Rootfire at the Park: Positivity, Progressive Reggae and Fun in the Tropics

Rootfire at the Park: Positivity, Progressive Reggae and Fun in the Tropics

There was a whole lot of great irie flowing through Rootfire At The Park, a festival celebrating progressive reggae, healthy living and positivity held recently in Cocoa, Florida. Music and festivities ran over three days on two stages from November 10-12 and featured international headliners Stephen Marley, Michael Franti and Spearhead and Shaggy plus dozens of up-and-coming bands from Florida and beyond – all sharing the common thread of good vibes.

Situated right on the the Indian River in historic Cocoa Village, the setting couldn’t have been more perfect for an event that emphasized everything that makes a body and soul feel good. In addition to music, Rootfire featured loads of local craft and food vendors, yoga, a soccer garden and a kids’ zone.

Clearly the lifestyle associated with reggae when I was growing up in the ’70s has evolved into a whole other animal. Today’s progressive reggae scene is something you can feel safe exposing your children and your parents to. Gone are the days when reggae was mostly associated with spliff-puffing, dreadlocked rastas and the stoners who followed them.

It’s a family affair now that includes music with tinges of pop, indie rock, hip hop and R&B baked in. Progressive reggae also focuses on mind/body health and embraces outdoor activities liking hiking, surfing, yoga, soccer, biking – anything that gets you outside and connected to nature and other people.

A couple thousand people were in attendance on Saturday, November 11, the one day of the festival that I was lucky enough to attend. Many of these folks had already dived into the deep pool of good vibes at Friday’s festivities, which included Florida bands Spred The Dub and The New School Dropouts. New York soul-pop act Lawrence, headed by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence; Minnesota indie-rockers The Hippo Campus and Florida’s own feel-good, African beat-infused, electro-pop sensations The Hip Abduction were also there.

I rolled into town on Saturday afternoon in time to catch a demanding little Jacksonville outfit on the main stage called Cloud9 Vibes raging all over the main stage. I say demanding because they would not let anyone watching them get away with not having fun. Woe to you if you were not dancing which, considering the steaming cup of funk, hip-hop, pop and reggae they poured over the crowd, it was pretty hard not to. And how do you not have fun with a bunch of guys dressed in matching blue suits resplendent with pink flamingos anyway?

If you did happen to be resting on your posterior, then singers Boogie and Tucci (nobody in this sextet has a last name) came off stage to personally get you up during covers of “Funk With Me” and originals such as “Beautiful Day.” The band’s “Uptown Funk Medley” that mashed up “Let Me Clear My Throat,” “Can’t Touch This” and “Ice Ice Baby” was a real hoot that turned into one big dance party. I hope these guys don’t confine themselves to Florida and spread their good vibes and goofy fun everywhere.

Jupiter-based The Bryce Allyn Band brought their conscious music to the small River Stage to a chill crowd swaying to the easy, tropical beats of songs like “Amends” and a reggae-infused version of “Midnight Rider,” the quartet’s homage to the late Gregg Allman.

Reggae/rock band Kash’d Out challenged the audience to embrace life with original tunes like “Stuck In The Middle,” “On and Off” and “Yes I” – songs better suited for the beach than the band’s land-locked hometown of Orlando.

Jensen-based The Ellameno Beat showed just how diverse progressive reggae can be with elements of blues, EDM, funk and even jazz thrown in with trumpets and keyboards laid over heady beats. The crowd happily surfed a wave of infectious tunes like “One of Us”, “Give I Love,” and “Too Deep” from the band’s original stash.

Mr. “Singy, Singy,” Jamaica’s own Tarrus Riley, delivered a solid, albeit short set because of a delay of unspecified origins on the main stage. Many in the audience had come just to see the reggae soul singer and chart-topper but were not disappointed with the 40-minute set that included R&B-laced tunes like “Superman” and “She’s Royal.” His fans were left hungry for more, but we hope that Tarrus comes back next year to finish what he started here.

