Event

Taj Weekes & Adowa

Friday, July 22: 9:30pm, Doors 9pm

$10

Taj Weekes is an enigma... on the one hand deeply serious and intensely passionate about his worldviews and on the other hand a gentle and humble man with a quick and easy smile. Driven to inspire conscious thought and provoke discussion through his poignant poetry and lyrics, Weekes says, "I write from the heart and I speak about issues that move me. I believe that's what really matters."

Born and raised on the island of St. Lucia, Weekes grew up the youngest of ten children in a musical family. "My musical influences were quite varied, 'cause the radio stations played all kinds of music. There were no formats, so we grew up listening to everything from reggae to calypso to classic rock and classical music."

Taj Weekes and Adowa released their much-anticipated third CD, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, in October 2010. Their stunning new release presents a set of fresh reggae songs laced with acoustic strings, guitar, violin and cello, and splashes of soulful harmonica for an album that challenges listeners to redefine common perceptions of reggae and where it's heading as a genre. The group's first two full-length albums are Hope and Doubt and Deidem, which won "Best Reggae Album" at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards and was shortlisted for a Grammy Award.

Always striving to bring awareness to the issues he is passionate about, Weekes founded his charity, They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), in 2007 to improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Caribbean through sport, enrichment, educational and wellness programs.