On De Scene: "Chutney Bacchanal" is a song...2010

Winners row: Moses Charles 3rd, Rikki Jai 2nd and Ravi B 1st.

Neeshan D Hitman on stage at Chutney Soca Monarch 2010

De News:

Bacchanal Season?

Wherever it hav carnival competitions it bound to hav Bachannal. Wheese! Why boy?

Last Saturday was de NLCB’s Chutney Soca Monarch Competiton. Congratulations Ravi (Bissembhar) B, who was crowed the winner and is also the youngest (27 years) person to ever win the show, opps sorry competition.

The champ came on stage after 10 pm and according to the Newsday newspaper (T&T) was “carried on a sofa by members the bmobile Shiv Shakti Dance Company. He was accompanied during the performance, which was filled with dance and drama, by Barbadian soca star Allison Hinds and his sister, popular chutney singer Nisha Bissembhar.”

Ah sorry eh allyuh, buh ah had a lil gig the same time so ah really didn’t get to see the winning performance. Ah sure ah will ketch ah repeat soon.

Ravi B won TT$200.000.dollars plus a spot in the Bmobile Groovy Soca Monarch competition. He also said he and his band KARMA are booked to perform everyday till Carnival. (and allyuh know is 3 and 4 gigs per nite wit dem bands now rite). Sweet Ravi, SWEET…

Rikki Jai, came in 2nd earning himself TT$100,000 with his song “BARMAN”.

3^rd place went to Moses Charles wit his song “Indrani.

Hmmm, like song on RUM, WOMAN an touched by producer Big Rich (Zaheer Khan) of de Pungalunks Factory RULE ….

Now dah seems clear enough, yun enter, yuh make it t the finals, yuh perform. We “The People” text fuh we favorite an tadaaah a winner. Bu NOOOO….

An ah tell allyuh it must have ah bacchanal. The following is a note written by Neeshan D Hitman (who was also a contestant in Saturday’s grand finale) on his facebook account.

Today (Febuary 1st) at 10:28am

“ I am too blessed to be stressed !

First of all let me congratulate RAVI B and RIKKI JAI on their well deserved first and second place !

I do feel cheated however by amount of complains i have recieved from numerous fans friends and family WHEN THEY TRIED TEXTING DURING THE ENTIRE COURSE OF THE NIGHT their votes were not going thru I have that evidence on my phone also , I am not in anyway upset that i did not win , I DID NOT NEED it as badly as others did , I am me and will continue to be me , with or without that crown , I dont need it to prove a point , I dont need it to pass on others and i certainly dont need it for you to love and support me .

Rikki Jai knows how I feel about him entering the competetion thats just my opinion because if I had won so many times I would have steped back and give a younger artiste that chance , but I am not always right and he really put out his all to earn his position , even though props , glitz and glamour should not be the winning points he works hard at giving us a great show.

Ravi B knew what he wanted and he did not hold back , from the many billboards to his massive presentation , he wanted the crown and he worked also very hard to get it . So I am very Happy for him and Congratulate him once again , i hope he bears in mind that he won the CHUTNEY SOCA CROWN and represents it to the max , not the film song crown or the reggae , dance hall crown etc but CHUTNEY SOCA CROWN.

All i am upset about is the fact that the real amount of VOTES were not reflected towards my Name !"

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

D Hitman also claimed Ravi B’s winner song was also offered to him first but he refused to sing it because he felt he had done too many rum songs during his career
.

Now D Hit man is meh boy eh. Since I met him and his family a few years ago ah always find dem to be real peeps (an allyuh know how ah feel bout keeping it real). An even though ah understand his concerns regarding de text fiasco, ah wondering if he shuda post his note so soon after. In my opinion, YES, address the issue, but maybe he cuda wait ah bit. Seek a meeting with the promoters. But I can’t blame some of the people that responded to he note by calling him a sour grape. Ah mean according to my research, dis is not de first year there have been complaints concerning the text set up. So address it before or address it in a proper manner. Buh daiz just my take on it eh. Hitman doh vex ,ah still love yuh.

What allyuh tink?

Genres may divide us but can understanding an acceptance bring us together?

Bless,

Knyx...

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Booster Shot: Kenneth Salick is the new Trinidad Chuney Soca Monarch!

Trindiad found itself a new Chutney Soca Monarch, in Kenneth Salick last night.  He's not a newcomer to the competition, having competed in the semi-finals on three previous occasions.  The winning tune, Radica (Why You Leave) tells the tale of Salick's  broken marriage. Be that as it may, 2009 brought new luck with a song and performance that was good enough to surpass competition from the likes of Hitman, Hunter, and Rikki Jai. The results were decided exclusively by mobile text votes from the general public.  After last night's win, Kenneth Salick is $200,000 richer.  Each contestant receives a guaranteed $30,000 prize for making it to the finals. 

