Nurse's Lounge: Tribal Knights 2009 Band Launch - Birds of Paradise

For the last couple Caribana's I've been shaking my tail feathers with Tribal Knights mas band on the road.  In 2009, the theme is gonna be Birds of Paradise, which means I may have actual tail feathers to shake...if I play my cards right.  

The launch was on Saturday at the Wyndham hotel on Yorkland Boulevard (is that in  Scarborough?)  Being that I adore Dexter and Gail Seusahai aka Mr. and Mrs. Tribal Knights.  I knew I had to support.  I wrote up the section descriptions, and was excited to hear what they sounded like all jazzed up in studio, booming over a loud speaker as the models paraded out.  However, I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it since I had Jesse's B-Day Bash first.

So I get a call while I was stuffing my mouth full of some sweet macaroni pie.  Twas Ian Andre Espinet. He's one of Toronto's top Urban club promoters and  happens to also be a new section leader for the band).  He was at the hotel  trying to pull things together for the launch.  Most of the T's were crossed and I's were dotted, all except for one - my I - a.k.a. ME.

A change in plans last week resulted in those little section descriptions I wrote NOT getting recorded.  All was good, except the MC who was hired for the gig was about 4 hours out of town and wouldn't make it back in time.

'Gulp!' There went the last of the macaroni pie. The band needed an emcee.  No more sweet food for me. I skipped to the car in the rain and raced across town for the big debut. 

This year, the new band on the block seems to have scored a few more cool point with Toronto's in-crowd of mas. Tribal Knights gobbled up popular section leaders from Toronto Revellers, including Ian and Brian Espinet, as well as Royette Baptiste and Alain Arthur, from Caribbean Vibrations TV.  Having big promoters in the band like CVR and IAE, plus a partnership with Tamla Matthew's Caribbean Dance Theatre means the public was definitely in the know this time around.

The crowd was steady.  Enforcas, Jester, Jason Chambers handled the music.  Other popular mas bands sent their spies!  The costumes were stunning, and I think the presentation was well received.

If you were there, maybe you can fill me in on the lil drama between the couple ah loud mouths with no behaviour after it was over.  I heard ting about smallies shouting, man flat on floor, and some shark and bake on the wall. 

If you weren't there, never mind THAT!  Doesn't make sense to me either. 

Dunno which bird I am as yet, but I have to share kudos to all who made Saturday night a success. Tribal Knights, you've raised the bar for 2009.  So, naturally a few new people gonna limbp under it.  The more the merrier!