The King of Lover's Rock is the headliner at tomorrow night's Sweetness is My Weakness concert.

Veteran Reggae artiste Beres Hammond and the Harmony House Band are set to take centre stage during the Culture Shock event.

Lover's Rock fans, at the Somerset Cricket Club venue, can also enjoy the likes of Troy Anthony, Bobby Washington, Ali and Ras Gymsy, who will all be backed by the Jam Signal Band. Jugglin' will be carried out by Three The Hardway, DJ Donnie, DJ Gibbo and Blacka, while the emceeing will be with Culture Shock staple MC Richie B, who hails from Jamaica's Hot 102 FM.

Beres Hammond spoke to The Royal Gazette last month from his home in Jamaica about his music, his influences and his love of Bermuda and her people.

When asked what contributed most to his success, he said: "It is just through the love of it, you know, and that is what I bring it down to, when you love what you do, you work and you give it all you got."

At the time of the interview, Mr. Hammond's new album, "A Moment in Time'', had not been released, but that it would be ready for the tour at the end of July. Regarding his inspiration, he explained that he was always working in the studio.

"When it is time to put an album out, I always have tracks and we can always put them together," said the man whose career has spanned for over three decades.

"My thing is not necessarily what you would call a concept, because I have a one long-standing concept, which is love.

"So, you know right across the board, it is about a man and woman's love, and also the love of people and of life."

The last time Mr. Hammond performed in Bermuda was about three years ago and he is looking forward to returning to entertain the crowds tomorrow night.

"I always look forward to Bermuda, that's what I call, one fine crowd," he said.

"It's like a family kind of vibration and I look forward to meeting and greeting the people, it's like some old family members."

In terms of musical influences, Mr. Hammond said that when he was younger he was forced to listen to some of the late and not so late greats.

"Back in the days when I was coming along, I was sort of forced to listen to a certain kind of music, not out of choice, but we had two main radio stations on the island and both of them sort of had programmed foreign music and it was about 70 or 85 percent," he said.

"I was forced to listen to it, and there was Rhythm and Blues and the English Invasion, so I was forced to listen to people like Sam Cook, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and there were some wonderful ladies like Aretha Franklin and even today I think she is an angel with that kind of voice.

"Patti LaBelle and Diana Ross and then you have people like Tom Jones. But my two main people were Sam Cook and Otis Redding.

"Now here in Jamaica and I idolised Elton Ellis and I really liked his kind of style."

For up and coming performers, songwriters and musicians, his recommendation was: "I don't know if I have advice, because the first thing for me one has to realise that they have talent, because I have come across quite a few writers that I am not too in keeping with.

"Does the person have a good voice? To how I see the business, people try to get away with anything, so my advice would be, to the ones who know that you have the ability, just keep doing what you are doing, because someday, somewhere, somehow it will manifest itself and people will just love you, if you have something good to offer. People never refuse that.

"But it is time and if you like doing what you are doing, keep doing it, because there is no date or time when you will burst out.

"But I do know that if you continue pursuing it, it will work."

His thoughts on the quality and style of reggae music, which is being produced today was: "I'm opposed to a certain kind of music, untidy and I'm anti-badness.

"I am just into love.

"It has become sort of a battleground, I mean, I'm just speaking for myself, I think that one should keep the music the way it is.

"You want to quarrel, go quarrel somewhere, but don't use the music as a medium to get it across, keep it pure.

"I don't think this kind of music that we are talking about is dying at all, for whatever reason, some folks may say it is on the backburner, but you can use it for when you get into trouble."

He added: "As a Jamaican we are wonderful people and when you get on the wrong side of us, we are just as dangerous.

"But it is the same with the music, there is always a mixture of culture, there is always an audience for a certain kind of music and sometimes everyone comes together and embraces all of them, so as far as I am concerned, there is no way that I think I am going to live to see a day when one kind music is totally wiped out.

"I think it is sort of a balance. I love Dance Hall, but Reggae and Lover's Rock is my thing and I adore it and I try to brace myself for a social change, because there is always going to be a change.

"It is kind of enjoying the balance and I don't mind it at all."

When asked which aspect of his work gives him the most satisfaction, he said: "It is like everything for me is under one umbrella they go hand in hand.

"I love making songs, I love creating songs from the first line when you don't have a clue where you are going and at the end of the day you find yourself with this wonderful song.

"You know for me it is like one whole night of laughing, you can't believe it, like out of this one line you just planted a seed and you watched it grow.

"For me it is always exciting.

"Then when people start reacting to the songs, that's when you feel like it is a wonderful time."

There is another aspect that he regards as his achievement as an artist.

"It is when people come up to you and explain to you what this song has done for them, yeah, that is the higher achievement," said Mr. Hammond.

"This song has changed my life or this song opened my eyes to something that I was never really seeing, that to me is too much of an achievement.

"Sometimes when you make a song, you sort of think selfish, 'this is my this is my situation and I am just happy that I can get it out', but after a while you realise that the same situation is that of other people and they come up to you and give you so much thanks. That is the greatest achievement."

So was there a message that he wanted to impart to his Bermuda fan base?

"As far as I am concerned, the first time I went to Bermuda it was in the mid to late 70s and it was a wonderful, wonderful country then, it was beautiful," he remembered.

"So I am saying irrespective of what is happening in the surrounding places, like violence, try not to let that change

."Know who you are and who you are is a wonderful people, don't be influenced by whatever else that is going on, keep it like that.

"I see Bermuda from yesteryear, as one wonderful Island and I always enjoy its ambience. For real!"

He says that he should have been in Europe since June, but he said: "Things happen. So we decided on the US tour. We run a company down here called Harmony House Productions and our goal is to always seek out new talent and at present we have quite a few that we are working with on album projects.

"After this I am heading right back into the studio to sort them out to contribute to their success and on this tour I'll be taking two of the young ladies with me.

"So usually that is what I do to carry one or two with me."

When asked about Reggae artist Jah Cure, who was the headliner at the June Culture Shock concert, he said: "Every now and then we do a little thing, but he's grown feathers, so he can fly, so that some other little birdie can take his place.

"That is what my thing is really all about though, I offer a contribution in your upbringing and when you look like you are ready, here comes another one.

"But I see him like every week."

When asked who were some of his mentors, he said: "You know back then I don't even know if I should call it mentors, because I just survived off the same old songs that I told you about.

"I sort survived off all the people, like one person, and the sort of music and the songs that hit you and you know where I am talking about."

Tickets for tomorrow night's Culture Shock's "Sweetness is My Weakness'' concert are $85 in advance, and $100 at the door. They are available at People's Pharmacy, CJs Fine Jewellers and Music World.

For more information visit www.cultureshocklabel.com.