• Reggae Festivals
  
• Island Recipe: Jamaican Christmas Cake & Pudding
  
• News Flash: Sign Grammy Petition | New Orleans Party Gras
  
• Band Promotion: How to Get Your CD Mastered for Free
  
• In Jah's Name We Pray: Where has all the music gone?
  
• Travel: New Caribbean Island Coming
  
• FREE Ads for Reggae Businesses Submit an Article
  
• Fun & Games: Who created some of the most re-recorded classic baselines in reggae music (like Kutchie, Satta) and is also an international reggae singer?
  
• About Reggae Festival E-Guide
  

Ingredients

• 6 ounces or 1.5 cup flour
• 8 ounces margarine or butter
• 8 ounces sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 pound raisins
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces mixed peel
• 4 ounces cherries
• ½ pound prunes (chopped)
• 1 cup wine
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• finely grated rind of 1 lime/lemon
• 2 tablespoons browning

Directions

Cream butter, sugar and browning until soft and fluffy. Sieve all dry ingredients together. Beat eggs, sherry and brandy together. Add egg mixture to creamed butter and sugar. Add fruits. Add flour and fold in. Do no over-beat when mixing. Bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours. Yield: 9' round cake.
 
Jamaican Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of raisins
• 1/2 pound of currants
• 1 pound of prunes
• 1/2 pound of cherries
• 1/2 pound of dates
• 1/4 pound of nuts
• 1/4 pound of mixed peel
• Grated rind of 1 lime
• Burnt sugar for colouring
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 pint rum
• 1 pint port wine • 12 eggs
• 1 pound of butter
• 3/4 cup of dark sugar • 1/2 pound of breadcrumbs
• 1/2 lb. flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• 1 pint of sherry

Directions

Stone and stew prunes with sugar to taste, then chop fine. Stone dates and chop fine. Cut all fruits very fine except currants. Place all fruits in a large jar omitting nuts. Pour liqueur on fruit and steep for at least 1 month. Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs. Sieve together flour, bread crumbs, baking powder and salt and add 2 tablespoon burnt sugar for color. Add chopped nuts and fruits. Taste to see if a sharper taste is required and add some brandy, wine, liqueur or rum to taste. Pour batter into a well greased and heavily lined baking or pudding tin. Cover tightly and steam for at least 4 hours. The pudding may also be set, covered in 250ºF. oven and baked for at least 4 hours. Serve with brandy sauce.

Brought to you by ReggaeTrain.com. ReggaeTrain.com is the largest and most comprehensive reggae music portal on the web. ReggaeTrain.com is the original and still the best source for all your roots and culture needs. ReggaeTrain visitors reside in 142 countries around the world. We offer FREE E-Mail, a Festival Guide, Concert Calendar, a Reggae Forum and much more. For Reggae Artists and Enthusiasts more detailed information on Record Labels, Record Distributors, Radio Stations, Music Charts, Clubs and Venues, Publications, and other Reggae sites of interest to all.
 
 
 

To: The Recording Academy

For about two decades, Reggae Music has been acknowledged at the annual Grammy Awards ceremony. We appreciate the recognition, however, we believe the time has come for the Reggae winner(s) to be included in the televised portion of the program.

Reggae/Dancehall music is international. Ours is one of the most popular genres, and is enjoyed by young and "not so young" worldwide daily.

Countless legends in the Reggae Music fraternity, proudly carried the torch for us, and every year another Reggae artist/group, is honored with a Grammy award. All we ask, is for this to be done for the entire world to see, and not just those fortunate enough to be seated in the auditorium on Grammy night.

[ CLICK HERE TO SIGN PETITION ]
 
 
 

Party Gras 2006
Friday, Feb 24 & Tuesday, Feb 28, New Orleans
TRIP CODE: ST-06-03

The country's most famous super party. People from all over the country gather for one of the wildest street parties on Earth. Join us as we make our return to the "Big Easy" during the week of the biggest event New Orleans hosts annually.

