One Road- Ariann Mieka

Reggae Geel in Belgium is one of the oldest reggae music festivals in Europe, so we were very excited when we found out that Verse was going to be performing there in 2014. “It was my first season of being in festivals in Europe and to be included in the oldest reggae festival that attracted 60,000 people was just kinda surreal.” iTal said.  Travelling for about 2 hours from Antwerp Central to Geel by train we were met by our good friends from Culture Rock Soundsystem at the train station. We had some time before Verse needed to get to the venue so we went to the hotel to put down our bags and relax a bit. The hotel was just lovely. It was a quirky, old but well renovated space in the middle of the woods with very friendly and accommodating staff. Verse fell in love with the place immediately and if it wasn’t for his performance, a love that trumps all, we might have stayed there all day! A ferris wheel was set up in front of Antwerp Centraal Station so we decided to ...

Under the night sky I danced excitedly to a soca set that the DJ was playing. Sand was under my feet and the ocean breeze blew softly passed me. While it sounds like I was partying on one of my favorite beaches in Tobago I was far from the island and from the way the day started I would have never thought I would have felt like I was right at home by the end of the night! That morning, a white sheet blanketed the sky as we explored the town. We were back in Belgium in a town called Oostende . This town, with its North Sea coastline, is popular for those looking to get away for even just a day trip and reap the benefits of resting at the seaside, soaking up the rays and enjoying a respite from city life. Verse was going to be performing at a festival called “Kingston Beach” and as I stuffed my scarf into my handbag I figured it wasn’t going to be the kind of beach party this Caribbean lady was used to. As we headed to the gig the weather was still very overcast and a chill hung i...

Travelling on the train to Antwerp from Den Haag marked the forth time I was making this trip. Who knew this route would become a familiar one for me. Verse, B and I were headed to the Smile! Reggae Festival , which was the one I was looking forward to since Verse iTal ’s first band practice with the Asham Band . This is the performance they had all been working toward and as we neared Antwerp my excitement mounted. Before heading to the venue, Verse had a quick practice with the back up singers one more time and it was great to hear the ladies add their two part harmonies to Verse’s tunes. Walking to the venue, which was located in a forested area, I tried to pay attention to where I stepped (there were patches of mud due to the rain the day before) while marveling at the beauty of the surroundings. The weather was chilly and a bit overcast but luckily the rain had held up. After settling in backstage, we headed into the main area to see the lay out of the festival. The Ska Regga...