FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEDIA RELEASE
 Celebrating the fifth year under the guise of Kuranda Roots Festival, organisers are again gearing up to bring the underground superstars to the iconic Far North Queensland rainforest venue of Kuranda Amphitheatre. This year’s event features an impressive line-up of roots, reggae, soul and sound system culture, including headliner Archie Roach, plus The Bird, Dubmarine, Opiuo, The Upsteppers and local legends Zennith.
While the community has been supporting Kuranda Roots Festival under its current name for half a decade, the festival is actually eight years old this year. Director Morgyn Quinn says this year marks eight years since he started the festival that morphed into Kuranda Roots. “The festival has become part of the Far Northern calendar,” he says. “The music perfectly fits the atmosphere of Kuranda, which is one of the birthplaces of Australian reggae. It also embraces people of all backgrounds – especially the Indigenous community of Kuranda.”
Previous festival line-ups have included the likes of Chocolate Strings, Ash Grunwald, The Beautiful Girls, Mad Professor (UK), Olmecha Supreme (NZ), Cornerstone Roots (NZ) and King Tide to name a few. Morgyn says the 2011 line-up features something for everyone and includes both well-known and up-and-coming bands. “The year showcases some of the best and most successful contemporary Australian reggae and electronic acts,” he says. “Kuranda Roots has always believed in nurturing Australia’s homegrown talent, and this year we are proud to have North Queensland ex-pat Kazman return with his highly acclaimed band Dubmarine to headline the main stage. As well as a high calibre of live acts from The Bird, Zennith, Darky Roots, the Upsteppers to name a few, we have some great Dancehall and electro DJ's and Selectas including Opiuo, LubDub, Closer Apart, Rudekat Sound, Marcus Fari and Culture Harry. There is also a fantastic market atmosphere, great food and best of all its all ages - so the youth can get inspired to get into the arts from an early age.”
 Morgyn also highlights the importance of Kuranda Roots supporting local artists, both established and emerging. “FNQ has always been a fertile place for music and the art,” he says. “I love to keep an eye on what’s happening locally and give them an opportunity to bring their talents to our festivals.”
Kuranda Roots Festival traditionally kicks off with an under stage pre-party before the big event on Saturday. In recent years the under stage pre-party has grown to the point where it was become a sell-out event, and a must for festival-goers. With this in mind, Morgyn has expanded Kuranda Roots Festival to kick off on the Friday night with a big main stage event. “Everything is usually set up by the Friday, so there’s no reason not to open up the gates and let the party begin,” he says. “Then people can come to Kuranda for the whole weekend and not just the day!”
 Kuranda Roots Festival runs from the evening of Friday 1st July to Saturday 2nd July 2011. Early bird season tickets are $75 + BF and season passes with camping are $95 + BF. Tickets are available from www.ticketlink.com.au, as well as Shiva Moon, Fetish4Life and Kuranda Video.
For more information, please visit www.kurandaroots.com
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