On De Scene: Red Unlimited Ignites Onyan and de Mad Camp!

Saturday Night Red Unlimited held their official band Launch ,there was much controversy over their costume leak (Read it here), but the show was well attended as expected with this party band. Amidst all de Jazz in St.Lucia the Bacchanal could not be contained!

Red Unlimited is celebrating its 5th year on St.Lucia Carnival scene. Last year they won “Band on the Move," an award which signifies they were the most vivacious band on de road for 2kGreat.

MC Pringles a.k.a Superman (you may know him from his Socaritis track last year ) began de show at midnight warming up the crowd for the madness that was set to take place. The show opened with groovy sensation Teddyson John, who took us back into Carnival 2008 mode as he performed his last years track. To be honest I really came expecting to hear new tracks from the roster of local artists set to perform that night but de Mad Camp (Ricky T, Ilah Man, Teddyson John) will keep us thirsty just a little longer.

After the groovy warm up, the script turned to madness as Illah Man came on and the crowd went crazy over him. Boy, he really did work out de crowd as they ran up and down the Coco Palm Crowds. So the high energy of this Power Soca artist transferred right into the audience. In de middle of his performance the chant began “Whoosh Its Superman “and Pringles came on de “Socaritis” was contagious.

But the crowd was pacing themselves because de man himself Ricky T had not hit de stage. But as soon as Ilah Man left de stage Spectacle Band began de chant “Yo oooooh oooh Wam to Dem” and Ricky T came storming on stage and I would have considered show done! Ricky T took us right back to his first year and I must say hats off from de first time I saw Ricky T on stage to now, de man can sure electrify a crowd.

After a long set Ricky T had de crowd in his hands and then de Mad Camp was done it was now Antiguan Onyan and Friends to take de crowd till morning.

Well of course de costumes came out with de addition of one more section and from all the people I spoke to I maintain this band will be Sold Out soon (http://www.redunlimited.net/) . Interesting enough Skinny Fabulous "Head Bad" got a lot of airplay with the addition of de dubplate saying "Red Bad" as each model came on stage.

Well one ting I love mi ole school soca and Onyan had me moving my waist line all night long. The St.Lucian crowd always had love for Onyan and it was nice to see St.Lucian Derek Yarde on de piano during and Krocus alongside Onyan.

Just ten minutes before show was done that is when I tried making my way backstage to mingle. Along de way I could see other band spies enjoying the vibes. Spotted Rankin and Smokes and from the little conversation I had with them there will be a lot coming out of these two producers so note de names now!

Did not stay backstage too long but you heard it, there was a video shoot of Zionomi track on the Boom Boom riddim entitled "Who are you" during de weekend . So congratulations to Zionomi for this latest accomplishment. He is well known in St.Lucia for his reggae tracks and for the first time on a Soca riddim, he has Lucians devouring de tune with its constant airplay.

So everyone was headed to the club, and so did I after the place cleared off. And the Red Unlimited Band was hard at work to transforming the “Carnival Central” back to its ordinary state. I arrived at de club late and so I did not even get in because of the amount of people on de inside. No worries, I saw Dre from TriniJungleJuice again and had a lengthy chat with him and his colleague.

From their perspective, they seem to really enjoy Red Unlimited portrayal this year “Reflections of Rio” . And if everything goes well, they maybe returning to cover St.Lucia Carnival 2009 from de fetes, limes and mas. Last year from the Carnival 360 videos, I know the TorontoLime Posse had a hell of a time here, and I sure hope both make it to yet another Mas in this Simply Beautiful Isle.

TriniJungleJuice Shot of me and my girlfriend. Log onto http://www.trinijunglejuice.com/ for full photo gallery of de event and great shots from St.Lucia Jazz 2009.


Peace & Soca
Rochelle
www.twitter.com/rochellenoel
rochelle.noel@hotmail.com

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The Rounds: Tragic crash claims the life of Trini songwriter

In this edition:
- RIM and Toronto-Lime.com to sponsor Caribana 2009
- Disgruntled artiste makes a scene at Sint Maarten soca competition
- Akim Ahjahmoo Farmer dies in tragic car trash
- Farmer Nappy confusion
- Mavado rides a soca riddim
- Destra's returns to NY


Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Lots of news this week around the soca world, so buckle up and get ready for the ride.

