The Rounds: Caribana Results are in!

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m Nurse Karen and these are your Caribana 2010 Rounds!

Can you believe it?  Caribana 2010 is upon us...and the parade of the bands went down yesterday on lakeshore boulevard.  I hit the road early Saturday morning with Dr. Jay’s Portrait of Innocence section in Saldenah Mas K Club’s  2010 presentation “ Portraits”.  Hundreds of revellers took to the streets in a display of vibrance, colour and energy, jumping, waving, palancing and wining all the way to victory.  Thats right soca massive.  With 446 points from the judges, Saldenah is your 2010 Band of the year!  In second with 426 points was mega band Carnival Nationz, and for a very close third, we have Toronto Revellers, this year featuring live performances from Machel Montano HD on the road.

It’s been a great year for Louis Saldenah. At Thursday night’s King and Queen show, his loyal revellers shook their mas into first position for Queen of the Bands, as well as male and female individual. Another special honour was being conferred the Ontario Science centre Innovation Costume Award for “Queen” Pat Horsham’s portrayal of D’Chandelier – A Portrait in Chrystal.  This stunning representation of an elegant light fixture was constructed mainly from Recycled materials.

Seven points shy of clean sweep, Dexter Seusahai of Tribal Knights shook up the competition winning 2010 King of the Bands for his portrayal of “Predator Returns”  Congratulations to all the mas makers, and players keeping the culture healthy and strong.

Now on Friday, Pan Alive was a veritable Battle Zone, with 12 bands trying their darnedest to dethrone Montreal’s Salah’s Steelband Academy from their 3 year domination of the pan arena.  As it turns out, much like the winners ... the two bands who tied for 3^rd place, namely Afropan and Panatics also chose to compete with their own arrangements of Anslem Douglas’ pan tune “Battle Zone”.  In second place, we have Golden Harps international with “Surrender”...and in first... hard luck Toronto.  Salah’s reigns supreme again.   

Before I go, gotta update you on the results out of Antigua.  Tian Winter is now a 2-time King.  He took the party monarch title last night in his home Island of Wadadli.  In the groovy category, local soca queen Claudette Peters took snatched the crown back from last year’s winner Tian.  Ricardo Drue also competed in Antigua last night, celebrating his birthday in heavy competition.

I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's Caribana 2010 Rounds.  For more information on all you heard today, visit me online at www.nurse-karen.com or follow me "nursekaren" on twitter...

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The Rounds: Edwin Yearwood shares winnings with Mikey!

Hey All,

Sorry for the delay in getting this to you! With Caribana...and all the resulting fireworks this year, I must admit I have been struggling to stick to my regular schedule. Don't forget to check 'DE LATEST NEWS' for more detail on these items...

In this edition:
- Caribana Band of the Year Results
- Crop Over Pic of de Crop Calypso Monarch
- Crop Over Peoples' Monarch
- Antigua Soca Monarch

Good evening soca lovers I’m Nurse Karen , and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Happy
Caribana weekend 2009! Wow....this is the time of year when sweet soca music takes center stage, and our fair city of Toronto show off the incredible beauty and culture of the Caribbean to the rest of the world. If you’re visiting from out of town. Sure hope you’ve had a chance to experience the exhilarating vibrations that only soca can provide. If you’re not already feeling the vibe...keep listening. Marxman and Dr. Jay are making you wine from 6 to 9.

So first the results from the road. Congratulations to Carnival Nationz on their 2009 Band of the Year title. The presentation of In Full Bloom was absolutely stunning to see. Runner up was Lousi Saldenah Mas K Club with a Tribute to Harold Saldenah. Congrats Dr. Jay...2nd place ain’t so bad. Toronto Revellers took home the 3rd place spot with Brasil, Bacchanal in RIO.

