Booster Shot: 2008 Barbados Party Monarch Finalists Announced

Source: National Cultural Foundation Barbados


19 – Party Monarch Finalists 2008


TENT NAME SOBRIQUET


All Stars Kimberley Inniss Kimberley Inniss


All Stars Miguel White Miguel


Bacchanal Time Khiomal Nurse Khiomal


Bacchanal Time Justin King Justin King


Bacchanal Time Donella Weekes Donella


Bacchanal Time Rameses Browne Rameses


Bacchanal Time Peter Wiggins Peter Ram


De Big Show Natalie Burke Nathalee


De Big Show Stedson Wiltshire RPB


De Big Show Terencia Coward-Thompson T C


De Big Show Ryan Chase Buggy


De Big Show Jafar Burnett-Burnett Jafar


Headliners Michael Mercer Mikey


Headliners Anderson Armstrong Blood


Headliners Dale Rudder Mr. Dale


House Of Soca Jude Clarke and Owen John Hee Haw & Dragon Slayer


House of Soca Daniel Borman Jimmy Dan


House of Soca Owen John Dragon Slayer


Tomorrow’s Children Jamar Bradshaw Jay-B



Reigning Monarch


Headliners Ricky Reid Lil’ Rick



Reserve


De Big Show Elenza Brewster Serenader





NB. The draw for order of appearance will be conducted at the NCF HQs at 10:45 a.m on Saturday 19 July, 2008

Read more...

The Rounds - June 24, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. It’s a steamy Sunday night here in Toronto, and de music -- only makes it hot-ter! Yonge Street was set ablaze all weekend as thousands got together to celebrate PRIDE. And all of us have something to be proud about, ya know.
For the Guyanese listeners, you ought to be proud your nation is celebrating forty-one years of independent rule. For the Washington D.C. posse, yesterday was about displaying your colours on de road for the D.C. Caribbean Carnival.
If you made it to BLACKOUT last night, you MUST be proud you got to see KMC and RED, WHITE and BLACK in their first Toronto performance this year.
And if you were planning to take part in an annual summer tradition called Unite De Nations, you ought to be proud of ME for letting YOU know …it’s moving FROM Markham Fairgrounds TO Wild Water Kingdom. Trust me on dat!
Whatever circumstances you face in life, you have to big up your chest and luv yuhself. A couple a tick tings in Barbados are doing just that - as they fight for the rights of full bodied women who want to play mas. I’m sure you’ve noticed how skimpy carnival costumes have become over the years. Well imagine this. A popular Kadooment band called Baje international is under attack for only providing FIVE costumes for plus sized revellers in each of its eight sections. That’s only 40 costumes out of six-teen-hundred. Which ain’t right AT TALL (unless somebody tink I dotish enough to believe that only two point five percent of west Indian women have a lil extra something to shake.)
So de big girls and dem wont be jumping with Baje, but when they DO hit the road on Kadooment day, there’s no doubt they go take a jump to de sweet sounds of Jabae. This CropOver de Chandler brothers are coming strong as they prepare to release their first album - “Circle Evolution”. It’s a 14-track disc featuring reigning party monarch Barry Chandler and his Brother Bruce…now going by Bruce Wayne. Trinidad’s Mista Vybe is also lending his vocal stylings to de mix with a single called BLAZE IT UP, just released today.
Hundreds of youth in the Eastern Caribbean are vying for a chance to release their own albums as auditions for the third annual Digicel Rising Star competition are underway. Last week was St. Lucia. This week Barbados. And so it begins..the search that brought us Kimberly Inniss and Kyron Baptiste. Once again this winner will take home ten thousand dollars U.S. in cash, a recording contract and lots of fabulous prizes. The organizers say that next year they hope to open the competition to all Caribbean states where their services are offered….crowning a true Caribbean STAR…now that’s something we can ALL take pride in.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s rounds. Text me your comments @ 9-3-5-9-3-5. Now back to de docta!


Sparking up de flames!!

Read more...

The Rounds - October 22, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lover’s I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Happy Diwali to one and all!!! Two weeks till Soca or Die 5 and I’m ready to light it up. Can’t lie. We celebrating Doctor Jay’s Birthday and he shipping up half of the Caribbean to do it. Mr. Vybe, Peter Ram, Benjai, Lil Rick, Michelle Sylvester, Kimberly Inniss, Nadia Batson, Barry Chandler ( hold on, let me catch me breath) Ms. Alysha, Problem Child, Terry Seales …and Mr. Isaac Blackman. Woy woy!

I better start doing meh stretches from now. It go be a whole set of jump and wave and bump and wine. And I could barely wait. Birthdays are the perfect time for celebration. I find most people don’t make time to celebrate life and I hadda ask you…what on earth are you waiting for?

Last month Kimberly Inniss celebrated her 25th birthday at the Weiser’s Bar in Barbados. The evening was a celebration of all the blessings that have come her way in recent years. She cut the cake with special man in her life, her little son, Malik. The evening was also the launch party for her first album “Come with me”. The CD fuses soca and reggae together in a unique way – A way that shows off Kimberly’s gifts as a songwriter, composer and arranger.

