We touched base with Tanya Stephens on the Reggae Jamdown a couple Fridays back (You can catch the show on Bigupradio.com on Sept 7). We spoke about music a little, but we talked about her new restaurant quite a bit. Its in Jamaica and it’s called H2O. When I asked her about the environment, she noted that it was more difficult to obtain fresh organic ingredients than expected. It occurred to me that someone that listens to the show has got to be in the position to help. Farmers have computers now, right?

Lets reach out and see how connected we are. If you have the smallest bit of information or even words of encouragement that you would like to pass on to Tanya Stephens, please do so in the comments or send an email to me directly at djdubcowboy [at] yahoo. I have the honer of opening up for her this coming Sunday at the 5th Annual Organic Planet Festival at will be passing all information along.

Give thanks, look out for the show on Bigupradio.com on Sept 7, and keep downloading the new DJ Dub Cowboy mix.

First some excuses, then some reasons, and finally I’ll preview the plan that is action.

On the Podcast I hit some bandwidth issues, I ran out of hard drive space, and was asked to change the format all at the same time. At one point the Bigupradio version was behind the KHSU podcast but now it is the other way around. If you want to hear the latest podcast of the Reggae Jamdown you can find it here:

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To download individual episodes outside of itunes, try this link:
<a href="http://www.everypodcast.com/cast.php?lid=64839
“>http://www.everypodcast.com/cast.php?lid=64839

The original podcast stream will continue, but it will be the same version as what you here on BigUpRadio.com. I will no longer be podcasting the Humboldt County Local version of the Reggae Jamdown. The only way to hear that online is to listen live on Fridays at 2pm Pacific. The link can be found at WWW.KHSU.ORG.

The blog.
The excuse for the blog is that I have been experimenting with other blogging software in the background rather than just posting. The reason for this is that I am tired of making other people money on the internet. I have faith that my business pursues many worthy causes and I aim to channel more resources into those efforts. So, in the near future I will be launching a family of websites in which Massiverespect.com will be a part of.

Dear family,

This is the 10 year anniversary of the summer I came to Humboldt and started on this specific journey with music and dancing. I set a lot of goals in October on 1999 and have seen most of them come to fruition, for which I am extremely grateful. The exciting part is that the most speculator of those goals are still in the works so I am looking forward to the next decade and beyond. The true works will soon be revealed for which we have built this musical foundation.

I asked the universe how to save the world, and I got an answer.

With music.

Please stay in touch. Blessed love worldwide.

DJ Dub Cowboy

PS. I hope to post a treat for you later today. Check back soon.

Its been an awesome and eventful 2009. I can’t believe we are over half way through the year, and I still feel the same momentum from the beginning if the year. Some of my plans have changed since then, so I thought you all needed a little update.

Even though this site has been chugging along with new playlists every strong, I have been working on a new site for a while. I started down one path and changed direction recently due to some changes in the broadcasting rules. (more on that later)
Eventually massiverespect.com will be on its own server and it will be a WordPress blog. I was going to switch to temporary wordpress blog but I think this site will do fine until the new one is ready.

The reason for this is that massiverespect.com will be joined by additional websites that will each highlight a different area of my business, Humboldt Release.Community. It will be 10 years ago this October that I had a “vision” for building community in Humboldt County through music. This has manifested into a defunct record store (two actually), a record label, over 1000 events, multiple radio shows, websites, mix-tapes, clothing, a sound system, production services, websites, and more to come including a music studio. Each one of those areas will have it’s own little slice of the web, and they will each roll out as they are ready.

I’m not re-inventing the wheel here, but after 8 years of school and lots of experience I feel its time to get my professional work organized and ready for the next stage of expansion. One of the goals of this music empire is to travel the world with my family playing music for dancers all over the globe. Basically, I want to see the world and show it to my children and I want to pay for it all by working as a DJ. The seeds of this stage have been revealed in the form of the Reggae Jamdown podcast.

For two years, the following of Jamdown listeners has been growing. In October 2008, the Reggae Jamdown joined BigUpRadio.com on its Roots station. This has expanded the audience greatly and for that I am thankful beyond comprehension. In the last few months I have heard from Turkey, Germany, and the UK. I also have lots of folks in California tuning in, from locals in Humboldt to old friends in San Diego. So from October until now there have been two flavors of the Reggae Jamdown; the original podcast which is recorded live on KHSU and the BigUpRadio version which omits the local sponsors and adds some occasional extra ticket giveaways. Well, due to changes in the way radio stations report what is being played I have been told that the KHSU version of the show can only happen on the live stream.

This simplifies things in a lot of ways as you can get the same Reggae Jamdown two different ways. From the podomatic stream listed at the top left corner of this page or from bigupradio. If you want to hear the “Humboldt local” version of the show. The only way is to have a radio within range or go to www.khsu.org at 2pm pacific time on Friday afternoon. Look out for new shows posted on the original stream this strong.