If you didn’t know, Toronto isn’t the only place celebrating carnival right now. Down in beautiful Barbados...it’s all about Crop Over. Red Plastic Bag took hom, yet another Calypso Monarch Crown this weekend. Then this weekend De General Edwin was votes Peoples’ Monarch of Barbados. That is a competition sponsored by a group of radio stations. Listeners get to text in votes for their favourite song and artist of the festival. Edwin’s uptempo...Middle of the road was the clear winner. He beat out his opponent Mikey 82 percent to 18 percent.

None the less, I can vouch that Mikey’s song I in Dat is a very big tune. Edwin thought Mikey deserved to get something too...so get this. He actually offered to give him 10 thousand dollars out of his $25,000 top prize.

Before I head out to continue the carnival action, lemme tell you what happened in Antigua last night. Tian Winter dethroned long time crowd favourite Claudette "CP" Peters in both the Groovy Soca Monarch and Party Monarch categories. So get used to the songs "Baby I" and "Soca Rebel"...and the name Tian Winter. He's on top of his game for 2009, and he's here to stay.

I'm Nurse Karen, and those were Dr. Jay's Rounds. For more info on anything mentioned here...check out your best source for reliable soca news, Nurse Karen Etc at www.nurse-karen.com or follow nurse karen on twitter.

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Booster Shot: Carnival Nationz is Band of the Year!

Mas was maaaaaaaaaaaaad yesterday! I had so much fun on the road with Tribal Knights. The DJ's kept me moving all day, and the performances from Shyann Bailey and Skinny Fabulous turned out to be the icing on my carnival cake.

Had tons of fun with with family and friends, just wish the marshals would have studied the stormers a bit more the people's daughter bam bam and ting. Sadly...we didn't rule the road for Caribana the way we had hoped.


Here's who did!


1. Carnival Nationz - In Full Bloom, Fruits and Flowers
2. Louis Saldenah Mas K Club - A Tribute to Harold Saldenah
3. Toronto Revellers - Brasil, Bacchanal in Rio

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Booster Shot: Caribana King and Queen Results

Mas people!! Lamport stadium was sold out for King and Queen last night. You should have scene people all over Parkdale! Food and flags were selling. Music was pumping! It's here, Caribana is REALLY here.

Congrats to all the bands for putting on a great show last night. Gotta big up my bandleader, Dex Seusahai for taking the top spot as 2009 Caribana King! For all the rest of the results, check out the "unofficial" (just means, uncontested ...raw results as announced) release, courtesy ATC Heirs (official publicists for Caribana)

2009 Scotiabank Caribana ™ King of the Bands

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER – “COSTUME’S NAME” – BAND’s THEME/NAME – MAS BAND (BANDLEADER)

1^st Dexter Seusahai – “King Scarecrow” – BIRDS OF PARADISE – Tribal Knights (Dexter Seusahai)

2^nd Martin Scott-Pascall – Heat Explosion Over Rio De Janeiro” – BRAZIL – BACHANNAL IN RIO – Toronto Revellers (Jamaal Magloire)

3^rd Anton Saldenah – “The Power & The Glory From The Band” –

A TRIBUTE TO HAROLD SALDENAH: THE GOLDEN YEARS – Louis Saldenah Mas-K Club (Louis Saldenah)

2009 Scotiabank Caribana ™ Queen of the Bands

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER – “COSTUME’S NAME” – BAND’s THEME/NAME – MAS BAND (BAND LEADER)

1^st Joella Crichton – “The Source” – IN FULL BLOOM – Carnival Nationz (M. Eustace, B. Aguiton, D. Pitt)

2^nd Carol Cuffie – “The Beauty of Mercury Mist – The Gemstone” – GEM STONES – Connections – TCC (Mervyn Skeete)

3^rd Penne Sutherland – “The Intangible Heritage Goddess of Love” – BRAZIL – BACHANNAL IN RIO – Toronto Revellers (Jamaal Magloire)

2009 Scotiabank Caribana ™ Male Individual of the Year

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER – “COSTUME’S NAME” – BAND’s THEME/NAME – MAS BAND (BAND LEADER)

1^st Mista Meggy - “Bahia Native Dancer” – BRAZIL – BACHANNAL IN RIO – Toronto Revellers (Jamaal Magloire)

