CULTURE
What Roots and Culture Means to I & I BY DOMINIC D
P H OTO G R A P H E D BY W I L L I A M M O RGA N C O NA N T
A message from the founder of Green Woods Roots & Culture Revival, a reggae and positive energy powered (by Maine Standard Biofuels) roots music festival, now in its fifth season, held this year August 9–11. Green Woods is a celebration of One Love, One Heart sharing in the Irie summer vibes of Maine and infused with the flavors and sounds of the Caribbean. Reggae music is in part an expression of the tireless fight for freedom from the universal struggle, as a mindset and framework for free thinking. Along with the spiritual/medicinal consumption of cannabis, this state of open mindedness helps us to overcome great obstacles individually and as a collective people. ORIGINS The seed for Green Woods was planted in early 2015, when Joshua Gates of Avenue Media shared a lead on a sweet venue looking to host a reggae fest. Green Woods Reggae Revival was born, named in homage to the hosting town, the green vibe of the event, and the green forest of our great state of Maine. Mt. Abram, a small, 100% renewable energy ski resort in Greenwood served as our first home. It was a rugged yet stunningly energizing natural arena to germinate our event. As we grew, we found a larger venue at Thomas Point Beach which brought a refocus of the vision and an evolution of the name to the Green Woods Roots and Culture Revival honoring both the roots and culture of reggae along with the roots and culture of the place, a kind and warm, family friendly environment connected beautifully to both nature and music. Who could ask for a better location to feature an up-andcoming vibe like we have here in Maine with a swiftly emerging industry and social acceptance soaring? ROOTS Roots can refer to music, especially reggae, that is strongly influenced by the traditional music of the culture that it originally came from. Reggae finds its roots in Mento, R & B, jazz, blues, ska, rocksteady, and soul. Roots music also describes American folk music, Americana, early blues, country, folk, R & B, and rock influences. Roots rock looks back to rock’s origins in folk, blues, and country music. Roots Revival has also become popular in various genres that include young performers reviving the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Reggae Revival is a musical and cultural movement of rising consciousness originating in
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JESSE ROYAL LIGHTING UP THE STAGE WITH HIS ENERGY AND MUSIC.
Jamaica. Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc is considered a founder of hip-hop music. Dutty Bookman observed, “We are all Revivalists simply because we are alive in this era of human history, endorsing and ushering in this new consciousness. The true ambassadors of the movement are not selected by any individual or committee. They are obvious to everyone simply because their strengths are on display. They humbly and dutifully fulfill their roles in the collectively acknowledged mission to fill the moral void manufactured by the Babylonian system that has prevailed to this day. Look around and figure out who is who, and who is true. If you are honest with yourself, your spirit will tell you that you too are a Revivalist, and you will know how to identify the fellow Revivalists among us.” Roots is essentially a folk music, or music of the people. Just like the roots of a plant can be tangled and intertwined so are the musical roots of reggae and Americana… all coming from one source, one heartbeat, one love. CULTURE Maine has a proud culture of standing up for the people. The Underground Railroad passed right through Brunswick, home of Thomas Point Beach. They say the Civil War started and ended in Brunswick. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was written while her husband taught at Bowdoin. Her book led her to meet President Lincoln in 1862, where he reportedly greeted her saying, “so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” The war ended as the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment,
