FRESH LIME By: Ayeola George Gosh, iFest, for years I’ve been praying for a Caribbean theme, I went to iFest when it was Ireland (2001), when it was India (2005), when it was Jamaica (2006) when it was China (2007), when it was Africa (2008) and how many other countries between 2001 and 2008 praying each year, that […]

HOUSTON PRESS Excerpt of article by: Brenda Gunter If the first weekend of the Houston International Festival felt like a detour down Canal Street, the second evoked the festival’s emphasis on “Spotlighting the Caribbean.” Summer picked this weekend to descend two months early, as it tends to do, resulting in increased traffic and a heightened sense of anticipation. […]

HOUSTON CHRONICLE  Interview by: Andrew Dansby Taj Weekes is from St. Lucia and developed his style of reggae after listening to many types of music.When Sunday morning comes down in St. Lucia, one might hear Johnny Cash on the radio, according to Taj Weekes, a reggae superstar from the Caribbean island. Weekes said a typical morning […]

THE DAILY ADVERTISER Interview with Taj Weekes “[Manager] Shirley [Menard] had been talking to the Festival people for two years, and now I have the chance to play,” Weekes said. “I don’t play people, I play music, but it’s always good to get the vibration of the crowd to get high energy flowing.” Weekes got that flow going […]

29-95 DEGREES MUSIC By: Andrew Dansby The legendary King Sunny Ade was going to be a big draw for me during the second week of the Houston International Festival. But the juju wizard had to cancel his American tour after two members of his band were killed in a car accident. iFest shuffled its Saturday lineup a […]

Taj Weekes and Adowa will perform at two international music festivals next week: Houston International Festival (iFest) on April 24th in Texas and the Festival International de Louisiane on March 23rd and 25th in Lafayette, Louisiana. You can visit the festival websites for additional information including performance schedules. The 40th annual Houston International Festival (iFest) will draw thousands of people out […]

Taj Weekes and Adowa will perform at two international music festivals next week: Houston International Festival (iFest) on April 24th in Texas and the Festival International de Louisiane on March 23rd and 25th in Lafayette, Louisiana. You can visit the festival websites for additional information including performance schedules. The 40th annual Houston International Festival (iFest) will […]

HOUSTON CHRONICLE Written by: Andrew Dansby Nobody can discover every emerging band. But Rick Mitchell, the former Chronicle music critic who is now the director of performing arts for the Houston International Festival, has an ear for up-and-comers. So it is that the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a band the New York Times “had no idea” existed […]

VALPO ATHLETICS The Valparaiso men’s soccer program will conclude its spring season on Saturday afternoon with an alumni game at Brown Field at 12:30 p.m. before welcoming Taj Weekes, whose charity They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) the Crusaders have partnered with, and Adowa to town for a concert that night beginning at 9 p.m. The Crusaders closed the […]

HOUSTON CHRONICLE Written by: Andrew Dansby Nobody can discover every emerging band. But Rick Mitchell, the former Chronicle music critic who is now the director of performing arts for the Houston International Festival, has an ear for up-and-comers. So it is that the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a band the New York Times “had no idea” […]