By Rufus Silber

2008 was my ninth consecutive year attending the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, held this time at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville CA over the June 20-22 weekend. The festival has become well-known for presenting high-quality reggae and world music at an affordable price with a more low-key vibe than other similar outfits.

But with Humboldt County reggae festivals in the ascendence and star-studded Reggae Rising set to take place a few weeks later, could humble Sierra Nevada still deliver?

This year's lineup lacked the top-drawer world music acts and exciting, young dancehall artists I have come to expect at Sierra Nevada. In the first category, past years have brought artists such as Baaba Maal and the Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars. In the second group, we have seen artists like Richie Spice, Chezidek and Fantan Mojah.

Still, the lineup promised obscure, old-school singers (Pat Kelly, Stranger Cole and Roy Shirley), dancehall stars Buju Banton and Morgan Heritage, and St. Croix's Midnite, amongst others — altogether a strong, if unextraordinary, roster.

However, by weekend's end there was more than just music on people's minds. Beginning (noticeably) on Saturday morning, the entire fairgrounds became engulfed with smoke from the newly-blazing wildfires raging over Northern California. The smoke permeated everyone's lungs, eyes and nostrils and sent some folks home early. The rest of us, however, just took a deep (and dense) breath and kept on.

Come Sunday morning though, a new worry was felt throughout the campgrounds. Rumors of a stabbing soon became wild stories of a rampage, surprising us all, a world away from the peace, love and smoke filling the rest of the fairgrounds.

The Monday following the festival, Sierra Nevada released their official report stating that a drug-induced young man had wounded five people with a knife inside the campgrounds. The festival claimed their response had been quick and efficient but allegations soon flew all over the festival's website claiming the response had been slow and unorganized.

Nevertheless, the music played on. Musically, the weekend was solid, satisfying, and, at times, extraordinary. My own musical highlight came from St. Croix's reggae heavyweights, Midnite. Slotted in early Saturday evening, Midnite gave the performance of the weekend. The new band, still trying to find its groove since changing personnel in 2005 and now with an additional guitar player, sounded the best I'd ever heard them, and on par with the high standards set by Midnite's original touring lineup. Their ever-inspiring lead singer Vaughn Benjamin chanted his way through five extended songs, taking me from where I was to another, more poignant realm and then back again. The front rows had the distinct feeling of being in church, almost the trademark of a Midnite performance, the audience focused on the stage, swaying and standing but not quite dancing, for this would be far too much of a distraction

Sunday night on the festival's small "village" stage saw three old stars of reggae reclaim the spotlight. Both classy Pat Kelly and wild Stranger Cole gave fine performances but it was Roy Shirley who stole the show this time, his last ever performance. Mr. Shirley, who died days after the festival, put on a characteristically strange show, at one point rolling around the stage, microphone in hand. The enthused crowd gave him (and the two others) the reception of royalty and it was touching to see Mr. Shirley basking in the stage lights one final time.

There were also fine, solid performances the rest of the weekend, notably from The Mighty Diamonds, The Wailing Souls, Prezident Brown, U Roy and Rootz Underground (who created quite a buzz with their two sets). And despite all the catastrophes, the music played on, with no cancellations (itself a miracle), creating a hugely enjoyable weekend.

But with 2009 just around the corner, the Sierra Nevada management should focus on bringing in more contemporary Jamaican stars (what about Tarrus Riley, Gyptian or Jah Mason to name a few?). They should also try to keep the ticket price affordable, to maintain the festival's niche as the music lover's, low-key alternative to the big West Coast reggae festivals.

Photos by maura and ras adams on the festival message boards.