The Rounds: Recognizing Achievement in Soca

Originally Aired on Flow 93.5 FM, "Soca Therapy" with Dr. Jay de Soca Prince


In this edition:
- Showing appreciation
- Antiguans pay homage to Claudette Peters
- DJ Tony Tempo joins Whoo Kid's DJ Fraternity
- Shal Marshall's B-day
- SAO Soca Awards nominees out
- UK Soca Music Awards last night

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. This week the soca world took time out to show some appreciation. Even in Toronto, last night top mas bands Carnival Nationz and Louis Saldenah threw big appreciations fetes for their revellers.

Right now, this evening the Antiguan community in New York is getting together to recognize ITS own. Four time Party Monarch Claudette “CP” Peters was flown in to receive the Salome Drysdale award for her contributions to the development of Carnival, culture and the promotion of Antigua and Barbuda worldwide. The award, is given by the Antigua Progessives Society, a Harlem-based social organization that has served New York’s Wadadlian Community for the last seventy five years.


Tony Tempo and Nurse Karen at Soca Awards 5 in New York
Recently, Atlanta’s DJ Tony Tempo made a power move that he hopes will fly the soca flag higher. The mixmaster best known for his various soca remixes recently signed on to DJ Whoo Kid’s Shadyville DJ Fraternity. For the hip hop lovers out there, you know Whoo Kid as the official DJ of G-Unit. What you may not know it that he’s Haitian and has a passion for Caribbean music. Tony Tempo is first soca DJ to join the team.

While we’re on that subject, I may as well mention another popular DJ who celebrated a birthday just yesterday. I’m talking about Shal Marshall, who beyond being a popular radio and club DJ in Trinidad, is also a husband, father, and SOCA ARTIST. Happy Birthday Shall...Hope it was a good one.


Shal Marshall and Nurse Karen at UWI Splash 2009, Trinidad

The other big excitement this week was the announcement of the 2009 Nominees for the International Soca Awards. Please don’t get it confused with the ones happening in England tonight. As usual, some of the selections were a surprise even to me, but none the less, artists are getting excited about the voting which opens this week. Congratulations Tdot’s own Kerwin Du Bois, Shyann Bailey, Toronto-Lime dot com, and the Enforcas Soundcrew on their nominations.


Inside the Flow studio with Shyann Bailey

As for the UK Soca Music Awards, our fellow soca lovers got together this evening to honour top achievers in the industry at the 2nd annual Soca Music Awards. The audience paid forty pounds a ticket to see performance from the likes of Scrappy, Soca Johnny and Miss Desire. It’s nearly midnight there, so I would imagine most of the results are out, but YOU will have to visit Nurse Karen dot com for that.

I’m Nurse Karen and those were doctor Jay’s Rounds. For more information on any of the new items mentioned today, be sure to check out Nurse dash Karen dot com, or follow me...NurseKaren on Twitter. Now back to de Docta!

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

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Booster Shot: Tony Tempo added to DJ Whoo Kid's Shadyville Fraternity

The role of the DJ can not be overstated when it comes to the development and furtherance of a musical genre. That is why I often take time to feature DJs, particularly the ones who are pushing the envelope and taking the music to places it might have never otherwise travelled.

Such is the case for Atlanta-based soca DJ, Tony Tempo.

He was recently added to DJ Whoo Kid's Shadyville DJ Fraternity as its first ever Soca DJ.

Congrats Tony...

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

Award-winner is First Soca DJ to Link-up with the Shadyville Endeavor

ATLANTA, Sept 17, 2009 – International sensation DJ Tony Tempo is the first Soca deejay to join the celebrated roster of mix masters for Shadyville Caribbean.

Shadyville Caribbean, an extension of DJ Whoo Kid’s international Shadyville DJ fraternity, promotes the integration of music from the region with music in mainstream markets is a As one of the world’s most recognized Soca music ambassadors, DJ Tony Tempo will bring his Soca mixes to expand the entertainment options offered by Shadyville Caribbean.

Wanna read more? Click HERE

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DJ's View: G13's LP on the 5th Annual Atlanta Carnival J'ouvert Party

Denise "Saucy Wow" Belfon at the J'Ouvert Party

Special treat soca freaks!  So, you know your girl was REAL looking forward to going to Atlanta for carnival this year.  It didn't work out.  Which happens to me A LITTLE TOO OFTEN for my liking!  What can I say?!!? News must share.  So, I pulled a few strings to get an on-the-ground account of the action from DJ LP from New York's G13 Sound System.  If your memory is short, you know him as the sound boy who gave you that too sweet Free Download Mad Decent Power Soca Mix earlier this year.  If you didn't get it before, handle that!  Yuh stickin'....

So, back to the point.  Atlanta Carnival is now.  LP is there - feting like a fiend.  Enjoying his long weekend!...and I here in Toronto doing my regular Sunday Soca Therapy thang!  So, you wanna know the vibes in ATL, right?  Who better to tell ya than a DJ who LOVEs soca?  He's on de scene... ( I hear de man link up to snap pics for Toronto-Lime too, busy guy!)