Celebrities will be seen on floats each day, parties will take place in the streets, clubs, bars and anywhere people congregate, and of course, some of the best food and live music in the southwest. Despite the historic destruction the city has faced, many have stepped in to bring the city of New Orleans back to life again proceeds from our tour will do the same.

BRIEF HISTORY OF MARDI GRAS Mardi Gras is a celebration of the event known as Mardi Gras. It takes place every year at just about the end of winter. The festivities culminate with parades, jazz and zydeco played by bands in the streets and most famously, krewes that throw beads to patrons who line the street on "Fat Tuesday." But there is a lot more to how this celebration came to be that had less to do with any of this.

For a more in-depth history, please go to our older website: http://partygras_nola.tripod.com INCLUDES R/T airfare, 6 days/5 nights downtown hotel, airport-to-hotel transfers, all hotel taxes, welcome orientation, discounts at clubs (with a few complimentary), drink specials, restaurant discounts, gift shop discounts, & sightseeing coupons valued at over $250.

JUSTICE FOR ALL FAMILIES we will donate $20 for every person who pays for a "Party Gras" package to families who have suffered from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

BUDGET PACKAGE $750-950pp (average) for four (4) nights and five (5) days includes round air (U.S. cities only), hotel, special live show access and parties and a gift package.

THREE OTHER PACKAGES AVAILABLE! We have four great packages, each at a highly competitive rate. We also offer group rates, and can accommodate organizations looking to raise money. We will not customize these packages unless it is for a group of 10 or more travelers, or if you are an organization looking to raise money (that group must be 20 or more travelers). CONTACT: travelmixcraft.net

FOR MORE ON THIS EVENTS AND OTHER TOURS PLEASE CONTACT Freedom Justice of Social Travelers.com, c/o Mixcraft Media, Inc., 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2141, New York, NY 10001, Phone: (212) 252-2528 or Ntl: (866) MIX-TOUR, Website: www.mixcraft.net/socialtraveler, Email: travelmixcraft.net
 
 
 

Toronto Caribana Festival
July 28-30 * Toronto, Canada TRIP CODE: ST-06-13

OVERVIEW Every summer, Toronto (Canada) blazes with the excitement of calypso, steel pan and elaborate masquerade costumes during the annual Caribana Festival. Caribana, celebrating its 38th anniversary in 2005, is the largest Caribbean festival in North America. Presented by the Caribbean Cultural Committee, the two-week Festival attracts over a million participants annually, including hundreds of thousands of American tourists.

Among the highlights is the Caribana Parade, one of the largest in North America. Thousands of brilliantly costumed masqueraders and dozens of trucks carrying live soca, calypso, steel pan, reggae and salsa artists jam the 1.5 km parade route all day, to the delight of hundreds of thousands of onlookers.

Package includes: R/T luxury coach (from NYC only at prices mentioned), hotel at Sheraton Centre Toronto or Hilton Toronto (4 star hotels), access to all Caribana festivities, as well as exclusive after-parties each night! ROUND TRIP AIR from other cities vary in price; please inquire. We will deduct the difference, if any from the cost of traveling coach in NYC if you are traveling from other cities.

COST $655 (single) - $575 pp (double) - $525pp (triple) - $475 (quad) Payment plan: $100 to hold your space by January 7 - $100 Feb 4 - Mar 4 - Final April 8, 12noon. Personal checks due 5 business days prior to each due date listed; money orders due 1 business day prior to each due date listed. Note: as with all of our trips, if you miss a payment, make it up by the next. If you miss all the payments, then pay in full by the final due date!

FOR MORE ON THIS EVENTS AND OTHER TOURS PLEASE CONTACT Freedom Justice of Social Travelers.com, c/o Mixcraft Media, Inc., 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2141, New York, NY 10001, Phone: (212) 252-2528 or Ntl: (866) MIX-TOUR, Website: www.mixcraft.net/socialtraveler, Email: travelmixcraft.net
 
 
 

Introducing Ras Misha

Ras Misha, a local reggae artist, sings of peace, hope, and righteousness. Armed with the teachings of Rastafarianism, he plans to add his own flavor to the reggae movement. Check out these MP3s...

