10th Annual Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival Returns NEXT WEEKEND March 10-12, 2023

MEDIA ALERT

Latin-heavy lineup highlights include Marlow Rosado, Dayme Arocena, and Cortadito, along with mainstays Donna the Buffalo and more

Virginia Key, FL – March 1, 2023 – Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with three days and three stages of family friendly world, roots music and camping at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park.

Headlining artists include Donna The Buffalo, Marlow Rosado, Daymé Arocena, RAM Haiti, Jorge Glem, The Bones of J.R. Jones, Munir Hosn, Cortadito and many more.

Alongside the broad range of world music and the option to camp at the festival for the weekend, the festival will also host yoga, a sustainability fair, live art, food and craft vendors, music workshops, dance workshops, children’s activities and so much more.

DATE: March 10-12, 2023

TIMES: 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. each day

VENUE: Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149

WEBSITE: VirginiaKeyGrassRoots.org

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MEDIA CONTACT
Mut Communications
Michael Mut
786.426.2277
info@mutcomm.com


10th Annual Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival Returns to Historic Virginia Key Beach Park March 10-12, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Latin-heavy lineup highlights include Marlow Rosado, Dayme Arocena, and Cortadito, along with mainstays Donna the Buffalo and more

Virginia Key, FL – January 12, 2023 – The GrassRoots Organization is thrilled to announce the return of the 10th Annual Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance. Taking place March 6-12, 2023 at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (4020 Virginia Beach Drive, Key Biscayne, FL 33149), GrassRoots brings Americana, Latin, folk, roots and world music all together on the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. The week-long camping music & arts festival begins with four days of daily, unique musical workshops, dinner and dances leading into a three-day, three-stage family-friendly camping music and arts festival.

Hosted by festival founders and Americana stalwarts Donna the Buffalo, the 10th Annual Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival will also present music from Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican salsa keyboardist and conductor Marlow Rosado, Afro-Cuban singer, composer and director Daymé Arocena, Haitian Vodou rock and roots legends RAM Haiti, and Latin Grammy Award Winning Venezulean roots cuatro player Jorge Glem (C4 Trio), along with Cortadito, The Bones of J.R. JonesMunir HossnEva Peroni (Monsieur Periné), Richie StearnsPepe Montes Conjunto, Machaka, Tand, The ResolversCosmic Collective and many more.

Situated just minutes from downtown Miami on Virginia Key, the secluded and serene Historic Virginia Key Beach Park features sandy beaches and miles of nature trails abutting the pristine, calm waters along the Atlantic Ocean; perfect for music, camping and fun with friends and family.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places originally as the Coloreds Only beach for Miami-Dade County, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park began revitalization in 1999. As a committed partner since the first Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival in 2012, the non-profit GrassRoots Organization and its numerous volunteers have contributed each year to building working replica structures of the originals that existed during the parks heyday including six small rental cabins, a Tea House, and replicas of the Historic Lifeguard & First Aid Office and Historic Mini Train Ticket Booth and Beach Shack.

Alongside the broad range of world music, the festival will also host a Sustainability Fair, Yoga, Live Art, Music Workshops, Dance Workshops, Children’s Activities and more. Tickets and camping passes are on sale now at virginiakeygrassroots.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT
Mut Communications
Michael Mut
786.426.2277
info@mutcomm.com


7th Annual Virginia Key Grassroots Fest Feb. 21-25

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7th Annual Virginia Key Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance Returns to Virginia Key Beach Park and the City of Miami February 21-25, 2018

Miami, FL — January 17, 2017 — The Virginia Key Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance is pleased to announce the lineup for their 7th annual event taking place February 21 – 25, 2018 at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park and throughout the City of Miami.  With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the festival will host camping at the island starting Tuesday and nightly events at different venues around the city of Miami Wednesday through Friday before moving all programming to the island Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring a stellar and diverse array of talent this year’s lineup includes Grassroots favorites Big Mean Sound Machine, Locos Por Juana, Uma Galera and The Blind Spots alongside a large array of Miami-based talent including Elastic Bond, Fabi World Music Experience, Tamboka and Electric Piquete among many others.