2^nd Shane Mungal – “Dance of the Indian Peacock” – BIRDS OF PARADISE – Tribal Knights (Dexter Seusahai)

3^rd (tie) Micah Akal – “Spirit of the Wild” – INTO D WILD – Mas Toronto (Errol & Alicia Achue)

3^rd (tie) Ron Belfon – “Biting Insects” – IN FULL BLOOM – Carnival Nationz (M. Eustace, B. Aguiton, D. Pitt)

2009 Scotiabank Caribana ™ Female Individual of the Year

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER – “COSTUME’S NAME” – BAND’s THEME/NAME – MAS BAND (BANDLEADER)

1^st Alicia Anderson – “Maria, The Samba Dancer” – BRAZIL – BACHANNAL IN RIO – Toronto Revellers (Jamaal Magloire)

2^nd Lisa Mahadeo – “Scarlet Macaw” – BIRDS OF PARADISE – Tribal Knights (Dexter Seusahai)

3^rd Trinelle Alleyne-Gittens – “Iris” – IN FULL BLOOM – Carnival Nationz (M. Eustace, B. Aguiton, D. Pitt)

Love and Mas!

Nurse Karen

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Booster Shot: Caribana Kiddies Carnival Results

Competition time!!!

Here are your unofficial results from the Caribana Junior Carnival parade which took place on Saturday in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood of Toronto.

I passed through briefly, long enough for a few people to wrongly assume that somehow I became the mother of a seven year old boy!

I was very surprised to hear lots of new music from the summer Caribbean carnivals playing. The children gave me a nice little preview of what to expect at the big people parade!!!

Can't wait!!!!

2009 Junior Band of the Year

RANK – 2009 MAS BAND THEME/NAME – MAS BAND

1^st THE GANGES MEETS THE NILE – Callaloo

2^nd IN FULL BLOOM – Carnival Nationz

3^rd (tie) BIRDS OF PARADISE – Tribal Knights

3^rd (tie) DIS-NEE ON THE STREETS OF BRAZIL – Toronto Revellers

2009 Junior King of the Bands

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER, AGE – COSTUME’S NAME – 2009 MAS BAND THEME

1^st Demeko Minott, 13 – Aladdin and the Magic Carpet – DIS-NEE ON THE STREETS OF BRAZIL

2^nd Shane Vincent, 13 – Altamira Oriole – BIRDS OF PARADISE

3^rd Fabian Lee, 8 – Jewel of the Ganges – THE GANGES MEETS THE NILE

2009 Junior Queen of the Bands

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER, AGE – COSTUME’S NAME – 2009 MAS BAND THEME

1^st Paige Lewis, 13 – Botanica – IN FULL BLOOM

2^nd Destynee Charles, 10 – The Guardian of Luxor – THE GANGES MEETS THE NILE

3^rd (tie) Celena Seusahai, 10 – Lesser Birds of Paradise – BIRDS OF PARADISE

3^rd (tie) Akelah Willis, 14 – Cinderella & The Pumpkin Carriage – DIS-NEE ON THE STREETS OF BRAZIL

2009 Junior Male Individual of the Year

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER, AGE – COSTUME’S NAME – 2009 MAS BAND THEME/NAME

1^st Malik Adams, 9 – Cayman Parrot – BIRDS OF PARADISE

2^nd Marvin Lee, 7 – Snake Charmer – THE GANGES MEETS THE NILE

3^rd Jamal James, 14 – The Beast (Beauty & The Beast) – DIS-NEE ON THE STREETS OF BRAZIL

2009 Junior Female Individual of the Year

RANK – MAS PORTRAYER, AGE – COSTUME’S NAME – 2009 MAS BAND THEME/NAME

1^st Shania Cunningham, 10 – Yaruba – DIS IS AFRICA

2^nd Caneisha Edwards, 10 – The Superb Lovebird – BIRDS OF PARADISE

3^rd Anastasia Burton, 12 – Ariel, The Little Mermaid – DIS-NEE ON THE STREETS OF BRAZIL

NOTES:

A panel of volunteer judges adjudicated all contestants/bands using the following criteria: Visual impact (max. 20 marks); Authenticity (10); Creativity (20); Mas on the Move (10); Clarity of Theme (10); Presentation (20); and Craftsmanship (10) for a total of 100 marks. The order of merit is determined by discarding the highest and lowest score per participant.

