SHOW INFO
21 Jan 10
Here's the planned times & running order;
VILLAGE GATES 10:00 am
INNER GATES 11:00 am
SWEET AND IRIE
HOUSE OF SHEM
SOLA ROSA
KATCHAFIRE
SEAN KINGSTON approx 3:05 pm
JULIAN MARLEY approx 4:05 pm
STEEL PULSE approx 5:20 pm
SLY & ROBBIE approx 6:50 pm
Ms LAURYN HILL approx 8:20 pm
SHAGGY approx 9:35 pm
FINISH approx 10:50 pm
Mai FM/Buskers stage in the village area
The Mercenaries approx 10am
Peri & Jono approx 10.40am
Todd Wilson approx 11.30am
Porina approx 12.15pm
Pete Fountain approx 1.05pm
Phatmatics approx 1.55pm
****This Act To Be Confirmed 2.45pm
Regan Perry approx 3.35pm
Expresso Guitar by Chris Webber approx 4.50pm
****This Act TBC approx 6.20pm
Ahi PyroAntics approx 7.50pm
Artist signings - 2:45pm & 4:50pm by the Raggamuffin gear in the Village area.
Click here to download a VENUE MAP.
Click here to download BUS INFO.
PRESS RELEASE
18 Jan 10
Wyclef Jean to remain in US to support Haiti fund raising and relief for his countrymen
Andrew McManus Presents announced today that Lauryn Hill will now be bringing her own band to perform at Raggamuffin 2010, while Wyclef Jean remains in the US to continue his plight to help the people of Haiti.
The tragic earthquake that struck the Caribbean Island on January 12 has been described by Wyclef as an apocalypse and the Haitian born rapper has chosen to stay close to his homeland and continue to raise money and lend support for the devastated Island. As a result he is postponing his trip and performance at the Raggamuffin music Festival until 2011.
Raggamuffin will be helping to support the Haitian people with collections at the show and donations can also be made through Wyclef’s own www.yele.org.
Lauryn Hill will now perform Raggamuffin 2010 with her full band whilst Shaggy will now close the festival. Sly and Robbie will perform a separate set in what will be an amazing night of hip-hop and reggae music.
Also announce today is the addition of Kiwi band House of Shem to the New Zealand line-up. For more information on House of Shem please see www.houseofshem.com.
Raggamuffin is THIS Saturday 23 January at Rotorua International Stadium featuring
Shaggy, Ms Lauryn Hill, Sly & Robbie, Steel Pulse, Julian Marley, Sean Kingston, Katchafire, Sola Rosa with Iva Lamkum, House of Shem, Sweet & Irie and more!
Tickets available from: Ticketmaster - www.ticketmaster.co.nz, ph 0800 111 999 and all Ticketmaster outlets.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
02 Jan 10
by Kristin Macfarlane
Regular Raggamuffin-goers are booking rooms with backpackers and motels early to make sure they have a place to stay during the weekend of the music festival.
The Raggamuffin reggae festival is on January 23 at the Rotorua International Stadium and will feature reggae superstars Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Sean Kingston, Julian Marley and old school legends Steel Pulse and Sly & Robbie.
New Zealand acts Katchafire, Sola Rosa and Iva Lamkum, and Sweet & Irie will complete the line-up for the concert.
Rotorua's motels and backpacker hostels are not full yet but expect to be booked to capacity by the time the festival hits town.
Cactus Jack Backpackers owner Darryl Wilson said he still had a ``few beds'' left but had no doubt they would be snapped up given he was getting phone calls and emails every day from people wanting to stay.
He said people who had stayed during the previous two festivals were returning.
``We've got people from the first year,'' Mr Wilson said.
Astray Motel and Backpackers has only a few of its 24 dormitory beds left for the Raggamuffin weekend and all of its 13 motel units are booked.
It's a similar situation at Blarney's Rock Backpackers.
Manager Kevin O'Brien said it had 10 beds still available for January 23. It has a total of 38 beds.
Mr O'Brien said most of his guests were Raggamuffin-goers and he expected to be full by then.
He was turning away people who wanted private rooms because no more were available.
Aaryn Court Budget Motel was fully booked for January 22 and 23 and Acapulco Motel will be fully booked for Raggamuffin.
Jenni McKinley from Midway Motel said only four of its 15 units were available for January 22 and three on January 23.
However, she expected them to be snapped up quickly by Raggamuffin-goers.
Meanwhile, it's not only motels and backpackers that are cashing in on the festival.
One Rotorua woman has advertised tent spaces on online auction website TradeMe for the second year in a row.
