By Kat Gleason
The widely revered Sierra Nevada World Music Festival returns to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville next weekend, June 16-19.
It's been five long years since the last SNWMF, first put on hold due to the illness and subsequent death of beloved founder Warren Smith, and thwn the pause continued during the CoVid years.
This will be the 26th rendition of SNWMF, which traditionally is a celebration of the founding artists of ska, rocksteady and reggae artists blended with an always unique sampling of world music artists, many of whom Warren Smith discovered on his own global explorations.
Anyone who has been to this festival will tell you that although patrons come for the music, it is the culture of community and the beauty of gathering under the banner of "One Love" that brings people to attend from near and far on an annual basis.
This event serves as a family reunion, an important time where like minded people can get together and share milestones. Not having it happen the past five years has been painful for many, making this year all the more sweet.
Festival producer Gretchen Franz has dedicated this year's Festival reunion to her husband Warren Smith. "It's bittersweet," said Franz. "Bitter because he won't be physically present…sweet because SNWMF 2023 is for Warren. I think it's the best tribute that we could pay him. And he would love it!
"Warren conceived of SNWMF to showcase the many artists he knew in Jamaica whose music he believed we all needed to hear. He expanded that vision to music from across the globe.
"Warren presented conscious music with a message of unity. He believed music transcends boundaries and shows that our similarities are much greater than our differences…
"SNWMF has always been dedicated to 'Nuturing a world family peacefully United in celebration of the universal spirit of music.'
"To me, Franz continued, "the gathering of our generational community is testament that Warren achieved his vision. And now, we need this more than ever."
Franz described the beauty and magic of event at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. "The natural beauty is just stunning! Nestled between the rolling hills of old growth, the Mendocino County Fairgrounds is just a beautiful spot to gather.
"That and the community that gathers makes it magical; the artists, radio, press, personnel and patrons, and the positive vibes they all bring…the international food, the arts and crafts…
"And the music is certainly part of the magic. This year alone Luciano, Burning Spear, Beres Hammond and Derrick Morgan are all performing, those are four Kings Of Reggae music.
"Malian Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba are not to be missed. They just performed at the London Philharmonic and prior to that at the Kennedy Center in DC."
Other legends performing include Soul Syndicate, Johnny Clark, The Clarendonians and Norma Fraser. The younger generation is also represented with Protoje and the latest Reggae Grammy winning Kabaka Pyramid. The opportunity to see all of these acts in one venue is a rare opportunity in the world.
Grammy Nominated singer "Jah Messenger" Luciano, who is headlining Friday night, was recently named one of the top 200 singers ever by Rolling Stone Magazine. In a recent interview on KTKE radio Luciano said "I've been to all the festivals all over the place…in all my years, SNWMF is definitely one of the outstanding festivals. You see the camping, the merchandise, the food, it is a community in motion."
When asked what drove him to creating music, Luciano said, "The people need the music, the energy…we believe that Love is the Universal Language, it has no boundary, no color. We believe in love for all people, one God, one Aim, one Destiny. We are all in this together…The music can heal the world."
SNWMF is a family friendly event with dedicated family camping and a kids village that includes a bouncy house, kids games and workshops, and roving entertainment that will delight kids big and small.
Boonville received a friendly nickname of Boomville due to the famous late night Dancehall where music selectors and chanters join together to create a scene common in the streets of Jamaica.
This year the sound in the Dancehall will be run by Willits based Royal Sound and Lighting, a now large stalwart of festival sound founded by friends who have been attending, creating and playing music at NorCal Festivals for decades. For those who like to continue dancing past the sound curfew, the silent dance hall will continue until nearly dawn.
SNWMF is three day festival that offers on site camping, allowing people to fully immerse themselves into the experience for the entire weekend. For those who cannot commit to all three days, or who prefer to commute in, single day tickets are available both at local outlets including the Mendocino County Fairgrounds office, Ukiah Natural Foods and Cloverdale Wellness and on the website http://www.SNWMF.com
Anderson Valley residents qualify for a locals discount on both weekend and single day passes. The discount applies to those with photo I'd for tickets purchase at the Fairgrounds office.
SNWMF is designed with two stages, the main one on the lawn with the bleachers and the more intimate Village stage in the Redwood Grove. In between the two stages there are multiple food booths featuring an array of international offerings. Vendors are sprinkled generously throughout the venue, offering a wide variety of clothing, handmade artifacts, jewelry, drums and plenty of other unique Global artifacts.
James Snidow, a DJ on KLLG 97.9 of Willits, had such an amazing time at SNWMF in 2009 that he ended up moving to Mendocino County.
"I moved up here from Southern California in 2010. I fell in love with Mendocino when attending first SNWMF at Boonville in 2009 but my first SNWMF was in 1997. This is my 19th year of 26th years attending.
"As a radio Reggae DJ I know Reggae has the power to bring people together and this festival does just that," said Snidow.
"We are celebrating Warren's legacy and the musical gifts he brought us. Gretchen brought us light which had been dimmed by CoVid. She gives us our favorite thing to rejoice again. I'm most looking forward to seeing Johnny Clarke play, he's an amazing performer."
"SNWMF as a team really loves Boonville," said Franz. "We believe in what we are doing…This is a labor of love of some incredibly dedicated, gifted and hardworking folks who after five years picked up the mantle in January to present SNWMF 2023.
"They have done an amazing job. I am so proud of Warren Smith for staying the course and remaining true to his values no matter how difficult the path. We hope you all come out to enjoy the weekend with us."
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