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Free Hip Hop, Reggae, Folk, Bluegrass and Indie music highlight SCC’s Second Annual International Festival on Thursday, Oct. 18

An exciting lineup of Hip Hop, Reggae, Folk, Bluegrass and Indie musical entertainment for the 2007 Somerset Community College International Festival has been finalized. The event is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on the SCC Somerset Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to the music, the festival will include educational workshops about various cultures, cultural dance demonstrations, cultural displays from various countries, demonstrations, free ethic food samples, an international fashion show, crafts created by the local Sheltowee Artisans and world bazaar featuring global crafts for sale. The bazaar items come from an international development organization called “Ten Thousand Villages.”

One of the headliners for this year’s festival is Reggae Artist Rob Dread. Dread is scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage located between Meece and Stoner Hall on the SCC Campus beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.

Dread worked with, national recording artist, Ras Bonghi on a two-year tour of America as bassist, keyboard player, vocalist, sound tech and road manager. He has also worked with, international recording artist and former Master Drummer of the West African Ballet, Kaikpai and the Riddem Afrique as musical director. Dread founded and musically directed the Columbus sensation Dread Alert with Ciam Carr. His further musical contributions were as bassist and vocalist. Furthermore, he was a featured bassist for the international reggae band, Identity/Nu-Sonics (Island/Mango Records) in 1993.

Dread also co-founded, with Dr. X, and was musical director/manager/lead vocalist of the Ohio based reggae music institution, The Dub Enforcement Agency (DEA) which received international prestige from a rave review in Reggae Report International magazine (April 1996).

He has performed on various television stations which include Fox 56, WKYT-TV27, DATV and also hosted "The Reggae Show" on WRFL (88.1 FM) with DJ Spice, in Lexington, KY from 1999 to 2001.

Dread has shared the stage with a variety of musical giants: King Yellowman, Burning Spear, Phil Collins, George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, Inner Circle, Third World, Morris Day and the Time, Bobby "Blue" Bland, The Gap Band, The Itals, KRS-1, Gregory Issacs, The Ark Band, Dougie Simpson, The Flex Crew, Joseph Hill and Culture, and Men at Large.

The festival’s music schedule will begin at 11 a.m. when the Bluegrass group Mountain Connection will perform on the outdoor stage.

Mountain Connection hails from Eastern Kentucky with roots deeply embedded in Bluegrass and Appalachian Music. The band incorporates progressive, driving Bluegrass music with tight harmonies and a high energy stage show. The members of the group have years of performing experience including at the Grand Ole Opry and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Members of Mountain Connection are: Kelly Caldwell, vocals and mandolin; Greg Combs, vocals and banjo; Brian Davidson, upright bass; and Robin Barrett, vocals and guitar.

Beginning at 11:30 p.m. in the Harold Rogers Student Commons Grill, the Indie, Experimental and Psychedelic group The Color of Space will perform. The Colour Out of Space includes: Josh Todd, drums; Jason Norfleet, guitar; Micah Wiles, guitar, synthesizer, and percussion; Jordan King, guitar; and James Gibson, bass, synthesizer.

Todd describes the band’s sound as epic, instrumental, rock music. Josh and Jason started the group in the summer of 2006 with a few friends. The friends decided they wanted to make a different kind of music and Colour Out of Space was born. They have played at Gypsy Hut in Cincinnati, OH; the Icehouse in Lexington, KY; and Freedom Fest in Somerset. The band will perform at Riverstone Art Gallery on Oct. 6, Victory Christian Fellowship on Oct. 13 and will perform two shows on Oct. 27 at Anvilfest in Liberty and later at the Pulaski County Fairgrounds.

At 11:45 in the Harold Rogers Student Commons Community Room, James Claypool will be discussing the origins of Bluegrass music.

Music will continue at 3:45 p.m. with a performance by a Hip Hop group Tha Senate. The group consists of three members: Ca$ino, King James and .38. They describe their music as blazin’, lyrical, fresh to def, real hip-hop! That’s how you would have to describe Senate Inc. aka Tha Senate. While other rappers of today seem to just want to talk about how much money they make or what kind of cars they drive, Tha Senate’s goal is to be able to reach every listener on every level. “You can’t party every day,” said Ca$ino. The group was nominated for the rookies of the year award at the 1st annual KYMP Magazine Hip-Hop show May 6th, 2007 in Louisville Ky.

Then the Folk music group The Charming Third will perform on the outdoor stage at 5:35 p.m. "The Charming Third's Will Simpson was born and raised in the Bluegrass state of Kentucky, and his sound certainly does a good job of proving that. His stark acoustic guitar and rustic voice blend for an authentic-feeling sound, and an extremely personal live show. Drawing inspiration from artists ranging from golden oldies, such as Bob Dylan, to more noisy contemporaries like Bright Eyes and Nickelcreek, Simpson does a masterful job of mixing the old and new to his own special folk sound. According to a review by Matt Keith, “When the lights go down, and the guitar comes out you can be sure you're in for a treat as Simpson strums his way through crooning soft ballads (Let's Kill Christian Music) to pumping dance-alongs (The Drive Home) that will make you feel like locking arms with a partner for a few two-steps. Simpson's lyrics draw an honest look at some of the finer and less talked-of sides of Christianity, and display a heart-felt love for the simple world around us. He reaches beyond his years to provide an earthy sound that's not only intelligent and passionate about the subjects his songs speak on, but also provides a strange and comforting sense of intimacy live."

Other SCC facilities will be holding smaller lead-up events prior to the Somerset Campus event. The SCC McCreary Center will hold its International Festival events on Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The SCC Clinton Center in Albany will hold its event on Thursday, Oct. 11, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The SCC Casey Center in Liberty will also hold its event on Oct. 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The SCC Russell Center International Festival will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Laurel Campus of SCC will hold its International Festival events on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 16 and 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited to all of these events and there is no charge for admission.

For more information about the SCC 2nd Annual International Festival contact Natalie Gibson, the SCC Director for Cultural Diversity, at (606) 451-6697.

Somerset Community College is a comprehensive two-year institution of higher education. SCC has campuses in Somerset and London, centers in Clinton, McCreary, Russell and Casey Counties. The website is www.somerset.kctcs.edu. Call for admission and registration information toll free at 1-877-629-9722.

KCTCS serves the Commonwealth through 16 community and technical college districts that form a seamless system of 62 campuses open or under construction. KCTCS colleges change lives by providing accessible and affordable education and training through academic and technical associate degrees; diploma and certificate programs in occupational fields; pre-baccalaureate education; adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu.