House of David Gang Weekend Tour Dates (Ottawa, Muskoka & Toronto)

[Jay Funk Dawg]

http://www.myspace.com/houseofdavidgang

Hey Everyone,

House of David Gang has been working on some new material for a incredibly busy weekend ahead - we're playing 5 different events and we'll be playing over 10 hours of music! We also have some dates in Toronto coming up to tell you about.

The House of David Gang is:

King Selah - lead vocals

Todd Britton - keyboards

Collin Edwards - drums, vocals

Snappy Homefry - bass

Jay Cleary - Guitar, vocals

Upcoming Tour dates:

Fri Aug 20 2010, Ottawa Reggae Festival @ Lebreton Flats Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,

8 pm, $35

www.ottawareggaefestival.com

w/ Barrington Levy, Taurus Riley, Kymani Marley, Sean Paul

Fri Aug 20

The Rainbow Room, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA

Official Reggae Fest afterparty

11pm

w/ DJ ?uesquecest & High Plains Drifter

http://www.therainbow.ca

Sat. Aug 21st

Fairbank Village Street Festival

Toronto, Ontario , CA

12:00-4:20

Sat. Aug 21st

Reggae Muskoka Festival

Muskoka, Ontario,

w/ Errol Blackwood, Tonya P, Donna Makeda

www.reggaemuskoka.com

7:30 PM

Sun. Aug 21

Fairbank Village Street Festival

Toronto, Ontario , CA

2 - 5 Pm

also coming up!

Sun. Aug 29

Pedestrian Sunday - Kensington Market Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

5:30 pm, Free

Friday Sept 3

The Gladstone Hotel ballroom Toronto, ON

8 - 11 pm

For More info check out more: http://www.myspace.com/houseofdavidgang

[bradm]

Fri Aug 20

The Rainbow Room, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA

Official Reggae Fest afterparty

11pm

w/ DJ ?uesquecest & High Plains Drifter

http://www.therainbow.ca

In.

Aloha,

Brad

[edger]

The Ottawa line-up is pretty sweet actually.

[AD]

Looks like the tradition of poorly run Ottawa Reggae Festivals is still going strong!

It went poorly......

[NewRider]

[Jay Funk Dawg]

what a weekend...

[AD]

Sunday's Ottawa Reggae Festival performances cancelled outright.

Also, $50k for Sean Paul? Where does this promoter think money comes from?

[edger]

Yeesh. That sucks.

[Jay Funk Dawg]

So it was a really rough weekend. We drove to Ottawa all day Friday to make it to Ottawa Reggae Festival at about 8:00, we went on about 9:00 on a huge stage to about 300-400 people. There was a air of confusion and we didn't really meet any of the organizers, just volunteers that were really nice. We played a great set and then shortly after had to go straight to our after-party gig at Rainbow Room. I couldn't find anyone to pay us, but I did manage to confirm some hotels.

This after-party was supposed to be promoted by Ottawa Reggae was kinda a bust, we had about 40 people there, and we were promised some equipment from the festival that never arrived.

It was great to see some old friends at the gig, Superfly, BradM, Joe MacEachern (the founder of Evolve), plus some of the volunteers.

After our two sets, we got to the hotel and slept for 3 hours, before heading out to the rest of our weekend.

It was only on Saturday, did we get some texts that told us that things were not going good.

According to one of my sources, Sean Paul & Ky-Mani Marley were already paid in full - they choose not to show up because there were low ticket-sales and didn't want to play to small audiences.

At this point I don't think we'll get paid either.

(to be continuted...)

[mister slippery]

That's a drag, Jay.

Still, glad you played well.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Well at least your van didn't explode into a satanic ball of hellfire

[bradm]

This after-party [at The Rainbow Bistro] was supposed to be promoted by Ottawa Reggae was kinda a bust, we had about 40 people there

I noticed a line-up at Pier 21, across the street from The Rainbow, and the patio at Mother McGuinty's next door was packed all night long, with (what sounded like) a rock and roll band blaring away; add in the large number of people out and about in the Byward Market on a gorgeous summer Friday night, and it would be hard not to have a big crowd, but somehow the ORF and The Rainbow managed.

Aloha,

Brad

[AD]

According to Natasha Von Castle from L3 Publicity (in charge of publicity) who is being interviewed on CBC right now, all the artists were paid their deposits. The breakdown occurred with travel money apparently - Ky-Mani needed $6k in travel money, Sean Paul needed $14k.

Also there were bands 'booked' to play who had no idea they were booked (Loudlove from Ottawa, for example).

This is just what was said on the radio, no idea if it's true or not.

[tigger]

This is shocking i would never had thought that this could happen with all the success T.O has had with financing of various Carabean based events.

