IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

So Today in between Tai Chi exercises & my Pilates session to center myself, before my daily Advanced Kama Sutra lessons, I channeled upon these theses. Let’s Vibe telepathically on these hazy morsels:

BUNJI GARLIN-
All Hail The Chief!!!!!!!! Like his Father-in-Law did a few years back, Bunji has now found the magic formula to capturing the Soca Monarch Judges approval. Maybe the secret may “lay” with Fay-Ann Lyons and some mystical powers that comes from rocking her to sleep at night(for the record, I prefer Bunji Rocking Technique to Blue’s….pun intended). I love what you are doing for this competition, only the True King of Carnival Machel Montana could have tested you and your presentations these last two years. Finally this is 3 years straight for Bunji, so journalists please give him credit for the Carnival 2K3 as well….FIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHURWAYNE-
Allyuh Bow & Salute!...Look D’ King Comin’….I am always happy when worthy ambassadors are chosen to represent for my Country. After years of paying dues your boat has finally come in, and it’s staying an extra year. Those in the know predicted it was a winner from they first heard it. Congrats to Traffik and BIG UP TOBAGO!

MACHEL-
As we find ourselves on the starting line of our inaugural Soca Grammy Marathon, I can’t help but to wonder if anyone will be able to keep pace with Trini-Jesus himself Machel. His vision & creations this carnival may be more formidable than many of you are thinking. Wyclef & Doug E. Fresh could be considered in any other sport to be quite power performance enhancing drugs. You didn’t expect the great one to be not in the running did you? You can’t derail greatness…. Machel I can’t wait for the Videos!

IWER-
You are a true Warrior! Excellent job of Returning to Glory this year, TriniBaje and crew are proud. Looking forward to seeing you on the road, pleasing your fans and critics this year. Major Props on Bashment FM…Thanks for giving back to the Culture…With your Music compositions and now with Business and Career opportunities to the people.

IMPULSE-
Congrats on winning Young King Title!. Keep yuh Blinders on & avoid the kidnappers!

MICHELLE SYLVESTER-
Congrats on your double monarchy! You’ve got to be the Surprise and Feel Good story of carnival! Have a great 2005!

ONIKA-
We know you woulda kick Michelle and the other all through the Oval to become the first ever Groovy Soca Monarch Winner! All would’ve been yours! Yuh may have let she win the Queen Title, maybe! Rest In Peace Beloved! We love you and Miss you!

DESTRA & SAUCY-
HELP! HELP! Call The FASHION POLICE!!! Is it me or have you two been jinxed ever since the fight? Next time fight on camera, that’s the only way to turn negative publicity into a pot of gold! Neither of you will ever win Road March or Soca Monarch.


MACHEL vs. BUNJI-
Machel has been described as scary, beastly, nasty, lost, disappointing, even crazy. It is safe to believe he may have even lost a few fans due to his choice to grow his facial hairs naturally. After trimming up this year he has regained the cute, sexy and even “looking like people again” label. Bunji Garlin however decided to go the same route and there’s hardly a problem, it’s accepted, he’s found himself, etc. etc. etc. People why can’t we grant everyone the same open-mindedness?


VINCYPOWER-
Gets my vote for IMIXer of the year! Your persistence and consistency combined with accurate forecasting have taken you from just being Most Hated member to now Hated By Some but more impressively, the foremost IMIX Authority on Int’l Soca and Caribbean Crossover Connoisseur. You must be basking in the sunlight! Enjoy it while it lasts!!! Due to KL and Jamesy P, I have become curious as to the secret ingredient that seems to be in the air of SVG. I will forego Caribana this year to attend VincyMas for I have go to get to the bottom of the phenomenon. By th way...anytime yuh feel like predicting the #4 for the next mega-millions drawing....just PM me!Carry On!

I love it

funny funny

I wonder if the ADMINISTRATORS of Islandmix give out a PRIZE for being IMIXER of the Year???

But on a serious note, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is BRIMMING with RAW TALENT. I like to say that we're just NATURALLY GIFTED. However, it was the LACK of MARKETING/PROMOTING, and an INEPT government, at the time, and politics within the INDUSTRY, that kept our ARSENAL of talented artists/bands at bay.

But one can only hold back TALENT for so long. So now we're in the NEW MILLENNIUM and the SOCA INDUSTRY, and the WORLD, are now peeping and recognizing our wealth of talented artists/bands.

But we're once there before, especially in the 70's and 80's, and the very early 90's, but I will leave that alone for another day.

So yes Mr. Oracle, hold off on that trip to Caribana. Come to SVG to EXPERIENCE our Vincy MAS. There you will get to see the many TALENTS in SVG, be it the soca artists/bands, Mas camps, calypsonians, Carival Beauty contest (contestants from around the Caribbean and S. America), Soca and Calypso Monarch competitions, Junior soca and calypso competitions, Panorama competition, Jouvert, Monday and Tuesday Mas.

Of course there will be many shows around carnival time, like Glow, ShipWreck, Insomnia, and many others.

After Tuesday Mas, you can go and take in some sightseeing and beach hopping throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines. You will mavel at how beautiful and unspoiled my homeland is.

Thus, I am CONFIDENT that when you leave, you will say, VINCY Nice and SWEET.

So come on down to the "LAND OF THE BLESSED." Her presence awaits you.

a few months ago bwee was showing an in-flight program about SVG carnival but they also highlighted Christmas. I would love to go visit - this Christmas festival (I forget the name ) looked really interesting. people would go out in the middle of the night at like 3 am (children too) to the festivities. can you give me some info about that?

ok...so you're not any artiste mngr like people presume...you work on the tourism board huh:)

The EVENT that you're REFERRING to is called NINE MORNINGS. It is UNIQUE only to St. Vincent and the GRenadines.

I remember as a LIKKLE KID getting up wid me BRUDDERS to go Nine Morning.

People used to come around 2AM in the morning singing Christmas Carols....then we used to either head to the beach or go jump up listening to steelband music....

I was in SVG for NINE MORNING last year December, and I must say that the CROWD was SPECTACULAR, especially on the final day.

I remember seeing people from Surinam, Nigeria, Haiti, Germany, France, Jamaica, Grenada, Barbados, California, Guyana, and Trinidad attending Nine Mornings.

Anyhow, here are some info on NINE MORNINGS

SOCA NEWS EDITORIAL: NINE MORNINGS

NINE MORNING PICS


The origins of this festivity are clouded in some mystery, although the original tradition relates it to the ‘novena’ of the Catholic Church on the nine days before Christmas. It is believed that after the early morning church services of the Catholics, worshippers began walking the streets while others went for sea baths. From this the popular festivity emerged. Although popular opinion has this practice as starting during the period of slavery, it was more likely to have been a post-emancipation practice.


It is also believed that in the 1920s, a Vincentian member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church initiated a tradition of celebrating a Christmas novena in the early hours of the morning. It was the procession home after the service, as the churchgoers wandered back to their houses, eagerly greeting friends with holiday blessings and peering in the still-shut shop windows, which developed into today’s celebration. Soon it became customary for the ‘boom drum’ bands, composed of musicians playing goatskin drums and wooden flutes, to accompany the walkers home. Street dancing, of course, was soon to follow, and in time, the character of the nine mornings’ celebration changed. Over the years the number of walkers grew, and with the advent of the steel drum band a carnival-style nine mornings tradition evolved. Street vendors joined the celebration, selling drinks made from ginger and sorrel as well as holiday cakes and sweets. A later addition was the tradition of the ‘carolers’ who went house-to-house singing Christmas carols.


Nine mornings was particularly popular with young people for whom the normal restrictions at home were relaxed, giving them an opportunity to socialize with their friends. At different periods emphasis was placed on different activities. In the early period, street walking and sea bathing seemed to have predominated. Over the years other features took root. In Kingstown, owners of bicycles decorated their bicycles with lights and rode around town. Persons wanting to get hot bread besieged bakeries around town that were producing bread for the early morning market. Over time the bakeries catered to this demand. Dances became popular at other times and recently in Kingstown, concerts involving choirs and individual entertainers have been attracting large crowds. There are also fun competitions such as speech making, beer drinking and banana eating, crying, laughing, ‘ring play’ games and story telling. A welcomed addition in recent years is the ‘lighting up’ of towns, villages, commercial buildings, churches and private homes.


The organized activities are relatively new since the traditional practices were totally unorganized. This Nine Mornings practice is entirely unique to St. Vincent and provides an opportunity for Vincentians to boast about something, which is special to them. The business sector has always been concerned about the impact of these activities on the productivity of their workers, some of whom on occasions go through the night or in local parlance ‘round the clock’, moving from the late night entertainment spots to the nine mornings entertainment. They have however, recognized that it is a well-established cultural practice that is deeply rooted.

I mixer of the year. The most hated WOW :p. I actually think that imizers look forward to hearing from Vincy Powa & Stargate. :p

vincy mas is NOT the same time as our caribana. cropover falls the same time as caribana. so you can do the vincy mas and still come up north to toronto for caribana!