IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

D’ VYBZ BAND ROCKS RAG & FLAG CONCERT



Basseterre,St.Kitts (December 3rd 2006):-It is being described as the biggest national soca session that the people of St. Kitts & Nevis have seen in decades. From as early as 10:30PM on Saturday 2nd December, hundreds of fans from throughout St. Kitts started their pilgrimage to Club Kactus, site of the official launch party and concert of the newly established d’Vybz Band.



Since the Media Launch on Tuesday 28th November, the tempo and excitement had been building, with thousands of music lovers voicing their support for the group, via radio talk shows and in the pages of national newspapers. It was an entertainment buzz that has been missing from the local music scene for a long time. The public’s response has been phenomenal, with the demand for concert bookings escalating and the offers of corporate sponsorship surpassing the band’s expectations.



But it was the love and support of the fans at Saturday night’s Rag & Flag Mas’ that stunned critics and wowed the faithfuls. It was a night of fashion, a night of curiosity and a night that saw the new soca stars deliver an unbelievable performance with class, precision and professionalism. It was a night of rags and national flags.



From the well planned and executed grand entrance of the band, to the display of vocal maturity and versatility provided by the sensational duo of Shakki and Shakkal, there is every reason to expect nothing but greatness from this new (musical) ensemble. Many came expecting the usual “pep” or fast paced tempo of Kittitian music and they were not disappointed. It was clear that d’Vybz Band has the type of music that has the potential to dominate the road on J’ouvert and Carnival Day, recognizing that the island’s annual festival is due to kick off on Saturday 15th December.



From the overwhelming crowd response, it would seem that two selections from the band’s new CD, “No Turning Back,” are already crowd favourites for Road March and Party Monarch titles. These songs are “Hello” with the vocals of Shakki and “ Turn It Up”sung by Shakkal. The duo are now being referred to as “Shak Attack”, given their powerful lead vocals.



Band Leader and keyboardist, Steve Dublin, said he was truly shocked by the response. He said he had hoped for a good concert and good crowd support, but he was totally humbled by the huge attendance. He said it gave him the inspiration that was needed.



Every section of the newly renovated Club Kactus was swamped with patrons who some estimate was in the thousands. The thickness of the crowd however created a little difficulty at the start and the band members had to be escorted through the excited throng of fans who wanted an up-close view. And despite an early interference caused by low power voltage, the session was quickly transformed into an atmosphere reminiscent of J’ouvert or Carnival Day.



D’Vybz Band is comprised of Steve “Steba”Dublin, as keyboardist, arranger and vocalist; Carl “Ozzy” Osborne as guitarist; Chad “Sucky” Benjamin on bass; Emris “Jay” Forbes on drums; and lead vocals Jacinth “Shakki” Smithen and Lynshel “Shakkal” Peets.



The next scheduled appearance for the recently launched d’ Vybz Band is Saturday 9th December also at Club Kactus.

Photo:

• Part of the massive crowd in Club kactus jumping and waving to d'Vybz Band.
• Bandleader Steve "Steba" Dublin on the keyboards during the 2 hour jam session at Club Kactus in St.Kitts

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Nice Nice. Keep us informed about the bands in SKB. By the way, they start to release new songs on the radio yet ?

Listen to www.largeradio.com tonight and you'll hear some new tunes from SKB!