On Tuesday, I zipped over to the Scotia Bank Caribana press conference at the Royal Ontario Museum. Those of you out there who love your crackberry almost as much as you love soca, will be happy to hear that Research in Motion has signed on as an official sponsor of the festival...so has Toronto-Lime.com, so you can look forward to some great coverage online!

Before carnival heats up in Toronto, there are plenty of Caribbean festivals happening right now. Both St. Thomas carnival, and Cayman Batabano come to a climax next weekend. This week there was some pretty dramatic action in Sint Maarten, after the Senior Soca Competition. This year marks 40 years of carnival in the Dutch territory, but the first year that a sore loser decided to tell off the judges once the results were announced. First, lemme congratulate King T-Mo for winning the competition, since Ricky the Phox stole a little bit of the spotlight by grabbing a mic to sound off about his frustrations. Tisk tisk! Police rushed the stage to restrain him, but he removed himself after announcing that he won’t be participating in carnival in the years to come. It’s reported that he was disqualified for breaking the rules.

The music community in Trinidad and Tobago is mourning the loss of one of it’s bright young talents. Yesterday afternoon Karim Ahjahmoo Farmer died tragically in a car collision in La Romaine. The 28 year-old singer / songwriter has collaborated with the likes of Machel Montano (Won't Stop), Len Boogsie Sharpe and Collie Budz on various projects. His friends say that he never drank or smoked.

A rumour was circulating that Farmer Nappy was the victim of the crash, but let me set the record straight. I contacted Farmer’s manager this morning. She assured me that he’s fine. In fact, he’s currently in Barbados, hanging out for a while. Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Akim Farmer, may he rest in peace.

A couple of producers in St. Lucia are patting themselves on the back for being the first to get dancehall star Mavado to sing on a Soca Riddim. The tune is called My Life. It’s a collabo with a new artist called Baby Blue. But if you expect the gangsta for life to blow a whistle, jump up and wave tune, let’s be realistic. Mavado sounds just like... mavado. He brought his signature sing-songy dancehall vibe to Courtney Louis and Francis De Lima’s boom boom riddim, and compared to the other tracks on it, the sound is more hybrid that soca.

When it comes to people who been singing soca for a minute, people the world over know the name Destra. Ms. Garcia did her first show in New York city after about a 2 year absence. She launched the HOTT album at Manhattan’s SOBs, to a crowd that enjoyed every minute of it.

I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s rounds. Check out Nure Karen Etc, now at Nurse dash Karen dot com, for more information on all the stories you heard today, including an official statement from Farmer Nappy.(coming soon) Now, back to de docta!

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TORONTO-LIME.com's Carnival 360° video crew to cover Bacchanal Jamaica this week

If you're looking for some great online entertainment this week, check out Toronto-Lime.com's Bacchanal Jamaica coverage this week.  Going to Trinidad and St. Vincent with the crew wast a blast.  Maybe it would be me donning the green paint next time around *hint hint*

Source: Toronto-Lime.com

Revellers covered in paint at Bacchanal J’Ouvert 2008 at the Mas Camp – Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica - Sunday April 12th, 2009: Still hot off covering Trinidad Carnival 2K9, the TORONTO-LIME.com Carnival 360° team will touch down in Jamaica this week to shoot video coverage of Kingston’s Bacchanal Jamaica Carnival. Events are to include “Soca at the Sandbar”, “Bacchanal J’Ouvert”, “Wet Republic”, “Bacchanal Roadmarch” and more.

Only in its second season, Carnival 360° has already become a household name amongst avid Carnival followers. Tens of thousands of daily visitors to the multiple award-winning website focus in on the video blog section during every major worldwide Carnival to get a taste of the current festivities.

TORONTO-LIME.com's Carnival 360° video series is arguable one of the most popular internet video blogs to showcase Caribbean Carnival content. The series was launched in February 2008 and focuses mainly on Carnival events, but also extends various segments of the show to display the beauty and culture of the hosting island or city. Carnival 360° has since aired coverage of Trinidad Carnival, Bacchanal Jamaica, Cayman Batabano, Vincy Mas, SLU Carnival, Toronto CARIBANA and Miami Carnival. To view the 360° video blog visit www.toronto-lime.com/360. Coverage of Bacchanal Jamaica begins April 17th.

