Come along take a ride on the Fantastic Voyage
Welcome to our July 2001 REGGAEMANIA EVENTS — We present to you a look through the lens of past July 2001 Reggae-Dancehall Events that took place the Toronto and surrounding areas.
JULY 2001 REGGAEMANIA EVENT LISTINGS
Sunday July 29th @ Club Epiphany
Malcolm X (formerly of Travelers)
11 Arrow Rd.
Saturday July 28th @Keelesdale Park
Marcia Griffiths, Half Pint, Lenn Hammond
Dona Makeda, Bush Rat, I-A-Lion,
Polly Pompie,Georgette, Mr. Cooper,
Jimmy Reid, Tasha T., Spida,
Mercia Bunting, Organs,
Devon Irie, Explosion Band
2801 Eglinton Ave. W.
info:416-652-1026
Saturday July 28th @ The Opera House
Buju Banton
735-a Queen @ Broadview
info:905-452-1911
Friday July 27th @ 5th Ave Couture
Reggaemania Live To Air Broadcast
3422 Weston Rd. @ Finch
across Canadian Tire, refreshments all nite
Friday July 27th @ Mirage
Baby Wayne Movements
Frisco, Firestone
55 Nugget Rd.
Friday July 27th @ The Caribbean Cultural Center
One Draw, King Turbo, Step-A-Choice,
Embassy, Wild Hawk, Dj Lee, Covenant Sound Crew
600 Wentworth st.East., Oshawa
info: 416-410-ROCK or 905-440-0569
Sunday July 22 aboard the Empress Of Canada
Afrique
Military, Rufus from Diplomat
8 PM Boarding bottom of Yonge St.
beside Captain Johns
Saturday July 21st aboard the Empress 2000
Sugarbird, Volume One, Soulville
8 PM Boarding @ Cherry Street
beside The Docks
info: 416-417-3539
Monday July 16th @ Stages Nightclub
Baby Cham
312 King St. W., Kitchener
info: 519-744-2000
Sunday July 15th @ Base Niteclub
Baby Cham
163 Carlingview
Saturday July 14th @ The Bamboo
Chester Miller
Jah Beng, Prince Everald
312 Queen St. W.
Sunday July 8th @ Club Epiphany
Pinchers, General Trees,
Jr. Cat, Horrace Martin
11 Arrow Rd.
Sunday July 8th @ Mirage Nightclub
Wee Pow from Stonelove, Spragga Roots
55 Nugget @ McCowen
Saturday July 7th @ Al Curuba Banquet Hall
Wee Pow from Stonelove, Volume One,
Grandmaster Rosa, Soulville, Spragga Roots
1790 Albion Rd. @ #27
Monday July 2nd @ Oakville Gardens
Stonelove, Judgement, Bus Da Dance,
Starting From Scratch, Dr. Jay, Delroy G., Hi Fashion
Singing Melody, Mad Cobra, Mikey Melody
Lukie D.,
153 Derry Rd. @ W. of Trafalgar
infoline: 410-rock or 416-612-5518
Sunday July 1st @ Base Nightclub
Base Odyssey, Firelinks, Super 7
163 Carlingview
Sunday July 1st @ The Farm Museum aka Country Heritage Park
Tribute To Sir Coxone Dodd,
The Mighty Sparrow
Merritone Music
Strangejah Cole, Horrace Martin,
Pluggy Satchmo,Willie Williams,
Sonia Collymore, Louise Bennett
8560 Tremaine Rd.
info: 416-664-0451
Sunday July 1st @ Niagra On The Lake
Pictureman Lloyd Bus Ride from T.O. to Niagra On The Lake
Stonelove
DJ Hucker, Black Reaction, Hi Fashion
Class One, Fire Kid Steenie, Blacks,
Glamorous Movements, DJ Tyronne, Asteroid
Richie Lu, Cold As Ice, Bush Rat, Spida, Bunny Killa,
Genereal, Barbalaro, Razor B,
Untouchable Pong, Finch Crew
infoline: 416-749-0433
INTERNATIONAL SOUNDS WHO PERFORMED IN TORONTO JULY 2001
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS WHO PERFORMED IN TORONTO JULY 2001
Mad Cobra
Singing Melody
Lukie D
Baby Cham
Chico
Franky Sly
Buju Banton
Pinchers
Jr Cat
General Trees
Marcia Griffiths
Half Pint
Strangah Cole
POPULAR DANCES FOR THE MONTH of MAY Squichie | Zip It Up | Log On Pon It
POPULAR JULY 2001 SONGS God Is Standing By | Chi Chi Man | Give It To Dem
MALCOLM X @ EPIPHANY SUNDAY JULY 29th 2001
