Antigua St john’s – RedEye, the premier of event of the 2012 Soca Therapy lineup, has been announced for July 21 with an all-star lineup that includes the royal couple of soca music – Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons.

Officially unveiled on Wednesday with a press launch, the “breakfast fete” event will take place at the Antigua Recreation Grounds.

Providing an overview of the event, the Marketing Machine’s Chalita Rose said RedEye could safely boast to be the single largest private soca fete in the Eastern Caribbean

“We will bring together superpowers of soca music, not only in Antigua but in the world,” he said. “It will be a source of non-stop energy driven locally. And there is no event that would come across as the RedEye fete would.”

RedEye was first introduced seven years ago as a simple fete to feature local acts.

Rose said, “We heard it from critics and well wishers alike that no one would pay to see local bands all lined up on stage. We believed in the bands, they believed in us, and the rest is history, or as you call it, a marriage made in heaven. Much thanks to the support of the fans, sponsors, team of hardworking people, and of course the bands who continue to believe in our product and share our vision.”

Other acts for the anticipated event include Skinny Fabulous, Swappi, Red Hot Flames, Claudette Peters and the Taxik Band, Tizzy and the El A Kru, Cheezekake Factory, and Ricardo Drue.

Minister of Carnival Eleston “Namba” Adams was on hand for Thursday’s launch and congratulated the young team for puling off a clearly growing event.

He encouraged the Marketing Machine/Source team to continue to forge forward in making the Caribbean’s biggest summer festival for 2012 one to remember.

Chairman of the Carnival Development Committee Kayode O’Marde also expressed congratulations to the team for presenting an impressive entertainment lineup that would undoubtedly be a spectacle in this year’s celebrations.

RedEye comes as part of the Soca Therapy’s five-event lineup that also includes Girl Power, Lots of Liquor (LOL), ICE, and Skin.

Credit: Caribarena

When D.C. Caribbean Carnival Inc. announced last week that it was moving its annual parade to Baltimore, it seemed sketchy — like a blindside hit to many of the festival’s ardent supporters. But what hopefully is a temporary relocation could end up being the most productive outcome for the event going forward.

Participants dance and march as the 19th annual D.C. Caribbean Carnival parades down Georgia Avenue on June 25, 2011. (Bill O’Leary – THE WASHINGTON POST)Last year, after a series of ugly events — a stabbing, multiple shootings and a mass brawl near Howard University — marred the festival, many called for its cancellation.

And after two years of increasing debt to the tune of $210,000, the District finally said no to footing the bill for the Georgia Avenue event. Now, it’s set to take place partly in Charm City, which should give everyone on this end a chance to take a look at what went wrong and fix it.

It would a shame if the city and the event organizers didn’t look at this opportunity as a time to re-brand, re-configure and effectively re-invent one of the most culturally diverse days on the D.C. calendar for the past 20 years.

The first step is a more realistic look at fundraising. Because of what Laughton Sergeant, executive director at D.C. Caribbean Carnival Inc., describes as an agreement between the city and his organization, the festival’s costs are paid back with the revenue from the carnival. But revenue hasn’t covered the total costs, recently leading to the carnival operating in the red.

“We have had issues in the past where we have worked out our differences to make the event happen,” Sergeant said. “In 20 years, we’ve had good years and bad years, so we were always able to work things out. But this year for some reason, the situation was ‘either you pay the bill or it might not happen.’ ”

The truth is that the District simply just can’t afford to take another public relations hit with the festival as it did last year. And there’s real money involved: According to a Howard University School of Business economic impact study conducted for 2011, the D.C. Carnival event produced about $1.3 million in tax revenue dollars. And 92 percent of Georgia Avenue business owners said the event helped the corridor, according to the study.

With such strong financial impact, all parties involved need to do more to keep the event in D.C. City Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said in a statement last week, “Unfortunately, the Mayor’s decision to punish parade organizers for past due debt also punishes Georgia Avenue businesses, parade-goers, our tax coffers, and — most of all — the  Caribbean community.”

The parade passes partly through her jurisdiction, and she blames the city for its demise. “In the end, the administration’s failure of understanding, and of will, was the undoing of this great event.”

Not everyone in the neighborhood feels the same way. Navendra Jagdeo, owner of Lil’ GT Cafe on Georgia Avenue, called the event organizers’ efforts to raise money “lackluster.” “They should do a dance or a concert every two to three months, right after the carnival is done to try to raise money. They don’t do anything,” Jagdeo said, though acknowledging that the city has taken an overly harsh stance on collecting on the event’s debts.

