St. Lucian Artist Taj Weekes & Adowa to be the Highlight of the International Reggae Showcase at the 25th Annual SXSW Music and Media Conference

St. Lucian reggae artist Taj Weekes & Adowa are expected to be the highlight of the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) International Reggae Showcase taking place at the Flamingo Cantina in Austin, Texas on March 19, 2011 at midnight. The SXSW® Music and Media Conference celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2011 of being the biggest and most anticipated convergence of all things music and is ready to keep that reputation alive by offering the best programming yet, including the highly anticipated knockdown sound of Taj Weekes & Adowa.

Joining Taj Weekes & Adowa in the International Reggae Showcase are Collie Buddz from Bermuda, Tidal Waves from South Africa, Black Ghandi from Spain, Mau Mau Chaplains from Austin, and Lynval Golding and Contra Coup from Seattle. “Every SXSW, the reggae massive searches for ‘that special artist’ who fully captures the hearts of the people and delivers pure conscious vibes. This year, Taj Weekes & Adowa from St. Lucia is the reggae showcase not to miss,” reports Sista Irie, host of the “Conscious Party” at 88.7 FM KAZI in Austin.

The 2011 SXSW Music and Media Conference takes place March 16 – 20 and showcases hundreds of dynamic musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. SXSW Music draws professionals from around the world who are involved in every aspect of the music industry including record labels, agents, managers, manufacturers, media giants, publishers, writers, bloggers, and fans, making it one of the biggest global music market places today.

The SXSW showcase marks the launch of the “Taj Weekes & Adowa 2011 World Tour” in support of their new album, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, released on Jatta Records. Upcoming stops on the tour include the St. Lucia Jazz Festival, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and next month, the band returns to Austin for the Austin Reggae Festival on April 16.

Taj Weekes & Adowa’s latest release, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, delivers sturdy roots rhythms laced with acoustic strings, bluesy harmonica accents and a deep sax groove. The fresh, hard-edged lyrics reveal an innate sophistication that yields to the intimacy of poetry, producing songs that don’t just reflect a conscience, but resonate with passion and vigor. A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, the group’s third album, follows the release of Hope and Doubt (2005) and Deidem (2008), which won “Best Reggae Album” at the independent music industry’s JPF Music Awards and was shortlisted for consideration of a Grammy Award nomination.

The debut single, “Rain Rain,” brings to mind the continuous downpour of human suffering and natural disasters the world over and how quickly we forget. Other songs recall images of many of the world’s recent events, from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in “Drill” to a decade’s worth of news headlines in “Anthems of Hope.”The SXSW showcase will feature the live premiere of the song “Sunny Innocents.”

Always striving to bring awareness to the issues he is passionate about, Weekes founded his charity, They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), in 2007 to improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Caribbean through sport, enrichment, educational and wellness programs. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Weekes addresses issues such as global warming, casualties of war, domestic and youth violence, diabetes and health, poverty and the welfare of children through both his music and his charity. Visit www.theyoftencryoutreach.org for more information.