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Sunday, February 11th 2007


WINER BOY: Machel Montano

Last night's Alternative Carnival Concept 5

mega-event featured over 200 performers. Behind it all-as well as headlining it all-was Machel Montano, the notorious wild Winer Boy who has matured into a sober, thoughtful and deeply

focussed young man.

Q: So you got the stadium?

A: We actually went for it in the earlies but it was so difficult. I don't want to say it was politics but they said they had another client, which was [competing event] Brass. So we say we would just find somewhere else [which] took up two weeks we could have been preparing. We don't have a proper arena to host a 20,000-seated indoor concert. It's always an extraneous cost to us, to put up dressing rooms, infrastructure.

That flooring was two days' work?

And millions of dollars. I don't want to call on the government any more. If they can't see the glaring need for this, we have to look to ourselves, the private sector. It will take us a little while to accumulate the capital to do it We should have a music school of QRC standard [and] a pan school. The people who play pan can't read or write music-some of them could hardly even talk-they working gas-stations. But they remembering all this thing for 11 minutes, they must have some potential, come on, man, put them in a school! Entertainment for this country is of the same value as oil!

Why did you do the first Alternative Concept?

Everybody know the truth: we had a falling out with Brass [and] needed to do something on that night if we weren't going to be working there.

We wanted an alternative concept to Brass [which is] all these bands from all over the Caribbean playing [but] in reality fighting to perform in a short space of time, lots playing the same songs.

Since the Chinese Laundry concert, We Can, in 1996, we decided we'd only play our songs on stage. On our show, every band would play their own songs. You don't see Guns 'N' Roses coming to play Metallica songs.

We just trying to be more in tune with world standards .We don't even have bands in Trinidad any more. It is an artist with a band of musicians behind: you have Destra with Atlantik; Shurwayne, who is Traffik; Bunji, who is Asylum; and Machel [with huge grin] who is HD! I think soca is poised to [break internationally]. One tune might pop, "Hot Hot Hot", then, a few years after, "Who Let the Dogs Out", years after, a Kevin Lyttle. We should have greater frequency of success than that. Sometimes we ask, "Why our music not out there?" but I think our standards are not high enough.

For [last] night's show, you drew on a local act of proven international standard?

Minsh! As set designer and special direction. We have never had the kind of stage we dream of performing on. Minshall does not come cheap [but] with him comes a level of integrity. We [with Tony Chow Lin On aka Chinese Laundry] had to go to him at the last minute and say, "We have no venue". We knew it was about the death of one era, but that we were more focussed on the life of the next one.

So we called it, "Rezzarek". Minshall loved the concept [and] already had something in tune with it. We're not just putting up a stage, some scaffolding and two tents. We're really going into timed lights, special effects. We really have a story behind our show. I've been theatrical all my life. It's not that Machel is a calypsonian with a sense of theatre; it's Machel is a theatre person who could sing calypso. Minshall is very futuristic, probably too New School for people operating now, and he's been doing it under immense pressure, a person very resilient in integrity, in keeping his name.

Has presentation become more important than sound in music?

Well, not presentation but visual. You can't just sell people a record any more, because they can get it before you even release it. More of the world has become 3-D. People have phones that can send pictures when they talking.

Is the visual more important than the audio now?

They go hand-in-hand. You had radio, then TV came: sound with picture. After TV came colour TV, then digital TV. And [with broad grin] after digital TV came [spreading hands, Ta-dah!-fashion] High definition: HD! I'm actually the first human to go HD. NBC, ESPN have gone HD-clearer, more crisp signal.

As a human, I wanted to become a clearer message. If you listen to my music and go beyond the surface, you will see the messages. Sometimes is hard to catch it in the hype. I had a song called, "Break". [Sings] "Tell the boss you want a break/ And you need it now!" Everybody thought it was, "Tell your bossman you want a break to go party" but that was really talking to God, saying, "I need a break".

