhythms such as Angolan capoeira, maculelê and maracatu. The band's own name sums up the musicians' goal: the balance between heaven and earth, the positive and the negative, good and evil. “This is the point we all seek and to which we will all return when our mission in this life is finished,” the musicians explain. Click here and watch Ponto de Equilíbrio with "Janela da Favela". MP3: Click here and download "Verdadeiro Valor". EDSON GOMES Born in Cachoeira de São Felix/BA, 120 km from Salvador, Edson Gomes, in the heat of adolescence, thought of becoming a soccer star. At 16, however, the musical tendency was stronger and he embraced an artistic career after winning first place in a student festival at the state school in his hometown. The difficulties of the beginning led the young man to abandon his studies and enter the labor market. He was initially employed in the civil construction sector and, in parallel, forged his musical path: he recorded a simple single as best interpreter of the Festival Canta Bahia, and another for the troféu Caymmi, when he won with the song "Rasta". In 1982 Edson left for São Paulo and found his musical vein in the Reggae of Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. He devoted himself intensely to artistic life, and in 1988 recorded his first LP for EMI: Reggae Resistência, from which came "Samarina", an absolute hit, and "Malandrinha", which made him known in the media. Since then Edson Gomes has carried the flag of Reggae wherever he goes and is considered one of the greatest solo artists of the rhythm in Brazil. And this is no accident, because Edson has more than a dozen songs on people's lips, even with most of his songs excluded from radio programming and the mainstream media. Click here and watch Edson Gomes with "Liberdade". MP3: Click here and download "Acorde, Levante, Lute". VIBRAÇÕES Vibrações is a reggae band born in the city of Maceió, in the state of Alagoas, in 1998, which seeks to compose its identity from the combination of original Jamaican reggae with the hybridity that makes up the Brazilian musical scene, more specifically the northeastern one. With diverse influences, it carries in its baggage its authenticity in the contagious rhythmic structure of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous beats, in lyrics of social denunciation mixed with the urgent appeal for non-violence, based on peace, love and justice for the disadvantaged. In view of the exclusion and discrimination of northeastern people and Black people, the band seeks, through confrontation with aesthetic, musical and regional standards, a form of "territorialization" for this portion of the Brazilian population, in the sense of making it recognize itself and feel included in its environment through a culture that represents it. The group is a landmark in the Alagoas music scene, having helped start a solid and responsible movement with the emergence of several other reggae bands. Vibrações unites entertainment and challenges the critical thinking of its audience, constituting a strong band when it comes to musical quality and the liberating intention of its messages. Click here and watch Vibrações with "Exército de Jah". MP3: Click here and download "Natureza Mãe".

MORE INFORMATION

REPÚBLICA DO REGGAE Date: 07/11/2009 Venue: Wet’n Wild Address: Av. Paralela, Salvador/BA Main Stage Gregory Isaacs SOJA Mato Seco Edson Gomes Ponto de Equilíbrio Vibrações Palco Resistência Semente da Paz Moa Anbesa Kayman Shamayím Zion Roots Nyabinghi (Aroots) Irmandade Brasmorra Tickets and other information, visit: www.pida.com.br