Ziggy Marley The Fly Rasta Tour with special guest Steel Pulse

The SOMO Outdoor Concert Series is thrilled to kick off the exciting 2015 season with the Ziggy Marley The Fly Rasta Tour with special guest Steel Pulse. On Wednesday, August 12 the hot new Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center will play host to the two very popular reggae acts. Gates will open at 6:30 P.M. with the show starting at 7:30 P.M. Tickets are $43.50 for general admission and $73.50 for reserved seating. Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 26 and can be found online at www.somoconcerts.com.

A seven-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, humanitarian, singer, songwriter and producer, Ziggy Marley has released twelve albums to much critical acclaim. His early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, Bob Marley. As front man to Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, the group released eight best-selling albums that garnered three Grammys, with such chart-topping hits as “Look Who’s Dancing,” “Tomorrow People” and “Tumbling Down.” Ziggy’s first solo album, Dragonfly (RCA Records), was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love is My Religion (Tuff Gong Worldwide), won a Grammy in 2006 for “Best Reggae Album.” His third solo album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored him a 5th Grammy award for “Best Children’s Album.” In 2011, Ziggy released his critically acclaimed 4th studio album Wild And Free, which earned him a Grammy nomination, as well as his first ever comic book entitled MARIJUANAMAN.

Ziggy Marley Organics, a GMO-free product line including flavored coconut oils and hemp seed snacks, was started in 2012. The products are distributed throughout the US and are available in over 1000 stores nationwide. His 2012 live album “Ziggy Marley In Concert,” recently earned him his 6th Grammy award for “Best Reggae Album.” To coincide with the release of his latest album “Fly Rasta,” (which earned his 7th GRAMMY Award) Ziggy released his debut children’s book “I Love You Too,” a coproduction of Akashic Books and Tuff Gong Worldwide. The multicultural picture book is based on one of Ziggy’s most beloved songs of the same title from his Grammy Award-winning album “Family Time,” which explores a child’s relationship with parents, nature and the unstoppable force of love. Involved with a breadth of charities, Ziggy leads his own, U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), a non-profit organization that benefits efforts in Jamaica, Ethiopia and other developing nations. The charity’s missions range from building new schools to operating health clinics to supporting charities like Mary’s Child, a center for abused and neglected girls.

Steel Pulse may have explored various styles of music since they started out in 1975, but when it comes to the message, the UK’s Grammy – Winning reggae band has remained close to their roots. The Group have continued their commitment to fighting injustice, educating the masses, and promoting positive messages through spiritually uplifting music.

“We just can’t ignore the politics, because every life and soul that’s born on this earth is a political man oeuvre for someone, at some stage”, Hinds explains. “From a spiritual aspect, it’s really an upliftment through facing reality – what’s out there. We deal with positive spirits. It means putting aside the guns, the drugs and all of the things that are ailments of society – especially the black communities right now”.

Steel Pulse have always taken their causes to heart, filing a $1 million class action lawsuit against New York City’s Taxi & Limousine Commission. The group charged that cabbies refused to pick up blacks and Rastafarians throughout the streets of New York.

Following the concert will be a free indoor after party set with Sonoma County’s own favorite reggae band, Sol Horizon. Voted “Best World/Reggae band” in the North Bay by Bohemian newspaper readers.

The SOMO Outdoor Concert Series will also feature Rebirth Brass Band performing on Sunday, September 6, Dark Star Orchestra on Saturday, September 26 and North Bay Hootenanny on Saturday, October 10. Other 2015 summer shows are tba.

The SOMO Outdoor Concert Series (www.somoconcerts.com) is the brainchild of two Bay Area music business veterans. Lee Smith is the former president and chairman of Live Nation (formerly Bill Graham Presents) and currently head of Prescient Entertainment, the exclusive promoter of performing arts events at the award-winning Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA.

Morty Wiggins, the former VP of Bill Graham Presents and general manager of A&M Records, is president of Sonoma Mountain Village-based Second Octave Talent, Sonoma County’s licensed and bonded booking agency and artist management company. Wiggins’ partner in Second Octave is Steve Senk, longtime merchandising guru from Sony Music and Live Nation.

The Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center, found at 1100 Valley House Dr.Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, is solar powered and features the latest sound and lighting technology custom designed for the venue’s outdoor 1200-square-foot stage.It is located in the heart of Sonoma Mountain Village, an environmentally friendly 200-acre, planned mixed-use community in Rohnert Park, CA, forty miles north of San Francisco.