MIDNITE – 100% Roots Reggae from St. Croix

MIDNITE - 100% Roots Reggae from St. Croix AND PREZIDENT BROWN
Historic Ashland Armory, Ashland, OR
Doors 7:30/Show 8:00
$25
All ages
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  FROM  RENEGADE PRODUCTIONS
 
MOST PROMISING ROOTS REGGAE BAND OF THE MILLENNIUM ­ MIDNITE FROM ST. CROIX
ALSO PREZIDENT BROWN - AT HISTORIC ASHLAND ARMORY ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29
 
 
Renegade Productions presents the hottest roots reggae band to come out of
the Virgin Islands to date, MIDNITE at the Historic Ashland Armory in
Ashland, OR on Friday, February 29. Opening band PREZIDENT BROWN will start
the all-ages reggae dance party at 8:00pm.  The doors are at 7:30pm and the
tickets are $25.
 
Hailing from the Island of St Croix, Midnite is one of the most promising
roots reggae bands of the millennium. They are vanguards of conscious reggae
whose profound and innovative lyrics are sincere and deeply rooted. Their cd
recordings and live performances will have reggae and non-reggae listeners
open to the messages they bring.
 
Lead singer Vaughn Benjamin's electrifying voice seems an amalgamation of
many great voices in reggae--soulful, chanting, edgy. Vaughn's potent
lyrical style and his brother Ron's exquisite keyboards and musical
directorship form the nucleus of this musical quintet. Midnite weaves the
cultural lyrics of "old school" roots music with modern day experiences to
create a unique listening encounter. Reggae - naked and raw is an apt
description for Midnite's musical style, in which they forgo the frills of
extensive remixes, overdubbing and other musical refinements.
 
Midnite explodes in live performances with sets that often exceed three
hours. Their vigorous, weighty sound, driven by the punchy bass lines
creates a vibe that penetrates straight to the heart. These epic musical
communions have earned Midnite an enormous following throughout the roots
community. This is especially true in St. Croix, Puerto Rico, Brazil, St.
Louis and here on the West Coast where they have toured extensively.
 
By breaking all the rules, Midnite is setting a new standard. Armed with a
firm foundation in Jah Rastafari, their natural talents, and a strong and
uncompromising musical vision, Midnite champions a unique sound that is on
the cutting edge of modern roots music.
 
Prezident Brown (born: Fitz Albert Cotterell) has been called, "One of the
most interesting cultural dee-jays since U Roy". Emphasizing positive
messages, Prezident Brown has continued to pioneer his own direction,
developing his own approach to dee-jaying that he calls, "The chanting
stylee". 
 
 Born to a Seventh Day Adventist family in Colonel Ridge, Clarendon,
Prezident Brown grew up in the small town of Oracabessa in the Parish of St.
Mary, Jamaica.  He was forced to leave school at a young age when his father
died leaving him with his mother and three sisters.
 
 Prezident Brown launched his musical career at the age of fourteen, when he
began dee-jaying for the Sound King Stereo Mix at the Bamboo Lounge.
Initially known as Junior Ranking, Prezident Brown was dubbed, "Slim Brown",
by dee-jay Nicodemus.  When he recorded his debut single in 1988 Prezident
Brown was named, "Dancehall Doctor". The late Jack Ruby, producer of Burning
Spear¹s albums, ³Marcus Garvey², and, ³Man In The Hills², bestowed the
title, ³Prezident², upon him.
 
In 1989, he joined Courtney Cole's label, Roof International, and began
performing and dee-jaying at the Rooftop Club in Ocho Rios.  In 1990,
Prezident Brown became involved with producers Barry O'Hare and Steven
Stewart at Grove Music in Ocho Rios. It was Barry O'Hare's X-Rated Record
label that became Prezident Brown¹s home base and it was X-Rated Records
with Runn Records that launched his career in Europe.
 
 In Jamaica the X-Rated label took off as a massive roots revival swept
across the country paving the way for Prezident Brown¹s conscious style of
reggae dee-jaying.  In 1999 the Jamaican record label Kariang released the
timeless, ³To Jah Only² album.  In 2002 Jahmani Productions in the US
released a 2 CD disc called, ³Showcase Volume 1².
 
 The 46 show tour that followed that release took Prezident Brown across the
United States and included performances at The Sierra Nevada World Music
Festival, and Reggae On The River.  Jahmani Productions then released
³Showcase Volume 2², and ³Showcase Volume 3² which includes a live
performance from the 2002 Mt. Shasta Renegade Music Festival. In 2004 the
German based label Chet Records with Sony Records released the album,
³Generation Next². 
 
Prezident Brown now lives in Ocho Rios, in the Parish St. Ann, Jamaica.  He
continues to record and tour.  He has developed a strong following in the
United States and Europe, and continues to grow musically and in notoriety,
as a champion of the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement
Prezident Brown entertains, informs and inspires
 
Advance tickets are available at Music Coop, Lowdown; Medford: Bad A$$
Coffee, Six One Nine, Jacks Board House; Musichead;  Merlin: Victoria¹s
Station; Grants Pass: Listen Hear; Williams General Store;  All Tickets West
outlets; online at jambasetickets.com, renegadeshows.com and tickets.com.
 
For information or phone orders call Renegade Productions at 530-583-2801