Sons of Legends Tour, Brazil 9/8/2011

Sons of Legends Tour Featuring Kenyatta Hill, Andrew Tosh, and Kymani Marley
9/6/2011 HSBC San Paulo, Brazil
by Greg Ward

* I'm here in San Paulo, Brazil to perform as the guitarist for The Sons of Legends Tour featuring Andrew Tosh(son of Peter Tosh) as well as Kenyatta Hill(son of Joseph Hill), and also on the same bill with his own band was Kymani Marley(son of Bob Marley).
**First I want to say thanks to my bredren, friend, and mentor, "Peanut" Chris Whitley who brought me on this tour and has quite frankly been responsible for connecting with alot of great people in my musical journey, The Abyssinians, The Itals, Junior Marvin, Everton Blender, Kenyatta Hill, Andrew Tosh, Kymani Marley, the list goes on. I couldn't give enough thanks. Big up Nut.

9/5/2011 Arrived in Brazil 9am & Rehearsal Day
The band travelled together from the U.S. northeast coast. After arriving at airport at 9am, we went to the hotel and met up with Kenyatta. We all rested until 1pm when we went to rehearsal. Andrew showed up with his manager a little while after we arrived. First we rehearsed Andrew's set. From the start of the rehearsal it felt good to know everyone had the basic foundation together, so we just needed to tighten some loose ends. When everyone was comfortable with the set and arrangements, we ordered food and then began Kenyatta's set rehearsal. About half way through, the food arrived, so we took a break. Alot of us were dissapointed in the chinese food we ordered. Lol. We asked for mixed vegetables with rice on the side. Mixed up in translation, we got vegetable fried rice. After an all day rehearsal, we were looking forward to something more substantial, but so it goes. Finished eating and continued rehearsal. After about another hour, everyone was comfortable with both sets. We forwarded to the hotel and rested. Enough good storied told during the rehearsal and van rides between places.

Our Hotel, San Paulo.

9/6/2011 Performance day
After breakfast of pineapple, guava, coffee, and pastries, we stroll to the lobby and Kymani Marley and crew have arrived. We enjoy the greetings, and small exchanges. We decide to go out in the sunshine and walk around a little. There wasn't much in the way of shops around, but what there was we checked out. A bakery, newstand, little woman's clothes shop, and a smoothie shop. Lol. Not a whole lot for some reason, we were in a new business district.


3pm arrives and we head to venue for soundcheck. The venue is very nice, called the HSBC. Holds 5000 I believe. We hang around and get sound check done. Yatta and Virgo(Kymani's camp) make sure the sound is on point. We head back to the hotel to rest. On the way we witness the shantytown of SanPaulo, or at least one shantytown. Looks rough, it's a hard thing to think about. Although we only saw from a distance across the highway, it is tough to see.
Showtime...



8:30pm we leave for the venue...

9pm. Arrive and see plenty of people there for the event. We go upstairs and relax in the dressing room before showtime which is 10:30pm. Promoters bring us everything we could ask for and enjoy. Lol. Okay, maybe not everything, but enough herbs, a little beer, and food nice. Seen? I decide to go explore a little and watch the opening group, a Brazilian reggae group with female lead singer...plenty of harmonies still. They sounded good. As they closed up there set, we prepare mentally for Kenyatta Hill of Culture.

10:30pm Kenyatta Hill
We take to the stage and make sure all the equipment was right. Everything was nice so the announcer came forward. After announcing the group in Portuguese, we began with an instrumental of a Skatalites tune, Rockford Rock. After a nice vibe got started, we played the opening tune of "the Message", an original Kenyatta Hill tune speaking about his father, Joseph Hill coming to him in a vision telling him to continue the work that he took up years ago of chanting righteous reggae music for the people. The set continued into "Iron Sharpen Iron", another classic hit. As the set moved forward with high energy and all the hits such as "See Dem A Come" and "JAH Rastafari", Kenyatta stopped to speak about the significance of the event. He talked about how the three singers, Kenyatta, Andrew, and Kymani came together for the celebration and recognition of their fathers legacies, the hard work and sacrifice that their fathers put forward along with many others to pave the way for this reggae music to be what it is today in the world. It was truly the beginning of a touching night. As Kenyatta finished up his set with wonderful Culture catalog favorites such as "Two 7's Clash" and I'm not Ashamed", the crowd showed their love as they called for an encore and was appeased by a fantastic rendition of Kenyatta's original tune "Marijuana", which speaks about the beneficial and healing properties of Cannabis. Kenyatta leaves the stage and the band closes the song to a thrilled crowd, anticipating a night of reggae highs. Big up Kenyatta.

