Over the past 30 years, Twin Cities Carifest has grown from a small, grassroots festival paying homage to Caribbean culture to a wide-ranging two-day annual event. It exudes carnivalesque vibes with parade-goers masquerading in immaculate custom-made costumes, food trucks serving up island favorites, and a roster of music representing a variety of Caribbean music styles and genres.

Irie Sol, based in St. Paul and Wisconsin, and Jamaica’s the Meditations will take the stage during the celebration on Saturday, July 22, and give Twin Cities festivalgoers a chance to experience rich island culture through lyrical storytelling and Caribbean-style beats.

Irie Sol

Junior Williams — who has roots in Kingston, Jamaica — formed the reggae group Irie Sol right here in the Midwest in 2003. The mission of the music is “to promote love and racial harmony.” Irie Sol, means “positive sun, or positive vibrations from the sun.” 

The collective features up to 14 musicians on stage at a time, many bringing different cultures and global music styles to the music. The band plays reggae, but intertwines jazz, hip-hop, and funk at times, using unique drums like the cajón, pandeiro, and the djembe to create a “polyrhythmic syncopation” on their uniquely styled tracks. 

Williams is living out his childhood dream as a musician, but his journey to become a performer was not easy. “My family was middle class,” he says. “Us immigrants always want to be better [and] improved by generation, so I was not allowed.”

But Williams wasn’t discouraged and used whatever he could to make music — pots, pans, and even old paint buckets. A maintenance worker at his school noticed Williams’ interest in music and whittled down two pieces of wood, making him his first set of drumsticks.

“I was born a musician,” Williams reflects. “I couldn’t help it.

When Bob Marley died in 1981, Williams vowed to someday perform reggae after sneaking out of the house to view Marley’s casket at a public mourning ceremony.

Williams never let that goal fall to the wayside and after moving to Providence, Rhode Island, to attend college, he began performing with both Maasai and Rude Boy Posse. Rude Boy Posse toured the U.S. and after several moves, a child, and an opportunity to live closer to family, Williams ended up in Eau Claire, Wisc.

While working at a local restaurant to make ends meet, Williams met Joel Pace, another Providence transplantee. Both discovered several commonalities — a love for performing music, Caribbean culture, and reggae. 

Williams was immediately drawn to Pace and asked if he’d be in his reggae band. “I said, ‘Okay, what's your reggae band?’ He said, ‘Well, we don't exist, but you're going to be in it when we do.’”

Since Irie Sol’s inception, they’ve worked alongside many well-known musicians, releasing several albums including 2015’s Dred Scott Fitzgerald. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver hosted the collective at his April Base Studio for one week, giving them room to write the entire album.  

“This [album] is all because Justin Vernon provided such a safe space for us to marinate musically and let all sorts of ideas bubble to the surface,” Pace says.

Just to give listeners an idea of how much thought Irie Sol puts into their work, the “lit-hop” album was created using the framework of The Great Gatsby and the ideals of freedom-fighters Dred and Harriet Robinson Scott. 

The album tells a new story, highlighting and giving attention to characters and landmarks not mentioned in the original work. “All of the characters who are central in Gatsby are peripheral in our album,” Pace says.  “It’s kind of like fan fiction. All the characters who are peripheral or marginalized in the novel are central.” 

The group has performed annually at Carifest for at least a decade, saying sharing their music at cultural get-togethers like this is a way to connect people. “Love expresses itself through music. It's also highly contagious and infectious in the most positive sense,” Pace says.

Now 57, Williams is living his childhood dream. “To play at a place like Carifest [for] all the Caribbean people and American people, for me, it's a dream come true,” Williams says. “It's a great honor to share a little [music] with your people and your community.”

Irie Sol’s soon-to-be-released album, Inside Providence, will feature artwork by Tahnee Tran Stockhem and Pace’s own poetry translated into several different languages as lyrics while Irie Sol provides the beats.

The Meditations

Ansel Cridland has lived most of his life playing music and performing reggae across the globe. As lead vocalist for the Meditations and a devoted Rastafarian, he makes music to encourage harmony and peace. His art is also a reflection on his time in Kingston, Jamaica, and being part of the African diaspora. 

“Music is what brings people together,” Cridland says. “Jah [Rastafari God] has me as a messenger. This is what I will do until the day I can't do it anymore.”

Over the years, the impeccable roots-rock reggae style of the group has caught the attention of many — including legend Bob Marley, who invited them to sing backup vocals for songs including “Blackman Redemption,” “Punky Reggae Party,” and “Rastaman Live-up,” at his historic One Love Peace Concert in 1978.

Years earlier, Cridland committed himself to making music after he heard Bob Marley’s “I’m Hurting Inside” playing on the radio through a neighbor’s window. At the time, he was grappling with sadness after his father had moved away to England. 

“All that happiness was taken away from me,” Cridland reflects. “I'm everything that Bob was singing with that song. It captured my heart, and I started looking into [music]. I really got captured by the music and dedicated myself more.”

Recording his first hit singles when he was 15 in the early 70s, Cridland first made his mark in Jamaica’s music scene as part of the duo the Linkers. 

In 1974, Cridland, Danny Clarke, and Winston Watson formed the Meditations. The music quickly gained attention globally after the group released their first hit single in 1976, “Woman is Like a Shadow,” followed by their first album in 1977 — Message from The Meditations.

As they continued to make their own mark with music and their popularity soared, the Meditations’ harmonious style captured the attention of other Jamaican musicians, and opened opportunities to sing backup vocals for the Congos, Jimmy Cliff, and Gregory Isaacs.  

After 10 albums and three compilations, Cridland still embeds much of his Rastafari beliefs when creating and performing music, hoping listeners will understand that peace and harmony supersede violence. “We are here to show them [listeners] the way [peace] with our music,” he says. “Our music is the only thing that can reach the people.”

Cridland is the only member left of the original trio of the Meditations, and now tours with Laury Webb and Daddy Lion Chandell, who will join him at the upcoming Carifest celebration. Now 72, Cridland lives in New York. He plans to continue making music and sharing Caribbean culture with listeners because he believes it connects everyone.

“Without the music,” Cridland says, “I don’t know how people would really live because we have people all over the globe right now where music brings [them all] together.”

For Cridland, beyond the roots rock reggae beats, it’s the lyrics, the story, and the message of his music he wants listeners to notice at Carifest. “l want them to understand what I'm singing about and what my mindset is for the people,” he says.  “Jah is a joyful way to meet and sing for the people at all times.”

The Meditations will perform at Carifest and tour with Irie Sol following the two-day celebration.

Trinidadian performer Raymond Ramnarine and his band Dil-E-Nadan will headline the music line-up, bringing a taste of chutney soca music to the Twin Cities. Put on your best carnival-inspired costumes and play MAS (masquerade) on July 22 starting at 10 a.m., West River Road between Plymouth Ave N. and Broadway Ave N. in Minneapolis. More detailed information at Twin Cities Carifest 

This feature is part of The Current’s 89 Days series, helping you enjoy the best of the season with weekly guides to events, entertainment, and recreation in the Twin Cities.