On De Scene: Signature of St.Lucia Carnival

Each island has their unique element to Carnival and today I want to share with you what is St. Lucia Carnival signature that has made our carnival one to savour.

Like most islands we have the different competitions example: Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch, Carnival Queen, Panorama, King and Queen of the Bands. But since 2001 we have been hosting the OECS Soca Monarch as of 2006 known as the Caribbean Soca Monarch which is usually held Carnival Sunday.

On the same Carnival Sunday, expect most party bands to host their pre-j'ouvert fete. Now those who familiar with the Trinidad Carnival scene, you would know in Trinidad most J'ouvert bands are separate from the actual mas band. Well, in St.Lucia it is different. When signing up with a band, you are already signed up with that band J'ouvert band. So yes, it is part of de package hence hardly any hassle. But there are also separate J'ouvert Bands catering to those who are not playing Mas.

On the road , St.Lucia Carnival is known for their LIVE BAND , yes live band music on the road on both Monday and Tuesday giving the revelers samples of music that made impact throughout the season and the classics you love to hear. Very few bands, however opt for Hi-Fi or Dj's on de trucks.


Every year bands from our neighbouring island Martinque come over to play Mas with all their drums and other instruments along with their costumes reminding us all of traditional Carnival. And this year considering the social and economic issues which was facing this island back in February (which had their Carnival celebration cancelled). So this year they will have at least 4 bands coming over the seas to join in our Parade of the Bands.St. Lucia Carnival is arguably most influenced by French culture. From the use of our folk Language (patois) in our music which creates alot of humour in our songs


Part of the Carnival Parade includes the display of Ole Mas costumes which highlights social commentary and humor, not forgetting de masquerades on their sticks moving to the beats.


Ole Mas (compliments torontolime.com)

Most Carnivals across de region do highlight a lot of Pan on de road. We also have our pan groups on de road from J'ouvert to de very Last Lap giving revelers an extra "emmm" in their wine .


One more thing , in most islands revelers DO NOT wear full costume on Carnival Monday , in St.Lucia full costume is woren on both days hoping you have enough costume on de tuesday to play Mas. Also a trend which is picking up in St.Lucia is the flooding of band songs (READ MORE)



This year I noticed the CDF included a Carnival Art Exhibition and to be honest I am excited to see how this element is received and displayed . This along with the normal pre events, parties, limes and all the sight-seeing makes St.Lucia Carnival an unforgetable exeperience. Just ask de Nurse !

Welcome to St.Lucia Carnival !

Peace and Soca


Rochelle

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On De Scene : St.Lucia Carnival Official Opening (PART ONE)

Well, this is the event most persons part of Carnival were waiting for , just the Official declaration that St.Lucia Carnival Season is open!

I got there about 2:30 p.m. and expected show time to be 3:00 p.m. Yes yours truly was on time! However , show began with the National Anthem at 3:30 p.m. when M.C. Pringles a.k.a Superman kicked things off. The Director of the Cultural Development Foundation Kenny "Boots" Samuel gave a few remarks about what to expect for the season. Interestingly enough he made mention of the global crisis and how we as St.Lucians need to embrace the arts amid the “hard times”. He continued as he made mention of the main sponsor of St.Lucia Carnival which is the telecommunication company DIGICEL. Digicel was out in numbers handing out promo flyers as well as top up’s for the patrons. Also they gave out 30 phones that evening. I say some Lucians got it good!

The show continued with a presentation from a rural community, Dennery, as they gave the island a little showcase of what their Community Carnival will entail.

Well I must be honest with you guys ,one of de main reasons I enjoy de opening is to see all de competing bands on one stage with their display, and also dats when you see everyone who contributes to this production called Carnival!

Don’t you love de sound of pan? Well Lime Diamond Steel Orchestra, who are last year winners of panorama, gave the crowd a flash back of classic tunes on de pan and even went to giving us “Meet Superblue” ! Ah tell you pan music was sounding sweet!

Lime Diamond Steel Orchestra

This year St.Lucia will have a total of 15 competing bands which is the highest in recent times , as to de order of bands that has not been given . 2009 will see the incorporation of 4 Martinique Bands in our Parade. This past February saw the cancellation of Carnival in Martinique due to the protest action by workers against the French Government. And I feel so pleased to know they will not miss out on de fun in 2009 because they will help make St.Lucia Carnival Bigger and maybe Greater ! So this is gonna be a different look for us this year although, St.Lucia culture is heavily influenced by French so to me its de perfect marriage!

The show progressed as each band came on with their display with detailed description of each section. All band leaders on attention as their competitors came on. Now this was not de first time most costumes were being displayed, as most Mas Bands launched ahead of the Official Opening. Nonetheless it was the first time ALL bands were on de same stage ! O lawd , aint gonna lie my feet was hurting , and personally felt de show was being dragged.

To be continued…


Peace and Soca
Rochelle

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The Rounds: Getting ready for the final soca showdown

Good Evening Spex and Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jay's rounds. I'm sure you've figured it out by now. Dr. Jay is off in Trinidad for his annual pilgrimage to the soca mecca. Last week the Caribbean Prestige Foundation released the finalists for this Friday's soca monarch competition.

