NCC hat-trick for Ronnie & Caro

Ronnie and Caro Mas Band have retained their National Carnival Commission (NCC) Band of the Year title for their 2018 presentation of Life’s Checkered Board.

The large band, owned by veteran soca artist Ronnie McIntosh and his wife Caroline, copped their third consecutive title when the results were announced yesterday.

The band had previously won the Medium Band of the Year title for four consecutive years between 2008 and 2011, before it grew into a large band.

In an interview at the band’s Woodbrook mas camp just before he began celebrating with staff last evening, McIntosh said while they were happy titles were not the driving force behind the band’s annual presentations.

“When we first started we were not concentrating on the titles. We won the first year we came out, but that really was not the plan,” McIntosh said.

Saying the band was focused on providing good customer service, he said most of their 1,000 masqueraders were returning customers and foreign nationals.

“Customer service is one of the things that’s making us famous and making people come back and recommend us to other people,” McIntosh said.

He also said his masqueraders did not need much prompting to stick within their sections at judging points and were synchronised for much of the parade route.

“Presentation is important. It does not mean that you have to do theatrics, drama and fireworks. It is just how you come across stage and give the judges and people an opportunity to see the band and costumes,” he said.

In second place in the large band competition was The Lost Tribe’s presentation Seven followed by Paparazzi Carnival’s Nomadik Nation.

The top three results were the same for the Port-of-Spain City Corporation’s Downtown competition for Carnival Tuesday. It was the fifth time that Ronnie and Caro had won the corporation’s Carnival Tuesday title.

In the medium band category, K2K Alliance’s We Stand United beat Republic Bank Exodus Steel Orchestra’s The Eyes of God, which was designed by former multiple Band of the Year winner Peter Minshall. In third place was Jus Wee and Friends’ presentation Wee Take Flight. Like Ronnie and Caro, the win was K2K Alliance’s third title in as many years.

NCC BAND OF THE YEAR RESULTS

Large Bands
1. Ronnie and Caro Mas Band - Life’s Checkered Board - 1275
2. The Lost Tribe - Seven - 1245
3. Paparazzi Carnival - Nomadik Nation - 1204
Medium Bands
1. K2K Alliance - We Stand United - 1270
2. Republic Bank Exodus Steel Orchestra - The Eyes of God - 1235
3. Jus Wee and Friends - Wee Take Flight - 1198
Small Bands
1. Tribal Connection Cultural Promotion - Call of D Tribes - 1192
2. Utopia Mas - Folklore: A Collection of Animal Tales - 1191
3. Belmont Exotic Stylish Sailors - Masters of the Art - 1182
Mini Bands
1. The Orginal Jab Jab - Spirit of D Whip - 1196
2. Simply Cultural - We Claiming We Space - 1184
3. Rhapsody in Blue - Blue Madda Dan Dem - 1164

Source: Trinidad Guardian

Soul Food: Black Eye Peas and Rice

Ainsworth Mohammed and Peter Minshall showcased costume options to their 2018 Carnival contribution The Eyes Of God, Soul Food: Black Eye Peas and Rice, at Kaiso Blues Cafe, Newtown, last Friday evening.

Essence of Mohammed’s and Minshall’s The Eyes Of God, is to return to a pure idea of mas which was steelpan, sailors and a flag-bearer (Flag Woman) as opposed to what we see now; beads, bikinis and feathers. The band is black and white with no frills

It was after a religious event where someone said to Peter Minshall: “All men are equal in the eyes of God” and he responded, “Would that mean ‘all gods were equal in the eyes of man’.”

Our national anthem states: “Here every creed and race, find an equal place” and Soul Food: Black Eye Peas and Rice plans to visually depict such. Imagine seeing a sea of white, a sea of pureness, above it flags and wings with eyes (of God) looking back at you, the people, and down on the masqueraders coming on the road for carnival. That is original carnival in it’s purest sense. The eyes are the window to the soul therefore the band celebrates the soul as well.

After 50 years, Minshall aims to portray a vision of our true selves that we don’t see anymore as American cable news, reality TV, and TV boxes with foreign programming has changed our people’s mindset and the original purpose and meaning of carnival.

The Eyes Of God, Soul Food: Black Eye Peas and Rice aims to bring us back to the original essence of carnival that is “pan, mas, and flags.”

A quote that has driven Mr Minshall, according to Kathryn L Chan is: “You may give your island, which regards itself rich on the dregs of Western culture, something of itself.”

The band is being produced and brought out by a committee in keeping with the meaning behind the band, “All ah we is one.”

SOURCE: Trinidad Guardian