Shereita Grizzle, STAR Writer

On Saturday, August 8, when the twice-crowned champion sound system of the world, Bass Odyssey, celebrates their 26th anniversary, there will be a tribute to 'sound-box men', the men Yaniq Walford describes as the unsung heroes of the sound system.

Speaking with the STAR recently, Walford said the tribute follows the death of one of their own, Patrick 'Barky' McCarty. Walford described Barky as an integral part of the Bass Odyssey family and expressed her sadness at his passing.

"He was the original box man," she said. "Before Bass Odyssey, he was around. He was important to us and we want to salute him and other box men at the festival to highlight how integral they are, they are the unsung heroes of the sound system."

The annual Sound System Festival will be held at Plantation Cove in Richmond, St Ann and will feature top sound systems from across the island as well as two from overseas. These include Stone Love from Kingston, Bodyguard from Clarendon, Heavy Hammer from Italy and Barrier Free representing Japan.

The event, to be hosted by GT Taylor, is sponsored by Guiness, LIME, the Jamaica Tourist Board, among others, and will attract an entrance fee of $1,000.

Stating that the event will be one of the best yet, Walford promised that guests will get value for their money. "We understand that these are economic times and we have managed to keep the cost at $1,000 under extreme situations because we want as many Jamaicans to come out as possible, and they can be sure that their monies will be well spent."

Walford said the festival will have a host of new and exciting features, pointing out that an extra-special event is scheduled for the night between 10 and midnight.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com