Sunday, January 07, 2007
What does 2B1 have planned?
On Thursday the Mateel Board of Directors officially announced the hiring of 2BI Multimedia as producers for Reggae on the River 2007. On Friday I spoke with Boots Hughston, the man behind 2B1, about his plans for the future of the festival, his back history with Reggae, even his pay for the massive job. (That's Boots holding the paper bag, backstage at Reggae 2003. His twin brother Lance is the guy with suspenders under the umbrella.)
I guess I should start by congratulating you on your new job.
We’re doing it. We completed the deal a couple of days ago.
I’d guessed that they chose you guys after talking with some people off the record -- but no one would confirm it.
We were all bound by a confidentiality agreement.
That seems to be over. Do you want to talk?
Sure, let’s talk.
Where shall we start? What do you have planned?
For the moment it will be the same as it was before, at least the vibe will be the same. We were contacted by the Mateel Community Center, they requested we come up and talk with them and see if we could strike a deal with them to produce the show. Carol’s moving on and has other plans. The idea was we’d do it. So we hammered out an agreement and decided to move forward.
Our plan really is to get the show in order fiscally and financially. Let’s just say it’s done so well, that it kind of got bloated financially. One of our main things is to get it back to its original roots, which is promoting peace, love and harmony.
What do you mean when you say it’s “bloated financially”?
I was kind of getting to that. What’s going on is, it spent so much in infrastructure and paying employees and paying performers and so forth that there’s no bottom line left. So the Mateel has basically not gotten any money out of the show, which makes it very hard for them to survive. Our plan is to get it back into good fiscal shape, to cut out as much dead wood as we can and try to organize things in a good clean fashion and get it back to financial stability.
I have to say Carol’s done a wonderful job -- I think People Productions have done an exquisite job promoting the event -- they really have...
I described last year’s show as Reggae 2.0, a major transition with the new concert facility on Dimmick Ranch. I don’t know what to call this next Reggae, maybe 3.0. I’m wondering, are you planning on using the same facility structure, with camping on the French’s Camp property [the Arthur property] and the main stage at Dimmick’s?
We are planning on using Dimmick Ranch as the main concert area, but there is also some talk of moving it back to the Arthurs’. The choice is there. We can go either way. Personally I think the move was good, it’s just it was the first year so there were things that didn’t work out as well as they could have. I just think it needs another year or two of what I’d call polishing the apple to make it work out really well.
I always accepted the move as a work in progress. When I talked with John Bruno about it when it was under construction, he told me they were not going to build things permanent, that they were ready to adapt based on the way things worked the first year in the new space. They weren’t going to be pouring any cement.
(laughs) It’s a little early for the cement pour...
Are you working with Tom Dimmick?
Not personally. The Mateel is working on the permitting process so they’re talking with Tom and well as with the Arthurs, I believe. The contracts are with the Mateel so all that’s up to them. I think it’s all going to work out, it’s just a matter of time.
Didn’t you work on the very first Reggae?
Yeah, I worked the original two years with Doug [Green.] Then I worked for 11 years for Carol.
Do I understand right that you knew Doug from your mutual association with Chet Helms and the Family Dog?
That’s right. What happened was, Doug and I used to work for Chet Helms -- I was a production manager, Doug was kind of a co-producer with Chet. We did the Stomp in Berkley and the Stomp in Monterey. The Stomp in Berkley was 11,000, a huge event for that period of time, it kind of re-established the hippie moral vibe community again. Personally I saw it as a real turning point. Then we did the Monterey event with Chet and a few others as well. That’s how we got to know each other.
He always used to tell, me, ‘I want to make an amphitheater in the mountains.’ I’d say, ‘Sure Doug, who’s going to come to see someone play in the mountains?’ Finally he convinced me and we went up there with a crew, a bunch of his buddies from the hills with bulldozers and chainsaws, and off we went.
You dug out the bowl at French’s Camp?
That’s correct. The bridges and the bowl and the layout. As I said, we did a couple of shows with Doug, then with Carol and the guys and eventually it became People Productions.
I know you eventually went on to produce concerts at the Maritime Hall. I’m guessing you established a lot of connections in the reggae scene.
We were into reggae even before Maritime. That started in ’95. We did reggae show there until we closed in 2001. We also have a record label with over 60 acts, and most of the acts are the ones who play at Reggae on the River.
I have a few of those CDs. The one from Lee Scratch Perry and the Mad Professor from last year was very cool.
That’s a great CD. The DVD came out good too.
I’m assuming you are handling the booking.
Yes. I will.
Any thoughts about where you’ll go with it?
There are a lot of things running through my mind, maybe a Black Uhuru reunion with Michael Rose and Ducky and everyone. There’s been a talk about that. There’s a talk about Gentleman and people of that sort.
Gentleman? Who’s that?
