Every now and then something happens within an art form that changes what it is for ever, I believe this is one of those moments for Soca, enjoy.
CARNIVAL TABANCA - Bunji Garlin from Beach House Entertainment on Vimeo.
Carnival Tabanca
Videomentary by: Bunji Garlin
Directed by: Walt Lovelace & Curtis Popplewell
Produced by: Beach House Entertainment
Filmed with 14 cameras Friday afternoon, downtown Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
Camera Operators:
Christian Compton
Colin Peters
Declan LeeLoo
Gabriel Nagee
Jamal Edwards
Jason Riley
Jermald Compton
Jerome Ali-Salandy
Kerry Gibbons
Michael Amoroso
Richard Voisin
Shea Best
Zahra Gibbons
Special thanks to:
Marc Loregnard
Kharim Matthias
Kenneth Bailey
Enrique Ali
Lance Smith
Diyanand Persaud
Darren Millien
Paul Charles
Faye Ann Lyons Alvarez
Dexter Thomas
Keron "Sheriff" Thompson
The Mayor of Port of Spain
The City of Port Of Spain
Port of Spain City Police
Brain Lara Promenade Management Co.
Rent-A-Amp
Advance Dynamics Ltd.
Trinidad Movie Equipment Rental Company Ltd.
So its March now, Trinidad carnival 2013 is but a memory in the minds of all who took part, but this year many complained after carnival of a feeling that something was missing , I felt it too, it was good but not the best however that's another blog post.
Looking back at carnival 2013 I decided to list what were for me the top ten moments of Trinidad and Tobago carnival 2013, ten moments that made me stop and think, 'this is a moment to remember.
Here it is...
MASSASSINATION'S TOP 10 MOMENTS OF TRINIDAD CARNIVAL 2013
1 THE RETURN OF SUPER BLUE:
photo:http://studiolafoncette.com
Super Blue’s return did not
simply reveal that God given talent and determination can triumph over all
adversity, but it also portrayed that substance is king over style and hype.
Super Blue’s return also taught us that the foundation stones of culture can and
should never be forgotten for without the basic tenants of an art form its is
nothing.
2013 was the 2nd time that
Austin Lyons has made a victorious return to carnival and in this return or
rebirth he managed to inspire all generations, old and young with a style some
might today describe as dated but all agreed was spiritually infectious (its
substance).
Soca needed Super to return,
I believe Machel did too, even with Bunji and Fayann firing on all cylinders
Machel is an awesome combination of talent and showmanship a combination that
only one gifted with talent and a magnetic spirituality could have defeated
Machel.
On the days leading up to fantastic Friday to the
morning after the event the name super Blue could be heard in every barber-shop,
rum-shop, radio station, taxi maxitaxi and bus. Soca monarch judges tied the
two making them both Monarchs but by Ash Wednesday Carnival 2013 was
undoubtedly the carnival of Super Blue’s return. DE BOUNCING START!
2 POWDER!
Mac Farlan's Joy Down town POS.
Powder was a most present
aspect of carnival 2013, from Machel’s winning tune FOG with the lines ‘powder
this is how we celebrate’ to Super Blue’s opening call for ‘water and powder’
in Fantastic Friday. Powder was present in the fetes, on the road for Jouvert
and even in big bands on Tuesday harping back to the days of the fancy sailors
and even further back to the African use of powder in spiritual practices.
Powder in 2013 was an inspiring sight.
3 TED EUSTACE KING OF CARNIVAL 2013.
Even though the King of
carnival competition ended in a draw the crowning of Ted Eustace as a King of
Carnival in 2013(Moko in flames) signified the passing of a title and torch from father to son
to little brother Keeping the title King of Carnival and the Eustace name
synonymous for possibly another decade. From Tedder Eustace to Curtace Eustace
and now Ted the tradition successfully continues.
4 THE LAUNCH OF RITUALS OF POWER & REBELLION BY HOLLIS
CHALKDUST LIVERPOOL Ph.D
Launched on the 6th of
February 2013 the day before the calypso monarch finals in which teacher,
Calypsoian and author Hollis Liverpool better known as the Mighty Chalkdust was
to compete for a ninth title.
I first saw this book in the library of London
Metropolitan University when doing research for my dissertation in 2010.
By then the book was long out of print and
countless attempts to find it on line or in book shops on both sides of the
Atlantic proved fruitless for me. It was only in discussing the important role
the work played in my dissertation to the author was I informed it was never
available in Trinidad before.
In my opinion Rituals of Power & Rebellion is indeed a seminal text in the historical and intellectual construction of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival, as well as those in the Caribbean. I advise everyone to get a copy and read it.
All cow joke aside Bunji Garlin the Viking of Soca with Nigel Rojas had arguably the most popular fete
tune for the 2013 Carnival season. From its time of release to carnival Tuesday
Differentology had the crowds singing out the chorus ‘we ready for the roooad’.