As predicted it will be a truly international competition with entries from six different Caribbean nations among just 20 contested spots. Unfortunately, Zoelah did not make it. But Problem Child will be there to represent SVG. St. Lucia's Ricky T is having a great season in Trinidad. The lehgo me riddim can be heard pumping from every sound system…given some extra stamina by Machel's "Jamishness". So it's no surprise that Ricky will be doing it big for Saint Lucie come fantastic Friday.

For Antigua, Tizzy will be in the groovy category showing them why she's hot. Grenada's reigning soca monarchs Luni Sparks and Electrify are in power along with Carricou's sexy Nnika Francis.

Barbados posse…Biggie Irie will be defending his groovy monarch crown against the Soka Junkie hesself, Mr. Dale.

As for Trinidad's contigent. Toronto's own Kerwin Dubois, scored at the very top of the groovy category. Kerwin is a Trini Artist, but he living here now…so we claiming him now. Especially since he's got two smash hits in Gyal Farm and Hear me now. Always, a solid artist and producer, it warms my frigid canuck heart to see him gettin his shine.

Some of you might not remember that this is the traditional carnival season all over the world. In the Caribbean, it's party time in Aruba, Martinique, and Dominica as well. Dominica held it's soca monarch competition just last night!

This weekend, the Carnival prizes were finally handed out from St. Kitts Christmas Carnival. As a smaller carnival in a smaller island the money isn't quite as impressive as what Trinidad's winner's can expect. But I'm sure King Konris was happy to get his meagre four grand for winning soca monarch anyway.

A word to the wise, when you singing soca, whether big or small…earnings are earnings. And this is the time of year when our favourite artists need to be careful about putting away some cash to pay their taxes. If you think about it, when Machel Montano HD commands one hundred twenty five THOUSAND TT dollars per gig. And he's performing nearly every night. You better believe the tax man is paying attention. I had to laugh when I read an article in a Trinidad newspaper warning self-employed persons of their responsibility to report their income. Self-Employed is really just a code word for "Allyuh big balling, stinkin rich, superstars making me cough up 100 US Dollars for an all-inclusive fete." Not too often that I empathize with tax collectors…but after buying all my fete tickets. I tend to agree.

I'm Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay's rounds. Please text me your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5 or leave them online at (Nurse) Karen (Etc) at triple w dot mustardseeds dot net

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The Rounds - December 2, 2007 (2nd Anniversary of Nurse Karen)

Great news, now you can find The Rounds online. Here's your chance to catch up on the latest soca news, chat with the nurse, and post your comments on what's hot in the world of soca. Check out Nurse Karen
Etc. today at mustardseedmedia.blogspot.com , or go to Mustard Seed Media and click "Nurse Karen Etc"

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I'm Nurse Karen and these are Dr. Jays Rounds. First I'd like to offer my sincere apologies for not giving you The Rounds live on Soca Therapy tonight. Last night, the heavens opened...and an angel took my breath away. Not so, but meh voice gone...and ah sounding like a crapaud on crack. So I'm resting...and I would fix you up next week!

Bajan Posse, Happy Independence Day to you. Over in Barbados, it was a much needed long weekend to celebrate their nationhood. The work force got Friday off to prepare for a fun-filled weekend of shows and bamsee rolling fetes.

Dance floors weren't the only things shaking in the West Indies this week. On Thursday, they had the first eathquake in nearly 250 Years! ...and a quake of SEISMIC proportions ( pun intended, most definitely). Measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, the largest of two quakes to hit the region was felt EVERYWHERE: Puerto Rico, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Montserrat.

in Barbados, Mr. Dale says he was busy filming the video for Soka Junkie when suddenly he felt like his head was spinning. He's getting over a bout of the Flu, so at first he just thought he was feeling sick. Imagine that, Mr. Dale sang and the earth moved. Well, good news is they got all the footage for the
video, and it's expected to be completed in just two weeks.

Speaking of videos, Realvibez.com will be helping Caribbean entertainers to market their music videos via the internet. A new web distribution service was launched by the company this week, making OUR music easier to find online. So far, several Dancehall artists have jumped on board..but the company is hoping to make inroads with artistes from other genres in the coming months.

Last week I gave you some exlusive information about a new band in the works for former Xtatik vocalist, Peter C. Lewis. I promised you more, and here it is. First, Lewis' band is SO NEW that the members have still not agreed on a name. So until that happens, he's staying tight lipped about WHO else is involved. What I do know is that they have 12 songs to release for carnival 2008 ( and ah get a sneaking hunch dat we've heard a few of them already by other artists). Peter says he likes the name "Orchestra". He asked my opinion about it...so I thought I'd throw the question back to you. What would you name the
newest Soca band out of Trinidad and Tobago?

Leave your suggestions below, and your nurse will send them to Peter C. Lewis. How's that for democracy?

