Trinidad Carnival 2008

SAT FEB 2nd:

After reachin how late cuz my XL flight had a ‘missing part’, and going through the hell of Tobago and everybody rushing to get on the last flights to Trini; when I land I was met by Hasan and his cousin, and we were on our way one time. 1st making a pit stop for beers (of course) and then I had to fly to St. James to meet Maya (my sis - please see the hot body brown skin girl next to me in all my pics). They dun tellin me, I eh have time to bathe, so I run and do a splishy splashy and get dressed, in a shorts and LUCIOUS LUCIAN shirt.

We end up goin Trini Posse fete first, after like an hour of traffic, I had time for a power nap that looking back, praise jah I did…. when I walk the outside venue, with a big Red Bull and some huge structure with lighting men and cameras on cranes and ting. When I reach Destra was performing, songs like “Saddle”. I eh go lie her dancers very roff….

It was a cooler fete, so I find my brother, but looking for the rare Lucian flag raised in the crowd, and start batting rum like there’s no tomorrow cuz my foot hot and I feelin’ like I reach late and I been missing out. They endless people on, after Destra it was dat girl who singing exp-o-o-o-o-o-o-ose!, the padnas who singing Gyal Farm, Ricky T, Patrice Roberts (I love you Patrice), and yes Machel Montano HD was deh, dropping all the big tunes like “Defense”! and my fav Carnival song for 2008 ‘When las you hear about de “Congo Man”! go dong dong dong de dong dong dong de dong! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St8BK0HLqNs)

From early I dun standing up on a cooler wining, and somehow I end up leaving the fete very muddy. Machel had a big finale for his “Blazin’ de Trail”, when u sayin ‘aahh de heat!’ and how much big flames on either side of the stage and fire works, so much so, I was not even in front and I felt like my eyebrows were about to burn off!

So yeah, once Machel finish everybody looking to go Insomnia which would have basically da same artists again in a next venue, but I eh vex, I just reach, as long as I goin to a fete I in dat. So when we get deh, Hasan is like, well lewwe go Diamond Vale Breakfast fete. Apparently we had a link, so we decided to go there instead, but not before watching 2 fellas parachute their way down into the sea and on stage for Machel’s show at Insomnia. I eh lying Trinidad real have hype. I also saw Jah Cure pass by and he call me “Empress” - You check it. (I know people suckin their teeth now, hahaha)

Anyways gassa by the time I reach Diamond Vale 7am sun blazing, so I perch myself under a tree with a drink or 3 in hand and to cut a long story short I end up wining until 1PM that day. I ate doubles for the first time, which upon my first bite was like a the clouds opened and a light shone down from heaven, and a whole choir of angels serranaded my tase buds cuz dat was the most delicious thing I ever ate. Gassa I eh know how I did it, but everybody, it is possible to not sleep for 36 hours and stay wiining and drinking rum. YES….. I CAN!

SUN FEB 3rd:

We went and sleep for like 4 hours then I had to get up and go collect my costume. Which I was looking forward to. And I eh go lie it was lovely (better be for the money I pay) embellished in how much diamante gems, well sewn and just all round gorgous. (gorgean Taribba-hahaha) After dat gassa I could do nothing but sleep, Super bowl or no Super bowl, I went and sleep at 7.

MON FEB Feb 4th - 2AM:

Oye I was awakened by what sound like a Carnival truck park inside my bedroom. Yo the jouvert bands turns out passin RIGHT IN FRONT the house I staying in. Everybody sleeping, but I wide awake like I just drink 12 cups of coffee. My foot hot like hell, so I go upstairs and watch the bands pass, feeling depressed cuz everybody sleeping…. Luckily my equally hot foot sister decide she want to go too and after watching more and more bands pass and we wake up Omar and decide we goin - WE IN DAT!

We join up with Yellow Devils and after like 5 mins we dun have yellow paint on us. It was a real irie vibe as we wine down de road, get hose down soakin wet…. mad and off.

