Starting at noon people gathered to enjoy the sounds of Man Mountain Jr. And, what Cinco de Mayo festival would be complete with out Salsa Music, which was provided by Bio Ritmo and their original repertoire of traditional 70's style Salsa. Those in the mood for a different spin on the holiday were in for a treat when The Hackensaw Boys took the stage for a rousing set of their self described "Hillbilly Punk". Following them was Fighting Gravity, and true to form they left the crowd energized and wanting more. Simply put if you have never seen this band perform, you may be missing out on one of the best live bands you will ever get to see. Many thanks to the staff at Brown Coffee for bringing them back to Brown's Island again this year.

The Wailers took the stage last, and any doubts one may have had as to their ability to live up to their soulful legacy, was removed once they took the stage. Their music and spiritual performance electrified the crowd, much as I would have imagined they did when their legendary front man Bob Marley led the band. Both young and old gathered to enjoy the Wailers, and none were disappointed, as they slipped into their familiar routine of reggae rhythms.

With such a large and successful turnout, we expect that much of Richmond will be left waiting for the next Brown Coffee event. By Jason Wolfrey