Eye Unit: Peter Ram - Tattoo Farm / Blackberry

Well what can I say? Who new that Peter Ram and Biggie Irie were such great actors? Check out Peter's latest video for Tattoo Farm. This was shot in place of domicile for Peter Ram, Biggie Irie and Skinny Fabulous for the 2010 Trinidad Carnival season. I happened to pass by the spot the day after the video. The guys were still tatted up! Later that night we met up to play J'ouvert with Nasty Devils...

Take a look and let me know what you think!




Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

Read more...

The Rounds: Shaunelle McKenzie is a Mommy!

Originally aired on Sunday, March 28, 2010 on Soca Therapy with Dr. Jay de Soca Prince (Flow 93.5 FM Toronto)

In this edition:
- Trelawny Carnival this weekend (Jamaica)
- Bacchanal Blocko 2010 Cancelled (Jamaica)
- Fadda Fox, Skinny Fabulous and Monstapiece rock UWI Carnival (Jamaica)
- Rupee remixes "Frenzy"
- Bomani plans new Vincy Mas fete (St. Vincent)
- Shaunelle McKenzie gives birth (St. Vincent)

Good Evening Soca Lovers,

I’m Nurse Karen, and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  Easter is just one week away, which means just a few days till Jamaica Carnival for Soca fans in Trelawny. ...Three days of revelry to the sounds of Byron Lee’s Dragonaires led by Oscar B.  Other events include a soca / reggae party on Good Friday, Family Fun and oldies disco day on Saturday, and a sport bike show on the Sunday.  It’s definitely not your traditional expression of Carnival other Easter for that matter.  But then again Jamaica has always been on the forefront of cultural innovations!

            Jamaica’s other carnival,  Bacchanal Jamaica, just announced the cancellation one of it’s signature events this season.  Sad to say, the Bacchanal Blocko is off for 2010.   Organizers cite unforeseen circumstances.

Nurse Karen and Skinny Fabulous in Toronto (2008)

Students in Jamaica celebrated UWI Carnival last night.  They lucked out on a hot show  from Fadda Fox, Skinny Fabulous.  In a just a few minutes the action will continue on The Plumbers Boatride.  With the weather we’ve been having over here, doesn’t a boatride in sunny Jamaica sound perrrrrfect?

Meanwhile , Barbados’ soca sweet boy Rupee  is back home after one month of touring in Europe.   Toronto Hip Hop fans will be excited to hear that he’s got a remix of the song FRENZY on the way.  It feature’s T-Dot rude bwoy Kardinall Offishall, so keep your ears to the ground for that.

Nurse Karen and Kardinal Offishall in Toronto (2008)

Toronto fete-goers had a couple of great indoor options for entertainment over the weekend.  One fete featured Bomani from St. Vincent.  If you missed him, he tells me  he’s hard at work organizing his first ever concept show for Vincy Mas 2K10.  It’s called Soca in de Dark.   The dimly lit, intimate night of groovy and raga vibe is set for the Month of May and will feature a cast of SVG artists as well as a guest appearance from Krosfyah!

Bomani and Nurse Karen in New York (2008)

           If you know the Vincy scene, you would know that Bomani sings in a band called HS Phaktor with a talented female vocalist by the name of Shaunelle Mckenzie.  Last Saturday, Shaunelle became a new mom, giving birth to a bouncing baby girl named Sade.  She weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounzes, and from all accounts, she’s happy, healthy and verrrry hungry! 

Shaunelle McKenzie and Nurse Karen in St. Vincent (2008)

            I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds.  For more info on everything you heard.  Check me out online at Nurse dash Karen dot com, or Follow me...”Nurse Karen” on Twitter.  Now, back to de Docta!

Read more...

The Rounds: Fay Ann is a no-show at Soca Monarch prize giving

Originally aired on Sunday, March 21, 2010 on Soca Therapy with Dr. Jay de Soca Prince (Flow 93.5 FM Toronto)

In this edition:
- International Reggae and World Music Awards Soca Nominees (USA)
- Tizzy goes to France (France / Antigua)
- International Soca Monarch prizes distributed (Trinidad)
- Shal Marshall rocks Mas Camp (Jamaica)
- Birthdays: Private 6 (St. Lucia) Harella (Dominica)


Good evening soca lovers. I’m Nurse Karen, and these are Dr. Jay’s Rounds.

The International Reggae and World Music Award nominations are out. 2010 makes it 29 years, and this time around several soca artists are among the nominees in six different categories. But the biggest award for the genre would “Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer which pits the likes of Alison Hinds, Machel Montano, Skinny Fabulous, Edwin Yearwood and Fay Ann Lyons against each other. No matter who wins, you can certainly count on great performances from Machel and Alison at the IRAWMA’s in Queens New York for May 2nd. Vote online at triple W dot I R A W M A dot com.

Nurse Karen shares a laugh with Skinny Fabulous (Trinidad, February 2010)

El A Kru’s Tizzy is enjoying the benefits of a blossoming career. Recently, the bouncy Antiguan lead singer returned to her sunny island from headlining the Caribbean Bounce Festival in Bordeaux France. Do you understand what I’m telling you here? A West Indian woman travels all the way to a town known for a certain grapety beverage to teach the people about wine. Kinda ironic don’t you think?

