Why Trinis Should Do Jamaica Carnival

Now that Trinidad Carnival is over and the tabanca has fully set in, don't fear my Trini friends, you can always do Jamaica Carnival.

The Jamaica Carnival season is in it's early stages now, but things really pick up around Easter weekend with the Road March being held on April 12.

BUT... I am warning you to not compare Jamaica Carnival to Trinidad's because it's no where on the same scale.  Jamaica Carnival is a very small event (that is growing) and not a national festival.  The road march and costumes are managed by Bacchanal Jamaica, a private entity, and the fetes and J'ouvert are put on by Bacchanal and other promoters.  Even so, it is worth the experience.

Photo credit: Eloquence.com

 

1.  It is cheap(er).
Because of the exchange rate (about J$116 to US$1), Trinis can get more for their money in Jamaica  as it relates to fetes and costumes.  And since Trinis are feteing like oil is US$200 a barrel, then why not?  For instance, a cooler fete can range from US$20-25 and an all inclusive can start from US$70. In addition, you can get a BL costume from US$300 and a FL from US$400. However, keep in mind that the airfare from Trinidad on CAL is pricey with a cost of about US$500-600. If you don't mind a longer route, Copa airlines are sometimes cheaper than CAL (but through Panama).

2. You may not have to pay for accommodation.
Everyone knows a Trini in Jamaica.  I mean there are literally hundreds of Trinis living here.  You must know one who would be willing to put you up for at least a week (not me of course). But please, if you do go this route, offer to pay for groceries or contribute to the light bill because those aren't cheap. If you can't find someone to put you up (Jamaican or Trini), hotel rooms in Kingston can range from US$140-250 per night. You can check out Knutsford Court Hotel, Jamaica Pegasus, Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, and Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.

If you plan to get here for the Easter weekend fetes, keep in mind that these do not take place in Kingston and you may have to get accommodation in either Ocho Rios or Portland where basic rooms can cost about US$60-100.

3. You can recycle your costume from Trinidad Carnival.
There is one band for Jamaica Carnival (yes, it's that small) and the costumes are okay and reasonably priced.  But if you want more, you can wear your own costume and simply pay for the t-shirt option (US$240) to get the armband. The prices are all-inclusive and come with drinks, meals, and snacks.  There is also a cool down area and restroom facilities.

Photo credit: Dwayne Watkins

4. The J'ouvert is awesome.
During the season there is Cocoa J'ouvert (March 7) and Beach J'ouvert (on Easter weekend), but on the Friday before the Road March, there are about 3 major J'ouvert events.  The 2 major events are Caesar's Army AM Bush and Bacchanal Jamaica's J'ouvert with my pick being Caesar's Army. Last year, AM Bush only catered to 300 patrons, but I'm sure it will be bigger this year.



Caesar's Army Ambush 2014 Photo Credit: Jamaica Gleaner

5. Machel will be here.
I'm not sure when and where, but Machel will be here; he's always here.  He usually does the Pandemonium fete on the Thursday before Carnival, so he might be here for that. And it's not just Machel, but a lot of local soca artistes and DJs are booked for the season.

Photo credit: Skkan

But even more importantly, Trinis should do Jamaica Carnival simply because nobody loves a Carnival more than a Trini.  Trinis be like: "aye, I hear it have ah Carnival in Space"..."Eh heh? When is dat?"

A Minister of Soca...

A while back I asked my Facebook friends to identify their favorite Machel Montano songs.  I was surprised that so many people responded and many called out songs that I had long forgotten about. With a career that spans almost thirty years, there's no denying that Machel is one of the greatest soca artistes in Trinidad and Tobago and that his Soul Train Music award for Best International Performance is well deserved, particularly for his 2014 hit, Ministry of Road (M.O.R.)

Machel Montano at the 2014 Soul Train Awards

In my opinion, M.O.R. (written by Jelani Shaw, Kasey Phillips, Nikholai Greene and Machel Montano) is one of Machel's best compositions to date.  In a time when power soca tunes were on the decline, M.O.R. was a sure winner for Soca Monarch and the Road March.  The song demonstrates how much more writers can do with the jump, wave, and wine themes that originally defined the power soca genre and like calypso, it can also take on contemporary socio-political issues in Trinidad and Tobago.