“We feel very fortunate and grateful to once again share Grassroots Festival’s values of bringing world music and culture to new audiences while creating environments that inspire creativity and foster community building with the vibrant musical community of Miami,” says festival visionary and long time curator Jordan Puryear. “This year we are excited to partially return the focus to the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park with camping all week and by staging the legendary Grassroots Festival Dance Tent to host music all weekend Saturday to Sunday after immersing attendees in the colorful nightlife of Miami during the week.”

Along with music, the festival also showcases non-profit political, social and environmental activist organizations along with wellness workshops, yoga and beach activities on Saturday and Sunday.

For tickets and more information head to virginiakeygrassrootsfest.com.

VIRGINIA KEY GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL LINEUP

 

Big Mean Sound Machine
Locos Por Juana
Uma Galera
Bella’s Bartok
Elastic Bond
Cortadito
Fabi World Music Experience
Ephniko
Tamboka
Electric Piquete
Lobo Marino
Nag Champayons
Afrobeta
JUke
The Blind Spots
Medicine Hat Band
Tenzin Chopak
Jose Albizo & Soulroots Jazz
Pepe Montes Conjunto

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Russ Friedell
Russ@mammothmusicgroup.com
607-437-9326

Michael Mut
info@mutcomm.com
786-426-2277


Full GrassRoots Live! Lineup Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Full GrassRoots Live! Lineup Announced

Live music performances for the sixth annual festival to take place in Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Midtown, Virginia Key and Wynwood

Virginia Key Beach, FL – January 18, 2017 – The open format for the 2017 edition of the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance promises to spread the event’s vibe throughout Miami. Not only will there music at the festival’s Key Biscayne home, but this year, mainland satellite happenings in Coral Gables, Wynwood and Midtown, and North Beach will literally bring the music to the people. Live performances are scheduled to begin Wednesday, February 22 and will run through the grand festival-closing performance on Sunday, February 26. Camping will be available the 21st through the 27th at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park.

Long an organization that supports and encourages sustainable mass-transit commuting, all events are either within in walking distance of each other, or accessible by public transportation (buses, Metrorail, and Metromover), Freebee (Wynwood’s free electric runabout car system), or Uber.

Scheduled to play this year are:

Locos Por Juana
Donna the Buffalo
Uma Galera
Big Mean Sound Machine
FABI
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Elastic Bond
Telekinetic Walrus
Tamboka
JUke

Bill Kelly
Afrobeta
Nag Champyons
Nativos Jammin Orchestra
The Blind Spots
Electric Piquete
Edan Archer
Krekel and Whoa
Jeb & Tara
Jesus Hidalgo 

Official host venues are:

The Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St, Miami, FL 33127
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149  
Concrete Beach Brewery, (325 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33127
Garden Food and Bar, 168 NW 26th Street, Miami, FL 33127
Lagniappe House, 3425 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137
North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141
University of Miami Patio, Donna E. Shalala Student Center, 1330 Miller Dr, Miami, FL 33146

The full schedule detailing which artists will play at what venue and at what time will be posted soon at http://virginiakeygrassroots.com/music/performer-lineup.

“Miami and GrassRoots have come to a wonderful meeting point about being human, respectful to all people, artistic, creative and is such a welcome respite from the turmoil that is the general feeling I get in most of the country now,” said festival coordinator Jordan Puryear. “If you have not seen the evolution of the Wynwood Arts District you will be very pleasantly surprised by the warm and cozy outdoor venues where people bring their kids and enjoy the wonderful breezes of Miami.”

The festival-closer on Sunday, February 26 at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park will feature live performances by Donna the Buffalo, Elastic Bond, Big Mean Sound Machine, FABI and more. Concrete Beach Brewery will host a special pop-up bar, and there will be a selection of food trucks present to go along with lots of beachside outdoor fun.

GrassRoots Live! will also offer a full schedule of movement, meditation and healing workshops and events to throughout the week of camping and fun. Puryear will offering Tensegrity practice each day for those who would like to explore the ancient movement art of the pre-Colombian Central American people who built the great Chichen Itza pyramid in Mexico.

Tickets to all events an on-site camping are now available online at: http://bit.ly/VKGR2017.  For more information, please visit http://virginiakeygrassroots.com or call 305.767.4460.

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ABOUT GRASSROOTS

The original Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance began in 1990 as a benefit concert to support a local AIDS organization in Ithaca, NY.  Encouraged by the success of that night, a decision was made to create an annual festival dedicated to raising money for the fight against AIDS, while supporting arts and education.

