The Rounds: Here's the proof - Faye-Ann's Belly!

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds. Last night was a real busy one here in Toronto. The action was spread across the city for Dr. Jay's Big People Comedy and Parang Show featuring music by Leon Coldero.

The Nurse and Leon Coldero at Broward Carnival in October

Mr. Playhouse threw his "November to Remember" birthday Party with an ALL STAR line up of selectors...AND lastly, CVR Jingle Jam. Santa was there, Frosty was there and I was there too. The cast was Bunji, Shurwayne and Skinny Fabulous ...but I have to admit I was mainly studying Faye-Ann Lyons and her 5 months pregnant belly. If you didn't believe me the first time around Mrs. Lyons-Alvarez is most definitely pregnant. She was jumping up and down barefoot with a big checkered scarf covering the protruding bump. And because my approach to journalism is extremely thorough, I even gave it a little rub. Belly still hard like rock. Just a different shape now.

Nurse Karen giving Faye-Ann's belly a rub for good luck!

Other news from Trinidad's hottest couple...while Faye-Ann has been busy building a baby in her workshop, husband Bunji has been building beats in his lab. By now, no doubt you have already heard the Bus Stop Riddim, new for Trini Carnival 2009. That is the result of Bunji Garlin's first go at music production. Not a bad effort at all.


Now to another more experienced PRODUCER, who happens to be an artist as well. Tortola-native Kamau Georges a.k.a Mr Network added a new credit to his resume last week. He co-producer a track for Ludacris' brand new album Theatre of the Mind with Clinton Sparks. That should mean something to you if you're into hip hop! The song is called "Calling up the homies!"...but look out for another chune that you won't find on the album. It features Ludacris and magician Chris Angel. The song is aptly named "Mind Freak!"

Nurse Karen with Kamau on Carnival Monday in Trinidad

Which brings to MIND, an artist whose voice is a FREAK of nature. So you know Teddyson John?...former St. Lucia Groovy Soca Monarch? He got married to his girlfriend of 6 years about 2 weeks ago. They are so hot. Word is Teddy was emotional at the sight of his gorgeous bride. They said their vows, then the happy couple cruised the Caribbean for their honeymoon.

A shot with Teddyson before he tied the knot at St. Lucia Power Soca Monarch Finals in July

Before I go...lemme just send my official happy birthday greetings to Lil Rick, and the lovely island that brought us the Hypa Dog....Barbados! Today is the nation's 42nd anniversary of independence.

Here I am at my birthday party last month with Bajan B-day boy Lil Rick!

Celebrations took place throughout the Diaspora last night, but at home in BIM the official event was held at Garrison Savannah. The show featured a re-enactment of the first independence complete with rain showers. But the stars were out in abundance to keep the spirits high. There were performances from Peter Ram, Nathalee Burke, Red Plastic Bag, Arturo Tappin and Adrian Clarke. Then to end the night with a bang...the sky lit up with a stunning display of fireworks. I'm Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. To leave a comment, see photos and videos or just read more about your favourite artists...and don't forget to subscribe to The Rounds Podcast on itunes or Soca Therapy dot com. Now, back to de docta!

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Booster Shot: Christmas is here early thanks to Ma$tamind

Shawn "Mastamind" Noel and Natasha Andrews Noel are back at it again with upcoming release of their latest compilation album, A Ma$tamind Christmas 3. If you love parang, parang soca and all things that say west indies style Christmas, you might as well start early.

You know that I don't devote a post to every and any album that comes out. But hear nah, this release might as well be a Christmas miracle! As I write this, Ma$tamind Productions Business Manager Natasha-Andrews Noel is at home recovering from some very serious surgery. I do know the details...but I doh feel dat is everybody business! So, the completion of this album is a miraculous feat given the circumstances of her condition.

The Ma$tamind, Myself and Natasha at Island Style's Dawn Fete in Trinidad 2008

Here's what I can tell you: The album will be available on www.trinidadtunes.com on November 7th. The usually do a great job getting their merch on itunes and amazon too. So...save your pennies and support.

Here's who you'll hear crooning on the album:

Fuki (sister of Eddie Charles)

Krissy Grant (St. Lucia)

Lady Tantalizer

Leon Coldero

Merc

Mr. Shammi

Naki

Patch

Peter De Royce

Simple Dread

Third Bass

...and of course....that ever-so-sweet Shawn "Ma$tamind" Noel (the man responsible for producing all the tracks. Word is this former Asylum keyboardist gives his first solo singing performance on a track that was co-written by he and his wifey!

