The Rounds: Caribana Results are in!

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m Nurse Karen and these are your Caribana 2010 Rounds!

Can you believe it?  Caribana 2010 is upon us...and the parade of the bands went down yesterday on lakeshore boulevard.  I hit the road early Saturday morning with Dr. Jay’s Portrait of Innocence section in Saldenah Mas K Club’s  2010 presentation “ Portraits”.  Hundreds of revellers took to the streets in a display of vibrance, colour and energy, jumping, waving, palancing and wining all the way to victory.  Thats right soca massive.  With 446 points from the judges, Saldenah is your 2010 Band of the year!  In second with 426 points was mega band Carnival Nationz, and for a very close third, we have Toronto Revellers, this year featuring live performances from Machel Montano HD on the road.

It’s been a great year for Louis Saldenah. At Thursday night’s King and Queen show, his loyal revellers shook their mas into first position for Queen of the Bands, as well as male and female individual. Another special honour was being conferred the Ontario Science centre Innovation Costume Award for “Queen” Pat Horsham’s portrayal of D’Chandelier – A Portrait in Chrystal.  This stunning representation of an elegant light fixture was constructed mainly from Recycled materials.

Seven points shy of clean sweep, Dexter Seusahai of Tribal Knights shook up the competition winning 2010 King of the Bands for his portrayal of “Predator Returns”  Congratulations to all the mas makers, and players keeping the culture healthy and strong.

Now on Friday, Pan Alive was a veritable Battle Zone, with 12 bands trying their darnedest to dethrone Montreal’s Salah’s Steelband Academy from their 3 year domination of the pan arena.  As it turns out, much like the winners ... the two bands who tied for 3^rd place, namely Afropan and Panatics also chose to compete with their own arrangements of Anslem Douglas’ pan tune “Battle Zone”.  In second place, we have Golden Harps international with “Surrender”...and in first... hard luck Toronto.  Salah’s reigns supreme again.   

Before I go, gotta update you on the results out of Antigua.  Tian Winter is now a 2-time King.  He took the party monarch title last night in his home Island of Wadadli.  In the groovy category, local soca queen Claudette Peters took snatched the crown back from last year’s winner Tian.  Ricardo Drue also competed in Antigua last night, celebrating his birthday in heavy competition.

I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Caribana 2010 Rounds.  For more information on all you heard today, visit me online at www.nurse-karen.com or follow me "nursekaren" on twitter...

Read more...

Nurse's Lounge: My 'Glass Half Full' Caribana Thursday...

How did we get here already? Toronto's weather this Summer failed to warn me that Caribana was on its way. So, when I woke up yeserday to balmy sunshine and a skype call from the Caribbean alerting me of an artiste's travel itinerary, it occurred to me, the season is here.

When it comes to Caribana a few things make for a great carnival...for me anyway.

1. Excellent weather

2. A great costume

3. A lil spare time to lime with friends

4. Music ...like uh duh!

I officially pulled myself out of hiding, because those elements were beginning to compound quite nicely. Already told you about the sunshine. Finally, no rain..and a day I didn't need to sport a sweater. Element 1 = PASS!

I jumped in my car and headed WAY out to Mascampville to pick up my superhot Tribal Knights "Golden Pheasant" costume, only to find out...they had special pick up times that no one told me about. So, after sitting on the highway virtually parked for an hour, just to get their BEFORE the evening rush. The trip was in vain. OK...element 2 = FAIL

Or so I thought. Got a call from one of my best girls. She'll be playing in another section of the same band. Her costume was ready..and was headed that way to get her "Macaw" on. We decided to connect later. Element 3 = PASS

In the meantime, I found a local salon to contend with my unruly kinks. Toronto is a city of models and might-as-well-be models, so why not get my hottie-hottie on. There was NO way I was getting back onto the Don Valley Parkway ay 5 pm anyway. No way!

The rest of the evening consisted of meeting my sistrin to shop for accessories, jewellery, shoes, eyelashes and accents to compliment our costumes on the road. We are going to look sooo bashy! LOL. We decided to decorate our new canvas flats with feathers. I'm petrified mine will turn out to be a hot mess.

Just as I was cashing out, the celly rang. A certain soca monarch had landed...and was looking to lime. And so it began. Ran home to meet up at the Afropan panyard outside the King and Queen finals. Tonight Afropan will be competing in pan alive with their rendition of Len and Machel's "Magic Drum" with a dose of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" thrown in. They sounding good. All the other bands better watch out!