[AD]

Sorry to hijack your thread Jay......

But here's some more hijacking.....

Ottawa – August 22nd, 2010

The Ottawa Reggae Festival is run by its’ Board of Directors which sees Benjamin Williams, the boards Chair, as the festival’s president.

In the role of festival president, Mr. Williams’ youth and inexperience caused him to make decisions that were ambitious, and ill advised. His financial decisions were made without consultation, and ended up costing the festival its’ reputation, and put him in ‘over his head.’

The team of volunteers who worked for the festival had no knowledge of Mr. Williams’ financial decisions, transactions, or previous financial issues. As such, all volunteers associated with this event were blind-sided when revelations began to surface that there were monies owing, and that there were financial issues beyond the norm.

Further, the staging of the third day of this years’ festival was cancelled due the financial strain when vendors past and present began contacting the festival for monies owed. In addition, the court judgment against the festival, and the Bailiff’s seizure of alcohol and gate admission revenues made it next to impossible for additional revenues to be earned. Volunteers had conversations with several local and international artists who expressed concern about performing knowing that their initial deposits had not been paid on time. Artists managers were further concerned about balances being paid upon the artists arrival for their performances.

Contrary to public perception, Barrington Levy was contracted to perform, and received his deposit. Due to clerical error at the Canadian embassy in Jamaica, Mr. Levy was unable to obtain his visa on time which would grant his entry to the country. Tarrus Riley is in the city of Ottawa today (August 22nd, 2010), and is prepared to perform, however is unable to due to the festivals cancellation. As for Sean Paul, Sean’s booking agency, Headline Entertainment, received Sean’s deposit after the deposit deadline was extended several times to accommodate Mr. Williams cash flow. Sean is not in the city as Headline Entertainment had no confidence in the balance of Sean’s $50,000 performance fee being met.

The volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure the festival’s success are disappointed with the outcome, and stand together knowing that but for the financial decisions of the president, this years’ staging would have been a total success.

Fans who purchased tickets online or at ticket outlets and want a refund are being asked to call 613-315-4461, or send an e-mail to info@ottawareggaefestival.com.

[guigsy]

i was on board to shoot that festival this weekend, and it was a total joke. i remember northernwish volunteering for them a couple years back and saying pretty much the same thing - going into it i felt i should know better, y'know.

i didnt even bother showing up to shoot on the friday because they didnt have any passes worked out, and my contact at the festival had the sketchiest of details.. when i did go on saturday afternoon there seemed to be about 2 dozen people there (ok, maybe a hundred or so.... ) - but i could only shoot from the "crowd", and i was asked only to shoot the main headliners, as the "festival atmosphere" was leaving a lot to be desired... and then 20 minutes later they made the announcement that all headliners were cancelled. good thing i didnt even bother with it on Sunday.

:thumbdown:

[Jay Funk Dawg]

So I did get an email from Ottawa Reggae festival tell me that they are sorry for things not working out and that they would compensate us - somehow.

From all the press I truly believe it was the main guy behind the Ottawa Reggae festival who just booked too many over-priced acts.

We had fun anyways, and I think that the one thing we strive for in this industry is to be reliable and not hung up on money (which seems to be a re-occurring issue with Reggae Bands and Promoters). We also played a Street Fest in Toronto and at Reggae Muskoka (w/ Eroll Blackwood - with who i was very impressed. ) so the experience didn't cost any money. Actually I should mention that the Rainbow room was very accommodating and are super nice people - they really helped us make that trip worthwhile and looked our for us.

It's still a very small and not very well established industry, the reggae scene, but I am very happy to get to play and learn about the culture and history behind the music.

We are planning to finish our album this year, I will be posting some new demo tracks soon.

thanks!

p.s. come check us out this Sunday in Toronto at Pedestrian Sundays!

Edited August 25, 2010 by Guest

[Northern Wish]

I "worked" for this fest in its first year. That is I spent two days as a stagehand, and my reward was two unbelievably shitty boxed lunches and a promise for $200 in the week following the event. To this day the staff that hired me (and remain on staff for the Reggae Fest) refuse to return any calls. Jaydawg I really hope you get paid......

Today Mr Williams responded:

Reggae Festival founder speaks out on event's cancellation

By DOUG HEMPSTEAD, Ottawa Sun

Last Updated: August 27, 2010 6:58pm

Don’t shoot the sheriff.

Benjamin Williams, the founder and CEO of Ottawa’s troubled Reggae Festival is breaking his silence following the cancellation of the final day of this year’s event, held at Lebreton Flats last weekend.

Williams, 25, is the target of a lawsuit after the festival grounds were raided by a provincial sheriff Saturday night who confiscated gate admission and liquor proceeds to pay for outstanding debts.

