LDER, ximena, Leo the Kind and Rilla Force joined Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for the Beats on the Beach
Block Party on Malibu Beach
On Saturday, August 27th, 300 people celebrated clean water and great music on Malibu Beach in Dorchester for the first annual Beats on the Beach Block Party, a free music festival featuring Boston Music Award-winning artists, over 20 local vendors, pedicab and dragon boat rides, and great food. Leo the Kind, Dephrase, Lightfoot, LDER, Rilla Force, ximena, Beats by Girlz house DJ 1800shortking, and the Hip Hop Transformation performed DJ sets and original songs throughout the day. Topo Chico sponsored the event and handed out free mineral water and Beats on the Beach towels. This event was made possible through a grant from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Rilla Force and LDER launched Beats on the Beach in 2020 as a way to connect the community through music during a time of isolation. Starting as an online community music contest, they collected samples from Boston’s beaches and Boston Harbor, recording unique sounds from nature. Local musicians used these samples to create their own personalized tracks inspired by the beach. This year, local producers Dephrase and Lightfoot collected the audio samples from Malibu Beach. The featured producer Leo the Kind, Dorchester native and 2020 Boston Music Award winner, chose the winning track he found the most unique and inspiring, made by Chris Theodat. The contest came full circle as Leo the Kind added vocals to the track live at the Beats on the Beach Block Party on Malibu Beach, where the original samples for the track were collected.
Lightfoot performs his set on Malibu Beach. Photo by Joakeem Gaston
With great local music as the backdrop, the Pull Up food truck served empanadas, the MWRA water truck provided attendees with cold drinking water, Trike Hub gave attendees free pedicab rides and Ohana New England let beachgoers row their dragon boats on the clean waters of Malibu Beach. Local vendors sold original artwork, clothing, accessories, candles, pottery, crystals, and more. Vendors at the event included TopoChico, Body, Stone and Soul, The Chula Shop, ClothesbyTomo, The Comadress, LonelyBones Skate Collective, Mud Dove Pottery, Ortega Jewelry Designs, Saraphym’s Blessings, Scents For Cents Candles and Giftsets, Sewpreme Seams, Sirena's Secret, Space Place Studios, Uvida Shop, North American Indian Center of Boston, Savvy’s Sea Glass, Project: Leafcare, No Rhyme or Reason, and more.
"Dorchester has some of the region's gems when it comes to public beaches at Malibu and Savin Hill, and it's great to see so many people experiencing these spectacular urban natural resources right here in Boston," said Chris Mancini, Executive Director of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. "Events like the Block Party are a part of Save the Harbor's effort to promote diversity and inclusivity on and around Boston’s public beaches."
The Beats on the Beach block party was chosen by hundreds of community members who wanted to see more music on Boston’s beaches. Out of 200 ideas collected from the community, this event was voted on to receive a larger grant, as an effort to involve local voices more in Save the Harbor’s programing.
“The success of the Beats on the Beach Block Party is a direct result of the collaboration between the local artists who came up with the idea and the community members who voted on it through Participatory Budgeting,” said Maya Smith, Partnerships and Program Development Director at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “We at Save the Harbor are privileged to be in a position to help make these incredible community collaborations happen through the Better Beaches grant program and cannot wait to hear from more community members and work with more artists and organizations next summer.”
DJ 1800shortking, LDER and ximena make music in the Beats on the Beach DJ booth at Saturday’s event
Joshua Major-Paschal, aka Rilla Force, is a three time Boston Music Award nominated artist, producer, DJ and project coordinator for Beats on the Beach. “Save the Harbor gave us an opportunity and the tools to help out our community. This helped us start this project in the peak of the pandemic and grow it into what we hope will become an annual in-person event,” said Major-Paschal. “The Better Beaches Program has done so much good for local businesses, individuals, and so many others.”
Ludjy Derisier, aka LDER, is a Haitian-American music producer and project coordinator of Beats on the Beach. “It’s the culmination of three years of hard work,” said Derisier. “I’m glad that we’re putting an event together that is not only for musicians but for the people in the communities that support them.”
According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bays Development Director Patricia Salic, free beach events like this would not be possible without their program partners and event sponsors, including Arctic Chill and Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, FMC Ice Sports, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Coast Cannabis, the Daily Catch, Comcast, Mix 104.1, iZotope, Inc, The Blue Sky Collaborative, Boston & Maine Webcams, BostonHarbor.com, The Boston Foundation, and The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation.
In addition, Save the Harbor recognized the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, and Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston and the legislative and community members of the Commission as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their support for their beaches and communities. Save the Harbor also thanked the Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, Save the Harbor's partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who took part in the Shamrock Splash for their support.
To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the great work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the waterfront, islands, and the region’s public beaches with all Bostonians and the region’s residents, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow @savetheharbor on social media.
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