Sat 2/25 @ 7PM
Packy Malley, in addition to being a member of the Malley chocolate family, is well-known in the area as Cleveland’s #1 reggae fan; he’s organized reggae festivals and concerts and hosted reggae DJ nights at various venues. A couple of years ago, he told us he’d applied to join the Peace Corps. Then last year, he said he’d been accepted and that they had decided that the perfect fit for him was … Jamaica. Imagine that. (He actually said he was open to going someplace else since he’s been to Jamaica, homeland of reggae music, many times.)
Anyway, he’ll be leaving in March for more than two years to work in a rural area of the island. So his friends in the reggae community are hosting a Going Away party for him, taking place at the Beachland Ballroom, and featuring some of the many artists he’s booked over the years.
The emcee will be Los Angeles-based reggae historian, collector and author Roger Steffens, known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Bob Marley; Malley has brought him to town to do programs on many occasions. Performers include Cleveland bands Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band, Jah Messengers and Shaky Ground, the Flex Crew from Columbus, and Marty Dread, who calls himself “Hawaii’s reggae ambassador.”
Doors open at 6, music begins at 7. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Get them here.