11:30pm  Andrew Tosh
We remain on the stage as Andrew is introduced. The first tune is clicked off, "Pick Myself Up". Andrew comes out and the band has to wheel the song and begin again, the crowd is so hype. The song begins and immediately the crowd is mesmerized as Andrew continues to sound like his father, singing classic Tosh song one after another...."Rastafari Is" , "Equal Rights" "Downpressor Man" "Coming in Hot"...plus the herb songs "Bush Doctor" and  "Legalize it". As the set moved forward, Andrew then came with the classic reggae version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode". Just when the crowd could barely contain themselves, Andrew summoned the revolutionary classic "Get up Stand Up" The band played most of the songs including this just like the original Peter Tosh Live DVD. Andrew sounded just like his dad and the crowd was ecstatic.  Big up Andrew.


12:30pm Kymani Marley

The crowd could hardly believe there was more to come... Kymani and crew took to the stage and closed the show out perfectly. Bringing classic Marley tunes to the table such as "No Woman No Cry", "Is this Love", and "I shot the Sheriff", Kymani showed his love and respect of this father's music. He also brought forward his own original tunes which had a modern hip hop and rock flavor which the crowd was quite pleased with. As the Marley set came to a high energy close, the son of Bob Marley called out his brothers Andrew Tosh, Son of Peter Tosh, and Kenyatta Hill, Son of Joseph Hill for a last encore collaboration of The Wailers, "One Love". You could feel the vibe in the crowd, the chilling feeling of how wonderful of a moment this was...to see the Sons of Legends come together to continue the legacy their father's set forth on, to bring the people a message of hope, love and positivity.

Kymani Marley and me before they hit the road..

The Guitar Squad...lol. Left to Right...Daniel(Kymani Marley's guitarist), Brian(Kymani Guitar), Me(Andrew Tosh and Kenyatta Hill guitarist)

Irie local cats I hung out with in Daniel's room, jamming. Igor  on left...I forget my friend to the right's name...soon come.

left to right...Josh, Me, Henry

Fletcher(Kenyatta Hill and Andrew Tosh drummer), Bassie(Kymani's crew), Me

Kymani's bassie and me

yatta and soundman getting it right..

Big up Kenyatta Hill, Andrew Tosh, Kymani and crew, the crew I rolled with; Peanut, Roops, Darryl "D-Trane", Fletcher, all the promoters and people involved in Brazil, the city of San Paulo and big up Brazilian people! I made a lot of great new friends in Brazil. I look forward to keeping in touch and visiting again. Blessed love. -Greg Ward

driving around san paulo

Andrew Tosh and Greg Ward

Fletcher, D-Trane, and Roops

Andrew Tosh and Roops, bassist of  Kenyatta and Andrew

Fletcher, Roops, Peanut, Darryl

Kenyatta Hill, Peanut, and myself

Virgo, Kymani's soundman and Peanut, Kenyatta's roadmanager and keyboardist and Andrew's keyboardist

Big up my Brazilian friends....

The Sons of Legends was surely a classic show to remembered in history as these current leaders in the Reggae movement did their fathers proud as the crowd was nourished by the feast of classic Marley, Tosh, and Joseph Hill songs that has fed the hearts of so many over the years. They also showcased their own songs proving that in this generation, reggae breathes today as strong as ever, as their is always the need for music that stands for and strengthens the people.

and now some amazing photos taken by my friend, Amanda, a talented Brazilian woman I met in San Paulo..

Great show in Va despite hurricane

I performed with The Dubsettors last night in Roseland VA at Devils Backbone. Although the wind and rain kept some away, the house was filled with gems of humanity. Diana and Dee Ana, Jaime and family, John and friends.. bless time. Thanks Chris and Devils Backbone.

Saturday Reggae Party at Devil's Backbone

  Greetings people,

Here again in VA, ready to bring the music to my friends and family in the area. This Saturday, The GWP/Dubsettors crew will be bringing the conscious roots to Roseland, VA at the Devil's Backbone for the afterparty of Baaba Seth reunion festival! 10pm showtime

Performance schedule for Greg Ward, Aug 2011

So I'm in VA again and have performances scheduled throughout the next few weeks. I will be at Coupe Deville, Charlottesville VA every Wed night, The Shebeen Pub and Brai, cville, va every Thursday night, and Boylan Heights, cville Va every Friday afternoon.
This Saturday night, special performance at Devils Backbone, Roseland, VA.