The 2009 Chutney Soca Monarch Finals took place at Skinner Park in San Fernando.  The evening consisted of a pre-show by the N9 Dancers, T&TEC Gayatones and the Susan Mohip Dancers. The main events feaured performances from ten finalists including the bMobile wilcard entrant, Asha Kamachee who is legally blind.  She managed to cop the fourth place spot.  

Here are the results of the  2009 NLCB Chutney Soca Monarch Finals:

1. Kenneth Salick - "Radica Why You Leave" - $200, 000

2. Ravi B /Ravi Bissembhar - "Doolarie"

3. Hunter / Lalchan Babwah - "Jep Sting Naina"

4. Asha Kamachee - "Kasai Salona"

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Nurse's Lounge: Broward Carnival, and more Fyah!

Soca people. You know I'm gonna tell you the truth right. Here it is. Broward was better! Organizing a carnival is serious hard work. It doesn't help when a faction breaks away to do their own thing. So, this is not a criticism...just a comparison. Broward, TO ME, felt more like carnival. More space. More people behind the bands. More variety of cuisine. More people as a whole. More Fyah!

Met up with some of the Vincy crew to take a jump, now that was wild!

When we arrived, I was not about to let the rain dampen my spirits. After seeking shelter a couple times I thought to myself....what's the worst that could happen? My lil stick-on ponytail gets wet. Boo hoo. Exactly...who cares? It's carnival.

According to organizers, Broward Carnival had more then 13 thousand paying patrons. If you include vendors, mas bands, performers and media ( LIKE ME!!!) That number mushrooms to 20 thousand people attending. I think some of those extra people stormed the gate, but that's just between you and me.

Backstage with Rikki Jai, Trinidad's Soca Chutney General

You should have seen people going mad behind Red Hot Flames on the road. That band has real energy, and the crowd sought it, caught it and threw it back. The main stage boasted a very international line-up with performances from the likes of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (Jamaica), Rikki Jai (Trinidad), Traffik (Trinidad),and Krosfyah (Barbados).

Krosfyah posing, just before they brutalized up the stage!

Big dutty big up to the drummer. He actually smashed his snare in the middle of the performance. He kept playing the kit with one hand as the drum was replaced. No one had a clue. I have video of that. So check for it soon on Nurse Karen TV

It was a personal pleasure to meet Jumo Primo. He sings lead for Byron Lee. If you don't know...he and Adrian Dutchin are partners in a group called X2 (Times Two) outta Guyana. Both of them are busy touring with accomplished bands based in Jamaica and Bimshire respectively. But they continue to be great friends, and still work together to mash up Mashramani Carnival in Guyana.

Nurse Karen and X2 at Broward Carnival

That show was mad. Thank you to the Broward Carnival Committee for showing me such great hospitality. Before I go, I wanna send some love to Miss Juliette Mills outta St. Kitts. It was a pleasure for me to catch her live for the first time. She's got a few impressive tracks under her belt and I really look forward to hear more in the upcoming year.

Nurse Karen and Juliette Mills

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

Have you ever felt the pain of heart break? Ever wished you could get something back that you know is gone forever. Around here, we does call dat Tabanca! And last night a few hundred people who vex with winter and missing the soca riddims of T&T crammed into Islandmix in Pickering for Dr. Jay's remedy. Before there was any reason for the tabanca to kick in. Dr. Jay, a big Toronto posse and yours truly were soaking up the oil and music in Trinidad last month. Check we!




When you feel that way, there's nothing better than a good celebration to get you by. So let me tell you what has other people smiling…And if yuh still working through allyuh Carnival Tabanca, you'll soon realize there's plenty more love to go around.

First off, New York's Ma$tamind Productions, the husband and wife duo that's responsible for bring you all those Mastamind Projects and Christmas albums celebrated 3 years in the business on Monday. Three years, five albums, collaborations with artists from all over; including Rikki Jai, Bomani, Sheldon Douglas, Adrian Dutchin, and Maximus Dan to name a few. We say congrats to dem …and keep making that music! This is me with Shawn "Mastamind" Noel, and Natasha Andrews-Noel in Trinidad last month.




Now down in Trinidad, everybody's favourite loverboy was doing a little celebrating he-self. Kees Dieffenthaller of Kes the Band rang in a birthday on Wednesday. In case you're curious, that little baby face and fit body now boasts 27 years on this earth. God bless us all!

