CONTENTS
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Friday-Saturday, June 17-18, 2005
5th Reggae Meeting
Island at Prichovice near Prestice
Near Pilsen, Czech Republic
http://meeting.jahmusic.net Hotline: +420 / 777 108 142

Friday-Sunday, June 17-19, 2005
12th Annual Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
Angel's Camp, California, U.S.
www.snwmf.com
Hotline: 916-777-5550

Saturday, June 18, 2005
Stayner Caribbean Jerk Festival
5968 27/28 Sideroad
Stayner, Ontario, Canada
www.staynerjerkfestival.com
Hotline: 416-298-3568 or 705-428-0591

Saturday, June 18, 2005
Santa Barbara Caribbean Festival
Oak Park
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
www.caribbean.santabarbara.com
Hotline: 805-687-4701

Saturday, June 18, 2005
San Diego County Fair Reggae Festival
Del Mar County Fairgrounds
San Diego, California, U.S.
www.sdfair.com
Hotline: 858-792-4227

Saturday, June 18, 2005
Reggae In The Desert
Clark County Amphitheater
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
www.reggaeinthedesert.com
Hotline: 702-455-8200

Saturday-Sunday, June 18-19, 2005
2. Weedbeat Festival
Speicher
bei Hildesheim, Germany
Hotline: 00491714203666

Sunday, June 19, 2005
Summer Splash 2005
Seanote in Hull Ma
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
www.disndatmusic.com
Hotline: 617-436-1632

Sunday, June 19, 2005
9th Annual Reggae Old & New School Jam
Queen Mary Events Park
Long Beach, California, U.S.
www.raggamuffins.org
Hotline: 310-515-3322

Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Montalvo Performing Arts Series
Villa Montalvo
Saratoga, California, U.S.
www.villamontalvo.org
Hotline: 408-961-5858

Friday, June 24, 2005
Sun-Vibrations Reggae Festival
Les Babacools, Sorgente, Runtingz, Rasfaan, MSF Soundsystem
Germany
http://www.sun-vibrations.de
Hotline: +49 (0)5923-96050

Saturday, June 25, 2005
Jefferson State Festival
Riverside Park
Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
www.stateofjefferson.org
Hotline: 541-908-2696

Friday-Saturday, June 24-25, 2005
Soca Caribbean Style
Reggae Lounge/Soca Village
Houston, Texas, U.S.
www.reggaewarehouse.mu
Hotline: 281-914-2616

Friday-Sunday, June 24-26, 2005
Adirondack Music Festival 100 Acre Jam
Riverside Park
Lyonsdale, New York, U.S.
www.adirondackmusicfestival.com
Hotline: 315-348-4100

Friday-Saturday, June 24-25, 2005
Island Festival-Kalamazoo
Arcadia Creek Festival Place
Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
www.islandfestkalamazoo.com
Hotline: 269-385-1276

Friday-Saturday, June 24-25, 2005
Vermont Roots Reggae Festival
Northeast Kingdome
West Glover, Vermont, U.S.
www.vermontreggae.org
Hotline: 802-324-7711

Saturday, June 26, 2005
Reggae Summer Jam
Sailinn
Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
Hotline: 602-750-9416

Thursday-Monday, June 30-4, 2005
Houston Caribfest
Tom Bass Park
Houston, Texas, U.S.
www.houstoncaribfest.com
Hotline: 866-227-8395

Friday-Sunday, July 1-3, 2005
Kulturfestival Integration
Zurich / Helvetiaplatz
Switzerland
www.africa-integration.ch
Hotline: 713-726-0365

Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2005
Houston Caribfest
Tom Bass Park
Houston, Texas, U.S.
www.houstoncaribfest.com
Hotline: 713-726-0365

Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2005
13th Annual African/Caribbean Int'l Festival of Life
Washington Park
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
www.martinsinterculture.com
Hotline: 312-427-0266

Monday, July 4, 2005
World One Fest
Cerrito Vista Park
El Cerrito, California, U.S.
www.worldoneradio.org
Hotline: none

Friday-Saturday, July 1-9, 2005
Rototom Sunsplash 2005
Osoppo, Parco del Rivellino
Udine, Italy
www.rototomsunsplash.com
Hotline: +39 0434.977314