For $40 per person, the woman offers a tent space for the night of the festival, drop off and pick up.
She is also offering a cooked barbecue breakfast with bacon, eggs, hash browns, sizzlers, spaghetti, baked beans and toast as well as tea, coffee and orange juice. Some tents and mattresses would be provided.
The woman did not want to speak to the Daily Post when contacted but said she was fully booked.
Andrew McManus Presents general manager Leesa Tilley said tickets were selling well and expected the festival to sell out.
``Sales are looking pretty good at the moment,'' she said.
For more information, go to www.raggamuffin.co.nz Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.co.nz or 0800 111 999.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
19 Dec 09
by Matthew Martin
ACCORDING to international reggae artist Julian ``Ju Ju'' Marley, music is a blessing bestowed upon his family by Jah.
Marley was musical from an early age and can play the guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, among other instruments.
``It's a blessing Jah (God) gave us _ the blessing of music and words,'' he said.
``For me, music is music, there are no boundaries and when I'm singing my father's songs it's like he is nearby.
``I get an overwhelming feeling of his presence, it's a very spiritual thing.''
Marley will be in Rotorua for January's Raggamuffin Festival and will be joined onstage by Wyclef Jean (the Fugees), Shaggy, Steel Pulse, Sly & Robbie and Sean Kingston.
Reports passed along the reggae grapevine about the Raggamuffin Festival have Marley and his band Uprising keen to see and feel the event for themselves.
His father's band, The Wailers, performed at the first festival last year and older brother Ziggy performed at this year's festival.
``I've heard about the great vibes from them and now can experience it for myself,'' he said.
``It will be the first time [in New Zealand] for me. ``I'm looking forward to the trip and learning about the land down under for myself.
``We hope to get enough time to do some sightseeing but just being there is going to be great.
``I remember our father was there back in '78 or '79 and have known since then New Zealand has good reggae roots.''
Marley said performing at reggae festivals such as Raggamuffin with stalwarts of the genre like Sly & Robbie and Steel Pulse was a great honour.
Raggamuffin Festival goers can expect a little bit of everything from Marley and his band at next year's concert.
``You will be hearing stuff from the new album (Awake) and stuff from the the first two, (Lion in the Morning, A Time and Place) as well as some of my father's songs.'
``It's going to be a ram-jam concert.
Kiwi acts Katchafire, Sola Rosa and Iva Lamkum, and Sweet and Irie make up the rest of the line-up for the festival being held at Rotorua's International Stadium on January 23.
Go to www.raggamuffin.co.nz for details.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
01 Dec 09
by Matthew Martin
Former member of successful hip-hop group the Fugees, Lauryn Hill, is joining an impressive list of national and international acts at Rotorua's Raggamuffin Festival.
Festival promoter Andrew McManus Presents announced Hill will be joining her former Fugees band-mate Wyclef Jean as well as Shaggy, Sean Kingston, Julian Marley and old school legends Steel Pulse and Sly & Robbie at the festival, being held in January at the Rotorua International Stadium.
Described by fellow hip-hop artist Chuck D, of Public Enemy fame, as ``sunlight'' and a ``Bob Marley (of the) 21st Century'' Hill is best known for her 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
The album won her five Grammy Awards and much critical acclaim.
The American recording artist, musician, producer and actress established her reputation in the hip-hop world as the lone female member of the Fugees.
She sang at Harlem's Apollo Theatre at age 13 and soon after met Prakazrel `Pras' Michel and his cousin, Wyclef Jean, and the three formed the Fugees.
In 1996 the group released their second album The Score which Hill co-wrote and co-produced.
The album sold more than 18 million copies, making the Fugees the biggest-selling hip-hop group of all time.
She is the long-term partner of Rohan Marley, the fourth son of Bob Marley, and the couple have five children together.
New Zealand acts Katchafire, Sola Rosa and Iva Lamkum, and Sweet & Irie complete the line-up for the January 23 concert.
For more information go to www.raggamuffin.co.nz. Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.co.nz or 0800 111 999.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
25 Nov 09
by Matthew Martin
Concert-goers on their way to and from the Rotorua International Stadium for the Raggamuffin Festival will not be allowed to drink alcohol.
Councillors at a meeting of the Rotorua District Council's planning and bylaws committee yesterday voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to introduce a temporary liquor ban in the suburb of Westbrook.
The council's regulatory services manager, Jim Nicklin, said he put the recommendation to the council after a written request from Rotorua police.
