Weblog for Caribbean music - Soca, Calypso, Pan and Carnival Culture - Est. 2003
The Finalists for the Calypso Monarch competition on Carnival Sunday are:
Reserves are Winston Henry (Explainer) and Edwin Ayoung (Crazy).
After Fay-Ann Lyons quitted as singer of the band Invasion a few weeks ago, there has been new trouble between singer and band. At a club performance in San Fernando on Friday night, the band members unplugged their instruments and walked off stage as Fay-Ann was coming on to perform. “When I came onstage to sing, they got vexed, packed up their instruments and walked off the stage, steupsing,” Fay-Ann is quoted. Invasion singer Naya George states that the band didn’t know they were supposed to back Fay-Ann, who went on to perform without the band.
The new albums from Machel Montano and Maximus Dan, titled “The Xtatik Experience” and “Man Of Fire” respectively, are being released these days, featuring their hits from the current carnival season. Included on “The Xtatik Experience” for example are “You” and “Madder Than That” as well as collaborations by Machel with Wyclef Jean, Doug. E. Fresh and Rikki Jai. “Man Of Fire” (released Jan. 20th) sports Tunes such as the already known “Building Shake”, “Royal” or “Zion” as well as unreleased Songs like “Moving On”, “Mean It” (a cover of the 80s Madonna Hit “Holiday”) and the title Tune.
Islandevent.com presents a new award: the Soca Monarch People’s Choice Awards. It takes place on Fantastic Friday. There will be also an online vote on islandevents.com from Friday January 28, 2005 on.
[see also Trinidad Express]
The finalists for the Tobago Calypso Monarch competition in Scarborough are:
* Kenrick Andrews
* Sherwin Cunningham
* Leslie Ann Ellis
* Wendy Ann Thomas-Garrick
* Ingrid Braithwaite-John
* Rheena Riley
* Henson Wright (Calypso Prince)
In two weeks from now our favorite football team Soca Warriors will face the soccer team from the US. For the mental support Ronnie Macintosh did the tune “Deutschland” (means Germany where the World Championship is held). Now there’s an official answer version from Germany by the MashUp Crew feat. Volkanik:“Soca Warriors (Who de stars?)”. Part of the lyrics are in German.
And there’s another Soca Warriors tune by comedian and actor Nigel ‘Frame’ Fabien, produced by JaQuzzi: “Time fuh Germany”.
An interesting interview with Maximus Dan in the Trinidad Guardian.
The controversal singer Impulse won the Young King Calypso Monarch (by the National Action Cultural Committee(NACC))with his song “Shadow Jumbie”. Second is Abbi Blackman (with “Ah seeing”), who won the National Calypso Queen title last week. 3rd place won Jervae Caesar doing “Pioneers of Emancipation”.
Heeralal Rampartap has won the International Chutney Soca Monarch for a third time. He copped the title after performing his two hit selections Kay-Paharie and Run For Meh Life, before a large and appreciative crowd at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
No Destra, no KMC and again no Maximus will take part in the international soca monarch finals. But two of them, KMC with his band Red, White & Black and Maximus Dan, will appear as guest stars together with Island Vibes featuring Ronnie McIntosh. Only Timmy (Barbados) represents the remain of the soca-islands, he’s the only non-Trini, who is still in the competition. For the first time the Groovy Soca Monarch contest take place this year - it features the “R’n'B”/mid-tempo soca like Jamsey P’s “Nookie”. All competitors at islandevents.com
[ Discussion at imix ]
Islandevents.com did a short interview with soca artist Dawg E Slaughter. Read the interview
The Trinidadian daily morning show on TV 6, Carnival on D’Promenade is now fully online as videostream. Watch all the shows from the past few weeks.
One of my favorite is the Maximus Dan performance. Check out also Cro Cro’s new tune Chop yuh hand off.
VP Records has announced that they have signed Soca superstar Edwin Yearwood to their Waistline Music division. The six album deal was arranged with the Krosfyah co-founder and lead singer, with the first album expected to drop sometime in 2005.
Knycky Cordner, model, beauty queen, actress, TV show host, songwriter, gospel/soca/reggae/chutney artist, is writing a book. It’s about the local music industry, “an exposé kind of thing”, she says.
The soon to be released CD “Looking Back” from veteran calypsonian Explainer is his 23rd album release. The 16-track compilation is a mix of vintage work and new releases, themes ranging from the behaviour of elected representatives in “Kicksing in Parliament”, to provocative jibes of new songs like “Broken”, and the controversy-baiting “Plain Talk”. There’s is also a collaboration with Bunji Garlin (remake of “Lorraine”) on the Album
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