Live music is back in full force as evidenced Saturday before a sold-out crowd for the rescheduled Dirty Heads Orlando Vacation festival at the Orlando Fairgrounds. Joining the Dirty Heads for the 2nd edition of the Orlando Vacation were those Southern California funky reggae rockers Sublime with Rome, the Hawaiian singer/songwriter Hirie, Tropidelic, Artikal Sound System, Seranation, Of Good Nature, Little Stranger, Vana Liya, and DJ C-Lioness.
Concertgoers rolled in early as entry lines grew with eager fans waiting to get through security onto the festival grounds where they were met by vendors and the ever-important merch tables that seemed to grow faster than the lines getting into the venue. Fans eagerly waited for their turn to drop some coin on their favorite band merchandise. Kudos to Stage Left Entertainment and crew for creating a memorable return to music for the thousands in attendance and shout out to the extraordinaire MC Steve.
The fans excitement for the return of live music was an obvious observation; however, on the stage, one could feel the energy and excitement from the musicians throughout the day that screamed we missed this just as much if not more than you. The heat from the hot Florida day didn’t seem to slow down the bands as they maneuvered around the stage like it was their personal playground, jumping, dancing, and there may have been some crowd surfing on an actual surfboard. Their smiles truly said it all!
The talented singer/songwriter Vana Liya kicked off the day’s festivities as the sounds from her ukulele blended with her sweet yet soothing voice mixed with a perfect Florida summer day resonated with fans as everyone sang along throughout her set. Vana has made the most of her opportunity with her unconventional rise onto the music scene. After posting several ukulele covers of popular reggae songs to social media, it led to landing her a record deal with LAW Records. It was evident that she has endeared herself with her following as she walked the barricade after her set speaking with fans. Check out Vana Liya HERE.
Next to the Lake View Stage were the musical stylings of up-and-coming Indie hip-hop duo Little Stranger. The brothers from other mothers looked right at home on stage as Kevin Shields maneuvered around the stage spitting bars with the occasional break to cut loose on his melodica. All the while John Shields settled in on vocals and acoustic guitar. The duo’s fresh take on melodic hip-hop seemed to lure the crowd in as they anticipated what they would do next. Learn more about the duo HERE.
First to the Monster Energy Stage was Of Good Nature an indie rock-reggae band that was formed in Charlotte, NC in 2011. The band blends foundations of rock-reggae to progressive instrumentals of funk and rock n roll. Of Good Nature consists of Cameron Brown on guitar and vocals, Brandon Hucks on trombone, Jon Reed on bass, and David Hamilton Jr. on drums. The band is releasing their EP on July 30th and will be out on the road touring on the east coast through October. Check out Of Good Nature HERE.
Holy Shit! Next up was nothing but pure energy start to finish compliments of Seranation. They turned up the heat index on an already hot Florida day and fans loved every last second of it. Lead vocalist J. Carter appeared to have taken advantage of the free Monster Energy Drinks by shot-gunning a few before hitting the stage. Joining Carter on stage were bassist Bianca Schlosser, Adam Hocker on guitar, Beard Bruce on keyboard/sax, and Josh Baron on drums. Formed in 2014, Seranation brings a unique blend of pop-reggae/rock that the band has labeled as “Tropical-Rock”. The highlight of the set would be the band’s frontman J. Carter crowd surfing…on a surfboard. Surfs Up! Check Seranation out HERE.
Photos of Seranation, Of Good Nature, Little Stranger, Vana Liya (more below)
Artikal Sound System is a reggae band from Delray Beach, Florida. Blending roots and modern sounds under smooth female vocals, the band puts their efforts towards bringing love, good vibes, and a dancing mood wherever they go. The band features Logan Rex, Fabian Acuna, Chris Montague, Adam Kampf, and Chris Cope. It’s been a hectic month for the band as they have recently signed with Silverback Music‘s label, Controlled Substance Sound Labs, and released their new single ‘Spiritual Broadcaster’ featuring The Elovaters, whom they are currently on tour with. The latest on Artikal Sound System can be found HERE.
Closing out the Lake View Stage was Tropidelic, touted as an unapologetically original six-piece band from Cleveland, OH, they brought their unique blend of reggae-rock, hip-hop, and high-energy funk to the stage. The band released its latest studio effort, Of Illusion in November of 2020 which was the follow-up to Here in the Heights, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard reggae charts. Of Illusion features guest appearances by the likes of Matisyahu, Devin the Dude, Dirty Heads, Shwayze, and others. Check Tropidelic out HERE.
Hawaiian singer/songwriter Hirie and her strain of reggae-pop took to the stage as the crowd seemed to gather quickly as she was introduced. The Filipino-born, Italian-raised, Oahu-based musician has gained quite the following since her 2016 release Wandering Soul and later with the success of her 2019’s Dreamer. Adoring fans sang along the entire set even offering up flowers at one point during the set. Hirie is currently out on her summer tour and just dropped her “Feel the Sunshine” Music Video with Kolohe Kai. Lots going on in the world of Hirie, stay up to date HERE.
Photos of Hirie, Tropidelic, Artikal Sound System (more below)
As the sun started to set in Central Florida, the party was just getting started as those funky reggae rockers from SoCal, Sublime with Rome, took to the stage. Que the smoke as the eccentric, Eric Wilson, slowly struts across the stage displaying his tie-dyed duds covering him head to toe. The set kicked off with the classic “Smoke Two Joints,” and delivered a vintage set that included fan-favorite “Scarlett Begonias,” the band’s version of the Grateful Dead’s hit. The band is currently on the High and Mighty Tour with the Dirty Heads that runs through October 14, in Paso Robles, California. Sublime with Rome is lead-singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Carlos Verdugo.
Sublime’s iconic self-titled album turns 25 on July 30, and the band’s celebrating in a big way in the coming months by publishing a graphic novel via Z2 Comics called Sublime: $5 at the Door, sharing official music videos for “Garden Grove” and “Pawn Shop,” and releasing a covers and remixes project spearheaded by Travis Barker.
The last act of the day, Huntington Beach’s Dirty Heads, took to the stage with their blend of hip hop, reggae, and rock infused with the band’s laid-back SoCal attitude. The crowd, some that had fought the mid-90’s heat for the better part of 10 hours, showed no signs of slowing down as the sweet smells of happiness filled the air as the band hit the stage. “Super Moon” kicked off the festivities as fans responded to the band’s high-energy set to go along with a light show that was nothing short of a psychedelic orgasm.
The band recently released the “Rage” music video and the new greatest-hits album The Best of Dirty Heads via Better Noise Music. The 13-song project also highlights their viral smash song “Vacation,” originally from their 2017 album Swim Team. Pat Monahan of Train hopped on the newer version of the song earlier this summer. Be sure to check out the Dirty Heads live this summer and fall on the High and Mighty Tour joining Sublime with Rome.
Photos of Dirty Heads, Sublime with Rome, and fan shots
Stage Left Entertainment is recognized as an innovative boutique agency in creating, producing, booking, and marketing first-class live entertainment experiences from festivals and concerts to all types of special events. Be sure to check out their other festivals coming this fall. #rebelrock #warlando