Trinidad’s Caribbean Prestige Foundation distributed the Soca Monarch prizes on Thursday at the Cascadia Hotel. JW and Blaze were there to collect their $600 Thousand TT and a Brand New Toyota Hilux. Shurwayne who earned top prize in Groovy Soca was in person to collect his winnings, but Fay-Ann Lyons did not show up even though she scored a second place in both categories.

 Nurse Karen with Fay Ann Lyons in Miami (October 2009)

During the festivities, Vice President Tony Lee announced that come 2011, the winner will alos receive the “William Munro Soca Monarch Challenge Trophy” along with the cash. The new trophy, named after the event’s co-founder has been created to continue to honour the contribution of William Munro long after he moves on from involvement with the organization. Although, no actual announcement indicating such a move was actually made.

The Friday Night fetes at Bacchanal Jamaica Mas Camp continued this week. It was Shal Marshall’s turn to mash up the session, following Alison Hind’s big show last week. The action continues until just after Easter.

Nurse Karen and Shal Marshall (Toronto, March 2010 - photo by Soca Dread)

Before  I hand it back to Dr. Jay we gotta wish a happy birthday to St. Lucia’s Private Six on Friday and Dominica’s Harella on Saturday.

And there you have it, I’m Nurse Karen and those were Dr. Jay’s Rounds. For more news from throughout the soca universe, check out the Nurse Karen Etc blog at nurse dash Karen dot com, or follow me “Nurse Karen” on Twitter. Now Back to De Docta.

Read more...

Booster Shot: Tizzy Exports Her Wine to France

Well, would you get a load of that?  What possibly could an Antiguan, or any West Indian have to teach the French about Wine? Well, the French certainly have us beat when it comes to Champagne, Chardonnay, and Merlot...but who better to teach the "Tizzy Wine", that Tizzy herself!

More evidence of important strides for Eastern Caribbean Soca artistes!  See what I mean in the press release below.

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

Tizzy exports her ‘Wine’ to France

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE St. Johns, Antigua - Tanzania “Tizzy” Sebastian returned to Antigua earlier this week from her first appearance in France where she headlined the Karibbean Bounce Carnival in Bordeaux .

 

Bordeaux a city known internationally for its wine got its first taste of the “Tizzy Wine” on Saturday, March 6^th. “We knew how popular ‘Expose’ was but I was surprised how well known her other hits like ‘Tizzy Wine’ and ‘Bounce’ are in France ” said Tizzy’s manager Rohan Hector. Apparently a youtube video of Tizzy demonstrating her signature dance during a radio interview went viral spawning the dance craze in France .

 

Tizzy and her band El-A-Kru have become fixtures on the entertainment circuit throughout the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora since she received the award for “Best New Female Soca Artist” at the International Soca Awards in 2007. Having already performed in London , Saturday’s performance became Tizzy’s first in continental Europe .

 

Her popularity in France was clear as she was approached by fans asking for autographs while sightseeing in Bordeaux prior to the show. “People were running up to me in the streets to show me their ‘Tizzy Wine’” Tizzy answered when asked about her reaction in France . “It was amazing being onstage and having people who do not even speak English, singing our songs word for word.”

 

The show was a success with an above capacity crowd turning out to see Tizzy’s energetic performance. Forced to improvise when her microphone stopped working in the middle of a song, Tizzy taught the crowd the ‘Tizzy Wine’ until her microphone was replaced. She received several encores, the promoter himself said “she was very good, they loved her.”

 

“I believe Tizzy will be the first female artist to take soca Global,” says Brad Hemmings, CEO of Caribbean Entertainment Tizzy’s agency that has also booked reggae and soca artists to perform in exotic places such as Russia , Australia and the Middle East .

 

Tizzy is scheduled to return to other countries in Europe this summer of on her De Road Show Tour which included stops in Guadeloupe and St. Thomas prior to France and continues on to Calgary, Canada this week. 

Read more...

Booster Shot: Skinny, Machel, Fay Ann, Alison, and Edwin nominated for 2010 IRAWMA

Congrats goes out to a handful of soca artists who have been nominated for this year's International Reggae and World Music Awards.  Kudos to the IRAWMA committee for getting it right this year.  In the past the soca category hasn't always reflected top achievers in the genre for the period considered.

Check out this press release from Pyramid Entertainment.  Keep in mind, we're talking about Skinny Fabulous' management. So, I don't want anyone trying to say I'm trying to influence your vote.  Vote with your ears and your heart!

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

Skinny Fabulous Earns IRAWMA Nomination

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR SKINNY 

Skinny Fabulous is among the nominees for the 29^th International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA), getting the nod for his performances in 2009.

Announced on February 27, Skinny Fabulous is joined by fellow nominees Fay Ann Lyons, Edwin Yearwood, Machel Montano and Alison Hinds in the category for Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer. You can go tohttp://www.irawma.com/vote-2010-irawma.html  to cast your vote for Skinny Fabulous.

This year's Awards show is dedicated to the People of Haiti and Health Awareness. It will be held on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 6 pm at the York College of Performing Arts Center in Queens, New York. Visit  www.IRAWMA.com for more info about the Awards and to vote for Skinny Fabulous. 

IRAWMA produced by Martin’s International & Associates promotes reggae and world beat music as an art form. Each year it honors entertainers and others associated with world music for their contributions to the industry and to humanity internationally. IRAWMA is vehicle of expression for the voiceless peoples of the world. More than 20 million fans viewed the 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th IRAWMA on television.

Read more...