All junior King, Queen, Male Individual and Female Individual costumes traditionally participate in the (adult) Caribana Parade in their respective parent bands; to be held this year on Saturday, August 1^st, 2009.

Please note, the above unofficial results were provided courtesy of ATC Heir Publicity. Confirmed results will be made available by July 24th, 2009.

Love and Carnival!

Nurse Karen

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The Rounds: Porn distributor resigns from radio

In this edition: 

• Curtis Eustace leaves Carnival Nationz
• Jamaica Carnival 2009 cancelled
• Davy Murray resigns from Boom Champions 94.1
• Red Hot Flames about to hire a new female lead vocalist

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's Rounds. Happy Easter! This is the time of year we tend think about cute fluffy bunnies and little chicks being born.  But that stuff just reminds ME of all the little mas bands in Toronto hatching their big ideas for Caribana 2009.  It's band launch season kiddies!  Which means carnival come back again! This year, Dr. Jay has joined forces with veteran title-winning bandleader Louis Saldenah to bring his own section called Crave.  Marxman has signed on again with Tribal Knights, who's portraying the theme, Birds of Paradise.  Jamaal MaGloire's Toronto Revellers invites you to Brazil this year.   And Carnival Nationz?  Well, for the time being, they are saying goodbye to former Bandleader Curtis Eustace.  He's cooked up a brand new band called All Spice.  Check your favourite caribbean websites for details.
      Earlier this week, the daughter of Byron Lee dropped a bomb on the Jamaican media when she announced that Jamaica Carnival would be cancelled this year.  2009 was to be the 20th anniversary of the street jump up founded by her famous dad in the 80's.  She points the finger at the recession for the cancellation, saying 80 per cent of the carnival events do not earn revenue, and a carnival was not viable with waning corporate support.
       To avoid confusion, I want to point out that there are two carnivals in Jamaica.  Bacchanal Jamaica, the more popular offshoot of the original carnival will continue as planned, complete with all the bells and whistles I've been telling you about: the Mas camp concerts, Beach J'ouvert and of course, the parade of the bands!
        This recession ting not easy, yuh know.  But, lucky for you, I know a few places hiring if you happen to be out of work.  Trinidad and Tobago's Boom Champions radio station received a letter of resignation on Thursday from a long time news presenter called Davy Murray.  He's in some serious legal hot water right now after appearing in court Monday on porn charges.  Crazy, yes? Murray is charged with using the internet to distribute naked photos of a female soca artist who used to be pretty popular in Trinidad.  And NO, I'm not telling you who.
       If presenting news isn't your thing, perhaps you'll consider becoming the new lead singer of Antigua's Red Hot Flames!  The popular soca band from the island with a beach for every day of the year is looking for someone to replace Esther Dyer who *cough cough* left the band back in August.  The field has been narrowed to two.  Oungku tells me he's having the hardest time choosing between Florida-based Saffire and Trini-based Bitts...you soca fans have known over the years as Lil Bitts.  He hopes to announce the new leading lady by the end of the month after both candidates get one last chance to come and gig with the band.
      So, that's the kind of week it's been in soca.  One last thing.  Fay Ann finally got paid on Tuesday.  So, I guess the recession missing THAT family.

          I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  Satisfy your curiosity about all these News Stories online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple w dot mustard seeds dot net.  Or just follow NurseKaren on twitter to get up to the minute info as it happens.  Now, back to de Docta!