On Sunday July 29th at Club Epiphany, Jamaica’s newest solo selector Malcolm X (formerly of Travellers) played to a meager crowd. Malcolm X broke from Travelers about two years ago, but has only recently returned to playing in the dancehalls. As this event was also nonviolent, the massive breathed a big yet temporary sigh of relief. The stage was now set for the much anticipated upcoming Caribana weekend.
JAMAICA DAY @ KEELESDALE PARK SATURDAY JULY 28th 2001
On Saturday July 28th, Keelesdale Park (2801 Eglinton Ave. W.) was the spot for this year’s Jamaica Day festivities. Over 6,000 people were treated to great food, sports, fun and performances by a series of great artists including Jamaica’s Marcia Griffiths and Half Pint, plus locals Jimmy Reid, Lenn Hammond, Donna Makeda, Bush Rat, I-A-Lion, Polly Pompie, Georgette, Mr. Cooper, Tasha T., Mercia Bunting, Organs, Devon Irie, and Explosion Band. The event was blessed with good people, good security and positive vibes.
BUJU BANTON @ OPERA HOUSE SATURDAY JULY 28th 2001
Buju Banton played Toronto’s Opera House (735-a Queen @ Broadview) Saturday July 28th, one week before the Caribana kick-off. Promoter Denise Jones (Jones & Jones Promotions) reported a healthy crowd of about 800 people, but the surprise to many was the 75% White audience that attended. Buju Banton, dressed to the gills, performed well, to the delight of the crowd. Buju’s last appearance in Toronto saw him perform alongside Beres Hammond for a crowd of 2,500 people at Toronto’s Warehouse Nightclub.
AFRIQUE, MILITARY, RUFUS DIPLOMAT aboard EMPRESS of CANADA SATURDAY JULY 22nd 2001
This cruise will go down in history as the infamous boat cruise that somehow led to the deaths of Omar Sherrif Christian, 26, AKA Face, and Paul Watson, 33, and Michael Lewis, 29, AKA “Natty Britz”.
This was the cruise where it so happened that a lot of ‘enemies’ bucked up, many of whom had guns. Although there was some fighting on the boat involving women, and a set a man get splashed, no gunplay happened until after the boat docked. Many people were smart enough to sense what was going to go down, and could be seen dashing for their cars as soon as the boat docked. Seconds later, the shooting started, man sey- all 300 rounds of shots.
The reasons aren’t clear why, but people were even shooting at the boat. There were no reported injuries. The cruise was tense yes, as it started hours late, and promoters had no sound system on the lower floor causing all 200 people to be squashed up on the upper deck during the party. Some of the bumping and disorganization that followed led to some of the reported tension.
The following Tuesday morning July 24th outside of a weekly Monday Night rooftop party at ICC’s (163 Carlingview), Omar Christian was assassinated. Word is, as he turned to roll a spliff while chilling with friends outside the club in the parking lot, a masked gunman approached him and fired several shots into his body, killing him on the spot. The unknown assailant then escaped into a waiting car.
Hours later in an apparent retaliation for this murder, Paul Watson and Michael Lewis AKA Natty Britz of Black Reaction, were gunned down as the sat outside their Jungle residence. In this case, a group of suspects ambushed the two Black Reaction owners before escaping in a waiting vehicle. Both of these murders remain unsolved by police.
SATURDAY JULY 21st: SUGARBIRD, VOLUME ONE, SOULVILLE ABOARD EMPRESS 2000
This cruise attracted about 200 people, and was presented in part by Lascelles Promotions.