You think a lot of people catching that?

Well, the important ones. I can't just take them from Machel being a soca artiste to Machel being a priest! Going HD was becoming a clearer message: simpler; but more complete. The music is simpler, easier, more melodious. The more complete is getting songs that really touching people. People, when they hear, "Higher and Higher", their pores raising. They ask me, "What you put into that song?" It's a lot of love.

There was a physical change. I used to be a little chubby-I've shed all that fat. When you see me on stage, is cleaner shaved, nice hair, neat clothes. Secondly, sonic change: my very first song off my [new] album, "One More Time": crystal clarity, perfect music. The album isn't out yet but "One More Time" is a ring tone on everybody's telephone. They want that crisp, clear sound.

What led to this?

I've been leading to this. I've been trying to better myself every year, as a person. The last [HD] change was mental, to be more calm, more focussed, more humble, more conscious. I wrote all these things down in a notebook on 23rd October, which became a document I hand out to everybody working with me, to let them know I know where I'm going back to: back to perfection. Back to one.

What music did you listen to growing up?

Almost anything other than calypso. My house was a lot of Bob Marley. Some of the most important records that influenced my life-like Blondie, The Tide is High, a lot of Tony Wilson-my parents listened to a lot of pop, reggae. Calypso was never on the forefront. The first time I ever considered I could like calypso was watching SuperBlue throwing the mike on a Spektakula stage and moving his foot and I was, like, "Yeah, that's a kinda Michael Jackson thing!" On my wall, I used to have Sade, the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson. Sparrow turned me on with his Frank Sinatra vibes before I had even seen Frank Sinatra. Then I went on to Kitch, and the songs he could write. And all that turned me into a ball that propelled me [into saying], "Okay, I could do this!"

Can our music really rezzarek?

I think ours is one of the most potent musics to do that. Soca music is grounded in happiness, reverie, joy. I have tried to change the dynamic by turning some [songs] dark, into sad, lamenting songs because we pretend to be happy even when we're sad. Sometimes, when you're sad, you just have to go sit in a corner and cry.

How did you avoid the drugs pitfall?

Good parents! Without them, I'd probably be there. Well, good parents and common sense. Certain people could do coke and stay good; others will do coke and sit down on the ground. I thank the Lord [looks skyward, pats heart] I have never even seen coke in my entire life! I talking about, never see it on a table, never see anybody using it

Well, up to now, you were sounding credible?

I am very, very, very, very, very, very serious.

You never saw cocaine?

Nev-or! I've never been in an environment like that, will never go in it.

But lots of musicians do coke like ordinary people do coffee?

I don't hang around with arbitrary musicians like that. I mean [half-beat pause, quick smile] I know the Rastas! I always around that! But I've never been fuelled by drugs.

I've been too busy trying to be good. I never want to do anything that would risk that. I wouldn't drive sports cars fast to risk taking my live. That's my philosophy. I've been so focussed, so guided and so inspired - I don't want to do anything that might chance me messing up what I have to do. I take risks, but not [those].

Do you love what you do?

I can't say I love it because I'd love to be in my bed right now. I was here [at the stadium] rehearsing from three in the afternoon yesterday to three this morning.

It's very difficult. I keep doing it because it happens through me. Onstage come like second [nature but] it's not the most fun place. I like to see proper executions.

If I could pick up somebody and place them on stage to execute it like me, I'd be up here, telling them what to do. I like Mel Gibson: I directing and I have to go and act. There are few people who understand the dreams we have. I am fortunate to be working with two [Chow & Minsh] who understand what we're about. My poor mother reach home after me last night!

Is she still boss?

Well, I have to listen to her at one point as a son; but on the next hand, she have to listen to me as a manager because your manager works for you. We draw those lines a long time.

You're conscious that young people look up to you?

Of course. I try to lead by example.

You had a reputation as a wild boy?

