About the Artists:

DJ Trichrome
The ‘Vibesetta’ has music flowing through his veins…Both local and global, Trichrome has been rockin’ the decks and spreading his vibrations throughout the universe for decades. He maintains his own niche in the world of digital media with REAL VINYL! Trichrome started his career as a DJ in 1988 alongside Pacesetter Sound System. He went on to co-found Three Kings Sound System in Minneapolis and currently plays with First Settlement Sound System. Trichrome has been a regular fixture in the 311 scene since he joined the Summer Unity Tour with Soulman and Sublime with Rome. He’s shared the stage with many local, national and international recording artists and adds his own unique energy which sets the vibe and energizes the crowd.

TUGG
These artists do an amazing job channeling tropical grooves and breezy melodies and they are a top draw in the Midwest and beyond. TUGG boasts an impressive resume of rubbing shoulders with reggae heavyweights. From shows with Ziggy Marley, Barrington Levy and Slightly Stoopid to Tours with The Wailers, The Dirty Heads, and PASSAFIRE… TUGG continues to prove why they’re a star of the alternative reggae/ska scene. All of the band’s last 5 releases have debuted in the Top 50 of the iTunes Reggae Chart. Their EP “Home Brew” climbed all the way to #2 and spent 3 weeks in the Hot 100 iTunes Reggae Album Chart. Their album “Mazes” was recorded and produced by PASSAFIRE’S Ted Bowne.

Jon Wayne & The Pain
This is JWPs first Hotel Reggae Fest! Playing an upbeat fusion of reggae, funk, classic rock, psychedelia, and electronics, Jon Wayne and the Pain hardly sound like a band from Minnesota, but these proud sons of the Midwest reveal just how lively their snowbound state can be. Jon Wayne and the Pain were formed in 2005 by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Jon Wayne, whose real name is Jon Weight.

Powered by a lineup of heartbreaking reggae ballads illustrating how our most precious growth often blooms from pain, combined with a handfull of beat thumping tracks, Jon Wayne and the Pain’s 5th studio album “Growth Lines” is here.
While embracing the present, “Growth Lines” also hearkens back to the brashness of the band’s 2008 self-titled debut album and proves that music is always better with friends. They’ve recruited heavyweight performers G Love, Tropidelic, Bumpin’ Uglies and Indubious to add flavor and texture to the soundtrack’s 11 or so tunes.

Showcasing the veteran band’s unique ability to write songs that tug at our heartstrings while keeping our feet moving Growth Lines has something for every JWP fan, new and old alike. Please give these guys a very warm welcome indeed.

Natty Nation
Critically-acclaimed hard roots rock reggae outfit Natty Nation is a collective of spiritual warriors.

This Madison based group has purely and fearlessly followed its inner artistic continuum for 30 years! Along the way, Natty Nation has burst through genres while retaining a distinct roots reggae core.

Through it all—whether it’s onstage conducting its shamanistic live show, or in the studio pushing the scope of its musicality while honing its sharp songcraft—Natty Nation has remained dedicated to one mission: spreading light. On March 11th, 2016 Natty Nation issued its brightest beacon yet, Divine Spark (iNatty Records), which debuted at #3 on the Billboard reggae chart.

“Our ultimate goal is to uplift as many people as possible through sound and vibration,” says frontman JAH Boogie – bass, lead vocals (also percussion/drums in the studio). “To do that we hope to take our music to as many places on this earth and positively influence as many souls as we possibly can.”

Natty Nation’s unique pedigree of a Midwest home base and artistic openness has helped the posse foster a signature sound. The group describes themselves as hard roots rock reggae because, in addition to their honest and authentic roots reggae foundation, their embrace of soul, rock, and funk is undeniable. Natty Nation is also influenced by such diverse geniuses as Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour, Earth Wind and Fire, Fishbone, and Bad Brains. Since 1995, Natty Nation has had fluid membership of esteemed and visionary musicians. Currently, Natty Nation is led by JAH Boogie – bass/lead vocals, Paule Willis — drums/percussion, musical director Aaron Konkol – keyboards/vocals/melodica,Nick Czar — guitar/vocals, and finally Captain Smooth — live dub engineer.