Irie we go home at like 8, to bathe and get ready and I eh know how but we reach on the road all 12 o’clock. For my first time we following some Trini’s who basically tell us we go be in TRIBE, and we eh have no other choice. On Carnival Monday, nobody really wearing costumes, and apparently most people not deh on Monday. But it was in my opinion still pleasantly full. I know I quarrel about how much TRIBE costs, so you know from the moment I reach we dun in the drinks. I would like to add some commentary in point form to sum up my two days:

1. TRIBE service was impeccable. I never waited more than 1 minute for a drink, maybe less.
2. For lunch, we sat in a park with blankets laid out for us to eat lunch (nice touch), which was a choice of 3 meals - BBQ, Creole or Mexican.
3. They had a tent with full length mirrors and deodorant to freshen up.
4. The mobile bathrooms had mints safety pins and more deodorant.
5. The security was so tight, it was like every 2 feet was someone on the rope (no exaggeration).
6. Tuesday breakfast was doubles (of which I ate like 5), bake, yogurt, banana, or cereal.

All this may be seen as standard for some Trini’s, but as a 1st timer I was very impressed.

So Monday we saw familiar faces, we wine on the green-eyed padna (Michael Ealy) from Barbershop (and break his waist), who apparently in TRIBE every year, and saw Jeanille from TEMPO. The rest is pretty much a blur, just know plenty wine and jook go on.

Carnival Tuesday we had to be up from early, cuz apparently we had to be on the road from SEVEN? Boy … amm…. hmm…. well we got there for 8AM and I eat my doubles, so I dun content. You basically remained stationary for like 2 hrs, but I eh vex cuz I feel I getting a cough, so maybe I should drink some Hennessy straight? At 9am? Yeah man… it’s amm… medication!

Come Tuesday everyone dolled up in their costumes, so it looked all so pretty… seeing the frontline costumes and all the sections grouped was really beautiful. After admiring my band gassa no time to waste, we basically wine from then til 8pm, with an extended and well needed break for lunch… I well fell asleep for 20 mins in the park.

My only thing about TRIBE is that they don’t have any jamets. I eh see no one on the ground, or legs on a truck… no people in a upside down wine!!! Everyone was generally so well composed. Otherwise, the band irie!!

For those who askin’… yes the route long, and I do suggest you do a lil’ exercise before going down and not too get toooooo drunk, cuz u go burn out. Doh wear a new new shoe, and girls if you wearing heels you crazy!!!

For those men wondering… YES THE WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL, but ladies not everybody are super models, and trust me after a while you not even concerned if a Tyra Banks look alike standing next to you cuz it’s all irie vibes…. and who cares when you have a drink in your hand!

To be honest, what more can I say about Trini Carnival is I wine for the whole of St. Lucia and I’d recommend anyone who like to fete to come down!!

After that I was basically cooling out in Trini for a bit, enjoying the delights of being in the Caribbean, like listening to this show called ‘Gladiator’ in the morning and on Ash Wed they had a big debate if you should not wine for 40 days, and a woman call and say it not possible to for her not to wine for 40 days. lol . U must love the Caribbean!

I spent 2 days in Tobago and it’s absolutely beautiful. The day I leaving they say lewwe go on a glass bottom boat. I deh thinking, ‘irie, we goin on a touristy, look at the pretty fishies’ kinda vibe. But we end up on the most bacchannal boat, a man bring on a bottle of black and Soca blasting as we cruise over the reef. We park by that nylon pool (that’s the name?)

The place were sand settle in the middle of the ocean, so it super shallow, only up to your hips. It’s absolutely beautiful and I would send anyone who goin’ Tobago to go on Cool Runnings boat. Big fete break out in the sea and everybody wining in the sea like it was a mermaid mas!!

I left Tobago late cuz XL was ‘missing a part’ again. Somebody say a prayer before I board my flight…..

I hoped I have been partially thorough… I can garauntee u I go be back in Trini next year and the year after that. I hope some of these pics can help illustrate one of the baddest week of fetin I ever go thru…

Til de nex account…..
Fiona

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Just when everyone thought Machel Montano had his 3rd Road March on lock, here comes the daughter of Super Blue, Faye-Anns Lyons with big tune “Get On”.