Next Itals tour...

Greetings friends,
I am back in VA. Ronnie is in flight returning to JA. The rest of the crew will be in the U.S. Next Itals tour scheduled for early Oct. Burlington VT is the first city. Stay tuned for more dates to be posted.

Early morning departure...

Heading down I-80east from Cleveland, OH. The show was nice last night. Although the crowd was small, they were energetic. It was kind of frustrating when we got there we saw not one  advertisement in the window or on the wall. Had the crowd turned out good, it would have been different, but it is hard when you see that promotions were slim. Although I am happy they went to the Midwest reggae fest to advertise, they skipped the obvious...the block the club is on. Lol.
Anyway, drummy Brent clicked off the instrumentals, then continued into a fiery hot show by Keith and Ronnie. Lots of hardcore fans came out. The band did a nice job backing the duo. Big up to Carl Blackmon-keys, Tony Fisher-bass, Brent Finlen-drums, yours truly on guitar. We got to hang out with some newfound friends after the show as well. Overall, a great time in Cleveland. -Greg Ward

On tour with the Itals in Cleveland...

 We are here tonight in Cleveland Ohio, performing at the Grog Shop. We are relaxing at the hotel, about to head down to club. The owners told us they advertised at the Midwest Reggae Fest last week, so we are hoping for a nice turnout. The opening band, The Outlaws are probably onstage now, so hopefully we will catch a tune or two as we arrive. Tell your friends and family to come on out. See you there. -Greg

The Itals summer tour continued...

Last night's show was fantastic. We performed at the Hoxeyville Music Fest in Wellston, MI. Lots of bands for this 3 day festival. We were the 2nd to last act before Mickey Hart(Grateful Dead's drummer). Lots of great people were everywhere. The band began with two instrumentals, Ram Jam and Darker Shade. As the band finished up the intro, Ronnie and Keith entered the stage and began a wonderful performance to a very inviting crowd. After they mashed up the place with all the hits, the crowd was so responsive, telling us how much they loved the performance. Big up to Hoxeyville!

On the road with The Itals Summer Tour 2011

   Greetings and blessings friends,
We just got back from a tour with The Original Itals(Keith Porter, Ronnie Davis, and Lloyd Ricketts). It was the first time that Lloyd Ricketts had been on tour with the group in over 25 years. The first place we performed was  at Norfolk, VA Reggae Solstice. The crowd was deep, over 1500 people. Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill opened and mashed up the place with all the classic hits such as 2 sevens clash, and Fussing and Fighting. After Culture finished up, the crowd was getting very excited, anticipating the reunion. The backing band(Soul Hermit) took to the stage and performed two instrumentals, RamJam and Satta Massa Gana. As the band finished up the opening medley, the Trio took the stage and began. Starting off with the classic, "Smile Natty", continuing right into "Action", the crowd was building in energy. Performing hit after hit..."Call JAH Name", "Rastafari Chariot" and then finally a tune that features Lloyd Ricketts, "Give Me Power", the crowd went into a frenzy. The show finished up with the encore of "Dis Ya Time" and the Trio left the stage. The crowd was very high off the vibes and let us know how much it meant to them.
The second place we played was at the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival. After a long 16 hour drive, we arrived in Chicago, an hour before showtime. Arriving only an hour before showtime, the band and Trio ate some food and relaxed before taking the stage. Once again, the Trio came upon the stage and performed at peak energy, mesmerizing the crowds with their angelic harmonies. After the show finished up, we headed to the hotel and slept for awhile. Having to catch an early flight for Ronnie and Lloyd, we headed out in the early morning for Washington DC. After arriving back in DC, 13 hours later, we dropped off the crew and said goodbyes. Everyone was very happy with the short reunion and was anticipating the next time out later in the month. Lloyd specifically told me, "Greg, me love the vibes. This tour here was nice, but short. I want to go on the road for months next time."
To the unbelievable surprise of everyone, although Lloyd's spirit was strong, after returning home to Jamaica, he passed away only a week later. I only met Lloyd this tour, but had been listening to his beautiful harmonies for years. He was a gentle and kind brother. The group will continue to tour in the same spirit. RIP Lloyd.