(Kudos on your COTT award nods, by the way!)

Here I am at Broward Carnival 2008 with Leon Coldero, who is featured on A Ma$tamind Christmas 3

Be sure to give it a listen, and follow through with your pocket book.

Tasha...get well soon babes!

For more on this amazing couple and their company, take a look at the article I wrote about them just last year for WE Magazine

Ma$tamind Productions: Making Beautiful Music Together

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The Rounds: Biggie Irie to Release his first album

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds.

If you ask any true soca afficionado why this music hasn't hit big in the mainstream, most of them will tell you this: soca is extremely seasonal and often never gets the chance to grace the sandy shores of neighbouring islands. Well, good news soca lovers, it's beginning to look like that might change!

The Caribbean is growing smaller now that two West Indies produced music TV programs have been licensed to air across the region. About two months ago, Barbados-based ALT entertainment announced that it's 5-year old music video countdown program called "Roamin" would begin to air in 25 new territories, after striking a deal with a CBS affiliate station. The show features reggae and soca music videos, and showcases the local youth-culture of the islands they visit. Every Thursday night viewers in the States, Central America and the Spanish and French Caribbean will finally have a chance to find out what WE ting is all about!

This week, little-old Montserrat celebrated a similar milestone.... The Warren Cassell show will focus on live performances by Caribbean artistes. Claudette Peters, The Mighty Sparrow, Edwin Yearwood and Kevin Lyttle are all slated to appear in season one. The program will air in 17 countries.

Looks like Caribbean integration is happening all around. When it comes to the music, you can't help but notice that regional differences aren't quite so simple to pick out on first listen. That even extends to themes. Earlier this year, Bunji and Hunter had a big hit in Bring It…and I recently found out that two Bajan artistes plan to celebrate the virtues of RUM this year too.

Contone is one of them. He has big TINGs up his sleeve with a song that samples Rehab by Amy Winehouse.

Biggie Irie brought the Caribbean together in 2007 when he became the first foreigner to win the Groovy Soca Monarch crown in Trinidad. Right now he's busy compiling his first ever soca album. For Crop Over he will release 5 new songs. "Break Away" and "Bigg Girlz" are two groovy tunes produced by Dwain Antrobus, the guy who brought us Wining Season and Assume De Position last year. The last 3 songs in production with Chris Allman. Biggie's songs will start to hit the airwaves by the end of May.

South of the border the month of June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month. So, the community of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida will be getting together to celebrate the 14th anniversary of UNIFEST. It's a pan-Caribbean festival organized by the Greater Caribbean American Cultural Coalition. On June 1st, Leon Coldero, Nigel Lewis and Juliette Mills will be bring the soca vibrations.I'm Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. Leave me your comments at the Nurse Karen Etc Blog at triple W dot mustardseeds dot net. Now back to de docta!

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The Rounds - October 14, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. I hope allyuh had a safe and happy thanksgiving with family and friends. So, now are you ready for Christmas? I realize it’s a bit early to ask that question, but we had a few nights this week when I could have sworn that Santa Claus was on his way!
Mastamind Productions is getting ready for the holidays early as well. Tomorrow their brand new “Mastamind Christmas” CD drops. I’m talking about 15 tracks featuring songs by Leon Coldero, De Postman, Third Bass and others. Soca Parang, Classical Parang, and good old fashioned Christmas Carols too.
For Zan, Friday last was feeling more like Halloween. It must have been like a horror scene when the 26 year old soca singer, missed his long overdue court appearance, because - he slept in! If you remember, Zan was one of the soca rat pack who got mixed up in that Zen night club fracas back in April. Zan’s attorney told the magistrate that his client had worked until 6 a.m. that morning and was to go home, just to change his clothes for court. Apparently, Einstein took a little nap while he was there and missed the whole thing.
So, HERE’s the latest. Machel, Kernal and Benjai were there, and they all plead NOT GUILTY to the assault charges. Miss Magistrate seemed to share my festive mood, deciding to wait until sometime AFTER the carnival season to revisit the matter.
When thinking of yearly celebrations, there’s one that comes to mind, that FOR ME is way more exciting than all the others. MY BIRTHDAY! I’m a soca Scorpio and that means I will be celebrating life on November 3rd with about 35 hundred of my closest friends; Dr. Jay, Marxman, Umba d Shepherd and YOU. We going to KoolHaus on November 3rd for Soca or Die 7. And we feting till morning with Nadia Batson, Problem Child, Tizzy, Adrian Dutchin and more. Get your tickets before they sell out! Ah cyan wait!
MTV Tempo is celebrating a birthday in November TOO! Yes, the Caribbean music channel will be ringing in its second anniversary on November 6th.
If you’ve ever seen MTV Tempo, they’re on to a good thing. Little by little they are helping the music of the Caribbean cross the seas to audiences in all the islands. Lately, Shurwayne Winchester hooked up with a producer from another land thanks to TEMPO. Shurwayne and Alton Bertie teamed up on a song called “Carnival Please Stay”. Bertie is from the Virgin Islands. The duo met up at the Air Port in Puerto Rico on their ways home from the Rock the Tempo concert in St. Thomas.
The anniversary party features another all-start line up of hit makers in soca and reggae. If you can find a way to catch that broadcast, you can expect performances from Beres Hammond, Ziggy Ranking and Krosfyah (who coincidentally will be bringing the live accompaniment at Soca or Die).
I’m nurse Karen and those are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. If you feel like celebrating something, text your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5, now back to the doctor! Now, back to de Docta!