Sunday-Saturday, July 3-9, 2005
Mayor's Cup Festival & Regatta
Downtown
Plattsburgh, New York, U.S.
www.mayorscup.com
Hotline: 518-562-9708

Thursday-Sunday, July 7-10, 2005
Soa Reggae Riversplash
Tolmin, Slovenia
www.vinylmaniarecords.si
Hotline: none

Friday-Sunday, July 8-10, 2005
Summerjam
Regattainsel, Fuumlhlinger See
Koumlln, Germany
www.summerjam.de
Hotline: 0049711-238 50 50

Saturday, July 9, 2005
Reggae Summer Jam
Suffolk Down
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
www.lionent.com
Hotline: 617-2650404

Saturday-Sunday, July 9-10, 2005
The Reggae Festival of Wales
Haverfordwest Showground
Pembrokeshire, Wales
www.reggaewales.com/festival
Hotline: +44 (0) 7765 644 337

Saturday-Sunday, July 9-10, 2005
Breizh Sunsplash
Iffendic, France
www.breizhsunsplash.com
Hotline: TBA

Saturday-Sunday, July 9-10, 2005
Jahlove Reggae Festival
Stepping Stone Ranch
Escoheag, Rhode Island, U.S.
www.jahlovefestival.com
Hotline: 401-331-7910

Saturday-Sunday, July 9-10, 2005
Jumpin' & Jammin' Reggae Party
Iguana Ranch Guesthouse
Duncan, B.C., Canada
Hotline: 250-709-9010

Sunday, July 10, 2005
77-Splash
Heineken Music Hall
Amsterdam, Netherlands
www.two77splash.nl
Hotline: none

Thursday-Sunday, July 14-17, 2005
California World Music Festival
Grass Valley Fairgrounds
Grass Valley, California, U.S.
www.worldfest.net
Hotline: 530-891-4098

Friday-Sunday, July 15-17, 2005
Montreal International Reggae Festival
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
www.montrealreggaefestival.com
Hotline: none

Saturday, July 16, 2005
2005 Soul Rebel Festival
Boulder Reservoir
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.
www.reggaemovement.com
www.ujamanews.com
Hotline: none

Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17, 2005
California Jamaican Jerk Festival & Concert
Woodley Aeronautical Museum - Compton Airport
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
www.mbigmusic.com
Hotline: 714-809-1785

Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17, 2005
34th Annual Reggae Festival
Woodbury Ski Area
Woodbury, Connecticut, U.S.
www.woodburyskiarea.com
Hotline: 203-263-2203

Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17, 2005
California Jamaican Jerk Festival & Concert
Tomorrow's Aeronotical Museum 901 w. Alondra Blvd.
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
www.astarproductions.com
Hotline: 714-809-1785

Sunday-Saturday, July 17-23, 2005
Red Stripe Reggae SumFest
Montego Bay, Jamaica
www.reggaesumfest.com
Hotline: 876-953-2933

Friday-Saturday, July 22-23, 2005
Irie Vibes Roots Festival
Kronevoordestraat
Handzame, Belgium
http://www.greenforward.be
Hotline: 0032498543582

Festival listings are believed to be correct.
Please contact the promoter directly for more information.

Are you a reggae festival promoter? Post your festival at
www.ReggaeFestivalGuide.com/post_festival.html

Now in it's 11th year, The Annual Reggae Festival Guide has 'the' calendar for the hottest reggae festivals in the U.S and Internationally. We all know that reggae is more than just the music. It is part of our life philosophy and belief system, and we can experience it everywhere on the planet every day. This issue looks at reggae and celebrations of life around the world. Our center-spread feature is by photojournalist Richard Brackett. He treks to remote cultures and participates in the ceremonies of villages and tribes. His photos and story will transport you. Bi-linguist DJ and graphic artist Mike Clark edutains us about reggae en Espanol and also the reggaeton craze so popular with the youth. 2005 marks Bob Marley's 60th birthday so Roger Steffens shares a small portion of his knowledge, his photo archive and he reminds us of just how widespread this phenomenon is. We hope this year's issue gives you plenty of information to find the music that guides and enlightens us. Special thanks to all who helped make this happen. Explore, embrace, enjoy! Kaati/Publisher ~ For more information, please visit www.reggaefestivalguide.com.

