DJ's View: LP on Carnival Explosion (Atlanta)

Soca PEOPLE!!!! Here's your last installment from LP of G13 Sound International. Gotta say thanks once again for working overtime to get (Nurse) Karen (Etc) exlusive reviews of the Atlanta Carnival action. I almost feel like I was there. (Almost y'all! But being there woulda been WAYYYYY better!)

From my point of view, of all the fetes, Carnival Explosion had the most hype leading into the weekend. I can wager a guess why. Check this line up: Destra and her Band, Fay Ann Lyons, Bunji Garlin, Benjai, Trini Jacobs and Ziggy Ranking!

Here's what LP had to say...

Saturday, May 23, 2009: Carnival Explosion

This fete was a bit further from downtown Atlanta than Memorial Drive, but the T&T posse as well as the soca faithful made the journey out to Decatur after a long day at the Festival Village. DJ Stan from St Lucia and DJ Soca Diva from Miami started the warm up nicely until Giselle De Wassi One took the control and brought out Ziggy Ranking and Trini Jacobs for live performances. Patch took the stage to his hit, "Rum & Roti," followed by Benjai who delivered his big tunes such as "Over & Over," "Drunk Again," and "By De Bar," which also led to a guest performance by Bunji Garlin.

Denise Belfon took the stage next, giving a big performance of her classics such as "Wine & Bend Over" as well as newer tunes like "Bicycle Wine" and "Licks".
The crowd was now hype for the current road march and soca monarch queen Fay Ann Lyons. Fay Ann took the stage and delivered hit after hit, keeping the crowd running the entire time, ultimately ending in the 2009 T&T Road March, "Meet Superblue".

The crowd then waited for about an hour before Destra Garcia and her band took the stage at roughly 5:30am. Always worth the wait, Destra proceeded to deliver hit after hit such as "Bacchanal," "Jumpin," "We Say So," "Max It Up," "Bonnie N' Clyde," and "Fly", until unfortunately the owners of the venue shut the party down at about 6am. All in, the crowd seemed to enjoy the jam and still weren't ready to go home! Big up DJ Tony Tempo for really holding the event together from start to finish.

I was able to get great video of the first three Destra songs and upload it to youtube, check it out!

Whoa LP! Too bad it took them so long to set up. I mean, you can't get vex with a venue for shutting down at 6 am. But, when the last act not starting till 5:30, I feel that's something the promoter could have organized a little better. Just saying....

Thanks again for fixing us up with your on the scene account of your weekend in Atlanta. Hope you had the best time!

If you missed LP's earlier rundowns of the soca climate in Atlanta, click them below!

ACCBA Parade of the Bands
J'Ouvert Party by Krushmore Entertainment

If you enjoyed getting 411 from ATL, hit up LP on MySpace. Be sure to tell him I sent you!


Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen