FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The first-ever virtual edition of the annual world music festival features an evening of performances by Alsarah, Spam Allstars, Johnny Dread, Cortadito, Venezonix, and more
Miami Beach, FL — August 20, 2020 — The Miami New Times’ 2019 “Best Music Festival” has now gone totally virtual. After enduring several cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19, the 22nd Afro Roots Fest concert season will culminate and conclude with a multinational livestream concert featuring Sudanese chanteuse Alsarah and several of Miami’s new and legacy artists on Saturday, September 12, 2020, beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Webcast live from the North Beach Bandshell (7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33141) and emceed by Afropop Worldwide‘s legendary host Georges Collinet, other acts will include Spam Allstars, Johnny Dread, Cortadito, and Venezonix.
Alsarah is a singer, songwriter, and bandleader born in Khartoum, Sudan. She relocated to Yemen with her family, then to Brooklyn, NY, where she has lived since 2004. The East African retro-pop group Alsarah & the Nubatones were born out of many dinner conversations between Alsarah and percussionist Rami El Aasser about nubian “songs of return”, modern migration patterns, and the cultural exchanges between Sudan and Egypt.
Local favorite musicologist and spinmaster Andrew Yeomanson AKA DJ Le Spam founded Spam Allstars 23 years ago. The early days included hilarious spoken word records, mixed with a variety of instruments, and the lovely scent of Spam frying live on stage as a special snack to share with his non-vegan guests. More than two decades later, the band has a core group of musicians who have been performing an average of 150 shows per year, across the U.S. and with some very special trips to Europe, Canada, South America and South Africa.
They held a weekly residency at the legendary Little Havana club called Hoy Como Ayer, where the band forged what many have called a new Miami sound. Their “electronic descarga” is a reflection of the musicians and their cultures, training, and musical influences.
Johnny Dread quite simply transcends Reggae music and travels into a unique blend of world beat rhythms. His musical influences are as diverse as his rasta / Cuban-American background. With his undeniable rebel soul, he infuses Caribbean-influenced beats, Afro-Cuban, and rock sounds into every one of his songs. This combination provides the audience with contagious rhythms and powerful, soul-wrenching melodies.
He has taken the stage in international festivals, concerts and benefits with leading artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Israel Vibration, among others. A self-taught drummer, he has captivated audiences from around the world and has accumulated a loyal fan base all over the United States, Europe and South America.
Cortadito is a group that has simply revitalized Son Montuno, the late nineteenth-century country music from the mountainous regions of Eastern Cuba. Their sound can best be described as reminiscent of the Buena Vista Social Club. Jose Elias founded the group alongside Julio Cesar Rodriguez Delet in November of 2011 after a 12-year stint with Conjunto Progreso that garnered him a Grammy nomination for his participation in the album Masters of Cuban Son. The duo was an instant success and were invited to perform at the Fingerlakes Grassroots festival in Trumansberg, NY.
They released their first CD titled Abriendo Caminos in 2012, which featured one original composition by each of the artists, including “Delicias Caribeña” (Elias) and “Te Lo Perdiste” (Rodriguez). They released Canciones de Julio in 2018 and were named “Best Latin Act” by the Miami New Times in 2019. The band occasionally backs legendary Cuban musician and Buena Vista Social Club member Eliades Ochoa.
Venezonix presents a fusion of Afro-Venezuelan rhythms with electronic music and technology led by Andres Ponce (agpa), co-founder of acclaimed Nacional recording artists ElasticBond. Their upcoming EP La Que Es features collaborations with Betsayda Machado and Parranda el Clavo, as well as a selection of genre-bending explorations mixing traditional Venezuelan instruments with futuristic beats and synthesizer textures.
The livestream will also include a Community Spotlight segment celebrating some of Miami’s cultural ambassadors. Scheduled to appear are: African instrument-maker and author Eddie Osborne (Ancestral Memories), the Circle of Brotherhood, Concerned African Women, and more to be announced.
Collinet, a native of Cameroon in West Africa, is one of the best-known and best-loved broadcasters on the African continent. Based in the U.S. for more than 25 years, Collinet’s French and English language music programs broadcast to Africa via the Voice of America have entertained millions of devoted fans. Afropop Worldwide is a Peabody award-winning radio program and online magazine dedicated to music from Africa and the African diaspora.
Viewers will be able to tune in to the free webcast on www.AfroRootsFest.com as well as on the festival Facebook page, which is located at fb.me/AfroRootsFest. The festival is being co-presented with the Rhythm Foundation, and is made possible through the generous support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, the Broadmoor Hotel, and Afropop Worldwide.
For more information, visit 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 through workshops, lectures and artistic performances in local communities for individuals of all ages and social backgrounds.
CAC has a track record of community collaborations which have earned the support of many other organizations and sponsors, such as the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the non-profit organization La Fortuna, Guanabanas Island Restaurant & Bar, the Florida Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs, the City of Miami Beach, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, the Moksha Arts Collective, Miami–Dade College, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, and the Rhythm Foundation. These harmonious relations help CAC fulfill their co-presenting mission to the community.
In 2018, Executive and Artistic Director Jose Elias was recognized by the Knight Foundation as a Knights Art Champion, which allowed him to donate $10,000 to CAC for the production of the 2019 season of events. In 2019, Afro Roots Fest was named “Best Music Festival” by the Miami New Times in the weekly’s “Best of Miami” edition. Most recently, the organization partnered with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to present an Afro Roots Recordings Artist Showcase, as part of the Arts Across America program.
The organization is now selling Afro Roots-branded merchandise online at CommunityArtsandCulture.org/store, and soon plans to release original music through its musical imprint Afro Roots Recordings.
For more information, please visit the brand new website at CommunityArtsandCulture.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Mut Communications
Michael Mut
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info@mutcomm.com
