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Hot for the road
Posted: Friday, February 7, 2003
by Peter Blood
Crowd answers the call of Roy Cape All Stars frontline singer Blaxx at MOBS2. Photo: Andre Alexander
The weekend past afforded me a little clearer insight as to how Road March 2003 might turn out.
Watching crowd reactions at the numerous fetes, it's safe to say that my top three picks of last Friday have maintained their top three positions, with one slight change, threatened Faye-Ann Lyons' "Display."
Wouldn't it be great if Faye-Ann, SuperBlue's daughter, were to capture this year's Road March title, on the 20th anniversary of her father doing so with the immortal "Rebecca?" This is the stuff movies are made of and I love it.
THE ROAD MARCH DERBY
1. Trini to the Bone - David Rudder and Carl Jacob
2. Home - Iwer George
3. Passion - Militant
4. Display - Faye-Ann Lyons
5. Is Carnival - Destra and Machel Montano
6. Kick It Way - Maximus Dan
7. Mash Up - Sean Caruth
8. Snake Oil - Bunji Garlin
9. The Count - Dereck Seales
10. Jumbie - Scrunter
Roy Cape Kaiso All Stars lead guitarist.
Photo: Andre Alexander
Clearing the air
Allow me to clear up a misconception, one which has even made its way to the pages of a misinformed newspaper.
I have resigned from the Guardian, but I have not left the Guardian; otherwise you would not be reading this right now.
Up to when I said goodbye, in an extremely amicable and cordial manner last Friday, as far as I knew, in my capacity as a manager, the Guardian was not down-sizing any of its operations or staffing. In fact, to the contrary, the Guardian has absorbed the entire staff of the Wire newspaper.
The only reason why I have moved on to the electronic media is that I revel in a challenge and grasped at the opportunity to expand my experience in media by embracing radio. Who knows?
My new bosses, the CL Financial Group, may one day acquire a television station and I might also venture into that sphere of media before my official rocking chair days in nine years' time.
These lovely ladies pose for the camera at the La Flor and Pier 1's Soca Graduation held at Pier 1 Chaguaramas last Friday night.
Photo: David Wears
Sombre note
Unfortunately, the weekend ended on a sour note for me.
On Saturday night, after turning on the crowd at Bishop with his rendition of "Trini to the Bone," my home boy and New York-based Surface vocalist Linley Brathwaite, narrowly escaped death when he was involved in a fatal car crash on Lady Young Road.
As we spoke after his performance at the fete, Brathwaite was so excited and energised at being home for Carnival, and about assisting Tony Prescott and Surface in placing the band among the popular soca acts this Carnival season.
On Wednesday, Brathwaite was scheduled to undergo corrective surgery to his face and mouth at the Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex.
On behalf of all the soca fans out there, I wish Linley a speedy recovery, and also extend sympathy to the family of Cunupia teacher Noel Bruce, who died in the accident.
The food of soca
The Carnival '03 all-inclusive choo-choo is chugging merrily along, picking up new passengers with every stop.
This weekend is expected to be just as crazy as the one past. For openers, Central Bank will host its third annual all-inclusive fete this evening, featuring Caribbean Traffik, Bunji Garlin, Iwer, DJ Richard Simply Smooth and many more, at the bank's plaza in downtown Port of Spain.
Tonight, there is also one of the most genuine benefit fetes this season. It is the benefit for nine-year-old cancer patient Katura Skinner, at St John's Ambulance Hall, on the Wrightson Road Extension.
It is organised by the teachers of Katura's school, Pt Cumana RC, and will feature Maximus Dan, Impulse, Millennium Crew, Denise Belfon and others.
Tomorrow's packed schedule includes the fourth annual Coca Cola Youth Festival; D'Polis annual Carnival party, on the Farm, UWI Field Station; Blue Range residents' all-inclusive; St Mary's College's first Carnival all-inclusive fete; Haleland Park Residents Association's Passion in the Park; Twin Valley's eighth annual all-inclusive fete, in Pax Vale, Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz Touring Team Promotions and Homestead Gardens Residents Association's all-inclusive House Party 2; and the annual Pearl Gardens fete, in Petit Valley.
You need to get some good sleep before Sunday, because that day's agenda includes the Mt Hope Patients Trust all-inclusive Carnival Fete; the Mas Camp Pub's first all-inclusive fete; the Rugby Boys' second fund-raising fete, at the Harvard Club; TT Credit Union Stabilisation Fund all-inclusive fete at La Joya poolside, St Joseph; Spirit Life all-inclusive party, Trinidad Country Club, Maraval; Yorke Inc annual all-inclusive fete, at D'Garden Sanctuary, Centre of Excellence, Macoya; and, Seal Promotions' Trinis to the Bone all-inclusive fete, at La Estancia, Diego Martin.
High points
Last weekend, good food, Destra, Dereck Seales, Bunji Garlin and Machel Montano were the value-added benefits on the fete circuit.
At Bishops on Saturday, Granny's caterers of south Trinidad took the cake with their cassava and corn pies, as well as their wicked geera pork.
On Sunday at Pier 1, it was the turn of Freeport's KCK Marketing to impress.
Headed by Keith, Cynthia and Kathleen Lamy, KCK had people hustling back to the food court for seconds, having tasted their delicious soused breast of chicken and plantain fish rolls.
With no disrespect meant to her sisters of stage and soca, Destra is sizzling hot this season, and I am not referring to just her wardrobe.
Armed with four big singles, the beautiful Atlantik vocalist disclosed on Sunday that 2003 is shaping up to be the biggest year of her career, even bigger than her successful "Tremble It" year.
As the Bajans would say, Dereck Seales' performance of "Dr Seales", a remake of the late Kitchener's "Dr Kitch", "sweet fuh days".
Bunji seems incapable of making a wrong note when he performs; and Machel and his Xtatik Circus are visual stimulation at its best.
Iwer bats for Windies
When the final history of calypso is written, Neil "Iwer" George will be documented as one of the art form's shrewdest and most successful entrepreneurs.
Already a success story in business, especially for his acumen in making the right choices on the stock market, this weekend, Iwer will launch himself as a "cultural ambassador" of the West Indies' cricket team.
Announcing his decision to dedicate his 2003 Carnival season to the team for its participation in this month's ICC World Cup in South Africa, and the subsequent Australia and Sri Lanka tours to the region, Iwer said that he deliberately wrote his current Road March contender, "Home", with the WI cricket team in mind.
Speaking to the large turnout at Pier 1, Chaguaramas, on Sunday for IT McLeod's all-inclusive fete, Iwer added that from this weekend, his stage wardrobe would be reflective of the West Indies cricket team.
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