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The Rounds: Lil Rick unleashes the "Under Dog"

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's rounds. This is one busy weekend on the carnival calendar, especially for our friends south of the border. The US is celebrating memorial day, which means many West Indian Americans are remembering their waistlines. Atlanta seems to be the hottest US ticket where entertainment is concerned. Tizzy, Iwer, Zoelah, Jamesy P and Problem Child all got to perform in the Carnival village yesterday. But Machel Montano was the guest of honour. Mr. High Definition received a groundbreaking Phoenix award from the City of Atlanta naming him Caribbean Music Ambassador. Today, Machel is among the reggae greats at the Best of the Best show in Miami.

Liming with Iwer George in Toronto

Just a few hours north on the i-95, the city of Orlando is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Caribbean carnival. According to recent census figures there are 86 thousand Caribbean people living in that city. Most of them are at the parade which began at 11 this morning, and will end at the Orlando Sports Complex with live entertainment and activities straight until midnight.

On the West Coast, The bay area is jumping up for Carnaval San Francisco. With 85 different groups participating in the parade, it's a pretty impressive show of Latin American and Caribbean Culture.

Down in Barbados, Lil Rick the Hypa Dog had a special treat for onlookers at the Gail Hill Calvalcade on Friday night. He introduced a new artiste by the name of Under Dog who happens to be his very own son. The corn-rowed teen has perfected his daddy's every antic and dance move down to a T. So, I'll be keeping watch to see what's in store for Crop Over.

Lil Rick and Nurse Karen

If you love soca so much that you sing it in the shower, have I got the competition for you! GotRhythm Dot Com out of Barbados has launched an international E-Soca competition. They are inviting amateur soca artistes from around the globe to submit songs to their website. You can post your chune anytime between now and August 9th. The song that is downloaded most often by online visitors wins! And the artist takes home $5000 bajan bucks….that's about $25 hundred US or Canadian. It's that easy!

While I'm on the topic of competition, I would be amiss not to mention Caribana 2008. It's clear that the mas bands mean business with some of the most imaginative and beautiful costumes ever to don the lakeshore of our fair city. Special shout out to Curtis Eustace and the entire Carnival Nationz camp for a theatrical unveiling of their 2008 presentation of Pirates last night. There are eleven stunning sections depicting the Caribbean's lawless mythological past. The heat is on…and Ah Ready for de Road.

I'm Nurse Karen, and those were Dr. Jay's rounds. Please leave me a comment online at the Nurse Karen Etc blog at triple w dot mustard seeds dot net. And be sure to download the ROUNDs podcast. Now, back to de docta!

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The Rounds - August 5, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. This is it Toronto: Caribana 2007! 40 years of mas in T.O….and we’ve STILL got it.
Congratulations to Jamaal Magloire and the Toronto Revellers Mas band for stopping Carnival Nationz in their tracks. The larger than life presentation of Viva Las Vegas clinched the band of the year title, denying last year’s winners their highly anticipated 3-peat. Instead Carnival Nationz had to settle for 3rd place, right behind longtime favourites, Louis Saldenah’s Mas K Club.
Friday night, the action was at Pan Alive…and there’s no doubt the music was sounding sweet, sweet, sweet. So sweet the judges and them had a hard time picking a winner. In the end, Salah’s Steelpan Academy from Montreal caused a major upset on Toronto turf. Rivals Pan Fantasy, Afropan and New Dimension left Lamport on equal footing, stunned…in a three way tie for second place.
Did you see how pretty the pretty mas was looking on the road yesterday. Sure, all the sexy Toronto men and women could take credit for that. But you really have to big up the bandleaders, mas designers and mas men and women for building some of the most spectacular big costumes Toronto has ever seen. If you were fighting up to get a glimpse on the lakeshore, do yourself a favour and buy yuhself a ticket to the king and queen show next year. That is theatre and pageantry….Masquerade at it’s best. Congratulations to Barokeete Canada’s Joanne Boisson for winning Female Individual of the Year. And Carnival Nationz Kurt Alexander, Tamara Alleyne Gittens, and Rudy Rampersad for winning top prizes for Male Individual, Queen of the Bands and King of the Bands respectively.
For all the bajans and Antiguans who weren’t able to find an outrageously priced flight to this year’s cropover and carnival festivities…let me tell you what you’ve missed. Over in Antigua, they’re celebrating 50 years of Carnival. As predicted last week, Claudetter Peters is once again Soca Monarch and Little Rick was Crowned party monarch last Sunday in BIM. His win was overshadowed, however, by a terrible car crash that claimed the lives of six barbadians on the way to the show. Allyuh remember to be safe on the roads as you enjoy the carnival. We want to see you again next year.
On a lighter note, Mr. Dale was just crowned the Peoples Monarch for Soca Junkie. As the Winner, he earned himself a brand to mazda sedan…The problem is… my man doesn’t exactly know how to drive. But don’t laugh too hard. Since they started giving out cars at these shows, he’s the seventh artiste to win that has no experience behind the wheel. Whappen tu yuh bajan posse…allyuh have the flattest island, with the safest roads…and if they sharing out cars…the least you could do is get a license.
I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s rounds for Caribana 2007. Please text your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5. Now back to de docta.