His persona as a Minister, whether political or social is the main message in the composition.  His self-presentation is an obvious play on his presumed association with the People's Partnership ruling government and the benefits that he allegedly receives from this association (with specific reference to the TT$5 million payment by the government for the creation, production, marketing, and performance of the Going for Gold album in 2012).  The Minister could also be an ode to Junior Sammy, which is obvious in the video, and as all Trinbagonians know, Mr. Sammy has been the real Minister of Road long before Machel.  This feature forces us to question the financial relationship between Montano and Sammy, Sammy and the Government, or all three.  Could it be that Machel is making a statement on the age old ploy of road construction to gain electoral support?  Or as another blogger pointed out, is he supporting the construction of the Debe-Mon Desir leg of the highway and throwing shade at Dr. Kublalsingh and the Highway Reroute Movement?

But what is obvious in the lyrics is Machel's discontent about the annual congestion to cross the savannah stage on Carnival Tuesday and possibly throwing support behind the socadrome as a source of relief.  And like a true politician, he uses the fix-the-road ploy to gain the support of his constituents (the masqueraders) because they too, are fed up of the route issue:

See fuh dis Carnival, nobody waitin long
Cyah stay in de traffic jam
Or wait by de hospital
Help me tuh make ah mas
De trucks dem Line up in town
People ready tuh run
One million comin down

It's no secret that Machel has some issue with authority, which really came to light with the guilty verdict related to an assault incident back in 2007. The song scoffs at this charge and he seems unremorseful when he boasts that even that set back couldn't keep him down:

Nobody cyah stop we,
If it's not ah charge tuh pay money,
Kill de road we have authority.

In essence, the song is a big up to Machel by Machel. And why not? He deserves it.  He has a long list of hits and titles, a longstanding position in the soca industry, and a vision for the genre that makes him a true Minister of soca...but like our government Ministers, he has his shortcomings, which are hardly recognized by his voters...

Miss Beach Jouvert? Yuh Mad?

I can safely say that Beach Jouvert made a decent recovery this year and I can safely say that this is the best one I've been to since 2009...Why? Because that was the last time Machel Montano had performed...

Since I was late (as usual), I was worried that we would not get a good parking spot and would have to park on the main road. To my surprise, there was a large space that was cleared to accommodate parking. This was a great idea that eased parking woes. In addition, a shuttle was provided to carry us from the parking lot to the venue. Thank you Bacchanal for making such a breakthrough!

I got into the venue about 5:30pm and the paint distribution was in full swing. I then made my way to the bar which was also an easier task than previous years. I've also learnt to bring my own cup to fetes since I can't deal with these itty bitty disposal cups and the constant trips to the bar, so yes, I will walk with my own 16oz cup...

Wow, and was there vibes...vibes that cyar done! People just need soca, alcohol and paint and they let loose, leaving all their Kingston stress behind. And the outfits were on point (well for the most part)...the dress could best be described as skimpy-sexy...

The music was okay, but I'm concerned about Bacchanal's approval of Bambino as a soca DJ. Please, I beg you, do not hire this man again. I am sure that he's pretty good at regular parties and dancehall sessions but for fetes, no. The man just chat, chat, and chat some more. He could not let a song play without opening his trap. I wished that the mic would just stop working, but then again he's so caught up in himself that he would probably just continue chatting...

Now the high point was Machel's performance which lasted a little over 2 hours. It was tune after tune, after tune, and he didn't even start to sing tunes yet. And even the great Machel can sing other artistes' songs. His voice was clear, he had a great selection of songs, the band was consistent, Patrice was blah, the dancers were ok, Nappy was his usual self, and the crowd enjoyed every moment of it. My only complaint was that he stopped too many times to allow the crowd to sing the lyrics to some of the songs...But if you didn't know the songs, I strongly suggest you get a copy of the Double M album.