Bacchanal Jamaica 360° is made possible by Bacchanal Jamaica (www.BacchanalJamaica.com), Air Jamaica (www.AirJamaica.com), the Jamaica Tourist Board (www.VisitJamaica.com) and Soca Bookings Inc (www.SocaBookings.net).

About TORONTO-LIME.com Inc.
The very first website of its kind, TORONTO-LIME.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into the most popular Caribbean entertainment portal on the web; now attracting over 100,000 'unique' visitors and generating more than 8,000,000 hits daily. In 2004 the website was nominated for 'Best Urban Website' by UMAC and was also named 'Website of The Year' at the Canadian Caribbean Awards. For the past three consecutive years (2006, 2007 & 2008), Toronto-Lime.com was honoured with the 'Favourite Soca Website' award by the SAO International Soca Awards. The site is not only currently ranked the number one Caribbean website, but is also ranked amongst the top 5,000 websites globally, according to market researchers.

About Bacchanal Jamaica
It has typically been the perception that carnival was brought to Jamaica in 1990; however it was the previous year that saw over 300 revellers hitting the streets of Kingston to partake in the very first carnival parade by the Oakridge Boys. Unable to get their yearly T&T carnival “fix”, the resourceful posse decided to bring the fun to them. Thus it was a bright Sunday morning in 1989 on which Jamaica was treated to the first Mas parade, “Paradise” by the Oakridge Boys, Carnival in Jamaica was born!

Throughout the years, Jamaica has seen the emergence of inventive Mas Bands whom have imprinted their special touch to making Carnival in Jamaica unlike any other. When the group Revellers introduced their Pretty Mas costumes, Kingston was treated to striking designs in rich and vibrant colors rivalling those of any other island. Many of their costumes were and still are designed and manufactured right here in Jamaica. Another group who has shaped Carnival in Jamaica is the Midnight Raider’s Crew. Pioneering J'ouvert in Jamaica; some 13 years later the sight of thousands of paint covered masqueraders dancing through the streets of Kingston at 3am in the morning during the Bacchanal J'ouvert road march still amazes many.

The year 2001 marked another milestone for carnival in the island as these three top bands, Oakridge, Revellers and Raiders, merged into the dynamic entity now known as Bacchanal Jamaica. Now the leading Mas Band in the island with signature events, Bacchanal Jamaica still strives to continuously improve upon the carnival experience. Boasting an all-inclusive band, live entertainment on the road, and impeccable security Bacchanal Jamaica promises to deliver more fun, more fetes and even more Bacchanal.

 

 

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Nurse's Lounge: My first Trini Dimanche Gras

I enjoy a good fete.  You know thatalready, but you may not know that even more than that, I enjoy variety.  My entertainmet has always included activitites that challeng the mind, body and spirit.  So, when I find a little free time at home, I'm more inclined to check out a lecture, art exhibit or a spoken word show, than to go to every single soca fete they have listed on Toronto-Lime .

Variety is definitely the spice of MY life.  So, I mix it up to keep in interesting.  Tonight, my writing assignment was Dimanche Gras 2009/ Mas and Calypso finals.  I made it to the Savannah on time for a 7 pm start, but the rain was coming down, so you know how that goes.  In a nutshell, Chalkdust mashed up calypso, and easily earned himself his 8th ever Monarch title.  In the mas category, Mac Farlane snatched both King and Queen of Carnival.  I love that man's mas...but I gotta say, I disagree with the judges' decisions this time around.  

Granted, the big costumes in Mac Farlane's presentation of Africa are stunningly beautiful, well-crafted and deserve top honours for creativity.  However, if you don't play yuh mas', in my opinion everything else goes out the window.  The King made a bee-line from one side of the stage to the next, never having turned the costume around to fully display its beauty.  The queen - her costume looked very awkward to carry.  Mas people corret me if I'm wrong.  If my untrained eye can see a little struggle going on, it's either a problem with the cosutme design or construction, or an indication that they have to wrong person displaying de ting.  Nah true?