The band’s name remains a conceptual and aesthetic touchstone for the group, elucidating its wildly diverse cultural and aesthetic journeys. JAH Boogie explains: “The band got its name from a past member who coined it Natty Nation, dealing with Rastafarian culture and tradition. Natty can be locks of hair (short for natural), unity, or well dressed, and nation denoting nationality. The idea is that the barriers of nations are not natural, so the earth is the one natty nation, and we are all earth citizens. We are all one. The only thing that separates us is the ego and its physical manifestations.”

Since its inception, Natty Nation has issued five uncompromising studio albums along with a string of epiphanic live albums. The tastemaking Madison alt-weekly, Isthmus Magazine, named their 1998 release Earth Citizen one of the “top 25 Madison pop albums of all time,” writing that “Natty Nation’s mix of hard roots rock and reggae proved unique and gained a following that remains today.” In 2019 the group was inducted into the Madison Area Music Association Hall of Fame, and to date has earned 31 Madison Area Music Association awards, including artist of the year, ensemble vocals, world album, and world performer of the year for nine years in a row. Natty Nation has also received a Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for best world artist.

One of the most profound components of Natty Nation’s artistry is its live show. In this context, the band truly thrives, and all the years as a unit, the collective’s telepathic band interplay and colorful palette of music influences make for a fresh freewheeling reggae-focused experience. “We treat our recorded music as a calling card for people to come check us out live,” JAH Boogie says. “The crowd plays a huge part in where our show goes. Which songs we do, the vibe, how long we play, and most significantly how we play.” Natty Nation has built a robust artistic profile through tirelessly touring, nationally and internationally. Select live career highlights include performing at SXSW, Summerfest, Freakfest, and as well as throughout the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and the Marshall Islands.

Divine Spark is a lightning bolt of an inspirational album artistically and introspectively. JAH Boogie explains: “The Divine Spark is the higher self within everyone. I’ve learned that through raising your vibration and opening your chakras you are able to tap into your divine spark. Our music is for the mental, spiritual, and physical expansion of the human family. We are spiritual individuals who express our spirituality through the frequencies and tones of the music that we play.”

Artistically it’s a watershed album as it was carefully crafted by the creative core of founding member JAH Boogie, and longtime member Aaron Konkol, who is a multi-instrumentalist and prodigious musical talent. The two shared music writing responsibilities while JAH Boogie retained lyric duties. Divine Spark also boasts a verse from acclaimed South Side, Chicago-via-Madison rapper F. Stokes on the track “Civil Rights” and the entire album was mixed by legendary Bob Marley recording engineer Errol Brown, other than the two dubs that close out the album which were produced by the band.

Highlights on Divine Spark include the title track, “Meditation,” “Civil Rights,” and “Prophecy.” The album’s spiritual core is the simmering and soulful title track. “This song deals with the spiritual essence of each human being,” JAH Boogie explains. “The song also expresses that when you open your heart chakra it helps to open up the many other chakras within the spiritual body. When these energy centers or chakras are open then many other dimensions are open as well.” “Meditation” aptly conjures its name with sweetly languid grooves. Soul rebel militancy bubbles over with the aptly titled, “Civil Rights” courtesy of F. Stokes’s fiery rhymes. And the rousing “Prophecy” is sure to inspire self-reflection. “This song deals with going within yourself to find out who you really are or what you really are. We all have spiritual guides or angels who reveal certain things to us,” explains JAH Boogie.

A fortuitous encounter at a Rebelution show enabled a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Aaron Konkol, after marveling over Rebelution’s sparkling live sound, ran into the group and asked who was manning the boards for their live show. To his astonishment, it was Errol Brown (Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, among others). At the time, Natty Nation had been chasing the optimum mix for years. Errol agreed to mix the album in his makeshift studio he built in the back of Rebelution’s tour bus. He worked closely with Aaron’s feedback and the two came up with a majestic mix.

Divine Spark marks the beginning of an era of fevered creativity and watershed output for Natty Nation. Thinking back on the group’s perseverance, JAH Boogie says: “We believe in creating positive energy in the universe, and when we can see the people dancing, smiling, and nodding their head to our music, and then coming up after the shows or reaching out to us to tell us how our music touched them profoundly, or even just was a great soundtrack to a fun night, it really means the world to us and keeps us on this path to make music.” Please congratulate them on accomplishing 30 years as relevant players in the reggae/world music scene.