Beach Jouvert has always been one of my favourite events in Jamaica, but this year, there was a clear improvement in the organization, which should be expected with the increase in price. It is also important for them to note that a big headline act is important so it was a really good idea to keep Messtra, oops, I mean Destra for Jouvert this Friday...

I don't have any of my own pics since the unofficial photographer didn't want to carry his bashy camera so I borrowed from TriniJungleJuice's Teaser pics...

Double M for Beach Jouvert!

I think that it is fitting to have Machel and his band perform at Beach Jouvert as we need to recover from that Mess that was Beach Jouvert last year. In addition, the last time I had a ball at BJ was a couple years ago when Machel performed...it shaat!

So we expect nothing less than perfection from Mr HD,especially coming off his triple win in T&T. I will say it again and again, Machel Montano is soca. There is no other artiste that has taken the genre to the level that he has...so get ready to PYF!

Also, remember your essentials for beach jouvert:
http://dougladiaries.blogspot.com/2011/04/who-say-beach-jouvert-later.html

CFW 2011- Runway, Fashionistas, Mogelers and Machel!

I know I've been saying that I'm not into fashion but I must admit that I like the Kingston fashion scene...I guess because I like posing and in the Kingston fashion scene everyone is a mogel (that is Jamaican for "model"). But Pulse's Caribbean Fashion Week is the real uptown Kingston must be eeen kind of scene. I've been to the event 2 years ago and enjoyed the Jamaican touch to the generic fashion show.

What's with these fashion shows and the late start? The show was scheduled to begin at 7:00pm and didn't do so until an hour and a half later...steups. I was pissed because it was really uncomfortable sitting on those non padded bleacher seats in the National Indoor Sports Arena..that's a big fail for Pulse. During the show, the long breaks to accommodate those sitting near the runway was also really annoying; I didn't understand why people had to get up EVERYTIME there was a break and then we had to wait forever for those same persons to be seated for the show to resume. I also felt that they needed to integrate the performances into the show rather than leave the performances for the end when the majority of the patrons had left.

Despite these drawbacks, I enjoyed the event and the presentations with my favourite being Meiling, Zaad and Eastman, the Cloth and Shanna Carby, the winner of Mission Catwalk (a local Project Runway). The pieces looked like something I would wear and not just some weird couture piece that belonged on Lady Gaga. Oh how I wish I could own some of those Meiling dresses!

I also like that the Jamaican fashion scene is just as much about the top models as it is about the fashion. It's amazing that Kingsley Cooper has promoted so many Jamaican models on the international market. In fact Mr Cooper has contributed to the destabalization of popular concepts of beauty which has found a space in the global fashion world.

But the real winners were the Kingston fashionistas. I mean these patrons would not let the models outdo them...bless up to all the mogelers...

And the best part of the show was Machel Montano which was the most impressive thing Mr Cooper could have done for me that night. Machel sans HD gave a great performance and drove the small crowd into a frenzy. The performance was so intimate that your girl got to wine on stage...who knew?

**you could view more pics on Stush's fb page

Machel Friday and Saturday...Advantageous!

Attending the Lime All Island J'ouvert on Friday was kind of iffy since this was their first event I've attended but once Machel was going to be there...I dey! It's a good thing I got there really late because the party was LAME, the music and selector were LAME and worst of all there was the false advertsing of free drinks in VIP. Not even the bar man knew that the drinks weren't free. The explanation given was that it was a Smirnoff sponsored event so only Smirnoff and Red Bull were free...wth! But it's a good thing I'm a vodka drinker so it wasn't a big deal but why would you only have 2 bartenders especially when they were obviously on a go slow. The other fail in VIP was that there were no restrooms. You had to walk all the way to the back of the venue to access the 6 toilets provided for the entire party.