I think that covers the website and podcast. In other news, I have a free Tuesday Dancehall Reggae night at the Sidelines that has been building up steam. Starts at 10pm, and I mentioned its free right. This is where I have been breaking all the newest tunes, so if you are in Humboldt and you want to hear the newest dancehall and reggae, be at the Sidelines on Tuesdays. Sidelines isn’t your typical Reggae kind of establishment but you have to trust that your boy Dub Cowboy isn’t messing around with any monkey business. Ya heard? Not that monkeys are not cool.

First of all, THANK YOU for your continued and increasing support. This site and the KHSU podcast have received little attention lately but that is starting to change. If you are a subscriber, you may have noticed that several new (old) episodes have been posted. By the time the shows in May are posted I will have to start taking down shows from 2009 already. I have come to find out that this is one of the highest sound quality reggae podcasts out there, and I want it to stay like that. If you come across any issues, please let me know via this blog.

The REGGAE JAMDOWN has two homes. The original KHSU broadcast and the new BigUpRadio.com version. Over there the shows come a little bit later than the original stream but reach a much wider audience. New shows debut every Monday at 3am, 9am, 3pm, and 9pm EST on the Roots stream.

Here is a link to BigUpRadio.Com

DJ Shows

I DJ four nights a week in Arcata and Eureka. I have sort of just been riding the waves in ’09, but I really want to step up the promotion of these gigs and that starts now.

TUESDAYS
PROGRESSIVE DRINK NIGHT at The Sidelines in Arcata.

This is a straight up dancehall night night. I play whatever I want and everyone seems to love it. If you want to hear the latest Dancehall music, this is the place to do it. NO COVER and the drinks get cheaper as the night goes on. We’re talking micro brews here.

THURSDAYS
VIDEO MASH DOWN at The Sidelines in Arcata

I am an early adopter of a technology that allows me to mix music video (or whatever else I want) in sync with the music. Some of you may know this as Serato Scratch LIVE. It the next level of DJ experience. I have been interacting with the company and so far they have sent me some very rare control records and my new favorite t-shirt. I am really trying to push this and you get the full benefits because once again, NO COVER. I start at 10pm and you can expect to hear and great mix of music and see some nice visual treats.

FRIDAYS
VIDEO MASH DOWN at Raggs Rack Room in Eureka

This is the Eureka version of what I on Thursday. The music switches up a bit and leans more toward Hip Hop and R&B than Dance music and Remixes. This is actually one of my favorite gigs. My folks come out to party and they know how to tip. I always have fun at this gig. I don’t even know what the cover is, but I think they have a special deal for the ladies.

SATURDAYS
[not sure what to call it] at The Jambalaya in Arcata

Up until May this was called mission:CRITICAL and the focus was on Dancehall and Reggae music with a splash of Dubstep and Hip Hop. I didn’t count of there being so many reggae themed events on Saturdays here in this small little village, so we have pulled back on that theme. We definitely had some good nights and I want to thank everybody that felt the vibes of mission:CRITICAL. It WILL BE BACK and pretty soon at that. However, I am still throwing down at the Jambalaya on Saturday nights. Once again, there is NO COVER and now the Jambalaya is serving food until late. They have a new night menu that deserves to be checked out, nothing over $5.

The mix has been all over the place, but very solid. So far, everybody that has come has stayed the whole night. In some ways, this is the style of DJing that I was trying to do in 2005 when I was going back and forth between Humboldt and SF. I guess the hipsters are all over the place now. I love it.

So that is my weekly DJ roster, plus the radio shows, the three kids, and the lighting gigs. I stay busy and that is why I haven’t posted much beyond the playlists. Things are coming around though and I am very excited. I spent 7 years working for a degree and I feel like I am just now getting in the headspace to use it (and have cleaned up the mess it created) So lets keep this fire burning.

I love hearing from you.

I am consolidating my communication routes:
Email: djdubcowboy [at] yahoo.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/djdubcowboy
Myspace: myspace.com/dubcowboy
Facebook: Daniel Giannotta
(NEW) PO BOX 650 Arcata, CA 95518

As always,

MASSIVE RESPECT

Dub Cowboy

I keep starting posts and not finishing them. So, you have some words and pics to look forward to. I have not posted the 2009 KHSU Reggae Jamdowns yet because there is new artwork coming and its very sweet.

I have to catch up on some playlists too, which will happen this coming Friday.

Until then here is a little catch up:

• The queen is due any day with the latest addition to the family. The due date is Feb 7th, and we do not know the sex yet. The excitement is pretty high. This is the biggest reason for my lack of input on this site. 

• The rest of that reason is because there is a lot going on. The Jamdown is on lock, mission:CRITICAL is taking off, and its time to jump back into the flow of being a performing DJ.