Faye-Ann ran away with the 2008 Road March title, with “Get On” being played at judging points a total of 331 times on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Blaxx (Roy Cape All Stars) “Breathless” took 2nd place (127) and Machel Montano HD followed in 3rd position with “Blazin D Trail” (72). Congrats Faye-Ann!!

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Get On - Faye-Ann Lyons (Jan 28th-Feb 4th, 2008)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

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Zan of the Machel Montano HD camp, latest Groovy Soca release titled “Out On De Road”, is not only getting lots of love on the airwaves, but is definitely an emerging fete tune. In 2006 Zan gave us “The Heart of A Man” with Machel Montano, and really landed on the Soca map with 2005 hit “Watching Woman”.

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Our On De Road - Zan (Jan 21st-28th, 2008)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

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With a few songs already doing well for 2008, including “Blazin D Trail”, which appears to be what the HD band is pushing for Road March 2008, Machel & Patrice has released “Rollin”. This combination has already won a Road March in 2006 with “Band of D Year (BODY)”… can they do it again for 2008?

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Rollin - Machel Montano HD & Patrice Roberts (Jan 14th-21st, 2008)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

26 comments

A true TRINBAGONIAN, born in Sangre Grande, spending his early years in Toco, before attending school in Tobago, Andrew “Big Drew” Ewing can best be described as an ultra expressive lyricist, capable of creating verbal imagery. Out to set his own unique
stamp on the music world, which is made very evident by his signature catch phrase, “I COULD NEVER BE YOU”.

Heading into Carnival 2008, Drew currently has four offerings to be unleashed on the public at large, namely “Burning” a socially conscious number on a catchy beat produced by Blade, the mid tempo grove trilogy that is 3 D Hardway; “Waistline Thumper”, “Carnival Time”, “Bang-Bang”, three tracks produced by JusShane, which serve to show Drew’s lyrical dexterity creating three different musical vibes all on the same beat.

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Waistline Thumper - Big Drew ft Ms Diamond (Jan 7th-14th, 2008)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

12 comments

The young & sassy soca star seems to have the right formula for success!! For 2008, “Mo Wuk” is another one of her releases that’s doing well for the season, getting lots of love on the airwaves.

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Mo Wuk - Patrice Roberts (Jan 1st-7th, 2008)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

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In a 2005 Interview, D’Hitman told us to expect big tings from him and Bunji. And for 2008, they combine to give us “Country Rum”. Yeah man, bring de rum!

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Country Rum - D’Hitman & Bunji Garlin (Dec 24th-31st, 2007)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

38 comments

 Pablo Moses: ‘REVOLUTIONARY DREAM’

BY M.V. MALELA

Born in 1953, in the rural Manchester part of Jamaica as ‘Pableto Henry’, veteran artist Pablo Moses is best known for his phenomenal burst onto the reggae scene in 1975 with the controversial song: ‘ I MAN A GRASSHOPPER’, from his debut album: ‘REVOLUTIONARY DREAM’. Over the years, Pablo Moses has released a great number of records, among which we can count big hits as such as: ‘WE SHOULD BE IN ANGOLA‘ or ‘GIVE I FE I NAME’ also from his debut album. But we can also name a few other albums like: ‘PAVE THE WAY’ (1981), ‘IN THE FUTURE’ (1983), ‘TENSION’ (1985) or ‘LIVE TO LOVE’ (1988). Pablo’s lyrics are message lyrics based on experiences in his personal life often mixed with innovative and unique arrangements. His wide reading of Steve Bike, Markus Garvey, Edward Brathwaite and other black liberationists also considerably affected his lyrics.TriniJungleJuice wanted to take a look back and follow the progress of an entire life commitment. We met the artist back from his recent tour in Africa after his latest performance on November 29^th 2007 in France…

TJJ: Does having a name like ‘Moses’ already involve itself a certain sense of consciousness?