Next stop was Orange Room...the after party for The Dr. Jay and DJ Spice boatride. We reached late. Seems like security was on some hateration, so they closed down the fete early. Element 4 = FAIL!

Thx to de docta, the liming crew was able to head upstairs to theLady Luck Pre-Caribana Kick Off rooftop party at The Skybar. It was a scene out of a hip hop video....models, bottles and fake bodyparts EVERYWHERE. The soundtrack was Drake about 60 per cent of the time. I can't lie...de boy has talent. Not soca, but Element 4 could get a PASS now. Local celebs like Lil X and Chris Bosh were on the rooftop mixing with the common folk too.

Yeah so....starting now, my carnival is about carnival. That means...we on soca, and soca alone. Had a nice lil warm up with 2.5 of my 4 'great carnival' elements on lock. Today we work on actually getting the costume in hand...and tonight it's all about great music!

Who say Soca or Die!?!

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

Read more...

Nurse's Lounge: (Video) The "Skinny" on Caribana

If you haven't realized it yet. Your girl has a passion for editing video. I LOVE IT! So, these clips have been sitting on the cutting room floor for the last two months. This morning I decided to put them to good use. See Mr. "Head Bad" like never before...as he welcomes you into his world for Caribana 2008. 

Music: Crazy Vybe - Scratchmaster Roadmix- Skinny Fabulous featuring Jamesy P

Cameos:
Maximus Dan
Bunji Garlin
Afterdark - Andrew Sutherland
Nurse Karen
Devon "The Split" Jones
Afropan


Places:
Nurse's Lounge - Intro
Palazzo - KOS J'ouvert
If Lounge - The Split's Birthday Bruch
Lakeshore Boulevard - Caribana Parade with Tribal Knights
Sound Academy - CVR Fire Fete

Read more...

Nurse's Lounge: Afropan Lime

Here's a few clips from this evening at the Afropan panyard. Next week is the big blocko. Come out if you can!

Read more...

The Rounds - August 5, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. This is it Toronto: Caribana 2007! 40 years of mas in T.O….and we’ve STILL got it.
Congratulations to Jamaal Magloire and the Toronto Revellers Mas band for stopping Carnival Nationz in their tracks. The larger than life presentation of Viva Las Vegas clinched the band of the year title, denying last year’s winners their highly anticipated 3-peat. Instead Carnival Nationz had to settle for 3rd place, right behind longtime favourites, Louis Saldenah’s Mas K Club.
Friday night, the action was at Pan Alive…and there’s no doubt the music was sounding sweet, sweet, sweet. So sweet the judges and them had a hard time picking a winner. In the end, Salah’s Steelpan Academy from Montreal caused a major upset on Toronto turf. Rivals Pan Fantasy, Afropan and New Dimension left Lamport on equal footing, stunned…in a three way tie for second place.
Did you see how pretty the pretty mas was looking on the road yesterday. Sure, all the sexy Toronto men and women could take credit for that. But you really have to big up the bandleaders, mas designers and mas men and women for building some of the most spectacular big costumes Toronto has ever seen. If you were fighting up to get a glimpse on the lakeshore, do yourself a favour and buy yuhself a ticket to the king and queen show next year. That is theatre and pageantry….Masquerade at it’s best. Congratulations to Barokeete Canada’s Joanne Boisson for winning Female Individual of the Year. And Carnival Nationz Kurt Alexander, Tamara Alleyne Gittens, and Rudy Rampersad for winning top prizes for Male Individual, Queen of the Bands and King of the Bands respectively.
For all the bajans and Antiguans who weren’t able to find an outrageously priced flight to this year’s cropover and carnival festivities…let me tell you what you’ve missed. Over in Antigua, they’re celebrating 50 years of Carnival. As predicted last week, Claudetter Peters is once again Soca Monarch and Little Rick was Crowned party monarch last Sunday in BIM. His win was overshadowed, however, by a terrible car crash that claimed the lives of six barbadians on the way to the show. Allyuh remember to be safe on the roads as you enjoy the carnival. We want to see you again next year.
On a lighter note, Mr. Dale was just crowned the Peoples Monarch for Soca Junkie. As the Winner, he earned himself a brand to mazda sedan…The problem is… my man doesn’t exactly know how to drive. But don’t laugh too hard. Since they started giving out cars at these shows, he’s the seventh artiste to win that has no experience behind the wheel. Whappen tu yuh bajan posse…allyuh have the flattest island, with the safest roads…and if they sharing out cars…the least you could do is get a license.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s rounds for Caribana 2007. Please text your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5. Now back to de docta.

Read more...