With the help of countless volunteers, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival has become an internationally-recognized event with a focus on traditional and contemporary roots music and dance from all over the world.  For four days every July, the festival hosts more than 60 performing groups on four stages at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds in Central New York near the university town of Ithaca.

Twelve years later, the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance was launched on a 75-acre farm in rural North Carolina near the triangle cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Twice a year, in April and October, thousands of people attend the event to revel in great music, sweat it out on the dance floor, celebrate the arts, and build community.

The site has since become the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center, a non-profit organization created to strengthen the community through music, arts and education.

The festival winters at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, just off the coast of Miami, FL. This year’s edition is the sixth incarnation of the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance, featuring local and national acts.

For more information, visit GrassRootsFest.org  or call 607.387.5098.

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Mut
Mut Communications
786.426.2277
info@mutcomm.com


GrassRoots Live! Coming February 21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tickets for GrassRoots Live! Now Available Online

Donna the Buffalo, Locos Por Juana, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Blind Spots, FABI, Big Mean Sound Machine, Electric Piquete announced as headliners

Virginia Key Beach, FL – January 4, 2017 The sixth installment of the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is being billed this year as GrassRoots Live! and is scheduled to take place February 21-28, 2017. The event will not only take place on its traditional Key Biscayne home, but will also feature mainland satellite happenings in Wynwood and Midtown, and on North Beach. Grassroots festival mainstays Donna the Buffalo, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Blind Spots, and Big Mean Sound Machine join Miami’s Locos Por Juana, FABI and Electric Piquete as early headliners announced; more acts are soon to be revealed.

So far, there are official events planned for The Wynwood Yard (56 NW 29th St, Miami, FL 33127), Concrete Beach Social Hall (325 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33127), Lagniappe House (3425 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137), and the North Beach Bandshell (7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141). The full schedule will be released shortly, but tickets to all events and on-site camping are now available online at: http://bit.ly/VKGR2017.

“We’re proud and excited to be back for a 6th year,” says festival organizer and spokesperson Selena Hodom. “I’m looking forward to producing yet another successful winter event and continuing the GrassRoots tradition here in South Florida.”

The organization is looking to get back on track after underwhelming ticket sales for the recent Shakori Hills festival, which was interrupted for a day by a Hurricane Matthews strike on North Carolina in early October or 2016. In spite of the weather, the festival highlighted scores of bands, including a contingent from Miami that included Elastic Bond, Electric Piquete and Cortadito.

The Virginia Key / Greater Miami edition will once again showcase non-profit political, social and environmental activist organizations, and feature on-site camping on Virginia Key, wellness workshops, yoga, and beach activities.

For more information, please visit http://virginiakeygrassroots.com or call 305.767.4460.

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ABOUT GRASSROOTS

The original Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance began in 1990 as a benefit concert to support a local AIDS organization in Ithaca, NY.  Encouraged by the success of that night, a decision was made to create an annual festival dedicated to raising money for the fight against AIDS, while supporting arts and education.

With the help of countless volunteers, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival has become an internationally-recognized event with a focus on traditional and contemporary roots music and dance from all over the world.  For four days every July, the festival hosts more than 60 performing groups on four stages at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds in Central New York near the university town of Ithaca.

Twelve years later, the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance was launched on a 75-acre farm in rural North Carolina near the triangle cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Twice a year, in April and October, thousands of people attend the event to revel in great music, sweat it out on the dance floor, celebrate the arts, and build community.

The site has since become the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center, a non-profit organization created to strengthen the community through music, arts and education.

The festival winters at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, just off the coast of Miami, FL. This year’s edition is the sixth incarnation of the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, featuring local and national acts.

For more information, visit GrassrootsFest.org  or call 607.387.5098.

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Mut
Mut Communications
786.426.2277
info@mutcomm.com


Virginia Key GrassRoots Previewed 2/14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance Previewed at the February 14 a Day at the Beach Concert

Day two of the concert series to feature Big Mean Sound Machine, Afrobeta, Jean P Jam, Oigo and Big Brooklyn Red at the North Beach Bandshell

Miami Beach, FL – February 2, 2016 – The fifth annual Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance returns to Virginia Key February 18-21, 2016, but fans can enjoy an exclusive preview of a few of the acts scheduled to perform on Sunday, February 14 at the North Beach Bandshell (7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139). The free, all-ages show, featuring Ithaca, NY’s Big Mean Sound Machine and local faves Jean P Jam, Oigo and Big Brooklyn Red, will also feature yoga beats with Afrobeta, workshops, food vendors, crafts and more. Doors open at noon; learn more at www.VirginaKeyGrassRoots.org.

