The I and I sounds of JAH RASTAFARI are turning many Torontonians onto
some new vibrations. One of the premiere Reggae bands on the Toronto
scene is ;Bloodfire, so-callcd because of "a passage in the Book
of Revalations which suggests that the name "Bloodfire" be
applied to mnusicians whose music is a constant and pure burning that
melts down the boundaries between man and man, between past and future, and
unites all those that standnear its flame"

The band believes that; the name Bloodfire is not intended to intimidate anyone, the name should
encourage the listeners to; unload the cares of the everyday and open their
minds to endless possibilities Compass works hard to bring you the best possible trips for your rugged lifestyle. Here you'll find our latest travel packages suited for the adventurous spirit.

My struggle with Rasta and Reggae music have been tightly interwoven through the fabric of my life. As a young man, entering adulthood, there was strong opposition to me taking up the Rasta Faith. My family tried to get me to cut my hair and go to Catholic Mass! They also tried to get me to forget music and concentrate on a nine-to-five job. As far as I was concerned they might as well ask me to walk on hot coals! No way was I about to give up my Faith or my love of music. There was not other alternative, I had to leave and be myself. I fled the family ties and migrated to Canada, where I was free to outwardly manifest my belief. It was there, far away from home that I put on my Dreadlocks and persued music full time. I had countless dreams of being a musician and that has been all I have ever wanted to do as far back as I can remember. Anyone who made the decision to follow Rastafari in those days exposed themselves to descrimination and redicule. Many were disowned by their parents and family.

JAH has been my strength and comfort. I am determined and will never give up any one of my true loves, neither Rastafari nor Music!..............One Love.

In the seventeenth century, for example, Jamaica was the world centre of piracy. From its capital of Port Royal, buccaneers led by Captain Henry Morgan plundered the Spanish Main, bringing such riches to the island that it became as wealthy as any of Europe's leading trading centres. In 1692, four years after Morgan's death, Port Royal disappeared into the Caribbean in an earthquake. Such a karmic sense of poetry is Jamaica.

A Rebellious Spirit
A piratic, rebellious spirit has been central to the attitude of Jamaicans ever since. This is clear in the lives of Nanny, the woman who led a successful slave revolt against the English redcoats in 1738; of Marcus Garvey, who became the first prophet of black self determination in the 1920s, founding the Black Star shipping line, intended to transport descendants of slaves back to Africa; and of Bob Marley, the Third World's first superstar, with his musical gospel of love and global unity.

Jamaica was known by its original settlers, the Arawak Indians, as the Island of Springs. And it is in the high country that Jamaica's unconscious resides: the primal Blue Mountains and hills are the repository of most of Jamaica's legends, a dream-like landscape that provides ample material for an arcane mythology.

It was here, to the safety of thse impenetrable hills, that bands of former slaves fled, after they were freed and armed by the Spanish to fight the English when they seized the island in 1655. The Maroons, as they became known, founded a community and underground state that would fight a guerrilla war against the English settlers on and off for nearly eighty years.