In Miami, they are spreading the love Cuban style today with their annual Calle Ocho street fair. It started off 30 years ago as celebration of La Cultura Cubana, but nowadays it incorporates musical elements from thoughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It spans twenty-three city blocks with sixteen concert stages and the best part is, it's FREE. This year Shaggy, Wyclef and Chaka Khan join the action at Carnaval Miami's big Latin-Caribbean party…that features soca music too!

Now over in Jamaica, the carnival surprises keep on flowing. We usually don't expect a lot of new soca music from JamDown, but up and coming reggae star Da'Ville is adding his voice to the mix. He's making the ladies swoon with a SOCA release called none-other-than TURN ME ON! This soca track was produced by Trinidad's Sheldon "Shel Shok" Benjamin. If you didn't know, he the midi guy in Atlantik... and he produced Roll for Alison Hinds…plus a slew of other very big tracks! Here I am with the boys from Atlantik in St. Vincent last July. Shel Shok is the one standing behind me!

So there's no reason to feel sad and lonely when is out there celebrating life. So forget de Tabanca, cuz it go be Spring before you hear my voice next.

I'm Nurse Karen, and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast, or leave me a comment online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple W dot Mustard Seeds dot Net. Now back to de docta!

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The Rounds - January 21, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s rounds. It’s great to be back here at Flow after a much needed vacation. The last two Sundays I was liming on de beach with toda mi gente latina en Santo Domingo, but trust me, allyuh were on my mind. Now…I am back AND black and ready to roll.



I hear that Doctor Jay can’t stop talking about de big Doh Cry fete that is nearly sold out once again. He could tell you “Doh Cry” all he wants, but I feel is cry you go cry when you realize exactly what the man is leavin you for. Trinidad carnival season is upon us, and in case you live under a rock it is one of the best shows on earth. A couple hot weeks of music and madness, beauty and pageantry that really can’t be beat.

Down in the twin island republic, fresh new soca music is blazing up the dancehalls and airwaves. Every DAY is news. Rita Jones break way from Roy Cape All-Stars. Rikki jai is competing for Chutney monarch after a three year absence. Artistes are scratching their heads for new ways to catapult themselves to popularity and mas camps are busy building costumes for thousands of revelers from home and abroad. Doh cry? You mad or wha? Doctor Jay has a first class ticket to paradise, while de rest ah we go get lef back in de snow.

This past week Trinidad’s national library system launched a program called Lyrics and Song that will bring soca stars into the library to speak to youth about social issues. Kees Dieffenthaller and Nadia Batson of Kes the Band were first up to bat and Alison Hinds, Destra and Maximus Dan will be taking their turns over the next four weeks. The first session dealt with HIV/AIDS education, warning youth not to be completely dotish during carnival. They spoke on the theme, if you dream it, you can achieve it. And I really believe that, which is why I hay dreaming about Port of Spain.

You every wonder who is the J’ouvert Fiddler? Do you remember that instrumental track from Carnival 2006? Better yet, over Christmas were you curious to know who were the parangderos who pumped out “Black Cake and Sorrel”? If you look on the back of those CDs, the songs are credited to “Da SPIRITS”, but who are the Spirits, really? People who talk soca with me know that I have a lot of respect for the producers….the sound men who pull all the elements together to make a song sound just right. I’m sure you could tell - I’m a huge fan of Shawn Mastamind Noel. Well, on Thursday Mr. Noel let the cat out the bag issuing a release identifying himself as THE sole instrumentalist on those masterpiece works. Shawn dahlin, If I WAS wearing a hat, I would take it off to you right now. Your music sweet, sweet and nice.
One of the most anticipated events when it comes to carnival music is the 2007 International Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch competition. Last year, Shurwayne Winchester marched off with both the crowns and all de money…only time will tell if he can do it again.
What I CAN say now is the organizers are making some changes to make the show even better this go round. More than $8 million dollars TT is committed to producing one unforgettable night. It also makes me feel nice that veteran music man Crazy intends to compete with the young bucks in the groovy section with his sexy hit “Cold Sweat”

MTV Europe has signed on to broadcast both competitions as well as other snippets from carnival. The groovy soca show will feature 10 finalists rather than six and the guest acts will be Machel, KMC, Destra and Beenie Man.

So, what to say friends? …it’s official Doctor Jay is soon leaving for Carnival, but Doh Cry. You could get a taste of the carnival action at Doh Cry Ah Leaving 12 on Saturday, February 3rd. Doh Cry, but Doh stick…tickets nearly DONE sell off.

I’m nurse Karen and those are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. Send me your comments at SOCA at FLOW 935 dot COM. Now back to de doctor…

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