“Our partnership with the GrassRoots organization is a natural one – we share the common goal of wanting to positively impact our communities through the arts,” says CAC Executive and Artistic Director Jose Elias. “We invite everyone to come back to the North Beach Bandshell the day after our opener to take in a special Valentine’s Day sneak preview of this year’s Virginia Key GrassRoots Fest, which promises to be their best yet.” Community Arts & Culture won a 2015 Knights Arts Challenge South Florida grant and was recently awarded a National Endowment of the Arts Challenge America award. They present the arts as a tool for education and are a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

Big Mean Sound Machine’s stated goal is to create music that stimulates both the body and brain. A dozen plus-piece big band, they thrive in the live setting, passionately emoting a mix of Afrobeat, funk, dance and experimental music, drawing influences from West Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and North America and performing from 100-150 dates a year throughout the United States. They are currently promoting their third full-length release called Contraband, which was recorded live, fully analog and in two sessions at 19th Century churches.

Jean P Jam was born Jean Almatas Pokito in Haiti where he began is musical exploration on guitar and with the Konpa and Racine styles. His professional career began at age 16, and he went on to tour with the Gemini All-Stars on bass, before joining the legendary Magnum Band, touring and recording with them for several years. In addition, he’s worked with notable artists such asRichie and Cedella Marley (Mother B), as well as several prominent local acts. He is currently based in Miami and is well-known throughout the region for his unique blend of reggae and world music. His latest recording Keep Walking is now available on CD.

Big Brooklyn Red is a neosoul recording and performing artist whose classic gospel stylings have appeared on countless house and dance tracks and compilations. Influenced by Marvin Gaye, Donnie Hathaway, Al Green and others, he can be seen performing throughout Miami at lounges, clubs and hotels as a solo artist, in the Red Monkey duo or as part of a few different groups. His release Foreward is available on iTunes.

With sister events also occurring in Shakori Hills, NC and Ithaca, NY during the last 25 plus years, the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance organization, its own 501(c)3, has served to both engage and give back to the local and regional communities in which they exist by providing financial and organizational support to impact positive change. The Virginia Key festival officially opens with a pre-concert Culture Camp, which runs February 14 – 17 at the festival site, featuring instrument, dance, movement and cooking workshops, nightly themed dances and more. Beachfront camping is once again available.

Descemer Bueno, who is best known for the 2014 international hit “Bailando”, will headline the opening day concert planned for the day before, also at the bandshell, marking the official start of Community Arts & Culture’s (CAC) busy season of musical and educational activities. The concert is an all-ages event also featuring members of the at-risk youth mentorship program Guitars Over Guns Organization (GOGO). Pre-sale tickets are $25 and available at bpt.me/e/2471841; show begins at 4 p.m.

The concert series is generously being sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, theMiami Beach Cultural Arts Council, Blackwell Rum, 7th Circuit Productions, and the Moksha Family Arts Collective. For more information, call 786.218.6854 or visit www.communityartsandculture.org.

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ABOUT COMMUNITY ARTS & CULTURE

Incorporated in September 2002, Community Arts and Culture, Inc. (CAC) is a Miami-based non-profit organization that fosters an appreciation and understanding of a vast assortment of arts and cultures by educating individuals of all ages and social backgrounds through workshops, lectures and artistic performances in local communities.

Prior to receiving non-profit status, the Arts at St. Johns served as a fiscal agent for CAC’s programs and development. For their 2003/2004 season, the Arts at St. Johns received funding through a DAN (Digital Arts Network) grant to serve as an incubator for emerging arts administrators. CAC also produces the Afro Roots World Music Festival, one of the longest-running events of its kind, as well as co-produces the Roots in the Schools program, which brings music to Miami-area at-risk children.

For more information, call 786.218.6854 or visitwww.communityartsandculture.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Mut Communications
Michael Mut
786.426.2277
info@mutcomm.com