I really enjoyed the show.  I love good Kaiso.  I now feel up to date on Trinidad's hot political topics.  I was happy to see younger, vibrant Calypsonians like Brian London, Karen Asche and Kizzie Ruiz preserving the culture and keeping pace with the greats.  The night honoured the Mighty Duke who passed away the other day. Shadow and Destra made special appearances as guest acts too!

The show itself was wonderful.  But on a sour note, I didn't really feel much love or respect from my media peers in Trinidad tonight.  That was a disappointment. Not only was there no one to around to ensure that I got a press kit, but I had to type up most of that news release while sitting on the floor with my computer on one thigh and my notes tucked under my chin.  

The staff of a certain radio station thought they needed the space in the very limited media box a lot more than I did.  Most of them weren't actively doing ANYTHING other than prying open they cooler for drinks.  But whatever, it's their carnival not mine.  Let them lime...

Bye allyuh...I going and lime too!

Next stop Yellow Devils J'Ouvert...

Love and Soca, 

(Nurse) Karen

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On De Scene : Faye Ann Crowned De Queen

Lewe go back to Carnival Friday ,Yes! Faye Ann mash de place up with "Meet Superblue". Her performance was on point and it gave me goose bumps especially when she put de mic next to her belly and Junior gave his/her rendition of Superblue. It was beautiful to see Superblue himself on stage giving her performance that extra edge. I wanna commend Skinny on his "Head Bad" performance. He was one of the non-Trini artist who got an overwhelming support by the crowd. All in all, I must say that Soca Monarch was a great show which had the best of the best contending for the title.

Now ah go be honest , I reach there late with Vincy artist Tabia so I missed the groovy portion of the show but from what I heard from the Nurse it was just as great. And I am certain most of you were streaming or have viewed it already via youtube so no need to convince you that Fantastic Friday lived up to their name!

Myself, Tabia and Chrystal at Fantastic Friday

After the show , we got a taste of the sour side of Trinidad . Nurse Karen was writing up her article while at the traffic lights and this young boy took de opportunity to open the car door to try to steal her laptop . Thankfully she reacted by screaming and kicking him and saved her laptop as we were driven away. For a moment, we were all in shock , however we could not allow this to get to us. So about 6 a.m. we decide we all go have breakfast by Smokey and Bunty with the toronto-lime.com crew and Corey Graham from Boomtribe. That turned out to one big lime because everyone from Girl Power deh getting on bad to the season tunes, which was a great distraction to the ordeal faced earlier that morning.

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Nurse's Lounge: Stick Fighting Bacchanal!!!

Guess who's in Trinidad?  One guess.   You're so smart! 

I arrived early yesterday morning, and it's plenty pace.  Now that I have all the logistics set out for my stay.  I will be balancing my time between reporting on culture events for Toronto-Lime.com's Carnival 360 coverage, networking with people in the industry here...and LIMING!!!

That's right allyuh, this is my time to fete too.

Last night, I made the trek down south to Couva to cover the National Stick Fighting Finals.  It was my first time seeing anything like that! About four men g0t their head bust in under 3 hours.  Um...? So, that was just the sport itself.  But, down at Gilbert Park, it was bottles flinging, and drums beating.  Oh, and by the way, have you ever seen a man slap a police officer in the face?  I have.  A female one too! Is like woman beating come in style...Complete craziness. How's that for things you eh go read in my official report?

 All that aside, I gained a real appreciation from a part of Trini culture, I knew nothing about.  No, I don't mean domestice violence.  Gimme a break nah, you know I don't stand for that...and I would never dare call THAT culture.  I'm talking about he way that as aspects of some African traditions have been preserved and embraced by the people.  It's was a beautiful thing hearing the rhythms and chanting, and being in a part of the country, with a group of down to hear real people, that I may not have otherwised encountered.  

I feel real thankful!  Can't wait to tell you what comes next!

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Booster Shot: "Bring Soca to MySpace" interview tomorrow on CJSF Radio

By now you've heard, (Nurse) Karen (Etc) is starting off 2009 by shaking things up.  We are petitioning MySpace for a new Category for Soca Music.  All the info is available online, simply check out http://groups.myspace.com/socanow.