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The Rounds - October 21, 2007

Good Evening Soca Lovers, I’m nurse Karen and these are Doctor Jay’s Rounds. It’s another hot Sunday in Toronto, and to mark the occasion, I’ve brought you some equally hot news.
Guyana’s ministry of culture, youth and sport has decided to bring back the Guyana Music Festival that was first started in 1952. Next year, Guyana will play host to the Caribbean’s ideas expo, Carifesta Ten...and the government is praying for a cultural renaissance. The initiative aims to provide more support for the nation’s music industry, and better training for its next generation of entertainers.
St. Lucia’s 2007 groovy soca monarch is not just Goin Down de Road, he’s been jet setting over to gay Paree. Teddyson John and his pan-caribbean performance band, BlueMango just took their act to the 2007 Cibrations Caraibe Jazz festival in Paris France. The band whose members come from Barbados, Martinique, French Guiana and Saint Lucie, received rave reviews after opening for John Legend at the Internationally renowned St. Lucia Jazz festival earlier this year. And now it’s paying off. The group got to take their sound to a festival featuring Caribbean jazz expressions, in Euro’s afro-music mecca!
Another soca artist who’s NO stranger to having his business all over the world, was just invited to speak at Washington D.C.’s historical Howard University. Machel Montano was booked to provide the keynote address at a program called Soca 101, organized by the school’s Caribbean Students’ Organization. Invited, but de big star mussee catch a little stage fright. The educational event went on with no Machel to be seen. He sent his regrets, and I’m told he made an appearance on campus the next day to sign autographs.
When I think of Machel Montano, the last thing that comes to mind is SHYness! Whether he on stage sending a mampie flying in the air, or if he’s just proving dat he’s a real winer man, dat boy oozes confidence. On Friday, Machel and de HD family proved THAT to be true at the ever popular Zen night club, when a couple of bullet proof vested trini cops threatened to shut down de session. Why, you ask? LEWD CONDUCT! Everybody knows, is a regular day in the life of a roadmarch king when the artist gets on stage only to have the girls in the front row INSPECT THE QUALITY OF HIS FAMILY JEWELS. Machel tell de police to lock him up if they want to, but is not he fault de gyal dem getting on scandalous. In the end, the incident produced nothing but hearty laughter from all in attendance…and earned Mr. Montano Nurse Karen’s 2007 award for the King of Commess. Machel, I love you bad jed. You make my job so much easier.
Look out for him in 2008 with a brand new roadmarch contender called Unconditional Love, and a groovy follow up to One More Time that he previewed for the giggling crowd at Zen.
I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Please text your comments to 9-3-5-9-3-5, now back to de doctor.

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The Rounds - January 28, 2007

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

It’s been a fun week in the world of soca music, let ME tell YOU. With several islands throughout the Caribbean preparing for carnival, there’s no shortage of great new music…and a healthy dose of competition to keep the quality at its best.

Down in Martinique it’s all about mizik veeday. That’s quite literally the music of mas. For those of us more familiar with the music of the English Caribbean, the best way to describe it…,is Super fast zouk - filled with sexually charged lyrics, kinda like soca, but all sung in Creole.

Dominica’s carnival is now in full swing too. Mas Domnik is touted as the most orginial carnival in the Caribbean celebrating Soca, Zouk and Bouyon. It also gives special attention to the islands indigenous carib people.

Guyana’s soca monarch contenders are vying for the chance to steal the crown right off Adrian Dutchin’s head…but not if I have anything to say about Dat!

More news from the Mastamind camp. Music man Shawn Noel just announced that he’s doing his part to bring soca to a broader audience. Now, fans of the various Mastamind projects will be able to purchase their favourite songs from itunes. And If you’ve ever searched itunes for soca - you’ll know it’s long overdue. Until now, the most you could get is…the SOCA THERAPY podcast. Not that I complaining….but I’m happy to see something that will put some money directly in the pockets of Caribbean artists.

Speaking of the soca audience…a popular Caribbean web community will soon be the subject of a song by Problem Child. This past week a discussion about the new song by Kevin Lyttle and Problem Child, turned ugly. One poster decided to get personal making comments about the artist and his sister. Sources say Problem Child is fighting fire with the fire he knows best. He’s already been in studio recording a tune making reference to certain commess loving forum posters using their screenames. So allyuh who love gossip...let that be a lesson to yuh.

Woy…like I said, this week is pure kicks. Allyuh know that I enjoy working with the doctor…but not just that, I respect the man as a person. Lots of people respect him, yes…and I mean everywhere. They damn well just wan’ be de man. The longer I bring you the rounds, the more I realize it. In 2005, it was a radio show in St. Kitts with a segment called Pan Moments. In 2006, it was a radio show in Antigua called Soca Therapy. In 2007, they’re taking it out the studio and into the dancehall...and its getting closer to home. A group of promoters in Brooklyn New York are in the midst of organizing a fete called “Doh Cry Ah Leaving”…and it’s not even the first time. I thought that was funny enough in itself…but what was even madder is that one of Dem Boys and Dem messaged me on MySpace asking me if Dr. Jay would mind if I post his bootleg flyer on MY PAGE!!!! Cheeez!

I’m nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds. Please send your comments to soca at flow 935 dot com. Now back to de doctor.

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