IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

Boy, I can't wait



By Terry Joseph

With the rise in popularity of retro-parties (aka “Back in Time” fetes”, the mas-production organisation, Poison, has taken a major philosophical leap for Carnival 2004, shunning the dominance of beads and feathers; going directly to festival tradition for inspiration.

The result is Retromania, Poison’s presentation for next year’s Parade of the Bands, which will be launched this Sunday from 4 pm at Pier 1, with models bringing to life the bold concept of a portrayal comprising stylised samples of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival’s finest masquerade memories.

Interestingly, this return to the glory days mixes a visit to vintage with cutting-edge marketing technique. Already, Poison has a large constituency coming from Miami, Florida, as a result of its collaboration with the band Generation-X. That section will portray Native American Indians.

There are good ol’-fashioned sailors (albeit in colourful presentation), Hawaiians in luau mode, Egyptian mystique and Roman soldiers not unlike those who paraded with standards marked SPQR in the glory days, mingling with braves, bustle-dancers and myriad other memories of traditional Carnival.

“What we’re about is tying in the masquerade characters that made this country’s Carnival famous worldwide, with designs that modernise those concepts, but without erasing their fundamental attraction and historical value,” Poison bandleader Michael Headley said.

“Our design team has been able to grasp the concept and execute a pleasing mix of today and yesteryear, devising characters who will bring the feel of tradition with a modern touch. Some of the mas stays as close as possible to the original style of the old portrayals, while a couple of sections still maintain the popular approaches which, after all, rank for back-in-time status, since they have been played for more years than people care to admit.

“Along with other bands that play the popular fantasy-type mas, Poison hasbeen targeted for years, by Carnival traditionalists who see our presentations as disregarding the basic bag of portrayals when, in fact, we were responding to market forces. As any bandleader will tell you, if the mas is big on fabric, revellers will pay for the costume and cut off what they consider to be excessive or restrictive.

“It is also useful to remember that we have seen a dramatic shift in the type of masquerader, from a male-dominated band of the 1960s to quite the opposite by the turn of the Century. The music has also changed, being played at a much faster tempo, which would not be suitable for portrayals like the elaborately dressed characters of long ago.

“We are also seeing much younger masqueraders, who are unlikely to play Queen Victoria or Henry VIII, even if the price could be managed downward. Those who opt for more fabric or those elaborate presentations know precisely where to go for that kind of mas—and they do.

“Frankly, I think Retromania is going to give us an opportunity to infuse a greater degree of authenticity in the overall mas, with Native American Indians and sailors and some of the traditional mas, which is being prepared by veterans of that genre.

“We have onboard traditional mas icons like Alvin Bailey, who worked with his late brother George to produce some of the best-remembered mas of that period. Alvin is working on our king and queen and a few characters, taking us back to what mas used to be. To have this kind of work executed by a genuine member of that league is a separate excitement in itself,” Headley said.

Prototypes for the various sections of the band are already completed, sampling well-received presentations like Savage, the inaugural band presentation with which Poison was involved and Raoul Garib’s Sting, a mas that went on to win the 1982 large Band of the year title.

That year was also the year calypsonian Scrunter won the national title with a singularly entertaining impression of Grandmaster Kitchener as he sang “TheWill” and Clive Bradley composed the song “Party”, one of the longest-lasting dance hits. Irwin McWilliams presented Dance, Zulu, Dance, Edmond Hart gave us Anthony and Cleopatra, Stephen Lee Heung offered Victory at Trafalgar and Jason Griffith’s band portrayed Old Fashioned Sailors Gone Fancy.

“If you just think back on that year, you begin to see the potential for such a variety of mas that is yet to be revisited,” Headley said. “In reproducing some of it, we have had to streamline the costuming to suit the demands of modern day masqueraders, but the core design has been maintained.

“Having been in this business for a number of years, we are perhaps in the best position to critique fantasy mas and respond to the argument that it is simply beads and plumes. There has been a dominance in that regard but we also feel a need to give our masqueraders wider choice, although we have retained a couple of sections in that style to satisfy those who prefer that type of costuming.

“But Retromania is essentially delivering what the title implies and that will also include road music. We are certainly going back in time with music. Our live bands are already selecting and rehearsing repertoires of back-in-time kaiso and we have issued each of our Djs with a list of road marches from 1958; which they will, of course, mix with current renditions as the band proceeds on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

“Everyone who has seen the prototypes or heard of the concept has applauded it and that brings us greater comfort, some seeing it as the ‘welcome change’ that inspired our thinking in the first place,” Headley said.

You get a chance to see the mas in flight Sunday at Pier 1 and thereafter at the Poison Mas Camp on Morne Coco Road in Alyce Glen, Petit Valley.

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"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

I can't wait! Poison is gonna be better than ever I feel they may win this time due to the changes they are implementing

***gotta think positive, socababy (I mean Miss SocaBaby ), there has to be a way, there will be a way, dammit...........***


AmPrincess, according to one of the band leaders of last year's "Jump and Kiss Me", she told me that this year they have something pretty cool.........ah cant wait, cause I personally cant see anything beating dat sexy costume!!!:p

chippin down de road to some tunes of yesteryear takin a wine to de roadmarch, taking a jump when ah reach on de track...........
*singing*
de road make to walk on carnival day

That's a really cute picture. She's rocking that wig with that fly headpiece.:)

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