Rootsyardd music celebrates one year

DEVOTED to its core mission of promoting peace and love, Rootsyardd Dub will mark the first anniversary of its signature foundation reggae music event Rootsyardd Dub and Night Market (RYDM) on Saturday night.

The small team of organisers, led by Rootsyardd Dub founder Jude Patrick, is set to put on its tenth event and anniversary edition One Love, One Sound in the open space at the corner of Nook Avenue and St Ann’s Road from 6 pm.

The event has a roots reggae music focus and hosts a night market made up of a range of local artisan entrepreneurs with their craft, personal care and gourmet food products. More recently, it has also included massage, therapeutic and wellness services.

In a media release Patrick said, “There’s something truly unique about the vibe of the foundation classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s, when combined with the energy of our vendors and others who fill the space. For us, this music drives the overall ‘good feeling’ people get and the sense of connection we seek to facilitate.

We dwell in so much heat on a daily basis – at work, on the roads, in public discourse – we just want to use what we have to shed some light now. We want everyone coming here to know peace and love, and radiate it.”

Among the standard features of Rootsyardd, this special RYDM edition highlights one of TT’s leading artists, watercolourist Jackie Hinkson and international guest selector out of the US Virgin Islands Tippy I Grade.

Now going into their second year, event hosts are determined to up the ante on their positive outreach, and will feature a social enterprise as their first special guest vendor. Tomorrow’s event will therefore see the TT Blind Welfare Association (TTBWA) showcase its collection of baskets and hand-woven products.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a movement that appreciates the value of inclusion and the need for our organisation to have access to regular markets and creative spaces – especially during Blindness Awareness Month”, says TTBWA CEO Kenneth Surat.

Rootsyardd is as reliable for its roots and rockers jams as it is known for its commitment to its original, custom-built analogue sound system, said the release. “In order for people to feel what I wanted them to feel, I knew the music had to be played on vinyl records. And using vinyl meant only original old-school speaker boxes would do, which in turn meant getting them built,” Patrick said.

Since its first instalment on May 19, 2018, the event has been held every five to six weeks apart, with the most recent edition held on April 14 as part of the New Fire Festival at Ortinola Estate in St Joseph. The following two events are already scheduled for July 13 and then August 17 as a fringe event of Carifesta IV (August 16-25).

For more: Rootsyardd on Facebook and Instagram.