As we headed over to the peninsula for day 3 of RRU it was overcast and a little breezy.  Hoping it would stay this way all day to give us a little break from the heat, we were looking over the lineup, wondering what it had in store for us today.  Happy with the first two days, we were feeling optimistic.  A few bands I haven’t seen before and a couple to end the day and festival that don’t fit the reggae genre, so wondering how day 3 would finish off.  I started thinking again that this may be the last of RRU here in Baltimore, or even in the Northeast.  So, if this is it, we must make the best of it.  As we were preparing our cameras for the first band after arriving, we saw a couple of friends we have met here at RRU previously, Ray (SHEEEESH one of the nicest guys I have ever met) and Ben (travels up from Florida each year for this festival and such a huge reggae fan), and it made me think about what I said in my review of last year’s RRU. This is really about the people we have met, new friends and old friends, and of course, good music and good vibes. The vibe may be different this year, but the amazing people and amazing performances remain the same.

The day started off with Deltona, FL’s The Sub Herbs, a unique reggae punk vibe with so much energy coming from these guys.  Amazing start to the day, these guys really bring it to the stage, super fun to watch.  First time hearing and seeing them but will not be the last for sure. Had to try out the tacos from Fistful of Tacos in the VIP tent, they were phenomenal and the guys working there were so cool. Next up, a band I first met at the first RRU, hailing from Washington, DC, Dale and the ZDubs.  I have become a huge DZD fan over these three years, love the rock/reggae vibes coming from Dale! You can see how much Dale loves performing live. With a few new members joining the group, Tyler “T. Nasty” Vickery on bass and Nekoro “Neko” Williams on drums, they sounded so incredible.  Throw in the addition of Sam on Sax from the Outer Banks, they were completely jamming out during their set.  Dale said he was hoping Sam would join the band full time, and I agree, she killed it and adds another level to the band. Coming out of Orlando, Kash’d Out hit the stage. Another first timer for me, I started listening to them shortly before RRU, and really liked what I heard, another one to add to the, “why didn’t I listen to them sooner?” list. They came out with a ton of energy and emotion and absolutely put on a jam session and great performance.  The crowd so into all three sets so far, and with each band getting more hyped and more excited.  This was starting to become a theme for the day, these bands just putting on a jam session.

The Vermont based Mihali was up next and sounded so terrific.  Another artist I have never seen before and just started listening to prior to RRU (and you guessed it, why did it take me so long to listen). He got a nice reggae spirit with his sonic vibe flowing around. He and his band simply destroyed it, putting on an amazing jam session, yes I keep using that term, but that is exactly what Mihali and the others were giving us. I got to meet up with him after his set for a picture and some good conversation. Really cool dude to chill with! One of my absolute favorite music artists, hailing from St. James Parish, Jamaica, Natty Pablo better known as Jesse Royal, hit the stage.  The roots reggae artist always puts on a fantastic performance, and this was no different.  He sounded great as did his band, one of the reggaes best backing bands out there today! I could sit and listen to him all day, just like his youngest fan in the crowd, and maybe a bigger fan than I am, Alaysia (Lay Lay) holding her Jesse Royal flag with the biggest smile I saw all weekend, with her Aunt Erica (maybe a bigger Natty Pablo fan than me as well). Next to the stage was local favorite, Bumpin’ Uglies from Annapolis, MD, the crowd was out in full effect for their set. They recently released their newest album, Lyrics Over Everything, their best album to date in my opinion, you have to check it out. They played some old, some new and had so much fun on stage. The crowd having so much fun with them.  They had other artist join them on stage and once again, it turned into a big jam session, keeping the momentum rolling.

Another festival favorite was up next, Fortunate Youth, from Hermosa Beach, CA. I love listening to and photographing Dan Kelly, such a great distinctive voice and so animated on stage, you really can’t step away without some stunning photos. They put on a great performance and also had others join them on stage, and yes you guessed it, another great jam session unfolded for the crowd to enjoy. I was taking a break when two of the nicest and sweetest people I have ever met, Jamie and Eric, came by with these stuffed soft pretzels.  I have never seen something like this before, so Matt and I had to try it out.  From Berlin, MD and makers of a little piece of heaven, Get Baked. We got the blue crab and cheese and the Philly cheesesteak, but they also have mac & cheese, Nutella among others.  I only wish Eric and Jamie told us about these on day 1, I would have loved to try them all. As Fortunate Youth finished up, I was curious about the crowd, with the last two bands not being reggae bands, and it being a Sunday, would we see the crowd thin out? From Middlebury, VT, the indies/roots band, with a little ska mixed in, Dispatch hit the stage, not really knowing what to expect, they put on a fantastic one-hour jam session, with what looked like a packed house.  They have such a unique sound; nothing really like anything else I have ever heard before. So much going on up on stage, the sounds, the music, the energy, switching of instruments.  They really were amazing.  And the crowd thought so as well.  They definitely kept up the theme of the day, jamming out!  As they finished up, I was watching the crowd, would we see the exodus to the exit.  There was movement, there were people up front to see Dispatch, they moved back, but not out. A new group moved up to the front to catch Philly’s own, The Roots. I saw them last year on tour with LL Cool J, so I knew what the crowd was in for, just wondered how this reggae crowd would take to them.  They hit the stage with full energy, an energy that never slowed. And being the last band on day 3 of a long hot festival, you could not have guessed it from the crowd.  They were totally into The Roots.  I was totally into The Roots. They finished off the day of bands and artists totally jamming through their sets, completely jamming for an hour and a half.  Quite amazing seeing that energy on stage for that long, but also in the crowd. What a way to end an amazing three days of good vibes, great music and amazing people.

Day 3 concluded and what I was worried about, this not being a great overall lineup, was completely wrong. This RRU was fantastic, was it the best, who knows and who cares, all I know, and the crowd knows is it was another great time. And while I think this will be the last RRU, we can hope for another. And besides the music and bands and food and drinks, we had each other for another year. If this is it, I will have to make sure I hit some Baltimore reggae shows in the future to, as Bob Marley said, “mingle with the good people we meet.”  It was great to meet up with those we have met these past three years; Ray, Ben, Ellen, Eric, Jamie, Parsa, Erik, Dawn, Michael, Ron, Declan, Steven, Erica, Danielle, Kathryn, The Bearded Larry and many others. So much fun working alongside photographers, new and old; Jennifer, Zach, Mundo, Joshua, Christiano, Vivek and John. It is always amazing to meet new photographers and follow them, learn from them, and maybe cross paths again. And all the artists that took the time with me to photograph them for a project I am working on (can’t reveal it yet) and taking the time to talk and hang out; Dale, Jackson and John (The Elovaters), the guys from Through The Roots, Steel Pulse, Ballyhoo!, Shawn “MistaRoots” Mitchell, Carter, Tropidelic, Trevor Young, Dan Kelly, Sheen, Cody and Gingy, Sam on Sax, Mihali and Neko. They were all so down to earth and cool, just acted like regular people. While day 3 was all about the JAMMING, all three days brought us so many great performances, every band/artist trying to outdo the next, it was truly a great experience. We can all sit back and remember Reggae Rise Up Maryland over the past three years and dream for more.

One Love - Todd