The letter to the council mentioned the ``bottling'' of a police car in 2009 and ``by 1pm Saturday ... the road and footpath on Devon St outside the stadium was awash with bottles''.
``The majority of arrests and offences committed during both the 2008 and 2009 events occurred outside the event site proper, in the environs, and in almost every case alcohol was a causative factor''.
The ban would be in force from 4pm Friday, January 22, to 4pm Sunday, January 24, the weekend of the annual Raggamuffin Festival, and includes all parks and reserves around the Rotorua International Stadium where the festival is being held.
Senior Sergeant Brent Crowe of the Rotorua police said the ban would help reduce alcohol crime.
``The main issues are vehicle related crime, disorder and alcohol related incidents.
``The idea is to create a buffer zone around the event to encompass the traditional areas where problems have occurred,'' Mr Crowe said.
Councillor Glenys Searancke said she agreed with the recommendation, but asked why Springfield Rd was not included.
``Hordes of people come down Springfield Rd while on their way to Raggamuffin.
``I have been offered a drink on occasion while out walking the dog,'' she said. Mr Crowe said police had thought about including the road, but needed to be able to make sure officers had the capability to police the area.
``Police have identified the main through road is Devon St and the main areas are the carparks and reserves. We have a certain capability and want to realistically enforce the ban,'' he said.
Mr Nicklin said large signs would be erected around the site and the ban would only cover public places.
``People can do whatever they want on their own property,'' he said. He will ask the festival's promoters to advertise the ban on its website and on flyers.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
12 Nov 09
by Matthew Martin
Rotorua's musicians and retailers have been invited to become part of the Raggamuffin music festival to be held in the city in January.
Musicians and buskers, stallholders and retailers can apply for a unique opportunity to showcase their wares in the village and bar area at the festival.
Raggamuffin promotor Leesa Tilley said buskers and musicians would entertain the crowds during the changeover of acts on the main stage.
``In the past we have had anything from fire dancers and stilt walkers to solo and duo performers. We are looking for people who want to be seen by a wider audience and we can present an opportunity for those who want to be involved with the festival,'' Ms Tilley said.
The musicians and buskers would perform on the Mai FM stage at the end of the Rotorua International Stadium opposite the main stage.
``The Mai FM Stage will have a vocal PA and come complete with Mai FM crew,'' she said.
Raggamuffin stalls manager Stuart Lyall said he was looking for more local content. ``A majority of the stalls are from out of town and they do it well but we would love some local content. They can be anything from clothing stalls to homegrown and Maori art works and do not have to be Raggamuffin-themed,'' Mr Lyall said.
He said he was not looking for food stalls as catering had already been arranged.
``We will contact you well before time and all the stalls would be located in the village area of the festival on the fields behind the main arena''
Those interested in performing at Raggamuffin can send an mp3, myspace link or a short biography along with their contact details to raggamuffinamp@hotmail.com. Alternatively, post CDs and information to Raggamuffin, PO Box 147080, Ponsonby, Auckland 1144.
Those interested in selling their products or services, email stalls manager raggamuffinstalls@gmail.com.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
22 Oct 09
by Matthew Martin
New Zealand's largest reggae music festival is back in Rotorua in January and Wyclef Jean from the Fugees is the headline act.
Auckland-based promoter Andrew McManus Presents has announced next year's line-up with tickets to the one-day festival going on sale from October 28.
Jean will headline Raggamuffin 2010 at the Rotorua International Stadium with other international acts, including perennial favourite Shaggy, Sean Kingston, Bob Marley's son Julian Marley and old school legends Steel Pulse and Sly and Robbie.
Mr McManus said the third annual festival would also feature a soon-to-be-announced line up of top New Zealand reggae artists.
``[It] is going to be bigger than ever and we are excited that an artist the calibre of Wyclef is going to be joining the line-up.
``Festival goers are going to be in for something special,'' he said.
Music fans will be able to soak up more than 10 hours of funk, dub, hip-hop, soul and, of course, reggae rhythms at the January 23 event. More than 22,000 attended the last festival.
Ticket prices, expected to be about the same as this year when they were between $109 and $120, will be announced this month.
Grammy Award winning artist Jean has sold more than 30 million records and toured the world with Lauryn Hill and the Fugees.
As a solo artist he will be performing songs from his latest album The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant, which features artists from Lil Wayne, Akon, Sizzla, to Serj Tankian, Norah Jones and Paul Simon.
A big hit at last year's Raggamuffin was one of Jamaica's finest musical exports, Shaggy. His ska classic Oh Carolina introduced Shaggy to the world and follow-up hits like It Wasn't Me, Boombastic and Angel cemented his place.