  Pablo Moses: Yes, and as a matter of fact I didn’t choose that name ‘Moses’, you know. Because the name that was actually given to me by my mother was Pableto Henry. But when I was younger, because I was big in physical status, most of my friends usually called me Pablo. Then when I went to high school, I was involved in a lot of talking and debating, and speeches and dramas, and so forth… so whenever there was going to be any fights or anything, I would always come to talk to squash it, so they started to call me ‘Moses’. That is how I got the name ‘Moses’ and you know, when I did my first song I needed a name, so I decided to take ‘Pablo Moses’ and this is how this name came by. But I think it’s a positive name, because the same way Moses used to strike the rock to bring forth water, now I, Pablo Moses, I’m striking the musical vibes to bring forth passion. So it’s a different vibe but it’s almost similar.

TJJ: contrary to many other musicians of your time, you chose not to give up your studies for the music: was it your own way of making the difference?

 Pablo Moses: Well, I would say that wanting to be an artist was always in me from when I was very little. So I think that when I taking that course in Business Administration and Economics, it wasn’t for me, but I was doing it more to make my mother and the rest of my family feel comfortable, because they didn’t really look towards the arts as such. Most people in those days thought that becoming a teacher, an accountant or whatever would make you more successful… But when I was going through it all, I was still writing songs. Unfortunately, all of the songs I was writing had almost all similar sounds because I had not learned how to play any musical instrument, so I got myself and old guitar and I started practising. I also bought myself some books on musical theory and I created new progressions, then I added lyrics to those progressions and out of that came the album: ”REVOLUTIONARY DREAM”. After that, I decided to acquire more fundamentals of music and with the little that I had, I went and took audition at Jamaica School of Music and I passed. For two and a half years I did some theoretical music, studying the basis of different music styles like Rock’n'roll, Blues or jazz and when I came out of that I felt ready…

TJJ: As a veteran artist: what are your views on the nowadays reggae scene?

 Pablo Moses: To me, it’s more like a circle with all that has already been before: in the late 50’s it was Ska, which was a happy thing, then in the 60’s you got the rock stage, and it was more romantic, with more romance, then with the 70’s came more revolutionary music called reggae, with the Ska integrated, but at the same time lovers rock was within too. Finally in the 80’s you got the dancehall and there was a certain decline of positiveness. But there has been a certain amount of more positive influences coming into the music since the late 90’s and the early 2000. But I do think that a lot of the slackness part in the dancehall today is getting us nowhere. I’m definitely not with it and I try to make my children at home not listen to it either. However I do think that a lot of the positiveness is coming back again into the music. It might not be getting the exposure that they deserve, but I think that there’re still positive prospects for positive music: a lot of good artists are coming back in the scene and I’m still optimistic about the future of reggae music, especially with the persistence of people like myself as a veteran, still here to ensure the youth that they can achieve a life out of this too by speaking positiveness, you can live good. You don’t have to rush things to get the money, because nowadays that’s what some of the dancehall songs are all about: quick money, to drive a hype car, and get all the Gucci’s and the long chains…but it is a work that should involve not only the artists, but also the agencies and the promoters for us to change certain values..

 TJJ: Do you consider your own music more like revolutionary poetry or is it just music before anything else?

Pablo Moses: I consider my songs as being a try to incorporate other forms of music, and that is what is so great about reggae! You can incorporate other forms of music within reggae and it is still reggae, that’s one aspect that I love, because I love to explore, I don’t see why I should confine myself. Sometimes you can add a little bit of Blues and add a little bit of Rock and you can also add a little bit of Jazz within your music to still attract other people, and like I was saying before: that’s one aspect. Then there’re lyrical contents and I do think that my lyrical contents are more revolutionary, indeed. And I don’t mind! I love it! I’ve tried to write other songs but it’s difficult. I wrote some lover songs too but most of the people said that my lover songs sounded totally different, but you know I have to show respect of the women and that’s the type of lover songs I write. And realistically, I think I’m a revolutionary person and I prefer to continue being a revolutionary person. I have to apologies to anyone when I say what I’m saying in my songs. Some people might not like it, well that’s life, some other will, and that’s what an artist is: you create and you love what you create and like I say: the best is yet to be made.

 TJJ: You just came back from your tour in Africa: what are your impressions? What is your relationship with Africa, especially as a Caribbean artist?