Thanks to everyone who has taken action to show their support, people like Dr. Jay, Ma$tamind Productions, Corey Graham 2.0, Toronto-Lime dot com, the Soca Twins, DJ Spice, My Party Fans,  DJ Bassline, and Tropical Fete dot com

To help you follow the development of the campaign, I've created a new tag called "Soca Now".  Any time you visit (Nurse) Karen (Etc), you will be able to read all the latest developments by going to the tags cloud on the right hand side and selecting "Soca Now"

Exciting news though!  The new campaign will be the subject of discussion tomorrow night in a live interviewed by Nasty Jag Soundcrew in Vancouver, British Columbia (that's Canada, if you didn't know)  If you'd like to better understand why this is important, make sure you tune in!

Tune in to the Pirates of the Caribbean radio show at 7 pm Eastern on Saturday, January 10th.

All you have to do is click here , then click listen live.

I promise you'll hear some sweet up-to-the-minute soca music, followed by  an interwiew with the Nurse just after 8:15 pm.

Jags, thanks for linking it up.  Looking forward to  the chat

Here I am with Vancouver's biggest soca fan and advocate, and one of the hosts of Pirates of the Caribbean,  De Big Bad Jags!

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The Rounds: Soca Awards blunders leave a sour taste for Kititians

Good evening soca lovers,

I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds. This is a weekend of celebration all over the region. Today St. Lucia joins Guadeloupe; Martinique; Dominica;Haiti and the entire Creole speaking world in the observance of International Creole Day. It's a time of food, music, and a culture rooted in a shared history of African ancestry and colonization by the French. Thus marks the beginning of Dominica's 2008 World Creole Music Festival. Some of Toronto's Dominican DJs like Blackberry Soundcrew and DJ Kold Fusion made the trip to get in on the action. The celebration is two-fold, as it also marks the nation's 30th anniversary of independence from British Rule.

Naturally, I can't leave out my Vincy posse. Tomorrow marks 29 years of independence for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Vincies here in Toronto marked the occasion with a slew of events, most notably the annual SVG Association Independence Dinner Dance, and a concert by Vincy Soca Legend Alston Becket Cyrus. It's beautiful to see Caribbean people celebrating our culture and achievements...

If you remember last week's rounds, there was a gathering down in St. Kitts that was doing just that. Yes children, I'm talking about the International Soca Awards. I promised you the results, and I intend to make good on my promise...but according to quite a few people in St. Kitts last weekend, the Soca Awards Organization failed to follow through with a few promises of their own.

Here goes...the night before the show, a big all-white party was scheduled. Tickets sold for $25 EC and hundred of patrons got decked out for a show featuring performances from Tizzy, Zoelah and Juliette Mills. The concert ended up being a DJ party, when an announcement was made at 2 am that the artists would not be appearing due to inclement weather. Granted there was a lot of rain that week, but in a country where every flight is on the ground by 10 pm, I would think that somebody knew that none of the acts were even in St. Kitts long before they bothered to tell the expectant crowd.

So, your nurse did a little extra research, only to find out that one act, namely Tizzy, had not even been booked for that show and was not planning to be at the awards ceremony the next day either. Tisk tisk Soca Awards!

Well, sadly...that's not all. Former Kititian Calypso King Ellie Matt was inducted into the International Soca Awards Hall of Fame this year. However, he wasn't there to bask in the glory...through no fault of his own, I might add. He was contacted by the Director and Entertainment Manager regarding travel arrangements, and was promised an airline ticket and acommodations at the St Kitts Marriot. Ellie Matt is undergoing medical treatment in the United States and made special arrangments to be able to travel. So, two weeks prior to the show, he calls her back because he still didn't know what was going on. Would you know it, no one even returned his call.

Well, I believe in keeping my word...so lemme not stall.
iSA results it is! The list is long so, just a few highlights, and for the rest you've got to check Nurse Karen Etc:

Lehwe start local...

Congratulations to Toronto-Lime dot com for winning Favorite Soca Information Website, every year since the category was created.

Kerwin Du Bois, walked away as Soca Producer of the year. time to raise your rates papa!