Must-sees at this year's festival will be UK legends Steel Pulse and Jamaica's's Sly and Robbie who add a bit of old school flavour to the concert.
Rounding out the international line-up are Julian Marley and Jamaican-American sensation Sean Kingston, whose first single Beautiful Girls made history as one of the fastest ascents to No1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
For more information, go to the website www.raggamuffin.co.nz.
ROTORUA DAILY POST
17 Oct 09
by Matthew Martin
New Zealand's largest reggae music festival is back in Rotorua in January and Wyclef Jean from the Fugees is the headline act.
Auckland-based promotor Andrew McManus Presents has announced next year's line-up with tickets to the one-day festival going on sale from October 28.
Jean will headline Raggamuffin 2010 at the Rotorua International Stadium with other international acts, including perennial favourite Shaggy, Sean Kingston, Bob Marley's son Julian Marley and old school legends Steel Pulse and Sly and Robbie.
Mr McManus said the third annual festival would also feature a soon-to-be-announced line up of top New Zealand reggae artists.
``[It] is going to be bigger than ever and we are excited that an artist the calibre of Wyclef is going to be joining the line-up.
``Festival goers are going to be in for something special,'' he said.
Music fans will be able to soak up more than 10 hours of funk, dub, hip-hop, soul and, of course, reggae rhythms at the January 23 event. More than 22,000 attended this past year.
Ticket prices, expected to be about the same as this past year when they were between $109 and $120, will be announced later this month.
Grammy Award winning artist Wyclef Jean has sold more than 30 million records and toured the world with Lauryn Hill and the Fugees.
As a solo artist he will be performing songs from his latest album The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant, which features everyone from Lil Wayne, Akon, Sizzla, to Serj Tankian, Norah Jones and Paul Simon.
A big hit at last year's Raggamuffin was one of Jamaica's finest musical exports, Shaggy. His ska classic Oh Carolina introduced Shaggy to the world and follow-up hits like It Wasn't Me and Angel cemented his place in reggae folklore.
Must-sees at this year's festival will be UK legends Steel Pulse and Jamaica's's Sly and Robbie who add a bit of old school flavour to the concert.
Rounding out the international line-up are Bob Marley's son, Julian Marley and Jamaican-American sensation Sean Kingston, whose first single Beautiful Girls made history as one of the fastest ascents to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Go to www.raggamuffin.co.nz for more information.
WYCLEF JEAN (The Fugees)
SHAGGY
STEEL PULSE
JULIAN MARLEY
SLY & ROBBIE
SEAN KINGSTON
KATCHAFIRE
SOLA ROSA & IVA LANKUM
SWEET & IRIE
Raggamuffin 2010 - Saturday January 23 @ Rotorua International Stadium
Yes it’s happening again! For the third consecutive year, Raggamuffin is set to take summer stages by storm, so free your dreadlocks and release your rasta spirit because New Zealand’s biggest reggae music festival is about to blaze its way to Rotorua this January 23rd.
Featuring an all-star line-up of ex-Fugees front man WYCLEF JEAN, son of Bob Marley JULIAN MARLEY, SHAGGY, SEAN KINGSTON plus legends STEEL PULSE and SLY & ROBBIE, fans will be feeling more than alright as they soak up over ten hours funk, dub, hip-hop, soul and of course reggae riddims!
Headlining Ragamuffin 2010 is WYCLEF JEAN the Grammy winning artist who has sold over 30 million records and toured the world, with Lauryn Hill and The Fugees. As a solo artist he will be performing songs from his album, The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant which features everyone from Lil Wayne, Akon, Sizzla, to Serj Tankian, Norah Jones and Paul Simon (for the single Fast Car, whose video was made with the assistance of video game Burnout Paradise and whose remix features NZ’s very own Scribe!).
Since his success with Shakira on Hips Don’t Lie Wyclef has embarked on a new chapter in his ever-evolving career. His talents as a producer and collaborator have led to a myriad of successful projects including recordings with Bono (New Day), writing and producing Carlos Santana's Supernatural, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year, and Whitney Houston's My Love Is Your Love. His soon to be released album Music Theory promises to be the best yet and his live performance is a not to be missed opportunity.
“This year’s Raggamuffin is going to be bigger than ever and we are excited that an artist the calibre of Wyclef is going to be joining the line-up. Festival goers are going to be in for something special!” said Raggamuffin promoter Andrew McManus.