The tune that almost in fond retrospect takes
the listener through a carnival experience probably that of the last week of
carnival leading up to Jouvert and Tuesday. This mixture of dance and soca music was
favoured to dethrone Machel in the groovy Soca monarch competition but Bunji
pulled out to great disappointment and admiration of his fans. I have a feeling
this track has caused a shift in soca music that we will see next year..
I am a Bunji Garlin fan, I
am also a fan of the late Lord Maestro, one of the most revolutionary
Calypsoians in the early days of Soca. Bunji’s cover of Maestro’s Savage wasfor me a moment in carnival 2013 because it celebrated the underclass, the part
of the society like it or not that laid down many of the foundation blocks of
modern carnival. A group that today are being priced out of carnival by a
growing ambitious middle class that seem bent on taking over the culture and
transforming every aspect of what it looks like. Bunji’s Savage had many locals
and returnees alike claiming to be anti stush (or anti posh) thus returning the
festival to its roots with the stush being identified as undesirable .
7 MACFARLANE CROSSES THE SAVANNAH STAGE FOR THE LAST TIME
WITH JOY THE FINALY.
After dominating the band
of the year competition for most of the first decade of the 21st century band
leader and designer Brian Mac Farlane has decided to call it a day. To the
average Mas player or tourist that comes for Carnival this fact might mean
nothing, but to fans of High Mas, love him or hate him, Brian Mac Farlane is
the last of the High Mas designers to dominate the face of Carnival, and while
there are young designers and small bands that keep the Mas of meaning alive,
none has been able to attract the numbers of masqueraders that are needed to
make epic presentations as the epic bands of the past did.
This could actually
be the end of an era in Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival history.
8 THE PASSING OF PENGUIN.
Road March King of 1982 and
Calypso Monarch of 1984 Seadley Joseph - the Penguin passed away on the 27th of
January 2013 just as Carnivals climax was on the horizon. The timing of his
passing during the heights of the Carnival season is almost an expected aspect
of Carnival these days, as it seems like every Carnival a legend now passes on,
as if to join some Grand Carnival in the sky. Penguin’s tunes in the 80s were
an integral part of the Carnival, one a personal note an integral part of my
childhood and his contribution will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.
Dalton Narine, Peter Minshall and Tony Hall. Photo from http://repeatingislands.com
I could hit myself over the
head for missing this one, the TTFF 3rd Annual Carnival film series saw Peter
Minshall attend two screenings of his work, Rat Race, and Mas Man the complete work.
Both directed by Dalton Narine who was also present to answer questions. The
two for me are the greatest teachers I ever had in Mas Minshall the Mas Man and
Narine whose documentaries gave me insight to Minshall’s works through his
documentaries. The two of them in one room, an Epic moment indeed!!
10 BUNJI AND FAYANN BOTH PULL OUT OF FANTASTIC FRIDAY.
Bunji and fayann.
Photo:jayblessed.com
Bunji and Fayann pulling
out of the Soca Monarch competition was probably the biggest upset of carnival
2013. Bunji who arguably had the hottest groovy soca tune of the year with
Diffrentology was seeded to walk away with the title if he competed. Fayann
always coming strong, the POWER soca monarch final of 2013 had the potential of
being the biggest and best in its history. Had the couple decided to go head to
head with Machel and Super Blue in the national stadium on that night it would
have been mayhem. But the couple decided to pull out and the shockwaves went
right through the entire Carnival universe.
What would have been the
final outcome if they had stayed?!
Taken from overtime tv.
Trinidad James talks about his Trinidad and Tobago carnival experience on Sirius Radio and mentions soca stars like Machel Montano, SuperBlue and Bunji Garlin, also the Trinidad and Tobago people.
Now a lot is being said about the CALO festival held over the past weekend and I don't know all the facts, but what I will say is that besides the short comings of which there is a growing list, I thought the entertainment rocked. Between Friday night with Roy Cape featuring Blacks and Benjai, then Krosfyah and Kes the band. To 3canal and Machel on Saturday I had a ball some of the best partying I've done in a while in London.
I will touch on the other stuff later.
For now here's some action from the King of Soca Mr H.D. Machel Montano.
Lyrically, she is ready for Fantastic Friday. Physically, she is prepared and judging by the look of last Sunday’s semifinal round performance, the woman who in 2009 walked away with both the Groovy and Power Monarchs, is more than ready for the on-stage rivalry. The T&T Guardian caught up with Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez last evening. In a brief chat, she said the vibe in her camp as the days drew closer was good.
“I am confident of my song and my chances,” she said. “We’ve been in this for some years and we have a more than in depth idea of what the competition is like.” For the soca empress, whose father Austin “Super Blue” Lyons had for years, ruled the Carnival circuit, the Soca Monarch competition means that lyrics and melody must be second to none. “Plenty times you find artistes don’t focus a lot on lyrics and melody and they won’t get the crowd’s response,” she said.