[ "Who Give" (MP3) ]

[ "Bloody City" (MP3) ]

Radio/Club DJs: If you would like to get a copies of these, send a message to webmasterpittsburghreggae.com
 

Finding free CD mastering services is difficult, but possible. There are several ways of getting CDs mastered for free. For one, it is often possible to download free trial CD mastering software from websites. In addition, many talent shows and competitions offer free recording and mastering services to the winners. Further, many CD duplication companies offer a limited amount of free time in a mastering facility to clients that purchase a set number of CD duplicates.

There are many websites offering mastering software programs for free download. Although a free program may represent a great value, users should be careful not to download a file contaminated with computer viruses. When downloading, users should also be wary of copyright and make sure not to breach a company’s intellectual property rights. While downloading software without authorization is illegal, many software companies do allow users to download free trial versions of their programs.

Often, talent contests will award winners free time to record and master their music in a professional recording studio. Winning such a contest provides publicity and word of mouth, and can build up anticipation of the finished CD. The free CD mastering and recording lets the winner save money on the often expensive cost of recording and mastering.

Another way to get free CD mastering service is to purchase duplicate CDs from companies that offer free CD mastering. Many CD duplication businesses have deals that provide a limited amount of time in a mastering facility to customers who buy a certain number of copies of the final product.

Free CD mastering is great for artists on a tight budget. It saves hundreds of dollars and is a far better option than not mastering the music at all.

CD Mastering Info provides detailed information on CD mastering engineers, facilities, and software, as well as online and free CD mastering. CD Mastering Info is affiliated with Original Content.
 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Years ago in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area it was easy to hear reggae. It was frequently played on the radio. Conscious lyrics were in your ears elevating your mind, heart and spirit. Today it is a different story. With the popularity of hip hop and gangster rap, you can only hear conscious reggae lyrics on specific stations at specific times. It is even harder to find out what the latest CD's are being produced. I see them as flyers around the community at places where conscious people congregate such as health food stores.

I am throwing open to the reggae community and all those who love conscious music to put together a list of the latest CD's that are out on the market and send them to me as well as all the radio stations and times that reggae is played so we can make this information available to all who love reggae music.

Years ago I kept up on everything that was out. Now I don't even know what the latest reggae is that is "conscious" unless I hear it from a friend. I hear the reggae that is played on the radio stations, however, I do not hear that "conscious lyrics" reggae music which made all of us reggae lovers have our love affair with the music.

I see the need for promoters of conscious reggae music to be more aggressive in putting out the word. The music that is on the airwaves now is grievous to soul and spirit; it is unenlightening and keeps one bound to the carnal realm of life. The behavior of the people is reflected in the music. It would be a great delight to my heart and soul if "conscious lyrics" once again dominated the airwaves like they did "back in the day."

All those in favor of creating our own reggae radio station with conscious lyrics 24 - 7 send me an email! If enough of us get together and push to hear the "positive vibration" we can make a change in this creation!

Sista Nya of Word Sound Communications is a media, advertising, marketing, public relations, research and travel company livacated to "serving the word of truth." We help promote, advertise and market all those of a positive, wholistic mind and spirit. We will not promote or advertise anyone or any organization that is harming humanity or destructive to the human heart, soul or spirit. If you need assistance in promoting the "positive word" give us a call (301) 395 9137 or email to wordsoundearthlink.net. Give thanks. Sister Nya.

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For years, the Reggae Festival Guide magazine received numerous requests for updates on festivals via email, and on May 2, 2004, we published the first emailed issue of the Reggae E-Guide ezine. Within a few months, we had 2500 subscribers - a testament to huge family of reggae fans! A year later, we upgraded our ezine to display full color and images as you see in this issue. The E-Guide is a wonderful resource for promoters, reggae artists, small reggae business owners and of course reggae fans! You can expect to see the E-Guide in your inbox weekly through the summer months and monthly during winter. All issues are archived at www.reggaefestivaleguide.com/archives.html. The E-Guide is officially logged as a publication at the Library of Congress (ISSN # 1551-6121). Please email the publisher with any questions at festivalsreggaefestivalguide.com.

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