The Rounds: Shaunelle McKenzie is a Mommy!

Originally aired on Sunday, March 28, 2010 on Soca Therapy with Dr. Jay de Soca Prince (Flow 93.5 FM Toronto)

In this edition:
- Trelawny Carnival this weekend (Jamaica)
- Bacchanal Blocko 2010 Cancelled (Jamaica)
- Fadda Fox, Skinny Fabulous and Monstapiece rock UWI Carnival (Jamaica)
- Rupee remixes "Frenzy"
- Bomani plans new Vincy Mas fete (St. Vincent)
- Shaunelle McKenzie gives birth (St. Vincent)

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen, and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  Easter is just one week away, which means just a few days till Jamaica Carnival for Soca fans in Trelawny. ...Three days of revelry to the sounds of Byron Lee’s Dragonaires led by Oscar B.  Other events include a soca / reggae party on Good Friday, Family Fun and oldies disco day on Saturday, and a sport bike show on the Sunday.  It’s definitely not your traditional expression of Carnival other Easter for that matter.  But then again Jamaica has always been on the forefront of cultural innovations!

            Jamaica’s other carnival,  Bacchanal Jamaica, just announced the cancellation one of it’s signature events this season.  Sad to say, the Bacchanal Blocko is off for 2010.   Organizers cite unforeseen circumstances.

Nurse Karen and Skinny Fabulous in Toronto (2008)

Students in Jamaica celebrated UWI Carnival last night.  They lucked out on a hot show  from Fadda Fox, Skinny Fabulous.  In a just a few minutes the action will continue on The Plumbers Boatride.  With the weather we’ve been having over here, doesn’t a boatride in sunny Jamaica sound perrrrrfect?

Meanwhile , Barbados’ soca sweet boy Rupee  is back home after one month of touring in Europe.   Toronto Hip Hop fans will be excited to hear that he’s got a remix of the song FRENZY on the way.  It feature’s T-Dot rude bwoy Kardinall Offishall, so keep your ears to the ground for that.

Nurse Karen and Kardinal Offishall in Toronto (2008)

Toronto fete-goers had a couple of great indoor options for entertainment over the weekend.  One fete featured Bomani from St. Vincent.  If you missed him, he tells me  he’s hard at work organizing his first ever concept show for Vincy Mas 2K10.  It’s called Soca in de Dark.   The dimly lit, intimate night of groovy and raga vibe is set for the Month of May and will feature a cast of SVG artists as well as a guest appearance from Krosfyah!

Bomani and Nurse Karen in New York (2008)

           If you know the Vincy scene, you would know that Bomani sings in a band called HS Phaktor with a talented female vocalist by the name of Shaunelle Mckenzie.  Last Saturday, Shaunelle became a new mom, giving birth to a bouncing baby girl named Sade.  She weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounzes, and from all accounts, she’s happy, healthy and verrrry hungry! 

Shaunelle McKenzie and Nurse Karen in St. Vincent (2008)

            I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  For more info on everything you heard.  Check me out online at Nurse dash Karen dot com, or Follow me...”Nurse Karen” on Twitter.  Now, back to de Docta!

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The Rounds: Porn distributor resigns from radio

In this edition: 

• Curtis Eustace leaves Carnival Nationz
• Jamaica Carnival 2009 cancelled
• Davy Murray resigns from Boom Champions 94.1
• Red Hot Flames about to hire a new female lead vocalist

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds. Happy Easter! This is the time of year we tend think about cute fluffy bunnies and little chicks being born.  But that stuff just reminds ME of all the little mas bands in Toronto hatching their big ideas for Caribana 2009.  It's band launch season kiddies!  Which means carnival come back again! This year, Dr. Jay has joined forces with veteran title-winning bandleader Louis Saldenah to bring his own section called Crave.  Marxman has signed on again with Tribal Knights, who's portraying the theme, Birds of Paradise.  Jamaal MaGloire's Toronto Revellers invites you to Brazil this year.   And Carnival Nationz?  Well, for the time being, they are saying goodbye to former Bandleader Curtis Eustace.  He's cooked up a brand new band called All Spice.  Check your favourite caribbean websites for details.
      Earlier this week, the daughter of Byron Lee dropped a bomb on the Jamaican media when she announced that Jamaica Carnival would be cancelled this year.  2009 was to be the 20th anniversary of the street jump up founded by her famous dad in the 80's.  She points the finger at the recession for the cancellation, saying 80 per cent of the carnival events do not earn revenue, and a carnival was not viable with waning corporate support.
       To avoid confusion, I want to point out that there are two carnivals in Jamaica.  Bacchanal Jamaica, the more popular offshoot of the original carnival will continue as planned, complete with all the bells and whistles I've been telling you about: the Mas camp concerts, Beach J'ouvert and of course, the parade of the bands!
        This recession ting not easy, yuh know.  But, lucky for you, I know a few places hiring if you happen to be out of work.  Trinidad and Tobago's Boom Champions radio station received a letter of resignation on Thursday from a long time news presenter called Davy Murray.  He's in some serious legal hot water right now after appearing in court Monday on porn charges.  Crazy, yes? Murray is charged with using the internet to distribute naked photos of a female soca artist who used to be pretty popular in Trinidad.  And NO, I'm not telling you who.
       If presenting news isn't your thing, perhaps you'll consider becoming the new lead singer of Antigua's Red Hot Flames!  The popular soca band from the island with a beach for every day of the year is looking for someone to replace Esther Dyer who *cough cough* left the band back in August.  The field has been narrowed to two.  Oungku tells me he's having the hardest time choosing between Florida-based Saffire and Trini-based Bitts...you soca fans have known over the years as Lil Bitts.  He hopes to announce the new leading lady by the end of the month after both candidates get one last chance to come and gig with the band.
      So, that's the kind of week it's been in soca.  One last thing.  Fay Ann finally got paid on Tuesday.  So, I guess the recession missing THAT family.

          I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  Satisfy your curiosity about all these News Stories online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple w dot mustard seeds dot net.  Or just follow NurseKaren on twitter to get up to the minute info as it happens.  Now, back to de Docta!

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