The man is a boss.  He gave me updates and pics from several events.  So, like a good nurse, lemme give you in small doses.  One today, another tomorrow.  Following? First up....J'OUVERT!!!!

LP, tell the people....

Friday, May 22, 2009

Hi Karen,

Hope all is well in TO.  Here's my rundown...

Although there were a few Wednesday and Thursday fetes, this is well known as the official launch for the weekend.  I reached Atrium on Memorial Drive around midnight. I was still early, but the vibes were flowing nicely as they do at Krushmore Entertainment events.  The soca room started to fill up around 12:30 a.m. and the crowd was treated to a very good mix of new and old classics from various islands care of Optimisque from Dominica, DJ Hottness from Atlanta by way of Guyana, DJ Kevy Kev from Orlando by way of St Kitts & Nevis, and ATL's #1 soca DJ Tony Tempo.  

Tony Tempo and Giselle De Wassi One

Atlanta is very well known for its small island massive, and of course the VI, SKN, and Dominica massive were front and center the entire night, supporting a lot of new USVI and SKN soca from bands such as UMB Soldiers, WCK, Small Axe Band, and Nu-Vybes band, selected by DJ Kevy Kev 

After the small island session, DJ Tony Tempo and Giselle Di Wassi One took full control for the rest of the night with 100% soca, including performances from Ziggy Ranking and Denise Belfon.  By the time the party was over, there were only a few hours until masqueraders were to line up along West Peachtree Street for the parade.

Ziggy Ranking at J'ouvert Party

Sounds like a nice session!!  Thanks for the review LP!  Next up : The Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Bandleaders Association Parade of the Bands.  Check for the post in the morning!

Love and Soca, 

Nurse Karen

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Nurse's Lounge: (Video) Miami and Broward Carnival...see for yourself!

Here's the souvenir I got you from Miami and Broward Carnivals!

Enjoy, and be sure to share with all your friends...

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The Rounds - April 1, 2007

April 1, 2007
Dr. Jay’s Rounds
By “Nurse Karen”
Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. We’ve entered Spring and I’m actually starting to believe it.
As Easter rolls around, Jamaica is gearing up for carnival again. Last Saturday, Bacchanal Jamaica founder Byron Lee got the people of Clarendon in the mood at the Supreme Venture Carnival Blowout. The night featured covers of soca songs by Biggie Irie and Alison Hinds, plus the popular annual Tiney Winey competition.
St. Lucia is ushering in the new season by coaxing the big tourist money. There’s a new star studded celebrity event at the Rodney Bay Village Music bash, April 23 to April 25th. The inaugural festival will feature Destra, David Rudder, Beres Hammond, Sean Paul, Maxi Priest and Shaggy. With tickets set at $60 US, it’s obvious that they prefer foreign money to the local kind. For Lucians wanting to check out their favourite artistes, $160 EC is not much of a welcome mat…if you know what I’m saying.
The next big North American street party happens in Atlanta next month. DJ Tony Tempo tells me he will be bringing a mas band this year, which is guaranteed to encourage more participation from the youth. So, if you want to join the action, the parade of the bands takes place on May 26th.
T and T police are out to capture the true pirates of the Caribbean. Perhaps you know of them, you know the kind of people who try to get rich selling things that don’t belong to them in the first place. I have to hand it to the copyright organization of Trinidad and Tobago. Last week they nabbed a couple of street entrepreneurs who were selling bootleg soca CDs for which they don’t own the license. If you’ve ever traveled to the West Indies…or Brooklyn for that matter, you know how much of a problem that is. These guys selling bootlegs on street corners with no shame….and you have to remember, soca music is still an emerging industry. The artists have a short window to win the ears of fans during the carnival season and once it’s done, marketing and promotion is often done at a grass roots level. While I think the fine ought to be much higher then $3000 TT ( about $700 Canadian), I’m happy the cops are finally teaching a them a lesson. Since February of this year they’ve made more than ten arrests. The only people who should be making money off the sale of the music…are the people who are making the music.
In Antigua, spirits were low this week as West Indies fans witnessed their team tek some serious licks from Australia. A rain cancellation pushed the date back one day, which led to lower attendance. Some would say the only highlight of Wednesday’s game was a lunchtime performance by El a Kru. When tizzy hit the stage singing Expose, the crowd got together to jump and wave…which really couldn’t save the team anyway.
And according to Marxman Sri Lanka done knock de West Indies back to 1957. This week I asked Dr. Jay to run a little cricket set to encourage these guys to step it up… I thought I’d better ask the kingdom of soca to give our boys a little inspiration…but inspiration could never substitute for runs….i think I going and cry.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. jay’s Rounds. Send your comments to soca a Flow 935 dot com. Now back to the doctor!

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