16th Annual Afro Roots World Music Festival
Saturday, 08/09/2014 – 08:00 pm –
7th Circuit Studios
228 NE 59th Street,
Miami, Florida 33137
Buy Tickets Link
Cost: $10 – $15

Local non-profit organization Community Arts and Culturewill once again celebrate African music and culture through at its yearly signature event called the Afro Roots World Music Festival on August 9, 2014. This year’s incarnation, the 16th overall, features an explosive lineup of local, regional and international acts, including headliners Suenalo (Miami), The Resolvers (Deerfield Beach), Morikeba Kouyate (Senegal), the Miami Street Band (Miami), Ephniko (Colombia) and DJ Le Spam (Montreal / Miami). The all-ages concert will be held at 7th Circuit Studios (228 NE 59th Street, Miami, FL 33137) beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at afrorootsfest.brownpapertickets.com; admission is $15 on the day of show.

“I’m proud and excited to present the 2014 Afro Roots Fest lineup once again featuring Senegal’s Morikeba Kouyate plus local favorites Suenalo, the Resolvers, DJ Le Spam and more,” says Community Arts and Culture’s executive director Jose Elias. “We feel the event has been getting better each year and this lineup is surely a testament to that. We are looking forward to celebrating the wide-spread influence that Africa has on music and continuing the mission of Community Arts and Culture, which is to foster an appreciation of the arts and culture through education.”

Kouyate, a 2012 Afro Roots Fest performer, is a seventh-generation Jali (Griot) who has performed professionally for more than thirty years throughout the U.S. and internationally as a solo artist, enticing audiences young and old with exciting music and engaging stories. He performs in his traditional Mandingo language, providing translations in English and French. Kouyate’s two releases, The Music of Senegal and Mandingo Royals & Warriors Folklore are traditional and contemporary songs and stories which share the 700+ year history of the Mandingo people.

Suenalo’s “AfroLatinBabymakin’DescargaFunk” has been literally moving fans since the band’s inception in the early 2000s, positioning them among the most-popular acts originating in Miami and making their performances a top local draw. Their unique mash-up of Latin, Afro-Caribbean, funk, hip-hop and R&B influences today defines the “Miami sound” and has earned them much press coverage and accolades such as the Miami New Times’ Best of awards for “Best Latin Rock Band”, “Best Latin Band” and “Best Band – Reader’s Choice.” Their releases include Collages (2003), 2006’s Suenalo, 2009’s Live at Transit and this year’s single “305”, which precedes an upcoming new full-length.

The Resolvers coined the phrase “Big Band Reggae” to describe their sound, which combines classic Jamaican roots and lively New Orleans stylings. Brother and sister Ojay and Sahara Smith (children of Ernie Smith) both take turns on lead vocals, fronting the band that features a blistering four-piece horn section. Their live shows have been described as”explosive” and “must see” and the band has gained the reputation as a premier reggae act. The band released an EP called Big Band Reggae in 2012 and continue to tour nationally in support of it.

Ephniko is a bilingual songwriter, DJ and emcee originally from Columbia and now residing in Miami. His style has been compared to Mos Def, the Orishas and Damian Marley and is a self-described “hip-hop educator/researcher” who does workshops with youth programs at area festivals, juvenile detention centers and schools. Ephniko released his debutEscribo Lo Que Vivo in 2008, a mixtape called Dig in 2010 and his music has been featured on more than a dozen and compilations since. He continues to DJ and tour South America to this day.

The Miami Street Band is probably best-recognized for their on-court performances in the NBA as the Miami HEAT Street Band. They play everything ranging from pop, Latin, hip-hop, R&B and even custom songs based on requests. Not just musicians, they are entertainment group who dance to every song, perform intricate routines and even provides crowd interaction from sing-a-longs to limbos. The Miami Street Band can range in size from 10-50 players.

Andrew Yeomanson is also known as DJ Le Spam, musicologist and founder / leader of the Spam Allstars. An extremely skilled musician, he also played guitar and toured in local legend Nil Lara’s band and today serves as producer for local and international acts from his North Miami-based City of Progress Studio. His vinyl collection numbers more than 10,000 and covers a broad spectrum of genres from Latin to funk, Afrobeat, hip-hop and R&B. He and his group tour the U.S. constantly, playing large music festivals, and are currently working on a new release, the highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2007’sElectrodomesticos.

The Afro Roots World Music Festival is sponsored in part by the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Sponsorship packages are still available and CAC is accepting tax-deductible donations for the day-of-event fundraising raffle.

For more information, please call 305.757.7277 or visit www.7thcircuit.tv.

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ABOUT COMMUNITY ARTS AND CULTURE

Founded in 2002, Community Arts and Culture, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, aims to foster appreciation and understanding of a vast assortment of arts and cultures by educating individuals of all ages and social backgrounds through workshops,lectures and artistic performances in local communities. They provide underserved areas with an outlet to participate in outreach programs and to nurture an array of local artists whom exemplify the diversity found in the South Florida community.

CAC produces and co-produces several events during the year including the A Day at the Beach concert series, the Afro Roots World Music Festival and Elements of Culture, Festival of the Drum and Let the Children Have Music and Dance events.

For more information, visit www.commityartsandculture.org, email cacblogspot@gmail.com or call 786.218.6854.