It was also a big night for Studio 758 out of St. Lucia, with 5 awards. Ricky T snatched Favorite Uptempo Soca Male, Best Soca Collaboration Remin for for Pressure Boom with Mr. Vegas. And Kudos go to his production team Penn and Ace for their honours, Best Soca Compilation Riddim ---for the lehgo me riddim and Best Soca Roadmix for pressure boom. AS if that weren't enough de chune tied Faye-Ann Lyons' Get On, for Soca Song of the Year. Now, I bet you can't wait to see that Ricky T perform that big tune on Saturday at Soca or Die 9.

Machel cleaned up quite a few major categories, and I'm certain that Toronto voters had something to do with Problem Child and Zoelah each earning accolades as best new artist. Congrats all winners and nominees!

I'm Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. Please leave me your comments online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple w dot mustard seeds dot net. And don't forget to grab your podcast of the rounds at soca therapy dot com. Now back to de docta..

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The Rounds: Kevin Lyttle Blazing the Japanese Charts with FYAH

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds.

September is always a big month, when you think about going back to school, getting into a routine, and ushering in the Autumn season. So congrats to everyone for reaching the end in one piece...and congrats to one soca artiste who will likely remember this month for years to come.

A few weeks ago, you heard me mention the Japanese release of Kevin Lyttle's sophomore album "Fyah". The CD continues to blaze up those charts with the FYAH single occupying anywhere from number 26 all the way up to number 2, on the radio charts in major Japanese cities.

Kevin Lyttle at Maddzart's Wild Out in Wred Party, St. Vincent 2006

And as if you would expect anything less, the Fyah ringtone is a common sound in the busy streets of Tokyo. AND Besides all that, September just keeps on getting better for Kevin.

He rang in his thirty-second birthday on September 14th, and just last Friday he was nominated for an Urban Music Award in the UK. Fans can vote online...and the hardware will be handed out at London's 02 Centre on November 15th. It's a little weird, they stuck him in the reggae category alongside Shaggy and Spragga Benz..but accolades are accolades, and naturally we wish this soca ambassador continued success beyond September too!

Looking ahead, October is the Month when the SAO Soca Awards will be bestowed upon the top dogs in the soca world for 2008. The ceremonies take place in beautiful St. Kitts on the 18th of next month. If you'd like to be a part of the action, your best bet is to vote. Check out triple w dot soca awards dot com to throw your support behind Toronto-based nominees like Dr. Jay, Jester, Ms Boomerang and Toronto-Lime dot com.

In Trinidad with Jef from Toronto-Lime.com...the man behind it all! (2008)

November, well I'm sure you heard the news. The very biggest talk is Soca or Die, featuring a cast of acts selected by YOU...the listener.

Well, for those of you can't be in Toronto that weekend, the major action is in Dominica for the 12th edition of the World Creole Music Festival. Dominica will ring in its 30th year of independence from British rule...and will celebrate it in fine style for a whole week. Machel Montano HD will be there. Sean Paul will be there. Kassav and a slew of other amazing Caribbean acts. Over the years the festival has drawn more than 260, 000 visitors to the nature island. In 2008, organizers are hoping to break records for the special reunion year.

Toronto's DJ Kold Fusion will be returning to Dominica for the festivities...
Here we are in Trinidad on Carnival Tuesday! (2008)

I'm Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. Please leave me your comments online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple w dot mustardseeds dot net....and get your podcast of Dr. Jay's Rounds at Soca Therapy dot com. Now Back to de docta!

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Booster Shot: Blakey checked into rehab

This afternoon,Vincentian calypsonian turned drug addict, Blakey, was checked into the Turning Point Rehabilitation Facility in St. Lucia. After several months of significant progress under the careful watch of family members and his musical team, Blakey will continue treatment in the care of qualified medical professionals

Meeting a reformed Blakey for the first time at Insomnia 2008 (Arnos Vale, St. Vincent)

When Project Blakey began in St. Vincent in the Spring, many people believed it to be a gimmick. A soca artist (Skinny Fabulous) and a producer (Kubiyashi) took a homeless drug addicted vagrant, brought him to the studio and made him an instant star. Blakey's "No More Long Talk" rose to the top of the nation's charts over night, and an alcoholic crack fiend was accepted as a legitimate performing artiste. The duet with reigning Soca Monarch Skinny Fabulous has begun to take hold outside of the archipelago, now in the #4 position on the Toronto-Lime.com soca chart.