TreeHouse turned the energy up to high with driving reggae/rock jams that hit on every positive theme to tickle your social conscience – gratitude (check), rising above adversity (check), speaking truth to power (check). This quartet from Myrtle Beach SC rocked attendees with a breadth of soundscapes stirring in elements of alternative rock, ska, funk and relentless jams on songs like “Guru” and “Call To Arms.”

It was apparent there who be no gentle landings when they brought out Sam Szpendyk from Spred the Dub on trombone and Bubba Love on ukulele to keep the crowd in full-throttle dance mode with “Blessings,” “Culture Shock” and closer “Young One.”

Filled to the brim with happy, we were ready for Stephen Marley to shower us in the dynastic sounds of his family name and his native Jamaica. He did not disappoint. Launching into “Mind Control,’’ the title track from his 2007 album of the same name, Marley was backed by the rock-solid talents of his seven-piece back up band that rolled through reggae tunes spanning generations. From the booty-can’t-help-but-shake grooves of “Can’t Keep I Down” to the stirring vocals on “So Strong” and classics such as “I Shot The Sheriff,” “Three Little Birds,” and “Exodus,” the irie was indeed strong with this one.

SOWFLO from Naples, Florida, kept the crowd warm from The River Stage with their take on modern reggae that was a tasty bit of uplifting surf-rock. The quintet flowed through warmly familiar island rhythms (“Hang Tough” and “Pass The Dutchie”) to the power riffs and blaring horns of originals “If You’re Lost” and “You’re Not Alone,” which married punk, pop and rock to fill out these punchy tunes.

Just about all that needs to be said about Michael Franti and Spearhead is summed up in the picture below that has an awwwwwww-factor of about a thousand. If this little angel’s adoring expression doesn’t have you all verklempt, then your heart must be poured of concrete.

The guy has the uncanny ability to make total strangers grab each other in random bear hugs while spontaneously bouncing up and down to his infectious hybrid of rock, pop, hip hop and reggae. He and his joy-collective of a band, Spearhead, are equally enthusiastic about his mission – to live from the heart and pursue a tenacious enthusiasm for music, life and the planet.

Parents raise their kids on Franti’s music, and the audience was filled with families spanning several generations. Some weren’t sure if Franti would deliver the same high-energy performance that his fans have come to expect, considereing this was his first show just three weeks after debilitating knee surgery and less than a week after his mother had suffered a stroke (she’s okay).

With his left leg in a brace, Franti immediately put those fears to rest launching into his 2010 anthem to positivity, “Hey, Hey, Hey.” Spontaneous hugs and a whole lot of jumping going around on this one didn’t let up until the last strains of “The Sound of Sunshine” ended some minutes later. It wasn’t long before he waded into the crowd where he stayed for much of the show with fans singing along on songs such as a “Good To Be Alive” and a yet-to-be-titled new song that is a continuation of an old tune, “Stay Human.”

A cavalcade of power-pop tunes including “Summertime,” and I’m Alive” had fans literally jumping for joy. And, of course, what would a Michael Franti show be without kids, dozens of whom joined him on stage for “Say Hey (I Love You).” A jubilent crowd, arms stretched to the sky, jumped with unfettered joy with “My Lord” and were brought down to earth at last with John Lennon’s “Imagine,” their voices joining with Franti’s.

Okay. So, I’m quite obviously a Michael Franti fan-girl. Cynics can sue me. It was worth the five-hour drive from my home off the coast of Southwest Florida. My only regret was that I could not take in all three days of Rootfire In The Park. On Sunday I would miss more Florida talent and headliners Jesse Royal, Citizen Cope and Shaggy. I’ll be back next year to soak up the good vibes on The Indian River. Given the chance, if you’re anywhere near Cocoa for Rootfire In The Park, don’t miss it. A whole lot of great irie awaits.

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