The root of all evil has stirred up quite a ball of confusion for reggae fans.

Sly & Robbie.

Turmoil surrounds Northern California's Reggae on the River, one of the largest reggae festivals in the world, as a financial dispute has forced the event's coproducers to scramble to find another site despite the fact that it has already booked and announced such artists as The Roots, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mad Professor, and Angelique Kidjo.

Meanwhile, the owner of the land where the event takes place has teamed with the event's former coproducer to spawn a rival reggae event called Reggae Rising. Both festivals have already begun signing and announcing big-name acts and are slated to be held on the same weekend, August 3-5.

The dustup started last December, when Mateel Community Center, the event's coproducer for which the event originally served as a benefit more than 20 years ago, fired its coproducer, People Productions, over a financial dispute.

Mateel, which controls the naming rights to the 24-year-old Reggae on the River, has since elected to hire Bay Area producer Boots Hughston to run the three-day event, which traditionally lures more than 10,000 attendees.

Cham at Reggae on the River in 2006.

Following that decision, rancher Tom Dimmick, who owns the Reggae on the River site along the Eel River in California's Humboldt County, terminated his lease with Mateel. Dimmick then decided to team up with People Productions to launch Reggae Rising.

Today, Reggae Rising announced its own preliminary lineup, which includes Sly and Robbie and the Taxi Gang with Horace Andy, Anthony B, Fantan Mojah, Freddie McGregor, Morgan Heritage, Richie Spice, and the Heavyweight Dub Champion.

According to the Eureka (Calif.) Times-Standard, a county court denied Mateel's request this week for a temporary restraining order to prevent Dimmick from terminating his lease with the group. Mateel has a March 26 court date to request a preliminary injunction barring Dimmick from keeping Mateel off his property for the Reggae on the River festival.

"We had hoped we could bring a quicker end to the community's current plight over Reggae on the River through the restraining order," the Center said in a statement. "Now, we head to the preliminary injunction where actual evidence will be given and each side in the dispute will be heard."