BABY CHAM @ STAGES NIGHTCLUB (KITCHENER) MONDAY JULY 16th 2001
BABY CHAM, CHICO, FRANKY SLY @ BASE NITECLUB SUNDAY JULY 15th 2001
This show had weird vibes right from the start. At 1:00 AM, the 1500-people capacity Base Niteclub stood virtually empty, despite a hyped promotion and strong line up of featuring Franky Sly, Chico, and Baby Cham in concert. While the DJ’s hired get credit for holding it down, promoters never lost faith and delayed the show to give people more time to show up. By 1:30, the Base suddenly had a significant line-up, and by show’s end, over 650 people had entered the venue.
Despite a promised contingent of local artists scheduled to perform, Canada’s own ‘1st Lady Of Hip’ hop, Michie Mee, was the only artist to grace the stage. She held her own in a tight 20-minute show. The show moved fast after that, with Franky Sly first touching the stage and going through his series of new and classic tunes, some of which failed to capture the audience. Chico brought back the vibes soon after and delivered and sweet and entertaining show that pleased man and woman alike. His interaction with the audience not only won over fans, but also showed a maturity between the Chico we see now and the Chico we’ve seen the past few time he’s come to Toronto.
When Baby Cham finally hit the stage, it was already close to 3:00 AM, and by time he had gotten through his first two songs, people started to exit the venue. Things were so bad that by time Cham delivered his hit songs Babylon Bwoy and Grounds Man, less than 100 people remained in the venue. He read the vibes and cut his set short. On a positive note, this was the first dance where payduty police worked the doors with security since their striking from dancehall some year back. Ironically, it may have been the 1st Baby Cham show in Toronto that wasn’t saluted, inside or outside.
CHESTER MILLER @ THE BAMBOO SATURDAY JULY 14th 2001
Chester Miller’s new LP “Never Let Jah Go” is nothing short of hit-bound. This carefully crafted and extremely well produced work comes close to a musical masterpiece ready to be embraced by world audiences of spirited and cultured reggae music. Fans who took in his July 14th sold out Bamboo performance were a testament to this. Even though his music was relatively new, they vibed to each and every song performed from the album. His “Give A Little” track was also well received, as well as his “Never Let Jah Go” title track.
Those familiar with Chester Miller know that his voice brings back Dennis Brown vibes, evident in his encore when he performed beautifully the Dennis Brown classic, “Love & Hate” to the delight of the sold out crowd. Expect to hear a lot more of Chester Miller in the future.
GENERAL TREES, PINCHERS, JR. CAT, HORRACE MARTIN @ CLUB EPIPHANY SUNDAY JULY 8th 2001
This event attracted about 300 people and all artists performed well. Surprisingly, the best response was not for headliner Pincers, but for General Trees, who rocked the crowd with a string of memorable oldies. Most people just stood around for duration of Jr. Cat’s show.
STONELOVE, SPRAGGA ROOTS @ MIRAGE SUNDAY JULY 3rd 2001
This was another rammed function, as foundation ruled again except this time in the city’s East end.
STONELOVE @ AL CURUBA BANQUET HALL SATURDAY JULY 2nd 2001
This was the dance to bring back the good times of old. Featuring Father (Wee) Pow from Stonelove juggling alongside Spragga Roots (Heatwave), Soulville, Rosa from Soul To Soul, and Volume One inside the old Golden Spotlight now known as Al Caruba Banquet Hall.
This dance was rammed, and by all reports, not enough people could get in as the hall could hold no more than 600 people. Musically, the crowd got what they expected as foundation music ruled throughout the night. When Volume One tried to come in with dancehall, they were quickly cut off by the crowd.
Grandmaster Rosa celebrated his birthday in style that night, and was too ‘under the influence’ to play. When the lights went on at 6:30 in the morning, people were upset. They still wanted more.
CANADA DAY MONSTER JAM @ OAKVILLE GARDENS MONDAY JULY 2nd 2001
Monday July 2nd 2001 | Review by Lisa West
The Canada Day Monday Oakville Gardens outdoor event was incident free as far as major dancehall events were concerned. Aside from a few disappointments and a couple of no-show, everything went trouble free.
The finale was the Park Bashment featuring Singing Melody, Cobra, and Lukie D, and sounds like Stone Love out of Jamaica, Judgement out of Japan, and Bus Da Dance Nelson alongside Hi Fashion and others.
