IN CONCERT
What: Victoria Ska Festival and Reggae Festival
Where: Various venues, including Ship Point, Capital Ballroom, the Vic Theatre and more
When: June 21 through June 24
Tickets: $14.50-$42 at or in person at Lyle鈥檚 Place, Tourism Victoria Information Centre, Vinyl Envy, and Jupiter
The 19th edition is proving to be the charm for the Victoria Ska Festival and Reggae Festival. After nearly two decades of highs and lows, the festival is currently running at a rapid clip, with ticket sales and weather reports giving organizers of the non-profit event hope that 2018 could wind up being the most successful edition to date.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good festival this year.鈥� said Dane Roberts, the festival鈥檚 founder and artistic director. 鈥淭his year, we want back to our roots.鈥�
Soul legend Booker T. Jones headlined the festival in 2017, which proved to be the right booking at the wrong time. Roberts said he moved the festival from mid-June to late-June, hoping the sun would change his fortunes somewhat; he also made a conscious decision this year to book acts more in line with the festival鈥檚 ska and reggae mandate. With the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill, Freddie McGregor and the Western Standard Time Jazz Orchestra topping the bill, he鈥檚 already seeing the results.
鈥淟ast year was tough,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淚t was the second week of June, and people didn鈥檛 have their summer schedules. sa国际传媒 150 was a week after, and that was 10 days of free programming. The weather wasn鈥檛 very good, and the festival was also on the same weekend as Car Free YYJ. There was so many things not in our favour.鈥�
Roberts shifted away from soul to hip-hop and funk, bringing in rap pioneer Que Rock, British DJ Jimi Needles, Latin funk favourites Ozomatli, and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5. 鈥淭hat has proven to be a really good decision, because we鈥檙e getting a lot of younger people. They like the energy of ska and reggae music, even though they are hip-hop fans.鈥�
Roberts, who runs the festival for the Victoria sa国际传媒 Ska Society, didn鈥檛 stop there.
The festival offers six free events, including a workshop and panel discussion at The Vic Theatre on Friday and a screening of The Legends of Ska documentary at The Vic Theatre on Saturday.
He also dropped the number of paid performances at the Ship Point main stage in the Inner Harbour from three to two, upping the value for ticket-buyers with a free performances at the site on Thrusday. 鈥淭he free shows are the highest-quality free shows we鈥檝e ever had. I would rather do that and get the programming out to people.鈥�
The five-day event is remarkably deep in terms of international talent, with nine countries represented. Pante贸n Rococ贸 (Mexico), Kingston Rudieska (South Korea), Freddie McGregor and Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill (Jamaica), Jimi Needles (England), The Resignators (Australia), Parahyba Ska Jazz Foundation (Brazil), Paapa Wastik (Ghana), and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Western Standard Time Orchestra (United States) are all travelling to Victoria for the event, one of the last of its kind in North America.
The touring party for Pante贸n Rococ贸 is 18 deep, while Kingston Rudieska has 11 in their party and Parahyba Ska Jazz Foundation has seven.
Though the international flavour of his artists makes for a time-consuming headache, in terms of travel planning, Roberts loves interacting with groups making their first appearance at the Victoria Ska Festival and Reggae Festival. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of juggling just to make sure that they have enough places to sleep and food to eat. But we love it. They are brothers and sisters.鈥�
Language barriers exist between performers and producers at times, but they are not a hindrance. The ska genre (which was a pre-cursor to reggae) brings out the best in people, Roberts said.
鈥淭he vibe of ska and reggae music is shared internationally. No matter what language they speak, the vibe of the people is always warm and friendly. Years ago, we had a band from Italy come, and they couldn鈥檛 speak English. But when they played, everybody knows that language. That鈥檚 the universal language 鈥� music.鈥�
Five of the best acts
1. Paapa Wastik. With other reggae giants like Culture and Freddie McGregor already on the bill, Wastik鈥檚 brand of roots reggae is flying under the radar. Don鈥檛 make the mistake of skipping his set. Though he鈥檚 based in the U.S., shows by Wastik are rare around these parts. (Tonight, Ship Point).
2. Ozomatli with Chali 2na. Jurassic 5 member Chali 2na was a core member of L.A. Latin-funk giants Ozomatli early on, but left the group in the late 鈥�90s to pursue other avenues. He still performs with Ozomatli on occasion, but it鈥檚 becoming increasingly rare. Take that as a gentle reminder 鈥� don鈥檛 miss this show. (Friday, Ship Point).
3. Jimi Needles. A turntablist of some renown in his native England, Needles鈥檚 calling card is his versatility and fondness for soul and classic hip-hop. His set at Lucky Bar will be the perfect party nightcap for those wanting to keep the good vibes going after Ozomatli with Chali 2na. (Friday, Lucky Bar).
4. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Boston鈥檚 finest have not played Victoria in nine years, so expectations are high the group (whose hit, The Impression That I Get, dominated rock radio in 1998) will make up for lost time. Ticket sales are expectedly brisk for this show, according to organizers. (Saturday, Ship Point).
5. The Resignators. Because of their Cali ska-punk tendencies, these high-speed Australian exports sound like they are from Orange County and not Down Under. That鈥檚 not a bad thing if you鈥檙e missing third-wave groups like Goldfinger or Reel Big Fish. (Sunday, Ship Point).