Williams won’t say how much he owes.

He also won’t say if he thinks he can manage to stage the event next year, or if he thinks anyone would have enough confidence in him to provide financial support.

“I would like to apologize for the festival being executed the way it was,†said Williams. “The events that unfolded, there was a lot of things going on. With any new venture, financial problems are somewhat expected.â€

He said the festival was already carrying a debt going into this, it’s third season — most of that still leftover from the first year.

“In addition, financial investment that was anticipated this year, was not forthcoming.â€

He also said the reggae music industry doesn’t have deep pockets to invest in events like this one. If he could do it all over again, he said, he would have tried to secure multi-year financial commitments from day 1.

Several government agencies provided funding for the festival.

L3 Publicity — the company hired to look after the festival’s communications — issued a statement suggesting it was Williams’ inexperience which is to blame.

“In the role of festival president, Williams’ youth and inexperience caused him to make decisions that were ambitious, and ill advised. His financial decisions were made without consultation, and ended up costing the festival its reputation, and put him in over his head,†according to the statement.

Williams responded to these allegations.

“I am young and in certain facets of this business, I’m not as experienced as most,†he said. “I’m young, I accept it.â€

L3 Publicity placed the failure squarely on Williams.

“The volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure the festival’s success are disappointed with the outcome, and stand together knowing that but for the financial decisions of the president, this year’s staging would have been a total success.â€

But Williams said he’s still supported by a core group of volunteers and has learned from his mistakes.

“I feel that the characterization of me is unfair, but I can say I have tended to act on impulse and there have been times when I have not necessarily taken the advice given to me.â€

[Northern Wish]

Oh and how amazing is it that when all vendors, beer sellers and box offices were emptied of funds- the police only collected approx. $800.

That was 7pm on Saturday.

Bwahahahaha!

[Jay Funk Dawg]

This party keeps rollin' ! Free show this Friday!

Batuki Music Society and the Gladstone Hotel continue to present the world music concert series that takes place on the first Friday of each month from 7 – 10 pm. at the Melody Bar. This Summer phase would include an exciting lineup of groups from; Ethiopian jazz/funk/soul, bluesy Malagasy sounds, popular Trinidadian calypso, to Jamaican roots rock reggae. Guest DJ Apollo will be spinning his diverse collection of popular African hits.

Friday September 3 Roots Reggae featuring the House of David Gang

One of Canada’s top roots reggae collectives, the House of David Gang specialize in the timeless and classic Jamaican reggae sound of the 1970s and early 80s. “The Gang†is a certifiable reggae orchestra, paying homage to the soulful roots rock reggae sound of the greats such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer; and adding contemporary influences such as folk, calypso, afrobeat, and classic rock. Formed in Toronto over 15 years ago, the band is fronted by seasoned reggae veteran King Selah, a fixture on the Canadian Jamaican Reggae landscape for two decades. King Selah leads a collective of artists, vocalists, horn players, guitarists, keyboardists and a rock-steady rhythm section. Jah-lin Edwards (drums), Chris & Michael Davies (guitar & keyboards), Snappy (bass) & The High Plains Drifter (lead guitar) round out the current incarnation that sometimes includes the horn section on Mike Field (Trumpet) and Dean Yates (Trombone). The band takes its name from a legendary rooftop apartment on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto; “The House of David†was the after hours spot of choice for the city’s burgeoning reggae scene in the late 1980s, a place where members of The Resinators, Explorer Band, Revelation, Selassie I Power, Imagine Rainbow Warriors and special guest touring musicians who performed at The Legendary Bamboo Club earlier that evening would join together and jam late into the night.Formed in Toronto over 15 years ago, the band is fronted by seasoned reggae veteran King Selah, a collective of artists on various instruments such as; Jah-lin Edwards (drums), Todd Britton (keyboards), Snappy (bass) & Jay Cleary (lead guitar). This is reggae at its best.

www.myspace.com/houseofdavidgang

What: Batuki Music Society and Gladstone World Concert Series

When: Friday, September 3, 2010

Venue: Melody Bar at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West

Time: 7 – 10 pm.

Admission: Free (All ages)

Information: http://www.batukimusic.com www.gladstonehotel.com www.facebook.com/batukimusicsociety www.myspace.com/batukimusic

CIUT 89.5 FM is the media sponsor for the World Concert Series.

Batuki Music gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

[Jay Funk Dawg]

Northern Wish warned me about Ottawa Reggae Fest, so I can't entirely say that we weren't warned. That being said we only got some random emails saying they were booking us and that they would send us more info, which never came. Once they started using our name on the website, we felt like we had a responsibility to show up.