The crowd was not big, (it was an expensive weekend, so people have to pick and choose), but about 500 people were in attendance with family vibes as children ran around and people parked up alongside picnic tables to chill and eat food. The Canadian sounds represented early out, then Stone Love and Judgement took over.
A lot of people milled around until the stage show began and nightlight fell. It was interesting to say the least as Melody, Cobra, and Lukie ran through their classics as well as newer tunes. The hype on the stage was stirred up by a Rasta DJ who no one seemed to identify. He really took command of the stage to the point where he was taking the mic from the performers on the bill. At first it was comical but the interruption got a bit irritating after a while.
The night ended with a medley, ( Finch Crew got in on the action), and the massive left peacefully. All in all we have to give thanks for a very entertaining and peaceful weekend.
CANADA DAY MONSTER JAM @ OAKVILLE GARDENS MONDAY JULY 2nd 2001
Monday July 2nd 2001 | Review by Ron Nelson
The daytime Oakville Gardens Canada Day Monday event was blessed with good weather, and was a lot of fun for the hundreds who attended. It was hard to get an accurate headcount at the event, as people parked their cars all over the outdoor property and didn’t gather inside the performance area until when darkness approached.
This was the cue for the artists billed to perform to enter the arena and take things over from DJ’s Stonelove, Judgement, Bus DA Dance and Hi-Fashion (amongst the no-show DJs on the bill were Starting From Scratch and Dr. Jay, but nobody seemed to miss them).
With Stonelove as the band, Singing Mellody, Lukie D, and Mad Cobra delivered a fun show appropriate for the all-aged audience in attendance. Singing Mellody had almost not made it into Canada after being in a car accident in Jamaica only a few days earlier that saw the driver of the other vehicle killed.
Singing Mellody is lucky to be alive, as his vehicle was hit like a rocket from another car whose driver had been drinking heavily. Singing Mellody was allowed to travel, but only under strict restrictions from his doctors.
After witnessing his performance however, one couldn’t tell anything like this had happened only a few days prior. Lukie D was on as usual, and Mad Cobra seemed to be having the best time in his life, constantly smiling and jumping around during his performance where these mic veterans took turns performing before passing the mic. And who was that other Ras who kept hogging the mic? Oh well, nice night, no complaints, that was good.
THE “ICON” BUS RIDE BASHMENT @ NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
July 1st 2001 | Review by Lisa West
Niagara-On-The-Lake looked a little different Sunday afternoon as 1000 reggae fans gathered for the first annual Bashment Bus Ride, brought to the massive by the “Icon” Picture Man Lloyd. The event attracted people young and old and featured a soccer tournament, music by several sounds, and slated performances by several local artists.
The vibes were kind of spoiled by the brisk weather and the small venue, but most seemed to enjoy the impromptu fashion show of the “hottie hottie gal crew” traipsing up and down the lawn, and the souped up bikes on display in the parking lot. Things started rather late, and not everyone could fit inside of the hall.
Some people grumbled about the organization and lack of enough alcohol, but most figured they travelled far enough so they might as well make the best of it. The crowd was entertained by the juggling sounds of Military, Hi Fashion, Glamorous Movements and others. Late in the evening Slaughta out of Stonelove took over the controls, but not for long as the sound chipped out. The dance got back into the swing of things a little while later, ending close to 2 am.
BASS ODYSSEY FIRELINKS @ BASE NITECLUB SUNDAY JULY 1st 2001
Sunday July 1st 2001 | Review by Lisa West
The crowd was not too pleased when they reached the Base Niteclub to find out that the hyper Fire links was not on the bill for the Bass Odyssey Fire Links dance. Worst when they found out the ever popular Squingy was not in town either. Our town has not had a clash in a long while, especially a clash featuring two heavy duty Jamaican Sounds. And though the dance was staged as a juggling dance, we all hoped it would have gotten a bit clashy.
The crowd rolled in around 1 o’clock but the vibes were just not there, despite about 700 people in attendance. It seemed strange to see DJ Mark (Base Odyssey) defending his sound on his own, but despite a few technical difficulties, he managed to hold his own, as did Super 7. There were a few disgruntled patrons who felt they deserved more for their $25, but overall, things were okay. The promoter is presently working on a rescheduled affair featuring Squingy and Firelinks