But the VIP was on a platform with good viewing access to the stage; we also had seats and tables and jerk from Scotchie's. A little after 2am, Machel came on with the band and his dancers....he reall mash up the place with all his hits from this year and earlier...The crowd got into a frenzy when he did Big Truck, Footsteps and Mad Bull. Big up to girls like Brithany Dookie and her bend over skills; but an even bigger kudos to the chick from the crowd who proved that she could match Brithany's skills. The most improved award should go to Patrice Roberts...my girl, why were you holding back all these years? And what a slamming body! Zan and Nappy did performed their usual songs giving the set variety. Overall, Machel saved this party but I wouldn't expect any less because he's the biggest soca artiste in the world!

The next night we were off to Bazodee. After last year's disappointment, I didn't expect much but I was happy that Frenchmen masqueraders got the tickets for $5500 instead of the regular $6000. We got there around 10:00pm and there was the typical crowd. By now, I could identify the usual Frenchmen suspects (I guess they could say the same about me). Alicia the Duchess from Trini delivered all the hit soca songs sharing the spotlight with DJ Smoke- the music was bess.

I got my Trini food first- doubles, bake and saltfish and roti and later on I had the barbeque pigtail (it sell off). This year the Johnnie was flowing which didn't end up being a good thing for me. However the dessert station had been significantly cut down and Haagen Daz was absent...no scene because the Johnnie was flowing.

We eventually moved to dance floor which had mucho vibes. I was surprised that Machel came on for an impromtu performance but then bradap! no Machel! Apparently he fell off the stage allegedly being shocked by one of the generators....???

The only downside of the night was the power cut and Machel's short performance. We eventually left the fete around 2:30am although I had planned to leave at 1/1:30am. The only thing I would regret was not counting my drinks cause did I feel it a couple hours later....

Ready to Advantage it???

There have been so many requests for Machel Montano by soca lovers here in Ja but Bacchanal responded that he was booked and could not accommodate Jamaica in his schedule....Yeah right because All Island Carnival has successfully booked Mr HD for their J'ouvert on April 29th. Who say Machel? So April 29th is going to be crazy with 3 J'ouvert events being advertised- Bacchanal's J'ouvert with Bunji, Faye Ann and the Asylum band; Joker's Wild and Island Mas' J'ouvert with no performers; and All Island with Machel.

It's obvious that Machel being a Bmobile spokesperson may not be able to perform with Bacchanal, a Digicel sponsored entity although 2 years ago, Machel did perform at Beach J'ouvert so probably at that time there was some break in the contract. But I don't think that Bacchanal is going to lose patrons to All Island. The Lime sponsored event has a non uptown following particularly the Byron Lee following who always come out in large numbers. But I'm impressed with the reasonably priced tickets. And I love the promo video; click here to see it....

Music with Visas

Soca King, Machel Montano recently showed his support for the Jamaican dancehall artistes who have been denied entry into several Caribbean countries (including T&T, St. Lucia, Guyana and Barbados). He further expressed that he is willing to "join picket lines" to defend his Jamaican colleagues.

Preventing dancehall artistes from performing is a tricky issue. Being an academic, my first question would be, has there been any evidence to prove a link between dancehall music and the increase in violence in say, Trinidad and Tobago? We have to look at the bigger picture...what about the role of the family, the community, government, education systems etc.? There are so many other forces at work that it seems superficial to blame music. On the other hand, artistes themselves must acknowledge their social responsibilities. Their behaviour and attitude strongly influence what is deemed to be "popular" and therefore strongly impact their young following. We also do not want to ignore the experiences of those in the lower classes by priveleging "high culture". At the same time, I do not support glamorizing violence or the incitement of violence to specific communities.

I remember something that Shaggy once said, that Jamaican artistes need to produce songs with visas. He simply meant that their music should not offend the audience they expect to finance their career. You don't have to be a "sell out"; just produce a variety of music that is indigenous and conscious. For instance, Buju (I'm not sure if he's a good example) has made a successful transition from hardcore dancehall to positive, "culture" dancehall. If the artistes would like to take their music beyond Jamaica, it's clear that they have to down play the violence in the lyrics.

To some extent, I understand Machel's sentiments. Machel has received overwheling support from his Jamaican audience as well as Jamaican artistes. Trinbagonian artistes have never experienced any problems with the Jamaican authorities and he probably feels that there's no regional reciprocity in this aspect...