The Riverfront Bar and Grill in Dolores presents their second annual reggae festival on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Niceness, Kill Babylon Coalition, and Heart Beat Zion featuring Rasta Stevie will all perform. The show begins at 4 p.m on the patio overlooking the Dolores River. There is no cover.
“It is going to be fun, everybody is really excited about it,” said Riverfront owner Tracey Ortiz.
Telluride-based Niceness started about a 1½ years ago, said lead singer Koral Delatierra. Sets feature a variety of music styles, from reggae and dancehall to Latin, funk, soul and jazz, she said.
Niceness plays reggae versions of popular songs and soul favorites, including a handful of Motown tunes. The band’s original songs are steeped in projecting positivity, accepting responsibility and stepping into one’s purpose in life.
“Hopefully the message will come through clear and leave people feeling inspired,” Delatierra said.
Rising from the center of Arizona, Kill Babylon Coalition is a family roots rock reggae band, according to their Facebook page.
“We are a coalition. We welcome other like-minded musicians to share, create and Stomp Down Babylon with one positive footstep at a time, by walking the love needed for unification of all the peoples.”
The band grows and distributes non GMO organic food and seeds for free, known as KBC Food & Flowers, out of Camp Verde Az.
KBC has shared the stage with Rootz Underground, Morgan Heritage, Arise Roots, Barrington Levy, Stick Figure, General Smilely, True Press, Stranger Band, Ras Linga, POB, Maka Roots
The family band plays with “unity in past, present and with blessings the future,” the band says.
Twins Ezra Bassy and Zoe Keys bring the youth vibe while their father Petey brings in the sight of the elders. Roots veteran Carlos Ortega brings home the sweet sounds and rhythms of roots rock reggae.
The legendary Rasta Stevie is the producer and host of KDUR’s Heartbeat of Zion reggae radio program. The former Telluride city councilman, surfer, skier, and advocate of the marijuana legalization will play a set of his favorite reggae tunes.
Journal Reporter Jacob Klopfenstein contributed to this story.