Music lovers around the Caribbean, and indeed worldwide, should take notice. Moonsplash, the three-day music extravaganza in Anguilla that is arguably the region’s best-known music festival, may be approaching the end of its shelf-life after more than two decades. And this news comes straight from the horse’s mouth – Bankie Banx - the artist who founded it, and still drives it. All the more reason therefore to try to make it to this year’s Moonsplash on March 8-11.

Bankie, who will turn 60 next year, is far from certain how much longer he wants to continue with the event. “It’s quite a challenge,” he sighs, “and it has been for years. It’s probably the premier music festival in the Caribbean, and certainly the oldest, but it’s been underfunded for years. I had to be a businessman to do it last year.”

Moonsplash 2011, which I was lucky enough to attend, was as usual a resounding success, although Black Uhuru were denied the chance to play when local police cut short proceedings in the early hours on account of noise levels.

“As a result, they never got to perform, which was very disappointing,” Bankie muses, adding that ‘chaotic’ stage management was also to blame, not getting the concert started in good time.

There were nevertheless some notable first-time performers at Moonsplash 2011 – Alaine, the Jamaican reggae siren; Orange Grove, one of the Caribbean’s best emerging reggae bands, comprising members from St Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and Suriname; Ruffy, from St Maarten; and Bankie’s daughter, Tahirah who heads a Texas-based band. To the long list of great artists who have played at Moonsplash since its inception another was added last year – admittedly by sheer chance. John Meyer, the celebrated American vocalist/guitarist was on vacation in Anguilla at the time, staying at the nearby CuisinArt Resort & Spa. He happened to wander along on the Friday night and offered to play. Junior ‘Jazz’ Ferrara, the Miami-based Jamaican who is lead singer for the group Inner Circle, takes up the story:
“We heard just minutes before we went on stage that John Meyer was here,” said Junior, who has performed in ‘maybe 15’ Moonsplashes. “Cat Coore decided to let John play with his guitar. I wasn’t going to let him play with mine as I wanted to be up there with him! It was an honour for me – a treat. John sang his big hit ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ with Bankie.”

Meyer’s impromptu participation was typical of the international flavour of Moonsplash, and indeed of Bankie’s music, which has often been a mix of folk, reggae, R&B and jazz. Known as the Anguillian Bob Dylan, with whom he once performed, he has often been considered a musical cross of Dylan and Bob Marley. The latter’s widow, Rita, and the Wailers have featured at Moonsplash in the past, as have the likes of David Bryan of Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Peter Cetera, Tarrus Riley, Duane Stephenson and Marcia Griffiths.

When asked about the origins of Moonsplash Bankie recalls fondly that he was living and recording in New York City in the late ‘80s but feared losing his band when he came home in winter to Anguilla. The answer was, he decided, to bring them with him and organise some shows whilst there to keep them busy.

“We did a concert at Scilly Cay which was wild. The last boat sank – it was so over-loaded! We decided the next year that we had to find a name as well as a less complicated place to get to. So the first Moonsplash was at Sandy Island, a couple of miles off the northern side of Anguilla. Then, it became a three-day roving event with the Friday night in Anguilla, the Saturday night on St Maarten and the Sunday night on St Barths. But the logistics were too complicated and we weren’t collecting any money for playing. We had this property in Rendezvous Bay, so we decided to enclose it and collect. It became a world-class stage.”

“Moonsplash is simple, with intimate performances in a natural setting,” Bankie says with reference to the Dune Preserve which has been home to the event ever since. “We don’t pick any particular genre – there’s folk, blues, reggae, some soul – just good music. It’s a magical thing.”

His one regret is that the party is not permitted by the island’s police to go as late as he would like – he would play most of the night if he could. The Dune Preserve, situated right on the beach, made up with some free daytime jam sessions, which extended into the Sunday evening last year.

“The Sunday was the best night of Moonsplash,” Junior Jazz thought. “It was more of a jam, and people let it out. The audiences like that spontaneity.”

Bankie’s attempt last year to create a musical play on Friday, one of the main nights, was not universally well-received. “After twenty years of doing the same thing, he had this idea to do something different,” Junior revealed. “Maybe it was a little Broadway thing, but it was poorly planned. I still like the idea of a musical and you can’t knock somebody for trying something new. I enjoyed it but they just have to start planning earlier and get the actors to remember their lines.”

Bankie himself is adamant that he will continue with the concept of a musical. “I’m in the process of recreating Moonsplash. I think a musical is the way forward and I’m pleased that I did it last year as it’s a powerful statement. So it is here to stay. Overall, it was a great Moonsplash despite Black Uhuru not being able to come on. It’s a great party but I’ve always thought 20 years – or maybe 25 – is enough of one thing with the same name. I’m a creative person and a free spirit and will do what I feel like doing. If someone else wants to take it on, they can change the name. There’s nothing like it anywhere else, and most people come back for the ambience and the good feeling. They know that there’s going to be great music and that we’re great hosts... basically, that we will pitch a great party. I got no complaints last year except from one lady, who said she’d come to see Black Uhuru. I said to her that she had come for Moonsplash! That’s where we are at.”

Perhaps, the last word should go to Ruel Richardson, a singer with the Anguillian band British Dependency. “Moonsplash keeps the whole music scene alive on Anguilla,” he declared. “Bankie has been like a father to artists here, and so Moonsplash is something I personally look forward to every year. And obviously, everyone here – visitors and locals – they look forward to it too.”

The Moonsplash Festival is held at The Dune Preserve, Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla. For more information on the 2012 festival go to www.bankiebanx.net, call +1 264 772 9259 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For information on visiting Anguilla, go to http://ivisitanguilla.com