"TALLOWAH"

Five and a half months have passed since the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Admittedly, it has sunken to the back of my memory and is not having the weight it did when it happened. When reportedly the death toll has reached 283,000, we just can't forget and grow numb. Speaking of blogs in this issue, here is a blog site dedicated to news and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts [http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com]. Find the most current volunteer opportunities and get involved.

--Kristine Cummins/Publisher E-Guide

For contributions to this section of the E-Guide, "In Jah's Name We Pray", please email festivalsreggaefestivalguide.com.

Dennis Woo had doubts at first when an employee asked to start a blog for GreenCine, his online DVD rental company. It seemed like a big and risky commitment for the small San Francisco firm, which at the time had a staff of about 10.

But Woo took the plunge and allowed employee David Hudson to start writing full time about film festivals and other news from the world of independent and alternative cinema. Now, two and a half years later, the GreenCine Daily blog (daily.greencine.com) draws about 80,000 visitors each month with its dispatches from film festivals around the world.

Woo credits the blog with helping double his company's sales in 2004. "When we started off, I was skeptical about whether it would be successful, but it is core to our strategy," he said.

GreenCine is a nationwide pioneer when it comes to the effective use of blogs by small businesses. Blogging -- the creation of a kind of online public diary -- got its start among tech-savvy individuals as a means of creative expression or social commentary. It has recently been taken up as a marketing tool by some big companies like General Motors and Stonyfield Farm, the New Hampshire yogurt manufacturer.

Now small businesses are starting to dip their toes into what is called the blogosphere. Some analysts suggest that blogging presents an ideal marketing opportunity for small business -- that blogging is in fact better suited to the needs of small firms than large ones.

"For small, small businesses that have little money for advertising and don't have a Web site, a blog can become your Web presence," said Paul Chaney, an Internet marketing expert with Radiant Marketing Group in Mississippi. (radiantmarketing.typepad.com).

Blogs, short for Web logs, can be produced for low or no cost and with virtually no technical skill. Web sites like www.blogger.com or www.typepad.com provide blog templates. All that users need to do is type in their message.

Blogs can be easily updated on a weekly, daily or even hourly basis. And because the content is constantly changing, blogs often end up ahead of static Web sites when doing an Internet search for a particular topic.

All of this makes blogging a potentially cheap and accessible form of marketing for small businesses.

An additional boon for small businesses is that blog entries often work best with an informal, conversational tone, so they don't need a publicist to write the content for them. In fact, sounding too slick can be the death knell for a blog.

"At the heart of every great blog is the blogger, someone speaking passionately and personally, whether it's about their family or about their business," said Chaney.

"It's not so much about controlling the message as engaging in a conversation. It lets people see the inside of your business and who you are. It builds a relationship on the blog and off the blog. I don't know of any other medium that allows that kind of communication," he said.

Individual marketing

So far, small businesses are responsible for only a tiny number of the 9 million blogs currently in existence. Some of the earliest small-business bloggers have been independent consultants and professionals -- people who find blogging a good way to market their individual expertise.

Like a newsletter, a blog allows them to keep clients up to date on news in their field and impress potential clients with their knowledge.

Folger Levin & Kahn, a midsize San Francisco law firm, started an intellectual property law blog in March (www.iplawobserver.com) as a way to showcase its IP knowledge to potential clients.

Folger attorneys spend a total of 10 to 15 hours per week writing blog entries about recent appellate court decisions on IP law.

"A lot of law firm business is based on word-of-mouth, where someone tells a friend about Folger," said Gregory Call, a Folger partner. "That works very well with my generation, which is 45 and over. But what's the equivalent of word-of-mouth for younger people today, many of whom are moving into decision-making positions? Maybe a blog will do that .... I don't think people will hire us just because we have a blog, but they may talk to us because we have a blog."

In El Cerrito, business consultant Sallie Goetsch has a blog focused on developments in computer-backup technology (www.fileslinger.com/blog). She had been sending her clients weekly e-mails reminding them to back up their computers, when she realized she had enough news and anecdotes to fill a blog. She uses the blog to attract visitors to her main Web site, which promotes her services in writing, research and technical support.

"It's definitely increased the profile of my Web site generally and provides a showcase for my writing services," Goetsch said.

