The Piatt Family Foundation’s 6th Rock, Reggae and Relief Festival in Downtown Pittsburgh Will Raise Money for Catapult’s Equity in Homeownership Program
PITTSBURGH, PA (March 15, 2023) Good vibes, great music and legendary bands are coming to Downtown Pittsburgh this August 19 for the Piatt Family Foundation’s 6th Rock, Reggae & Relief music festival. The Piatt Family Foundation has lined up some of the biggest names in rock reggae with Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome joined by Tropidelic, Roots of Creation, and local reggae talent Keystone Vibe and FUBAR.
Headliners Slightly Stoopid are in their second decade of making their multifaceted reggae jam music and if you don’t recognize them, you’re likely to have heard one of their eclectic collaborations with musicians from all genres. They’re touring this summer with Sublime with Rome, both with a loyal international fanbase, and taking a day off from the tour to join the Rock, Reggae & Relief line up. If you weren’t one of the 540 million streams of Sublime’s classic “Santeria”, you’ve probably heard it and other classics and new music. The band, which formed in 2010, is set to release a new album this year.
Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome are joined by Tropidelic, rising stars in the national rock reggae scene, who have been featured at some of the largest and most popular reggae events in the country. The six-piece band hails from Cleveland after getting its start in a Kent University dorm in 2005, partially thanks to lead vocalist and Pittsburgh native Matthew Roads. Tropidelic’s collective sound is an interesting mix of reggae, hip hop, rock and high energy funk, which fans can hear in their 2022 album All the Colors.
They’re supported by international rock reggae sensation and Rock, Reggae & Relief powerhouse Roots of Creation, who have performed at all six of the Piatt Family Foundation’s reggae festivals. Their infectiously energetic music blends reggae, rock and dubtronica for the ultimate live dance party experience.
Kicking off the show are two bands with connections closer to home with local reggae groups Keystone Vibe and FUBAR. Keystone Vibe has been performing their reggae, rock and jam tunes throughout the Pittsburgh region since 2016 and is set to release a new album soon. FUBAR is returning after opening for Roots of Creation’s Rock, Reggae & Relief kick off show in 2022. The four-piece rock reggae and ska punk band from Pittsburgh are guaranteed to get the festival moving with their own special sauce of sound.
Between bands, fans will be able to keep the energy going to DJ sets by DJ TJ Harris and following up with an afterparty at Revel with DJ Petey C.
“This year we are so pumped about the Rock, Reggae & Relief line up,” said Lucas Piatt, CEO of Piatt Companies and Chair of the Piatt Family Foundation. “It’s an incredible event where people can come experience Downtown as a community with unity and feel good vibes while also raising money for a great cause. Piatt Companies is primarily a real estate and hospitality company and we always say that everyone deserves to own a home, so to partner with Catapult who is helping Black and underserved families purchase their homes is a perfect fit and we can’t wait to work together.”
Each year, the festival donates profits to a charitable organization doing important work in our communities. This year, the Piatt Family Foundation’s festival is raising money for Catapult Greater Pittsburgh’s Next Step Fund Closing Cost and Down Payment Assistance Fund. The Next Step Fund is designed to support equity in homeownership opportunities for Black families as only 41% of Black families own their homes as compared to 68% of white families. The Closing Cost and Down Payment Assistance Fund provides grants to help individuals and families cover the final costs that arise before closing on their home, helping to build community and improve economic and social equity.
Tickets are on sale now and additional information is available at RRRPgh.com.
For those who can’t wait until August can check out the Piatt Family Foundation and Rich Engler presenting The Wailers Reggae Season Kickoff on May 19 at Roost in Downtown Pittsburgh. This genuinely legendary band has carried on the spirit of 70s era-defining reggae, playing incredible cuts from Bob Marley’s back catalogue, their classic hits and music from their grammy-nominated album One World. Tickets for The Wailers show are available here.
Rock, Reggae & Relief 2023 is sponsored by Highlander Waterproofing, PNC Bank, Beam Suntory, Grossman, Yanak & Ford, St. Clair Health, Point Park University, Goddard Schools and more. Sponsorships are still available by contacting [email protected].
Media passes and interviews with artists are available for registered media. Contact Molly at [email protected] for more information.
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About the Piatt Family Foundation | Pittsburgh is a community that thrives on connection and coming together in times of need, so the Piatt Family Foundation curates fundraising events and benefit festivals to bring people together to raise money for organizations and initiatives that create opportunities and positive impacts for our neighbors that need it most.
About Rock, Reggae & Relief | Rock Reggae & Relief is a benefit music festival that brings reggae tunes, unity and feel-good vibes to the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh while offering a helping hand to our neighbors in need.
