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There's one place at the 2014 Umoja Festival where everybody is bound to come to, at some point or another.
The main stage at Fountain Square was the congregating place for music and fun.
Once the opening ceremonies were completed, act after act took the stage and even if people were walking by, it was impossible to pass by and not take in some of the entertainment.
On Friday, the main stage music began at 6 PM with Vincent Dial and the Call to the Drums.
Then, the Billy Crawford Band took to the stage with a blues performance, followed by and will be followed by hip hop artist K-DA from Nashville, singer-songwriter Shava Jae, urban soul singer Jack Profit, the Company Band and the night’s headline performer, and Jae Marie, rising R & B pop artist from Johnson City.
The clouds began the Main Stage music on Saturday afternoon with the Watoto dancers and drummers, singer Amethysts, and the MJ Beck Band.
CASEY MCCLINTOCK PERFORMING ON THE UMOJA FESTIVAL'S MAIN STAGE
As the rain clouds threatened at 8 PM, saxophonist Casey McClintock of Kingsport took the stage. "I was excited to be able to open for the main act tonight," says McClintock. "It's an honor to play to, first of all, even get to play at the Umoja Festival, and then to perform in front of the biggest crowd of the entire event is great."
"I just hope the rain holds off."
In between acts, the Faze II Band had to wait out a heavy shower that first threatened with a few rain drops, then a full-blown downpour around their start time of 9 PM. Visitors were 'un-fazed...' Several Umoja events in the past few years have been plagued by rain showers, sometimes postponing performances, drenching crowds, but never dampening spirits.
Once the latest rain blew through, folks that sought to keep dry under overhangs and coverings along the streets of downtown, began trickling back to Fountain Square, and once Faze II began tuning up, all of a sudden there was a full-blown crowd in front of the Main Stage.
Man.. were they ready to jam...
The Faze II Band is based out of Cleveland, Tennessee. Band members are Randall Adams, Johnathan Harrett, Breksford Johnson, Dexter Bell, Richard Coperland and Marcus Dotson. Coperland says, the group has been performing together for many years.
Faze II actually opened for the main act at last year's Umoja Festival, but were so good, they were asked to come back and headline the 2014 gathering.
They did not disappoint. Although the males in the crowd were enjoying the funk, it was the LADIES that felt they were being serenaded individually.
FAZE II BAND SERENADING THE LADIES IN FRONT OF THE UMOJA FESTIVAL'S MAIN STAGE
"Yes, we did ask this band back," says Ralph Davis, head of the Umoja Festival committee. "The crowd loved them last year, and it seemed right to ask them back to be the main headliner on Saturday night. That's always the biggest audience."
Davis was encouraged by the number of people who braved the rainy weather, and stuck around to hear Faze II.
"I would like to see the crowd doubled in the future," he says. "The people have always been good to us attending, and I think us getting some big-name entertainers, along with the popular local groups would really.. really boost our attendance."
"We have to turn down 20 to 25 bands every year," Davis says. "We just don't have the room, nor the stages, nor any place to put new stages downtown. We have to space out the main stage from the Young Adult stage so they don't hear each other. There's just not another place downtown to put another stage, but we are looking at it."
A SLIDESHOW OF THE MAIN STAGE -- IF THE SLIDESHOW DOESN'T START, CLICK ON THE ALBUM NAME BELOW TO START IT