He’s a huge reggae act in Europe. He played the Sierra Nevada festival last year. The idea really is to move the event back into the conscious reggae world. That’s one of the thing’s we’ve all been talking about. We want to pull things back to the event’s spiritual roots and get a little bit away from the gay-bashing talk and dancehall attitude. That has its place in the world too, but we want to bring Reggae back to its original principals.
The music has shifted toward the harder edge in recent years, and I’ve seen the crowd shift with it.
Times change -- 20 years ago, 15 year ago everyone had really long hair and nowadays some don’t and some do.
My hair is shorter.
Mine too. Things change and music changes as well. I don’t want to say that all hip hop’s bad or all dancehall’s bad. I don’t believe that really. Both have their place, it’s just I think we should pick more conscious acts and try to stay in a more conscious direction.
Returning to the layout of the festival. Last year French’s Camp became just a camping area. It was kind of weird to see the stage and the structure they’d just built for the beer coolers become campsites, particularly with people setting up tents on the old cement stage.
I know it was surreal. Two or three people have mentioned the same thing.
It occurred to me that there could be a second stage over there, maybe something more low-key. That seems to be the trend in big music festivals, away from having everything focused in one place.
That’s true and that's a good idea.
I’m sure there are a thousand people suggesting how you should do things...
I’m listening. I just got a call from Monterey...
The artists management company?
Yeah. Monterey Peninsula Artists. I haven’t heard from them for years. I guess they got the press release and immediately they were on it. (laughs) It’s cool. The word’s out and it’s getting around and that’s good.
Sounds like you’re ready for the changes.
If the show’s going to survive it has to change a little, not a lot, just a little.
Didn’t you and your twin brother work the show together for a while? Lance, right?
Oh yeah, yeah. I brought my brother in a couple of years before I left. He’s been with the show up until last year.
It’s pretty exciting, a big job you’re taking on.
I love that community. It is important. I’m there to make it happen.
So you’ll handle booking and running the stage and the various crews...
The whole infrastructure of the show...
Are you coming up for this meeting with the coordinators?
That’s right, I think it’s Jan. 17. I’m really looking forward to it. One thing I want to put out there, we’re not really going to be cutting any of the coordinators. We’re planning on keeping them all around and everyone will have the same jobs they’ve had. We just need to organize and be more fiscally responsible. There’ll be some talk about that. Otherwise it will be the same process as before.
Is it safe to assume you won’t be paid quite as much as People Productions?
No, I’m not getting paid anything actually. I’ll get a percentage of the bottom line at the end.
So it’s strictly performance based?
That’s right. You know they don’t have any money. There’s no way for them to cut me a $100 grand check. And that’s not the reason I’m doing it anyway. I’m doing it because I want to see Reggae continue on. I want to see it all work as one family, as one community, like it always has.
Sounds like -- unity.
Exactly.
Comments:
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Thank You for a great interview Bob. As somewhat of a newcomer to the event (3years) I was bummed about how things went last year. This interview creates a positive feeling for me and I have high (no pun intended) hopes for the future of our festival. I hope it does the same for others who had similar concerns after ROTR 06.
For the record, my hair is longer. That's cuz I don't have a boss telling me to cut it anymore. Early retirement has given me time for volunteer work. I tried with the old management but it didn't work out. Perhaps I could be of use this year. I am more than willing to be of service.
Thank You for starting this blog. I hope Unity will raise it's head and be the direction from here forward.
I am...
Eureka Dave
Peace Now, Please!!
For the record, my hair is longer. That's cuz I don't have a boss telling me to cut it anymore. Early retirement has given me time for volunteer work. I tried with the old management but it didn't work out. Perhaps I could be of use this year. I am more than willing to be of service.
Thank You for starting this blog. I hope Unity will raise it's head and be the direction from here forward.
I am...
Eureka Dave
Peace Now, Please!!
# posted by 
: 6:51 PM
: 6:51 PM 
Dear Bob,Thanks for giving us a spot to blot. I am disappointed that Carol and PB (I thought they weren't together anymore) are going to contest the termination of People's contract. The Mateel has already spent over $30K in 2 years trying to straighten things out. I support the Board and staff 100% in persuing all prudent and responsible actions to reclaim control of Reggae and make it profitable for the MCC again, but I don't know how we will pay for a full court press. I don't feel that People Prod is the only company in the world that can produce this event. But I do believe that if Carol Inc. push us hard enough she can ruin it. Of course the MCC will get blamed. One has to wonder how much money Carol stands to lose here, because she seems ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater to keep it.I hope folks can see through their hostile behavior toward the MCC what a trial it has been for the Board and staff of MCC all these years to try and hang onto their asses, er, assets. I urge Coordinators to support the MCC, since that's what it is all about in the first place! Anna Hamilton
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# posted by : 10:48 PM
: 10:48 PM << Home
