Getting Out! by the Standard-Examiner – GO! is a weekly publication serving the Top of Utah.

Concert promoter Toby Martin, of Park City Concerts, is bringing the two-day Utah Reggae Festival back to Ogden next weekend for its second year at the Ogden Amphitheater.

This is the third year for the festival. The first was held in Park City.

Martin said he moved the music to Ogden largely for financial reasons.

“There are more people to draw to the festival down here,” said Martin. “And they gave me a great deal on the amphitheater, which is a beautiful venue. We were very pleased last year by the turnout — absolutely packed it on Saturday.”

Martin got the idea for the festival after producing several successful spring-break reggae concerts, including shows with Slightly Stoopid and The Wailers at The Canyons.

“Reggae is always a favorite at ski resorts,” said Martin. “I think that largely is due to the age of the typical snowboarder and many skiers, too — they are ... often big fans of this music. So the audience is built-in here. And there are reggae festivals all over the country, but there wasn’t one in Utah. I thought it was a great idea to get one going.”

Martin wanted to offer a mix of music – local, regional, national and international, with splashes of hip-hop, rap, California surf reggae, foundational Jamaican roots music and other contemporary sounds.

“If you look at the big festivals, like Mile High, up in Denver, they mix it up so far as styles,” he said. “We have that, too. Every act does about 60 minutes, some less. If there is a particular sound you don’t care for, go have a beer or a bite to eat and wait it out. Something new will pop up in the next hour.”

Martin is betting that people who come to a festival for an entire day are willing to experiment with sound.

“If you present the same sort of music all day, you only get one type of fan. That’s not what you want at a festival. We want a good mix of people, families — everyone is welcome, and there should be something for you to enjoy.”

THE BANDS

For further details on the Utah Reggae Festival, go to www.ocae.org.

July 13

• 5:45 p.m. — Wasnatch: A Salt Lake City band that plays ska, reggae rock and funk.
• 6:40 p.m. — Know Ur Roots: Salt Lake City-based reggae outfit.
• 7:45 p.m. — The Codi Jordan Band: Ogden Valley rock reggae band that has recently branched out to tour California and surrounding states.
• 9 p.m. — Tribal Seeds: A reggae band with members drawn from the San Diego and Calexico areas of California.
• 10:30 p.m. — The Expendables: Surf reggae from Santa Cruz, Calif.

July 14

• Noon — Roots Rawka: Salt Lake City-based rapper and radio personality on KRCL 90.9 FM.
• 12:30 p.m. ­— Tribe Of I: This Knoxville, Tenn.-based band plays reggae, but also draws influences from Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Spin Doctors.
• 1:30 p.m. — Krisdagong: A Syracuse-based hip-hop artist who has recorded five albums.
• 2:30 p.m. — Sono Vera: A new band on the scene from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; all members are 19 or younger.
• 3:45 p.m. — Natural Roots: Salt Lake City band that plays original roots, dub and other styles of reggae.
• 5 p.m. — Thrive: A Santa Cruz, Calif., rock and reggae outfit.
• 6:30 p.m. — Nkulee Dube: South African rapper/hip-hop/reggae artist.
• 7:30 p.m. — Tosh Meets Marley: This supergroup mashes up members of Peter Tosh’s and Bob Marley’s bands, including such founding fathers of contemporary reggae as bassist Fully Fullwood and guitarist Tony Chin.
• 9 p.m. — 40 Oz. to Freedom: A San Diego-based Sublime tribute.
• 10:30 p.m. — J-Boog — From Compton, Calif., he is a dancer/rapper and roots rocker, and has also appeared in the street-dance films “You Got Served” and “Steppin.’”