The ska classic Oh Carolina introduced SHAGGY to the world and the steady dub rhythm of the platinum selling Boombastic and hits like It Wasn’t Me and Angel from his Hotshot album, consolidated Shaggy as one of Jamaica’s finest musical exports – and that’s saying something!
With 20 million album sales, 11 worldwide Top Ten singles, and a Grammy award for the Best Reggae Album, Shaggy celebrates his culture and being an ambassador for reggae music has always been the driving force in the heart of Jamaica’s only living Diamond-plus selling artist - RESPECT!
UK Grammy Award winning reggae group STEEL PULSE have always remained close to their roots and their commitment to fight injustice and promote positive messages through spiritually uplifting music. Taking causes to heart, they filed a million dollar lawsuit against New York’s Taxi & Limousine Commission when their cabbies refused to pick up blacks and Rastafarians. To express their views, they released a single, Taxi Driver, from their 1991 Grammy-nominated Victims album and their State of Emergency album contributed Can't Stand It to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing movie soundtrack. In 1993, at the request of the Clinton Administration, Steel Pulse became the first reggae band ever to perform during the inaugural festivities at The White House.
Following the April 2009 release of his album Awake, which features Marley brothers Stephen and Damian, JULIAN MARLEY will be representing the music and message of the Marley family legacy. His soulful vocals, hypnotic beats and the roots-reggae sound with street energy hip-hop deliver a smooth combination that is very much his own.
On their first Raggamuffin tour SLY & ROBBIE, the modern masters of rhythm, will bring their own brand of reggae to the bill. The pair have contributed their distinctive rhythms to an estimated 200,000 recorded tracks, most of them Jamaican reggae. Early in their career they played together on Jimmy Cliff's Follow My Mind, Peter Tosh's Legalize It and a series of recordings by the group Black Uhuru amongst others. The Taxi label was founded by Sly in the late 70s and an early release, Gregory Isaacs' Soon Forward, topped Jamaican charts and solidified the duo's reputation as hit-makers. The acts they have since produced range from the unorthodox diva Grace Jones (Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing albums), to the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Joan Armatrading and more recently Madonna, Britney Spears and Paul McCartney!
International platinum selling artist SEAN KINGSTON will get the crowd grooving to his vibrant fusion of pop, doo-wop and reggae. Kingston’s Beautiful Girls single made history as one of the fastest ascents to number one of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The collection of pop-fueled songs that make up the newly released Tomorrow album will be sure to get the crowd moving.
We are pleased to announce that local acts Katchafire, Sola Rosa & Iva Lamkum and Sweet & Irie that will join Wyclef Jean (the Fugees), Shaggy, Steel Pulse, Julian Marley, Sly & Robbie and Sean Kingston for the Raggamuffin Festival on Saturday January 23 at Rotorua International Stadium.
KATCHAFIRE'S debut album Revival sold in excess of 45,000 copies in 2003 and the track Giddy Up was the the biggest selling single that year. Their most recent gold selling album Say What You're Thinking hit the American Reggae Billboard Top 10 and went to the number one in Hawaii. An eight-piece band of Maori descent from Hamilton, Katchafire, after touring the world, return to light up the Raggamuffin stage with tracks from their soon to be released new album plus all of our old favourites.
SOLA ROSA have kept good company on the road and in the studio, counting members of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Dimmer, Goldenhorse and Pluto amongst the ranks over the years, not to mention appropriating members of Che Fu, King Kapisi and Anika Moa’s bands and the talents of Nathan Haines and Spikey Tee (Jah Wobble, Bomb The Bass, Morcheeba). Their releases are critically acclaimed and labels include household names like Ministry of Sound. Joining Sola Rosa is IVA LAMKUM. A Wellingtonian of Samoan Chinese decent, Iva blends funk, soul, jazz and she joins Raggamuffin 2010 to perform the singles Turn Around and Get It Together alongside Sola Rosa.
SWEET & IRIE are a nine piece band founded in South Auckland and led by singer/songwriter Ed Ru, a Cook Islander who was born and raised in South Auckland. The bands intention was to create a new wave of reggae music from the South Pacific that is positive and uplifting and which they dubbed Sunshine Reggae. It worked! Their debut single Feels Like Magic (alongside Horsemen Family) was a top ten hit as was their debut album Localize It released by Dawn Raid earlier this year (2009).
Four kiwi bands, six Internationals and one hot show!
Don’t miss Raggamuffin 2010. As they say in Jamaica, it’s going to be irie!
Raggamuffin 2010 - Saturday January 23 @ Rotorua International Stadium
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.co.nz ph 0800-111-999