Producer Kubiyashi

Throughout the Vincy Mas season, Blakey did his best to remain sober out of respect for the persons who took interest in his welfare. However, he suffered a major relapse on Carnival Monday which drove him back temporarily to both the bottle and the pipe.

Those who recognized Blakey's latent charm and previously unappreciated talent have continued to financially support him on his journey. Along with the aid of Skinny Fabulous and Kubiyashi, Blakey's stint in rehab was made possible through contributions from local businessed Tha Hook Up and Pulse, as well as the Vincy Soca Dans and Vincentian glamour model Odini Sutherland.

Hanging with Skinny Fabulous in Toronto

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Nurse's Lounge: Going to Vincy Mas!

Going to Vincy Mas!

Click to find out more...

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(Nurse)Karen celebrates two years of soca news on the radio

TORONTO - The fun-loving source for all that is new in the world of soca celebrated two years on the radio on Sunday. Known to listeners as Nurse Karen, entertainment journalist Karen L. Richardson offers a light-hearted look at the devolopment of the soca genre on Flow 93.5 FM's Soca Therapy. "Dr. Jay's Rounds" was first conceptualized in August, 2005 when Richardson had just graduated journalism school. The idea was immediately pitched to 2-time SAO International Soca DJ of the year Dr. Jay and given the okay by Flow three months later. Karen L. Richardson received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of King's College in 2005. She has since worked in radio, television and print. Online she has contributed to Toronto-Lime.com, Boom-Tribe.com and WeMagOnline.com. She got her earliest experience working with The Vincentian, the oldest publication in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Always an avid lover of arts and entertainment, Richardson is a well-known spoken word performer. In 2004, she published and edited T-Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto's Black Storytellers with Steven Green. To mark the special anniversary, Richardson is launching the (Nurse) Karen (Etc) blog. The site offers The Rounds to an international online audence that may not be able to catch her on-air each Sunday. "Ever since I started the Nurse Karen character, artists have been asking me to send them updates of what I say on air. I'm looking forward to providing a way for industry personalities to subscribe and track their press. I really can't wait to interact with the listeners. It should be fun to hear their opinions on the news I cover," said Richardson. (Nurse) Karen (Etc) will be updated weekly with The Rounds scripts, and Richardson promises more! Readers can log on for special music reviews and carnival recaps, plus artist photos and video from Richardson's travels. To get in on the action visit: http://www.mustardseeds.net
and click (Nurse) Karen (Etc)

or subscribe directly at:http://mustardseedmedia.blogspot.com

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The Rounds - July 22, 2007

Dr. Jay’s Rounds
Sunday July 22, 2007
Karen Richardson

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been here to tell you what’s new in the soca world…and I’ve missed allyuh so much.
I was down in St. Vincent for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Vincy Mas…and let me tell you...THAT WAS BACCHANAL. If you haven’t heard yet, Fireman Hooper is once again the soca monarch with a song called Charge. You should have seen him running up and down the stage dressed like a wizard, waving his magic wand. The whole crowd was spellbound...and so were the judges. Ranking him first overall for the third year in a row and the 6th time in his career. Second place went to Lively for “We Drinking”. I wanted Dr. Jay to fully appreciate the IMPORT of a song about mixing all of the local liquors together for a special carnival brew. So, I had every intention of bringing back a few of bottles for the soca prince to try….but unfortunately, by the time I had left St. Vincent the duty free shop at the airport was clean out of rum. Not a drop ANYWHERE!!!! Maybe that would tell you what kinda fun people had in the fetes. So I guess he’ll just have to get down there NEXT year to try it for himself. Miss Zoelah, is real excited about her upcoming show at KOS j’ouvert, especially now that she’s 2nd runner up for Soca Monarch of SVG.
For all you PROBLEM CHILD fans out there. Everybody get MAD…because this year HE is the ROAD MARCH KING. The tune is called Party Animal…and while a lot of people were unhappy that a song that heavily samples Kassav’s Zouk –LA took top prize for road -- There’s no disputing the fact that NO CHUNE was more popular.