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The Rounds - November 19, 2006

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Hear nah, we’ve now passed the half way point in November and everywhere you go…it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Today, de people and dem done block of de whole of downtown so all the little children could gather to catch a quick glimpse of Santa. All now, I still didn’t see the man, but whenever he makes his official visit to the city of Toronto, I can’t help but look forward to the holidays.

Next weekend…it’s off to the Big People Parang Show and dance, for a helping of holiday music and fun -- Trinidadian style. Think about it… If Santa Claus doesn’t get you in that holiday kinda mood, then you probably need people like Marcia Miranda, Scrunter, Kenny J and Leon Coldero to do it for you. None of them would be riding in on a sleigh next Sunday…but de vibes and ting might send YOU riding home in a taxi.

Mista Vybe flew home from Toronto a couple of weeks ago and landed straight into the sound booth. After the amazing success of “Ting fuh de Road” this year, earning him the title of first ever Caribbean Soca Monarch, the pressure is on for Carnival 2007. But first, Vybe is working on some Parang he-self. It surprised me to learn that he wrote a soca parang for Hypa Hoppa…and took to the studio last week to add his high energy background vocals to the mix.
For those of you who don’t know…Hypa hoppa is what you would get if you took FLOW’s own Wayne Williams, Ian Andre Espinet and de one called SPEX, and threw dem into a blender. He’s the Program Director at Trinidad’s RED 96.7. He’s a top event promoter and the force behind the unrivaled Radio Active Sound System in TnT. Now that’s what I would call a one-man entertainment callaloo…who happens to have a degree in Mechanical Engineering too. So, just maybe he could actually design a blender big enough to fit all dem boys dey. All that being said, Ah can’t wait to tek a taste of de song, once it’s done.

You know what else I can’t wait for? I can’t wait for Canadian Cable companies to start broadcasting Caribbean TV shows. If you’re listening, Santa…I think that’s what I want you to bring me. Tonight, in just a few minutes….all the TV sets in the Eastern Caribbean States will be tuned in to the final showdown for the Digicel Rising Star Competition. The finalists have been widdled down to two. Only Antigua’s Omar Rathurin and St. Vincent’s Kyron Baptiste remain.
Now, it’s no secret that I wave my Vincy flag high and proud…but if I still had minutes on my digi-sim card, I’d be texting a vote for the Antiguan with the winning smile. He became my favourite after teenage soca songstress Danielle Veira left the show. Plus, I heard that tonight he’ll be singing “Hot and Groovy”…one of my all-time favourite songs.

Make no mistake….Rising Stars is an important competition. It’s the one that landed Barbados’ Kimberly Inniss smack dab in the middle of the soca limelight with last year’s second place finish. Down in Trinidad Synergy TV’s Soca Star is getting the same kind of attention…especially now that the winner for season two will receive a recording contract with hot boy producer Shawn Mastamind Noel. And if you ask me, dah is money in de bank. Which would sure come in handy for the holidays!

I’m Nurse Karen and those were Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Please send your comments to SOCA at FLOW 935 DOT COM. Now back to de docta!

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