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The Rounds - May 14, 2006

Dr. Jay’s Rounds
Karen L. Richardson
May 14, 2006

Good Evening Soca lovers! I’m Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.

It’s a known fact that famous people are just people like everybody else. Take Dr. Jay for example, he’s likely the best known soca personality in Canada, but that does not stop him from being a well-mannered responsible family man when the lights are on and the party people have all gone home. Sometimes regular working folk like us tend to forget that our favourite music personalities have lives outside of keeping us entertained.

Jamesy P was cutting hair, before he started cutting records. Alison Hinds had to “roll it” to get her hot body back after giving birth to her daughter. Soca artists have to deal with the stresses of life and pay the bills too.

In everyday life, Blazer’s name is Troydon Cruickshank. Last time we mentioned him on Soca Therapy it was to tell you that he was charged for the murder of his brother Dillon. The 24 year old sibling was found dead from a gun shot wound to the head in the family home in Enterprise, Trinidad. There wasn’t much of an investigation since it appeared to take place at point blank range.

Last week the case finally made it to court. And you’d never believe what happened! Both the State attorney and the star witness failed to show up. Blazer was there though. Just long enough to hear the Senior Magistrate THROW THE CASE OUT OF COURT. That’s right today the man is walking free. Blazer may be famous for his 2003 smash hit “Wrong Timing”, but it seems like de boy have some kinda dumb luck too. All ah Trinidad was expecting him to go the way of Martha Stewart and Li’l Kim, but I guess the stars were shining down on him …and maybe dat one isn’t so regular at all.
OK next example, St. Vincent’s Karen Veira is a carnival baby to the core. She been playing mas since she could balance on two feet. Last year, she exploded on to the streets on Kingstown in a new way. She released the groovy soca song “The Way You Make Me Feel” and it solidified her status as a soca songstress. Before you knew it, the then 18 year old was in studio with established artistes like Skinny Fabulous, Dawg-E-Slaughter and Peter Ram. After Vincy Mas she traded in her microphone once again for feathers and glitter as she joined Toronto’s 2005 Band of the Year to jump up with Carnival Nationz on the Lakeshore. Well, she’s back home for carnival and she’s turning heads in a completely new way. Sexy Kayren is strutting her stuff as one of the finalists in the Miss St. Vincent and the Grenadines Pageant. Naturally, her soca status makes her a crowd favourite to win it all on June 3rd. I feel sorry for the other contestants, how can they even try to compete in the talent portion?

Next weekend it’s time for SOCA or DIE 4. Toronto people, get ready to see three of the most talented regular people in music. Destra, Maximus and Kes.

OK, I’ll give you that. These peoples lives are slightly more exciting than the average. But they blood still RED. Trust me on dat one!

I’m Nurse Karen and those are Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Send me your comments at SOCA at FLOW 935 DOT COM. Now back to de super star doctor…

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