Special Big Up to Jamesy P for hoisting me onto his J’ouvert truck. Seeing all of Kingstown wild and dutty in the early morning sun is a memory I will never forget. For these and other tales of mas and fun in the July sun, check Toronto-Lime this week for Nurse Karen’s Vincy Mas diary.
Last week the action jumped one island north to St. Lucia. Teddyson John took the crown for groovy soca monarch. And just as predicted, Ricky T’s Pressure Boom WALKED away with road march, playing two and a half times more often than the next tune: Blah Blah, by Kakal. But second place isn’t a bad finish for the newly crowned Power Soca Monarch if you ask me.
By all reports, this year’s Caribbean Soca Monarch Show was a big disappointment.

Congratulations, none the less, to St. Lucia’s own Ninja Dan for taking the crown. The organizers might want to look into the reasons why 4 of the twelve international competitors pulled out at the last minute. I’m no genius, but if I was an artist, I’d have issues if I found out that radio stations were actually PROHIBITED from playing MY foreign song until two days before the competition. That makes it virtually impossible to score big points for crowd support. I doh know…I’m just saying…
With Cropover and Caribana and Antigua Carnival just two weeks away, you can count on de nurse, to give you just what you need.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Text me your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5. Now back to de docta!

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The Rounds - February 11, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers,
I’m nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s rounds. In case you’re still catching on, Dr. Jay done gone and lef we, for greener pastures…lit-er-al-ly. Instead of making you wine from 6 to 9, he’s off in Trinidad entertaining an entire country in a sleep deprived, drunken stupor. …and you better believe, I am well jealous. It’s alright -- this Sunday you’re among friends. You’ve got the one called Spex from de Riddim Track, plus Marxman AND Soca Sweetness of the Kingdom of Soca to keep your warm tonight.
And I tellyuh ladies, dat is not a bad deal at all right before Valentine’s day. So it may not be 30 degrees n’ Sunny in Toronto, but we definitely have some lovely reasons to smile.
Last Sunday was the International Power Soca and Groovy Soca Semi-Finals in Trinidad. Hear nah, every country in the West Indies has a Soca Monarch or Party Monarch or King or Queen or Some-Ting-So, but let’s face it… The international Soca Monarch Competition of Trinidad and Tobago is the most important competitive stage in the soca world! Besides the fact that Trinidad is the birth place of the art form, forget the fact that Trini carnival is the biggest in the region. This thing REALLY matters because up here in Toronto we are going to have to listen to the winning songs over and over and over again at every single soca fete between now…and Caribana.
So let the judges be warned. Allyuh can’t afford to make mistakes.
Now sometimes the competition is international in name alone, but this year was surely different. Minmi from Japan secured a spot in the Power Final for “Sha-na-na”…de Japanese wine ting, so did Barbados’ Barry Chandler.
In the Groovy section, Grenada’s Nnika Francis hopes to croon her way to the top. But to do that, she will have out-sing the BAJAN to be beat! Biggie IRIE came up with the top score and he .. .”Nah Goin Home”…till carnival DONE!
I know there has to be someone out there wondering how “dis bold face vincy gyul go be talking about de Soca Monarch race in TRINIDAD” without mentioning how the Trini artists fared on their home turf.
Two words: NADIA BATSON. If you were at Soca or Die 4 last year, you saw her command the STAGE with Kes the Band. If you were at Soca or Die 5, you saw her command the CROWD with the Big Artist Crew. If you were at Hasley Crawford Stadium on Sunday night you would have seen her command the judges with her performance of “My Land” featuring Kees Dieffenthaller which earned her a first place finish in the Power Soca Semis. Your Caribbean, Your Caribean,Your Caribbean Girl was not satisfied with just one victory, yuh know. On the groovy side, Miss Batson scored just three points behind Biggie Irie for an impressive second place. I had a chat with Nadia this week…and if you want to know more, you can check out the article on Torontolime.com
The finals take place this Friday night, when Shurwayne Winchester will defend the crown in both categories. It’s gonna be an amazing show with veterans like Crazy and first time competitors like Mr. Slaughter and everything in between.
Check fuh meh next week, and I promise to fill you in.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s rounds. Send your comments to SOCA at FLOW 935 dot com. Or send me chocolate and roses to the station. Spex dahlin’….back to you.

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