Damian “JR Gong” Marley Brings the Heat on a Rainy Arizona Roots Music Festival Weekend

Article and Photos Submitted by Tony Skinner

The second-annual Arizona Roots Music Festival at Rawhide Western Town and Event Center on February 22-23 was the ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy, gloomy and cold weekend in the Valley of the Sun.

The festival was produced by the same team behind California Roots Music & Arts Festival in Monterey, CA- the premier gathering for the progressive U.S. Reggae and roots music movement and culture and Relentless Beats- Arizona’s best and most consistent music promoter.

Headliner Damian “JR Gong” Marley and Steel Pulse performed on Saturday. Other artists included Tribal Seeds; Collie Buddz; the Expendables; Hirie; Iya Terra; Passafire; Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad from New York; Satsang; Dubbest; 4th & Orange; The Expanders; Artikal Sound System; Synrgy; Fayuca; local reggae artist Kush County; Clint Stevens; Vana Liya, and Zeeceekeely.

“JR Gong” rocked the stage with hits such as “Welcome to Jamrock” and Bob Marley’s hit, “Could You Be Loved” and “Is This Love” to a massive crowd. The audience didn’t seem to mind dancing the night away in the puddles and mud from the earlier rain.

Visit arizonarootsfestival.com for updates on future events!