While it started with consultants and professionals like Goetsch, blogging is spreading into the realm of bricks-and-mortar small businesses.

Posting signs and rabbits

J.D. Iles, owner of a custom-sign shop in Lincoln, N.H., has a blog that mixes photos of his signs and descriptions of the sign-making process with more personal entries, including recent notes on a family vacation and a photo of the family's new pet rabbit (www.signsneversleep.typepad.com).

Ben Williams, co-owner of the Horsefeathers restaurant in North Conway, N. H., replaced his Web site last summer with a blog (hihowaya.blogs.com) aimed at keeping customers connected with the restaurant.

His blog is an eclectic mix of recipes, food news and musings on topics ranging from the history of Orangina to women taking up archery.

Williams sees the blog as a quantum leap beyond his old static Web site, which consisted of little more than a menu and pictures of the restaurant.

"I paid someone way too much money to develop our Web site, and then I had to argue and fight with them every time we wanted to change something," Williams said. "Now with the blog, I just grab my computer and write up the stuff we're talking about every day in the restaurant -- the Red Sox, the weather, the ski conditions."

The Horsefeathers blog takes Williams 10 to 15 hours per week to write and gets about 150 visitors per day. "We are getting as many people checking the site every day as we have seats in the dining room," he said.

Other small businesses around the country that have taken up blogging as a marketing tool include architects, home remodelers, jewelers, furniture- makers and artists.

Some have experienced dramatic results.

Anita Campbell, an Ohio business consultant (www.smallbusinesses.blogspot.com) said her blog helped her position herself as a national expert who now makes more money speaking and writing about small business than from local consulting engagements.

Artists sells paintings

Colorado artist Nicole Hyde has sold six paintings through her blog (nhydefineart.typepad.com/bijou) since she started it in February, compared with just two paintings at her real world gallery during that same time. "So far the blog's winning," Hyde said.

Often, however, it can be hard to measure the value of blogs to businesses. For one thing, blog traffic can vary widely -- from a few dozen visits per month to the 80,000 visits that GreenCine Daily is getting. Not every blog reader turns into a customer.

And even when blogging helps lead to a sale, it is often in conjunction with other marketing efforts like a Web page, a phone conversation or word of mouth.

In the case of Lincoln Sign Shop, Iles said the blog has been most useful on a local level as a supplement to his other sales efforts. For instance, after speaking with potential customers, he directs them to the blog to see examples of his work.

At GreenCine, Hudson's passion and knowledge about independent, alternative film clearly struck a chord with the company's target market of film aficionados. The blog itself didn't directly promote the company's DVD rental business, but it increased GreenCine's name recognition and provided easy links to the firm's main Web site for rentals.

"We were trying to differentiate ourselves (from other DVD rental companies) in a way that was not just posting movie reviews," Woo said. "At a certain point, traffic on this thing just shot through the roof. It was the quality of the thing and the way we wrote it. It came back to us in positive word on the street, respect from the (film) community and higher sales."

By Ilana DeBare
E-mail Ilana DeBare idebaresfchronicle.com
Reprint from San Francisco Chronicle 5/5/05
www.sfgate.com

Chef Judith O'Loughlin is pleased to announce the opening of her new restaurant - "The Caribbean Cove" - at 2556 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704. Open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday through Sunday, the restaurant will serve up Judith's fare of exotic and authentic Caribbean dishes. Long-time fans of Judith and newcomers alike are invited to come and celebrate!

The Caribbean Cove is a woman-of-color owned independent restaurant and catering business serving the San Francisco Bay area. The Caribbean Cove serves up authentic Caribbean cuisine for a wide range of special occasions including hosted events, corporate parties, wedding receptions, them parties, backstage cooking for music events and more. For a menu and information on services, visit www.thecaribbeancove.com.

You love creating music and/or art, but you are bogged down with mundane tasks of every day business - putting your creativity on the back burner. Having a manager is essential to surviving the business of promoting your own talent in this day and age. One burgeoning company based out of California is ready to take your talent to the next level. Owner's name is Amy Shapas and she is willing to negotiate a contract with you that you are able to afford. Call 831-479-0711 and visit her website at www.soyoucan.com. Say you heard of me through the E-Guide!