REGGAE JAMDOWN-

The “Jamdown” is the foundation of this site and it has been going through some expansion. The core is still intact. KHSU is not going anywhere, and the friday afternoon reggae show is part of a long tradition that will be hard to break; 25 years at least. The show has almost always been live and I feel like it should stay that way. I have too much fun to quit. One thing has changed over the last couple years, which has made way for some of the latest developments, and thats the format for the music being played. The MP3 now rules the music world. At first I would drag a crate of records up the three floors and mix them with the latest promo CDs. It took 2 years for me to even find the reggae section at the KHSU library, which kept me busy for a while. But now its almost all digital, from creation to distribution to playback. I use a program called Serato Scratch LIVE and a specialized mixer from Rane. This not only allows me to play almost any song instantaneously (as long as there is a good copy on the hard drive), but it also allows me to record it in a couple different ways. So now the Reggae Jamdown comes in 2 flavors….

BIGUPRADIO.COM-

Back when the Reggae Jamdown started broadcasting online via KHSU.ORG (big up to the Stream Guys), I did some research on what was going on in the world of internet reggae radio and I kept ending up on Bigupradio.com. I have been subscribing to 4-5 of their podcasts for several years. In my heart, I knew that I wanted to take what I was doing in Humboldt to that level. This last October that became reality. The REGGAE JAMDOWN has been well received at Bigupradio.com and it is truly an honor to include with the finest DJs, singers, and producers in the world of reggae and dancehall music. They get over 2,000,000 hits a month on their homepage and have several thousand listeners daily on the their 7 streaming stations. The REGGAE JAMDOWN is on the Roots station every Monday at 3am, 9am, 3pm, and 9pm, is the Eastern Standard Time Zone. Instead of going by date like it does on KHSU, each show is numbered. The Bigupradio version is re-voiced without the local underwriters, and has some unique features. For instance, today’s show (#16) has a ticket giveaway for the Bob Marley Movement Caribbean Festival in MIami Florida.

Bigupradio has also help the Reggae Jamdown connect with some world class artists. Chuck Fenda, Anthony B, Collie Buddz, Linval Thompson, Perfect, Malika Madremana, Pato Banton, and Groundation have all made rounds on the show since we started broadcasting there. Just as important, are the new listeners reaching out from near and far. I don’t have stats for how well we are doing there, but I can tell you that it feels real good. So, thank you massive.

mission:CRITICAL-

What is mission:CRITICAL? This is my response to a feeling that I just can’t shake. For many years, I have enjoyed Reggae and Dancehall music from the comfort of our privileged country, when I know the world is still full of injustice and poverty. When I found myself in the flow of some heavy musical vibes, I felt the responsibility to do what I could. This became creating a new radio show and a series of events. mission:CRITICAL now happens every Saturday at the Jambalaya in Arcata. The mission:CRITICAL Dancehall Radio Show is 12 episodes deep and will pick back up in a few weeks. The first season came from KRFH.NET 610 AM Studios which is where I started legit radio in Humboldt. I ended that 6 and a half year run by starting this show, which will continue from my own studio which is now in the planning stages. You’ll hear a lot more about that in the near future. For now, check out the vibes on the radio show and if you are in Arcata and want to come out and dance on a Saturday night come to the weekly event. Each week will be consistent in that you are getting the music you need to hear, whether its coming through a DJ or a select group of live performers. J-Sun from Deep Groove Society is my partner in the night. We will make sure you hear the latest and most crucial riddims and that they will be mixed properly and sound good in the speaker box.

DJ DUB COWBOY- Yes, I’m back.

I never really left, but almost three years ago I put the DJ gigs on the back burner and focused on school and getting a business degree. I am now done with that portion of life and its time to work full time again. I pretty much have something going on every day of the week, so lets start from the beginning.

Sundays:

The one and only Anthony B is this weeks special guest on Reggae Jamdown this Monday on Bigupradio.com. Hosted by veteran roots DJ Dub Cowboy in Humboldt County, California, the show will air Monday, November 3rd. Anthony B is one of the hardest working guys in the reggae business.Tune in to find out why so many people can’t get enough of Anthony B! ONE LOVE

The show plays Monday November 3 2008 at 3am, 9am, 3pm, 9pm EST (thats 12am, 6am, 12pm, and 6pm on the West Coast) on Bigupradio.com ROOTS

About ANTHONY B:

Born Keith Anthony Blair on March 31, 1976 in the rural sugar farming community of Clarkstown located in the northwestern Jamaican parish of Trelawny, Anthony B grew up in a deeply religious family. Singing hymns in church (as well as giving impromptu performances on the roadside in his community) helped Anthony refine his vocal skills. “My mother was an Adventist and my grandmother was a Revivalist, so I’d have to go to church both Saturday and Sunday,” he recalls. Anthony however, chose his own spiritual path, adopting the Rastafarian way of life as a teenager, a decision that caused dissension among his family members. “As a youth growing up, my grandmother say dem Rasta is a blackheart people and they said I had to leave if I didn’t trim (cut his dreadlocks). I wasn’t going to change so I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Portmore (a suburb of Jamaica’s capital city Kingston).”

Find out more: http://www.anthonyb.com

Here is the video version: