IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

Square One has new name, style
Published on: 5/26/05.
by RICKY JORDAN



SQUARE ONE is no more.

The 17-year-old musical group which went on sabbatical two months ago, has
disbanded and reformed itself with fewer members, under the title Square
Roots.

Reliable sources informed the DAILY NATION yesterday that the former soca
ambassadors who lost livewire lead vocalist Alison Hinds at the end of last
year, now had a new name and "a fresh new style".

According to sources, Square Roots contains five previous members of Square
One: vocalist Andy Blood Armstrong who leads the new band, musical director
and keyboardist Terry Arthur, vocalist Cecil O'Shaka Riley, and female
vocalist Keann Walters.

Bassist Paul Slater is expected to join Square Roots after completing an
assignment on a cruiseliner.

One source said the band would be boosted by young musicians performing
from time to time.

"The group is redefining excellence in entertainment," said one source,
noting that Square Roots had been working in the studio on an album for
Crop-Over 2005.

Stating there was much buzz and hype surrounding the "new" band with the
release of a single track called Numero Uno, the group is slated to release
its members in a grand way for Crop-Over which swings into action with the
July 9 Opening Gala.

It is also carded to release a reggae single featuring top Jamaican artistes.

Notably absent from Square Roots are keyboardist George Jones and drummer
Winston Beckles, founding members of Square One.

The band is reported to be booked under an entity called Special Mix
Management, and did tours outside the Caribbean recently under its new name.

Leader Armstrong declined to comment on the issue Tuesday, referring the
DAILY NATION to "management"; while manager Patrick Cobham could not be
reached.

Beckles said neither he nor Jones were officially informed of these
changes, but both wanted what was due to them as founders. They have
retained attorneys and filed an injunction against use of the name Square One.

"It's one thing to know about the sabbatical, whatever that is, but another
to realise the name has changed and I've not been informed," said Jones.

Yhanks for this valuable information..

SQUARE ROOTS?????? WTF?????

rumor has it Alison forming a backing band.. similar to what Rupee has done.... I don't know how true it is.... The bachannal has finally come to light.... i hope they can now all move on.

Interesting. Thanks for the update

Well Yes.. I just hear Keanne from Square Roots song... sounds nice....

I didnt know there was a bad vibe involved. Where did the fallout happen and y?

Mum's the music money
Published on: 5/27/05.

by RICKY JORDAN

MUST BARBADIANS CONTINUE to guess just how profitable or unprofitable the business of entertainment and the arts is in this country?

Government officials and those involved in the business are often met with either blank stares or more than a hint of intolerance when they talk of the cultural industries, the music industry, the creative economy et al.

What industry, we wonder, when there's no statistical evidence or clear guidelines to show that artistes, vsual artists, poets or producers make enough to live on day by day.

There's probably no clear evidence because the artistes prefer to keep it this way, and therefore present a mere ballpark figure, if pressed, for income tax purposes.

At the same time, some artistes working in hotels continue to get better deals than others, and therefore while some entertainers are said to be paid less than their counterparts of the 1970s, some actually get more.

But, alas, the public cannot verify this, simply because there's no standard, no listing, no minimum salary guide as in nearly every other profession.

Certainly, in the Government service one can check the listings of salaries from domestics and postal workers right up to judges, permanent secretaries and Members of Parliament.

In my profession, which falls under the private sector, information may also be obtained regarding the grade levels and commensurate salaries of reporters, sub-editors and editors.

So it's time for such matters to be rectified amid the entertainers; for while some are benefiting by being able to hide and make more than their colleagues who may play in a band where a night's salary has to be divided among seven people, at the same time there's a level of distrust, back-raising and selfishness that contunes to ruin the music business.

Furthermore, how can corporate Barbados, promoters or anyone seeking to employ an entertainer or even a visual artist take him seriously unless that artiste has a solid background and track record?

In such a situation, a desperate artiste might settle for anything to pay the bills and basically survive. But it doesn't necessarily have to be so.

In the absence of clear statistics as to what entertainment brings into the country in foreign exchange yearly – just vague references to the revenue from festivals – what are we to do?

For there's more to the creative economy than festivals. Artists, for instance, go abroad and sell piantings, do residences, attend biennials, and distribute artwork to collectors here and around region. Yet, no statistics.

Bajan bands travel all over the world, especially krosfyah and Square One, while individuals like Rupee, Red Plastic Bag and others do gigs in New York, Trinidad, St Lucia and so on. Yet, no statistics.

Many of these artists or artistes, if you dared to ask them how much they made, might tell you to mind your own business. But if there was a system, the same artistes would be able to mind their businesses far better.

Promoters are even more vague and believe the money they pay to Hugh Masakela, to artistes for a reggae tour, for the Jazz Festival or Crop-Over is a secret of ultimate confidentiality. But can secrecy be the norm in a profession that wants to be taken seriously or seeks to be defended and supported by an accredited trade union?

A clear-cut system of checks and balances certainly has the potential for analysis of these cultural industries which are poised to be the focus of Government investment in the very near future.

I well recall the first such analysis done here was a very general and conservative estimate by university lecturer Dr Keith Nurse who revealed in 2001 that Barbados earned over $15 million in foreign exchange yearly as a result of activities within the music industry – mainly festivals and overseas tours.

His three-year survey, whose results were "inconclusive" (Nurse's word), was done in his capacity as a consultant with Caribbean Export.

However, the National Task Force on Culture reported last year that the arts and their spin-off activities such as royalties and the sale of equipment brought in some $97 million a year in revenue to the Barbados economy.

These are encouraging figures, no doubt, but more information needs to be forthcoming at the ground level so as to give those who employ artistes a clearer sense of how much they are really worth, and essentially create greater transparency
in the industry.

******

I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER why Square One – or whatever the band is called now – doesn't simply tell the public – who have made them into "superstars" – what's really going on with them.

In the last two years we've heard of two farewell concerts for the group's former lead vocalist Alison Hinds: first in 2003 to go on maternity leave, then last year to quit because of motherhood and family commitments.

Following these has been the news of drummer Winston Beckles and keyboardist George Jones retaining legal counsel against management of the band; and most recently word has surfaced of the band's return from a sabbatical without Jones or Beckles.

Amid all this, the group's manager and mentor Patrick Cobham is saying nothing or very little, thereby leaving the media and by extension the public to guess or spread rumours.

It's obvious all is not well; and whether this is rooted in Hinds' departure is debatable.

But Square One is no fly-by-night outfit which no one cares about; this is a band that Barbadians and our neighbours have been enjoying for the past 17 years, and as some would say, "They can't just go out so!"

responding to the red quote.... ammmmmmmm what does the writer propose that the band issue a formal statement saying why it changed its name and moving on without certain members.. or his he tooo dumb to realize the obvious? Alison leaving was the end of SQ1... and the other members want to continue doing what they have done for 17 years.... I swear the media all over full of jackasses.