“Another artiste, on the other hand, may have a popular song but they won’t get the crowd response because their music lacks these elements.” On the issue of what’s seemingly an on-stage bit of rivalry between Machel Montano and Destra Garcia who’ve both been chosen to enter this year’s competition, Fay Ann said such is always the case. “The rivalry exists all the time,” she said. “It exists among the women in the industry...this one find she should be number one and so on.”
The Consider It Done hit-maker, however, says the only difference this time around is the fact that Destra brought the issues into the realm of her fans and supporters of the competition. “I compete with Bunji all the time, but it’s not that you compete, it’s how you deal with the rivalry,” she said. Indicating that she herself was sometimes dubbed aggressive, Lyons-Alvarez argued that one could be aggressive and right, and aggressive with some level of class. She says the problem escalates when disrespectful language and attitudes are meted out in the public domain.
All in all, Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez is ready for whatever showdown may present itself on March 4.
“My aim is to survive this Carnival with my sanity because there’s been a lot of nonsense going on publicly and professionally,” she hinted. She, however, says like each year, she focuses on making music that can take her well into another Carnival, regardless of whether she wins the competitions or not. In the meantime, as the heat of Fantastic Friday’s Soca In The City theme penetrates the land, fans, supporters and even ill-speakers can rest assured that Fay Ann Lyons is coming hard on competition night.
I saw this article and had to post it because its an observation I too have noticed and have spoken to others about...to me this virus started with Mas, then Panorama and then the fetes.However I am aware that the argument can go this way or that, elements such as crime does factor in who goes where and what they pay, but it’s the ‘I don’t wine , I’m to special to break a sweat ‘ mentality that really kills the vibe, and that same vibe can be found in some so called fun bands too!...
Is it just me, or has the spirit of the true Trini Carnival taken a nosedive? This isn’t a column, but I feel the need to vent so please, bear with me… What is it with Trinidadians and this uptown behaviour? Did all the real, wassy, spirited Trinis die and leave behind a rash-like invasion of people who live for fashion, chit-chatting and networking, eating like gluttons at all-inclusive fetes and binge-drinking because they feel they must get their $600 worth by the time the last band sings? Whatever happened to attending a fete to do just that—FETE? The Carnival experience has diminished and, for the most part, the folks who are attending fetes seem to be doing so for all the wrong reasons. Some may take offence to this piece but it really isn’t meant to offend—just to shake us, as a people, back to reality. Trinbagonians have been spoken of around the world as a carefree people, full of life, zest and energy—never a people to care what anyone thinks. Trinis make their own rules, especially at Carnival time. Trinis fete like no other people, from any other part of the globe, possibly can. T&T is the Mecca of Carnival—the place it all began and the place that continues to be credited for its influence across the world. Here it is, though, that in 2010, a Carnival experience is defined by an all-inclusive event that begins at 4 pm and ends promptly at midnight. This is meant to cater for those who feel that crime has hindered their ability to go where they want, when they want. And honestly, to some extent, it has. However, as Bunji Garlin rightly states in his 2010 contribution—Brave—if we allow the true Carnival feting culture to die because of a few evil minds, what will we have in the next five years? What will tourists see, experience and understand about our Carnival atmosphere when they arrive? I’ll tell you: they’ll merely realise that nowadays, T&T’s Carnival is quite the same as any carnivalesque atmosphere, anywhere in the world; it’s nothing special anymore.
The public fetes, the way we’d fete till dawn, dripping beads of sweat, bubbling with joyful emotion and wining low to anything from chutney to rhythmic J’ouvert tunes and the hard-core soca beats that pump adrenaline to the hearts of every patron—that is the essence of the Trini Carnival feting culture. In 2010, Bazodee Friday was a shameful display of a crowd who’d come merely to strut their stuff, chat with those they hadn’t seen for the week and stand in heels to prove they could look great at a Carnival fete. Sadly, there was no vibe and the soca bands couldn’t be blamed. The feters are to blame. We as a people must take responsibility for the imminent crash of Carnival. Carnival is that single time of year when people of all socio-economic backgrounds mingle and misbehave as one.
There’s no question of whether one person is from the Beetham and another is from Westmoorings. It’s that time of year when—in the past—we’d wine together, drink together and smile cheerfully at one another. Now, with the advent of all-inclusive bands—there is segregation and they say it’s because of crime—but is it really? Or, is it because there’s money to be made? Ever stopped to think that the reveller in the all-inclusive band that you’re jumping alongside just might be the girlfriend of a drug baron from the Beetham? She, too, can afford to pay the exorbitant price for safety, free food and free liquor. Food for thought…are we really solving the problem of crime by creating exclusive atmospheres for the elite, or are we killing Carnival and segregating society further in the process? T&T, in the weeks ahead, you can find me at Army Fete and Brass—The Rebirth. I palanced with soca’s finest at WASA fete last weekend too. I intend to keep my Carnival untainted by exclusivity and I intend to do it freely, like I did ten years ago. Trinidad Guardian
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