Well, what they consider "wild". First was, "Too Young to Soca". Then, "The Winer Boy". Then, "Too Much Frenzy". Now is, "Too Much Music". Everything I do is too much for people.

Ten years ago there was a picture circulating of you [in a lewd act with a girl]?

I remember that. First and foremost: Machel Montano is a very sexual human being. I cannot change that. When I hear music, I does feel to wine like a jamette, to jook.

I trace it back to an African thing. [Also] sex have a lot to do with creativity. And I am a Sagittarian, half-man, half-beast. I have a song about that: me and my girl break up and we have some camera phone pictures. So the chorus go: [sings] Please don't tell nobody/ All the crazy things we did/ Don't show nobody/ All our freaky camera pix/ Honey, I ain't ready yet/ To see it all on the Internet".

I sing this song every night because it's the time of now, everybody have a camera phone, and the crowd goes wild. The things I will do, it have people around doing worse, but being in the public eye... I have matured in that aspect. People complain I don't wine again. It was never about wining. It was always about the message, the energy in me.

SOURCE: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index...s?id=161101900

You wish you had someone with skills like Machel in Vincyland right ?

sometimes, too many trinis seem indifferent to their music:"Almost anything other than calypso." i rarely, if ever, hear jamaicans make such a pronouncements about reggae music.

hmm....he further went to say kitch and sparrow and superblue...but i hear what you saying.

Wow, OK.

But MAchel U does get on stage and sing everybody song. So what are u saying?
But as for the govt and you not going to them anymore. This soca ting cant work without the govt. They need to be invloved, but maybe cause the govt does take in so much revenue from carnival they dont see the need to expand. But the music and it going to the level as far as sales the govt has to step in.

governments in the caribbean are poor at gathering statistics that it is difficult for them to gauge the economic impact of events like carnivals.i will agree that for soca to expand its market the trini must have a role.

but sometime government assistance comes with too many strings attach.but i feel what you are saying.

Got to big up Machel as one of the few who really taking this thing seriously and making a solid career out of it

i must say this:i am not big machel fan but i agree with your point. he is every bit as good as any artist that i have seen anywhere - mtv, bet - but he still needs a signature song, ala kl, rupee, edwin. these artist all have a mega soca hit which has propel them to international recognition.

i thought "come dig it" was going to take him to u.s billboard but for whatever reason it did not. i also thought that his subsequent music would follow in the same vein as "come dig it" but that never happened.

his collabo with kartel(?)is is best song since "come dig it." that collabo has the beat, clarity of vocals, and the lyrics to make it hit. come dig it had similiar qualities. because of those qualities, listerners anywhere can follow the storyline.

the song with kartel sounds like music.do not ask me to explain.

In terms of Machel I really think he has done very well over the years and certainly not starving at all and he in my opinion don't really need to go the route these guys have gone...at the endof the day let's see who has what when it all done...no big deal in getting signed to a major label and you don't have 2 cents when done

You studying dat nannyhead? Machel ent have no 'signature song'...Machel have signature CDs, entire albums worth of songs. It would be nice if he breakthrough and make hella bank in de mainstream, but he ent NEED that...Machel look like he starving or struggling when he pulling in $15k-$20K (US) a show?

WINER BOY has no SIGNATURE SONG that will PROPEL him BEYOND the UNDERGROUND SOCA INDUSTRY....that is SIMPLY a FACT.

All of WINER BOY'S so-called SIGNATURE SONGS are CARNIVAL/FETE based.

WINER BOY wants to MAKE it BEYOND the UNDERGROUND SOCA ARENA.....he wants to make it to the BIG DANCE.

You can TAKE that to the BANK, because it wont get BOUNCE.

By the way, "ONE MORE TIME" might be the SONG that could HELP him get to the BIG DANCE.

are you going to tell me that machel does want to go where kl, rupee have gone.if so, why does he continue to say that he want to take soca to the world. you are making excuses for his inability to secure a major record deal.