Sun 9/4 @ 7PM
It’s hard to express what a loss it was for the greater Cleveland community when Dave Smeltz passed away after a long battle with COVID in June 2021 at the age of 66. He was known as the “godfather” of the local reggae scene who, in the late 70s, was responsible for taking the music out of the tiny Jamaican community and sharing it with the larger music scene. From 1978 through the mid 80, it was one of the area’s bigger draws, spawning an even bigger draw when some of its members split to for First Light.
Dave took I-Tal on the road, but unfortunately also developed a bad case of substance abuse. When he got clean in the early 2000s, he became a force in another community: the recovery community. Wanting to pay forward the help he got in his recovery, he started a nonprofit project called Clean House and began restoring a building in the Buckeye neighborhood to serve as a halfway house for men in recovery, and a gathering place for 12-step meetings, martial arts classes and other activities to help people in their journey to sobriety.
His friends on the board of Clean House are helping to keep his vision alive and are hosting House Fest 2002, the annual rock & reggae benefit for Clean House at the Beachland Ballroom. Performers include Alex Bevan, Long Time Gone, Jah Messengers, J.R. Blessington, Renegade, BBC & Friends, Universal Funk Mob, Yard Stars, Scotty D & the Artificial Hipsters, and Shaké Ground (featuring former members of Outlaws I & I and First Light.) Special guests include Eva Dilcue, Adam Rich, and Russ Richards, with former Outlaws I & I singer Butchie B emceeing.
Admission is a $15 donation.