What’s clear is that nobody involved wants to see the D.C. Caribbean Carnival permanently relocate. For all of the disparaging and condescending remarks you see about the event in the comments section on popular blogs across the city, it’s embarrassing to see Baltimore steal what would have been the 20th anniversary of one of the best cultural landmarks this city has to offer.

“Really and truly at the end of the day, we feel like we’ve been kind of kicked to the curb, because a lot of people see it as a nuisance. We see it as a cultural event that brings more than just a good party on Georgia Avenue,” Sergeant said. “It brings a lot more to the city.”

And that’s exactly why it needs to come back. If it takes a mega corporate sponsor like, say, LivingSocial, Capital One Bank or AOL, so be it. Sure, you might lose some so-called street cred, but one big company isn’t going to kill the soul of a decades-old event if the people don’t let it.

“The one thing about the carnival that’s done here on Georgia Avenue versus in Canada for Caribana and New York for the Labor Day parade is you have a hometown feel,” Jagdeo said. “That’s the beautiful thing about D.C.”

If you’ve ever been to it, the smell is what stays with you. The cuisine alone is worth the effort. And between the costumes, the outfits, the music and the camaraderie, there’s nothing else like it. It would be a    shame to see D.C. lose its most colorful day of the year over a relatively small amount of green.

Credit: Washington Post

The SAO Soca Awards Ltd./Soca Awards Organization (SAO) presents the 10th Annual International Soca Awards (iSA 10) on June 29, 2012 at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City in California. This special presentation held in the heart of Hollywood is the culmination of ten years of diligent and heartfelt work coming from the SAO team. Everyone is excited! The collaboration of the ceremony with the first Parade of Bands held in Hollywood is sure to be a cultural event to remember. Revisiting her role as the host of the iSA is the beautiful and hilarious Nikki Crosby. Her memorable appearance in 2010 has made the decision an easy one for her to be back on stage
presenting in more glitz and glamour under the Hollywood stars. Her endearing persona mixedwith comedy, and her continuous work in the industry brought her to the top of the list from an array of hosts being considered for iSA 10.

There will be many recognizable faces inside of the Hilton Los Angeles come June 29th, but more than ever, Nikki Crosby’s will greet the majority and embody the class that SAO has attained in its ten years of successful shows.

For more information log on to www.socaawards.com or call USA 1-818-403-0849

Credit: Tropical Fete

http://www.panjazz.com/

Credit: Trinidad Carnival Diary

Credit: You Tube

Adrian Dutchin and Jomo Primo who make up the group Times2 made their debut as the new faces of GT&T Cellink at the Ten10 Finals Saturday night.

Adrian and Jomo were the faces and voices of Digicel since it came to Guyana but that relationship ended recently forcing the 2 soca stars to seek “bluer” pastures.

Adrian and Jomo entered the stadium clad in red body suits which they quickly shed to reveal their blue outfits and announced that they are switching it up!

Credit: GT Vibes

Flagz Fest: the Soca Festival has been postponed, with organisers citing the reason as a lack of response. The event, which was scheduled to take place on Friday 25 May at the Coronet, Elephant and Castle, has been postponed until further notice.

Organisers are advising patrons to either hold onto their tickets, as they intend to reschedule for a later date, or to seek a refund from their ticket vendor.

Credit: Soca News

May 9 — St. Kitts Music Festival Committee earlier today revealed a stellar line-up of artistes for its 16th installment of the event.

Production Manager Adrian Lam announced the complete artiste line-up following several weeks of teasing fans by revealing just a few of the bigger acts.

On Thursday, June 28th, the line-up will be Machel Montano and Team HD; GrandMasters Band; Masud Sadiki, singing as Stitch in Time; Nicha B; Shakki Starfire; Ali Dee; Edwin Yearwood and Krossfyah; and Spectrum Band.

Friday night will take a departure from the Soca and give patrons a more Dancehall/Reggae flavor with Damian “Junior Gong” Marley; Popcaan; I-Octane; Morgan Heritage; Courtney Pine, Eric Donaldson; and Lovindeer.

The third and final night of the festival will feature top R&B and Soul performers Toni Braxton; Omarion; Roberta Flack; and Liamigua Project.

Gates at the Warner Park Football Stadium open at 8pm nightly for the June 28-30th St. Kitts Music Festival. Tickets cost EC $100 per night.

Credit: The St. Kitts Observer

If you missed any of the performances from Steelfestt 2012, currently taking place at the National Academy For Performing Arts from May 4 to May 12, 2012 be sure to check out Carnival TV to view the concerts: http://carnivaltv.net/#/steelfest/

From all reports I am hearing that it has been an amazing show so far, visit the website for more details: http://steelfestt.com/

Credit: Trinidad Carnival Diary