...the online home of the international music group Groundation.

All of the past archival news can be found on the News page while the most current information will be up on the Home page. Groundation's Messageboard brings together conscious people the world over to discuss the music, trade shows and keep in touch. The new Education section features information from individual members of Groundation on specific topics of interest, ranging from the Roots of Rastafarianism to alternative fuels.

Diesel Diaries, the behind the scenes look at the tours from Trumpet man David "Diesel" Chachere, can be found via a linked icon on the Home and Live pages. The new Live page has all upcoming confirmed concert appearances. Keep close tabs on the Multimedia page for new insight into the group and their works. Any suggestions or comments on the new site can be emailed to pr@groundation.com.

8.3.10
New Diesel Post

The prolific blog poster David Chachere has a new Diesel Diaries up. The latest installment covers Groundation's show in Rio, as well as Sizzla Kolanji's dubious distinction of recently performing a birthday concert for Robert Mugabe, of Zimbabwe.

As always your comments are appreciated....
6.3.10
Another Rio Date Added

Last night's show in Rio was an overflowing sell-out. As such, we have added another Rio date, this one on the 19th and featuring Israel Vibration. So good to be back in South America.

For a complete listing of our upcoming South American dates, check out our live page.
4.3.10
New Diesel Post

The newest installment of Groundation's trumpeter David "Diesel" Chachere blog is now up. Covering the second half of the Bob Marley Tribute tour, this Diesel Diary post also goes into the terrible news of the passing of close members of the Groundation family.

2.3.10
Groundation in South America

Groundation's plane arrives today in Rio de Janeiro, officially beginning our 2010 South American tour. First show is tomorrow night, openeing up in Vitoria. A full list of dates, including which shows will feature Israel Vibration, is on the live page.

It has been one year since we have last been to our home in th South and we are very much looking forward to our return. Brazil and Argentina, we are ready....are you?
27.2.10
Desert Rocks Music Festival/San Francisco Dates Added

Groundation will be headlining the Desert Rocks Music Festival in Moab, Utah on May 29, the final show on our May West Coast Tour. Also included on that tour will be two nights at The Independent in San Francisco, with special guests Orgone opening up.

More information can be had on our live page; more dates, including Maui and Portland, coming soon.
24.2.10
10th Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour Complete

We want to thank the Groundation road crew, the venues, promoters, street teamers and all the thousands of people who came out to support us on this Ten Year Anniversary of our annual Bob Tribute tour. The tour closer was especially memorable, as we were able to spend a night with family and friends at home in San Francisco .

Rumours are already swirling of the Bob Tribute tour heading overseas next year. Stay tuned as more information will be coming soon...

17.2.10
New Diesel Diaries Post

"Diesel" David Chachere has added a new post to his long running Diesel Diaries. His first from the ongoing 10th Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour, the fresh post talks about the new Groundation US road crew, Snow-pacalypse 2010 and the intricacies of King Cake. As always, your comments and feedback are welcome.

15.2.10
May West Coast Tour Announced

We are very happy to announce our next West Coast tour taking place in May. This tour will take us through California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada & Hawaii, including two night runs in Solana Beach and San Francisco..

On most of these dates Groundation will be joined onstage by one of California's hottest up and coming acts Orgone. Inital dates are posted on our live page, with more dates coming soon.

08.2.10
More South American Dates Added

We are happy to announce more Brazil and Argentina dates have been added to our upcoming South American tour. Included are two nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, more Brazil dates in Florianópolis & Brasília and another date with Groundation co-headlining with Israel Vibration. More information can be had at our live page.

05.2.10
Holding On To Jah Premier

The premier screening of the new documentary Holding On To Jah, produced by Groundation frontman Harrison Stafford, will be at the !F Fetsival in Istanbul, Turkey. Presented as part of the "Life in Sound" collection HOTJ will be shown on the 11th, 14th & 18th of this month.

More information on future film festival appearances and screenings coming soon...

03.2.10
Condolences to the Haereiti Family

The entire Groundation community wishes to send our deepest condolences to the Haereiti family, who lost their matriarch suddenly on February 1. Although music sometimes pales against the hard realities of life and death, it too can also serve as a beacon of light and hope for the future.

30.1.10
Bob Tour Set To Commence

Rehearsals continue today for the upcoming Bob Tour....first show is on Tuesday the 2nd in Austin. We are looking forward to getting out to South, East Coast, MidWest and Rockies with a wide cataloge of Bob tunes -- from Ska to Rocksteady, to Rockers to One-Drop.

The wait is over...
19.1.10
More South American Dates

We have added more dates to our upcoming South American tour in March. Besides returning to some familiar places in Brazil, we will also be sharing the stage with legends Israel Vibration in Sao Paulo and Salvador.

More information can be found on our live page. Stay tuned, more South American dates coming soon...

15.1.10
Final Dates Added to Bob Tribute Tour

We've added another East Coast date to our upcoming 10th Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour. The show will be at The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC on February 8.

We will also be playing a Michigan show in Walled Lake at The Uptown Grille on February 16.  This will be our first show in the greater Detroit area...finally.

More information can be had at our live page.

12.1.10
Will Bernard to Join Bob Tour

We are proud to welcome Grammy-nominated Jazz guitarist Will Bernard as our special guest for three of the upcoming Bob Marley Tribute Tour dates.

Will is to join Groundation on stage in Baltimore, New York City and Boston. These will be the first East Coast dates Will has ever played with Groundation; if you have not seen Will & Groundation together, the time has come. More information and ticketing links can be found on our live page.

08.1.10
Another Bob Tour Date Added

We are very happy to announce the addition of another date to our upcoming 10th Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour. The date will be in Houston on February 3. More information can be had by going to our live page.

If you live in the Houston area and would like to help spread the word on Groundation, email us at pr@groundation.com.

06.1.10
First South American Date Announced!

The first date for our upcoming South American tour has been announced. It is to be held in Salvador, Brazil and more information can be found on our live page.

Many more South American dates will be announced soon. For more information, or to make suggestions on where we should play, go to www.InterShows.net.

South America we are ready...are you?

03.1.10
Longtime Groundation Colleague Passes Away

We wish to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our longtime friend and colleague Patrick Colleony, who passed away on new years day.

Patrick basically brought Groundation to Europe, helping Hebron Gate first get released there back in 2002. Without Patrick's time and energy Groundation would not be where we are today and he was also a close friend to many of us in the group. We are forever in debt to his vestige and now to his family moving forward.

21.12.09
Stephanie Wallace to Leave Groundation

Stephanie Wallace, who has been with Groundation since February 2009 and appears on the Here I Am album, will be leaving the group effective at the beginning of 2010.

We would like to thank Stephanie for all of her hard work, professionalism and positive energy she provided us this past year. We are certain that her ongoing solo career will flourish and expand. We wish her and her family the best moving forward and will always count them as part of the Groundation crew.

Best of luck Stephanie!

16.12.09
South American Tour Announced!

We are very happy to announce that we will be returning to South America in March 2010, where we plan on touring through Argentina, Peru & Brazil. Dates will be announced soon and more information can be had here.

If you want Groundation to come to your home, contact our S. American promoter Intershows and let them know Groundation needs to be in your area. Chile? Paraguay? Let us know and we will be there. 

See you all again soon!

10.12.09
California Date Added to Bob Tribute

We have just added what will be our only California show for our 10th Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour. February 23 we will be playing The Independent in San Francisco.

Tickets have already gone on sale and are moving fast; presale tickets are recommended as there will be a lot of people traveling in from out of town for this show. Follow the link on the live page for more information.

For those in California who will not be getting a Bob Tribute show this year, Groundation will be touring the Western Shores of the United States in May 2010. Stay tuned for more information coming soon...
29.11.09
Annual Bob Marley Tribute Tour Announced

We are happy to announce that our annual tribute tour to the prophet Robert Nesta Marley will commence this upcoming February. This tour will be the first time that we have taken our interpretation of Marley's revolutionary music to the Southern, Eastern  & Rocky Mountain states of the US.

Check out the live page for updates on where the tour will be taking us. As always, people interested in joining our street team should contact Nicholas at tm@Groundation.com. More music to come...

24.11.09
Here I Am World Tour Complete

After five months, over a hundred shows and 50,000+ miles traveled, the 2009 Here I Am World Tour has come to an end.  We thank each one of you that came out to support the music. Groundation is only what our fans allow us to become, and as our community continues to grow, so to does the potential for change our union creates.

18.11.09
Poland/Germany

I received a message from Harrison the other day where he spoke of how Groundation had just played a huge show in Wroclaw, Poland. The venue Groundation played in was once used by the Nazis for their rallys and in fact Hitler himself had spoken there on many occasions, not more than 70 years ago. In fact, words from Hitler's speeches were literally etched in stone on the walls of the venue.

It really is an amazing thing to think how much has changed in such a short amount of time. What would have been Hitler's reaction had someone (one of Goebbels' psychics perhaps) informed the fuhrer that within one lifetime, in the same place where he spewed his invective, that a band of Groundation's background would fill that very hall with the focus of positive communion vibrations?

Further revealing the irresistible forces of change, the land of Germany now is one of the biggest markets in the world for Reggae music, hosting maybe the largest Reggae festival in the world every year, The Summerjam Festival. In fact, all of Groundation's shows in Poland and Germany so far have been filled with some of the most excited and positive fans yet on this European tour (photos from Koln here).

It is often said at a Groundation concert that the change we seek is just around the corner. Sometimes in our travels these changes are revealed to us in powerfully visceral ways.

This is why we continue to travel the world and this is why music truly is the most high.


14.11.09
Updates

Just a quick note to let everyone know that a new Diesel Diaries has been posted. This short but sweet edition focuses on the inherent language barriers and their sometimes humorous implications. Your comments and feedback are welcome as always.

Also, more live Groundation shows have been posted to our Archive page. The new shows include the recent State Theatre show in Falls Church, Virginia, as well as two shows from 2007 in France. You can find the links to these shows on our messageboard
5.11.09
New Diesel Diaries Posted

Groundation's trumpeter David Chachere has added a new post to his ongoing blog entitled Diesel Diaries. This post focuses on Paris and includes Chachere's ruminations on the implications of a city focused on maintaining its own culture. As always, your comments are appreciated and welcome...
2.11.09
Live Groundation Downloads

We have made available a free download of Groundation's live show at The Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California from the the 8th of October. The download, posted to archive.org, can be found on our messageboard.

This two-set show features special guest musicians and some memorable covers of The Beatles, Bob Marley & The Wailers and Israel Vibration. Many more live shows are to come and, as always, if you have recordings of Groundation shows you would like to share feel free to use our messageboard and archive.org as your resource.

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