I’m thinking those mussee de same gifts that landed her a second place finish in last year’s Eastern Caribbean Digicel Rising Stars competition. She came second to a gospel artist from St. Vincent, but Kim is not suffering at all. Exposure from the TV show has made her a household name in Barbados and an inspiration to young girls as well. Ah feel she go be inspiring a whole lot of young men come November 4th too. Hips and ting mesmerizing…(steups) Dr. Jay, … fadda raise up yuh bottom lip.

A few days prior to OUR big birthday fete Trinidad will be hosting a major celebration of its own. The COTT Music Awards will be happening at Queen’s Hall on November the second. COTT is a copyright organization so, it honours songwriters and composers. And many of them are coming to Soca or Die Five. Nadia Batson is up for Female Songwriter of the year and Best Groovy Soca. Michelle Sylvester is up for best new songwriter.

I checked the list for Reggae and Dancehall and was surprised that I didn’t’ see Isaac Blackman’s name on the list. Sometimes I have to remind myself to be patient. Blackman’s song may have blazed right up to the ceiling of all the music charts in T&T, but it’s still too new for any nominations. Blackman happens to be the son of Ras Shorty I. If you’re a true soca lover then, you’d know that Shorty is credited as the man who first created the soca sound , a blend of African and Indian rhythms that we all love so much. So, his son is singing something groovy that’s sounding like reggae. I wouldn’t sweat it too much. He has good music in his blood…and that is enough for me.

Blackman is definitely not the only artist making music most people wouldn’t have expected. What about Ms. Alysha? Her sound is not your typical candy wrapper sweet. This girl is considered the baddest female lyricist, bringing a hardcore ragga style to her music in a way we usually only hear from men. This month Ms. Alysha lent her voice to the new Thunder Cat Riddim which also features Maximus Dan and Jadee…and next month she’ll be lending she voice to sing me and de docta happy birthday. I hope hear allyuh singing too.

I’m nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to soca at flow 935 dot com. Now, back to de doctor.

Read more...

The Rounds - October 15, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. With less than one month to go before Soca or Die five…I’m starting to feel the anticipation in the air. Personally, I think de good doctor gone mad bringing every artiste and they brudda up to celebrate he birthday. But I tell you, when you’re the Prince of Soca, there’s no better way to show the city how much soca has been part of your life, than to throw a party the city will never forget. I’m real looking forward to it. Last week Doctor Jay mentioned that I will be marking a birthday too….dancing into the night with a slew of soca Scorpios -Murda!
This week, MTV Tempo finally released their birthday celebration plans as well. And guess when is their big party… that’s right! Saturday, November 4th. The big anniversary fete goes down on the island of St. Croix. It will feature performances by Shurwayne Winchester, Saucy Wow and a couple of others. But nothing like what we’re doing here. We packing up de KoolHaus with Doctor Jay and a truckload of his soca friends. I don’t think allyuh understand how excited I am to see Kimberly Inniss and Lil Rick perform “My Hips”…oh gosh L’il Rick people!!!
Oh-Kay…back to de rounds. Last week I let you know that Jamesy P was chilling at home rather than going down the road with fellow hit maker Jason Benn in Miami, That’s OK, because it turns out Mr. Benn was doing just fine on he own. Benn took away the 2006 Miami Soca Monarch Title last weekend with a song called “Who to Choose” It appears that the judges chose him. The Trini born singer is based in Brooklyn New York and is known there as a top promoter of Boat rides and Parties. He’s also known for his golden voice, having won New York Soca Artiste of the year four years ago at the first ever international Soca Awards.
I love it when hard working people get their due recognition. Benn is a songwriter too. In the past, he has composed songs for Denyse Plummer, Natasha Wilson, and Candy Hoyte.
Jason says he’ll be stepping it even hotter this year. He wrote a song for Destra called “ I dare you.” And although he hasn’t performed in Trinidad for carnival in three years, he plans to break that habit in 2007.
While we’re talking about hard workers who hadda get they props…I want to direct your attention to Doctor Jay de Soca prince. After all these years of Soca therapy, dat man been busting he hump to give you the very best in soca music. He works plenty hard and understands that sometimes when you’re busy, it’s good to get a little help. Lucky for me, because if wasn’t for Jay, Nurse Karen wouldn’ta ha no wuk.
And I must say, I’m thankful. Since I started bringing you the rounds, I’ve been learning something new every week. This week I found out a little something about my own heritage. Los Angeles carnival takes place in the community of Westchester. It’s home to a good sized Caribbean population as well as lots of Garifuna people. This is especially interesting to me, because of my own Garifuna ancestry. The Garifuna are a mixed race people who are the descendants of Shipwrecked African slaves and Amerindians who lived in St. Vincent. 5000 of them were exiled from St. Vincent when the British colonized the island. So, LA carnival has a slightly different sound track. Soca – Check!, Calypso – Check! And Punta…. Sounds similar to soca, it’s sung in English and Garifuna and comes from Belize, Hunduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and everywhere else large Garifuna populations are found. Maddzart performed last night at a huge Punta meets Soca fete. And right now, he’s joining the action on the road. I definitely have to join that action one day too. Punta music is plenty fun to dance to. And with that I bid you “Bwee-tee Gunyon”, I mean Good Night…
I’m nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to Soca a Flow 935 dot com. Now, back to de docta.

Read more...