Media Contact:
Molly Onufer
412-889-2676
RoC (Roots of Creation) has taken on a unique new project: Grateful Dub: a Reggae-infused tribute to the Jerry Garcia & The Grateful Dead. Combining their longtime love for Reggae-Dub style music and the Grateful Dead, RoC reworked some of the world’s favorite Dead tunes into a new studio album. RoC had the pleasure of working in the studio with the legendary 5-time Grammy winner Errol Brown who was Bob Marley’s sound engineer for this project. Grateful Dub is also being performed live in its entirety at festivals, theatres, and clubs around the country, and features rotating live special guests that has included Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), Scott Guberman (Phil Lesh), Zach Nugent, RyMo, AG, & Paul W. (Slightly Stoopid), G. Love (G. Love & Special Sauce), Mihali (Twiddle), Dan Kelly (Fortunate Youth) and others. Grateful Dub captures the spirit and magic of the Grateful Dead, while laying it down Reggae-Dub style.
FEATURING MICHAEL GLABICKI OF RUSTED ROOT
Michael Glabicki, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for Rusted Root fuses musical mastery and shamanic inspiration into his music and live performances. In his most prolific period to date Glabicki is focusing his energy on his new band, The UPROOTED Band, to carry on the legacy of Rusted Root’s energetic music while recording new music.
“Uprooted has masterfully expanded the landscape of the older Rusted Root songs and created a new intuitive and magnetic vision of the material” says Glabicki, “These inspired performances not only energize and expand the hearts of the crowds but also show us how to take the new music to the next level”.
Rusted Root, led by Glabicki, built their career around dramatic performances; their polyrhythmic, multicultural rock-and-soul picked up fans like a junkyard magnet as they swept across the nation on tour. Glabicki continues to keep this tradition alive through his new project, The Uprooted Band.
The Uprooted Band Featuring Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root
With Dirk Miller on guitar and vocals, Ricky Petraglia on drums, Keaton Thandi on percussion, Erik Kramer on bass and Daisie Ghost Flower and Emily Victoria on background vocals, The Uprooted Band is a liberating project for Glabicki. He says “I looked to the past and imagined where I wanted to go and realized this band is the perfect vehicle to take me there.” This tour will focus on the energy and excitement Rusted Root brought to all of their fans, and keep the spirit of the music moving forward.
Born and raised on the West Coast and influenced heavily by his Polynesian upbringing, J BOOG is undoubtedly one of the top reggae singers in recent years. Mentored by island reggae icon Fiji, he fine tuned his sound and style creating a unique blend that transcends across continents.
Early on in his career, a chance encounter led J Boog to connect with Yami Bolo and Gramps Morgan, which then took him to Jamaica where the reggae singer found himself working in the historical studios of Bob Marley, Don Corleon, Bobby Digitals, Shaggy, and Sugar Minott. This experience no doubt played another key role in the flair of Boog’s music.
His debut album, Hear Me Roar, dropped in 2007 and a few years later he released Backyard Boogie, which included megahits like “Lets Do It Again” produced by Don Corleon and “Sunshine Girl” produced by Gramps Morgan and featuring Peetah Morgan. Amidst the 2020 global pandemic, “Let’s Do It Again” exploded on TikTok via a viral dance by Stranger Things Noah Schnapp even garnering the attention of high-profile celebrities like Charli D’Amelio and Jason Derulo. The popular track currently boasts over 75m views on YouTube and continues to chart on the iTunes reggae chart even today. A year after its release though, Backyard Boogie earned J Boog the Best Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards in Chicago. Wash House Ting was released in 2016 and featured tracks with veteran reggae band Morgan Heritage as well as dancehall legend Buju Banton. The album topped Billboard Reggae Album Charts and was later nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. His EP Rose Petals was nominated for Best Reggae Album of the Year at the 2017 Grammy Awards and also topped US Billboard and iTunes Reggae Charts. J Boog’s repertoire boasts tracks with Soja, Iration, Tarrus Riley, The Green, Fiji, Chaka Demus, Richie Spice and more.
He has toured all over the world, including Europe, Africa, Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and of course across the US. He’s performed at festivals like Cali Roots, One Love NZ, Good Love, Reggae Rise Up, One Love Cali, Arizona Roots, Dry Diggings, and the Mayjah Rayjah to name a few.
In 2021, J Boog released three singles [“Siva Mai ft. Siaosi,” “Ain’t No Love Like,” and “Free of Dem”]. He even hosted a dance competition for “Siva Mai” that gained entries from dance crews all over the world. He was also nominated for Male Artist of the Year at the Island 98.5 island music awards in Honolulu.