 Pablo Moses: Africa is my mother and father, we as Jamaicans and as Rastafarians especially, we consider Africa as our first home. We look at ourselves as Africans living in Jamaica, because in reality it’s the seed of Africa planted in Jamaica, like in any other island, so you’re still an African-Caribbean and that’s how I look at myself: I’m an Afro-Jamaican. Now what do I think of Africa? I think that the people of the country where I’ve been in Djibouti are very warm and receptive. My first concert was good and the last concert was overcrowded…there were so many people and I was happy to try to touch as much hands as I could. I felt good as I embraced the trees of Africa; I touched the earth because it was actually my first time physically in Mother Africa. I had never been there before, so it was like jubilation to me. I was ecstatic and I still can’t get over it all now. I hope that I can reach Africa again shortly, because I’d like to go everywhere in Africa as much as I can.

TJJ: And what is your view on the general situation in the West Indies?

  Pablo Moses: I think that in the West Indies in a whole, we have been growing and maturing. We might sometimes have lost certain directions but overall there’s a sense of unity now that is coming in the West Indies, especially since the form of Caricom. And we have also seen that it was a struggle from way back in the 40’s when one part asked for Referendum and the other asked for the integration of the Caribbean. It did not happen totally at that time. I do think now with the form of Caricom and the leaders that are coming together on the common understanding that we don’t need to be separated any longer: Trinidad cannot do it on their own, Jamaica cannot do it on their own, Guyana cannot do it on their own, Barbados cannot do it on their own, etc… So they are all coming together now in the form of one entity, which is Caricom. There’re also now letting a form in the Caribbean: they call it Caribbean Court of Justice, and with it, it is also very important that we show the world that we are intellectuals in the Caribbean also. We can also be judges of high esteem and high lawyers we don’t need to run to the prime council of England after so many years of so called independence. But I think that we also have countries like Jamaica where the conservatives would prefer not to move away from the prime council of England, because there’re always so called elites that prefer to have the grip on the masses, and that has a kind of slowed up some of their achievements and certain accomplishments that we would make in the whole Caricom organisation and family. But there’s nothing impossible and I do think that frustration is going to reach those so called elites after a while, so this will be accomplished: the Caribbean will be one entity. One body. And to me this is already an achievement and a good start when they go on negotiation with other countries as one body. The struggle continues and children in tertiary education in the Caribbean have to help to continue paving the way for these accomplishments to materialize.

 TJJ: You are on TriniJungleJuice.com, the first Caribbean website to take you Global: do you have a special message?

Pablo Moses: well, my special message to TriniJungleJuice (and as I noticed you said: let the juice flow), well let it grow and continue to grow for the unification of the Caribbean and we need Caricom to be strong! We need our people to be strong, never give up the fight. Think positive of yourself just like I say in the song: READY, AIM, FIRE’: ‘ constructive results is better than self insults‘ a lot of people insult themselves saying that they can’t do this or that. I do not like the word ‘can’t’ throw it in the garbage. Think that: I can and I will!  And I think that we, Caribbean people, think that way: we can and we will accomplish it, because we’re strong enough. We just need to be stimulated, that’s it, so Jah guide and protect you all and continue the struggle for your equal rights and justice in the world. One love! Bless and love everytime!!     

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With “Right Dey” already doing well, this is KES The Band’s second offering for 2008, and this time they teamed up with Mista Vybe (“Ting 4 D Road”) to give us a track called “Wave It Away” from the upcoming album ‘Love Connection’ by the Big Artiste Crew — IN STORES JANUARY 2008!

Listen (click on song title) and tell us what you think of their song today… Dig It or Ditch It? Please keep it HONEST, yet CLEAN!

Wave It Away - KES The Band & Mista Vybe (Dec 17th-24th, 2007)

Real Player will be needed to experience the music

With all the new Soca releasing left, right and center from both established and upcoming artists, each week leading up to Trinidad Carnival 2008, we will feature a New Artist and their offering for the 2008 Carnival season.

Want to hear more 2008 Soca, visit www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html today!

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