Icom's Blog – December 2019 Archive (35)

I Love Soca has certainly grown into its purpose and objective – to create an experience that ­exceeds that of a soca fête. It has now ­become akin to a festival. The ­spacious venue – the cricket grounds of Sabina Park – was transformed into a ‘construction site’ with the signature black-and-yellow tape drawn across scaffolding and ­machinery such as a backhoe and excavator for photo ops bringing its ‘Caution’ theme to life.…

Po­lice Com­mis­sion­er Gary Grif­fith is dis­miss­ing crit­i­cisms of a video cir­cu­lat­ing on so­cial me­dia show­ing him and a so­ca artists danc­ing at his End of Year event.

The video has re­ceived mixed re­spons­es with some peo­ple be­ing crit­i­cal of the par­ty­ing while the mur­der rate re­mains at close to record lev­els, while oth­ers say he is hu­man and al­so…

REIGNING 2019 Junior Soca Monarch, Sekel McIntosh, 10, was drawn to soca music because of its energy and rhythms. Now he looks forward to following in the footsteps of Machel Montano, Ras Shorty I and Superblue, and use his music to contribute to the positive development of TT.

His pending 2020 soca release Level Up, which he hopes will help him defend his Junior Soca Monarch crown (primary schools), is an…

When it comes to Christmas, Trinidad and Tobago may very well be atop the list of big celebrators. From the pre-Christmas cleaning, where house painting is almost a priority on the list, to refreshing the indoor decor- new curtains, new furniture and appliances and whatever else, the people of Trinidad and Tobago are traditionally Christmas lovers.

Now, for those who many not be aware,…

December 25 is celebrated as Christmas Day, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas Day is a public holiday in most nations across the world.

December 25 was fixed as the birth date of Jesus Christ in the early-to-mid fourth century by the Western Christian Church. For Christians, the belief is that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than the…

Former Grenadian Soca Monarch and Road March Champion Boogie B is gearing up to create an impact during the highly anticipated Trinidad and Tobago 2020 Carnival season with his latest up-tempo offering entitled, “Big Long…

Damian “Ace” Oliverie was once a member of 3Suns, the popular ragga soca band known for hits such as Carnival Darling, Dat Eh Nuttin and Hot Gyal.

The trio met in Northeastern College, Sangre Grande, realised they had a mutual affection for music and 3Suns was born out of that.

After disbanding in 2011, his band mates, Sherwin “M1” Jeremiah and Olufemi “Crym”…

Leon Coldero, famous for his perennial Christmastime hits like Sokah Chutneey Parang and La Sapa, is back on the local music scene big time with two new songs, Scrap Iron and Dais Meh People.

The sprightly 57-year-old told Sunday Newsday he is back with passion and anticipating one of his best years in the soca business.

Coldero has been recording music for…

Childhood memories of a Jamaican Christmas inspired Gifts, a song by deejay/rapper HoodCelebrityy. Released by KSR/Epic Records, the single is part of that company's EP, A KSR Christmas.

According to the Portmore-reared artiste, Gifts was an opportunity to reflect and appreciate a time of year when families bond.

“My thoughts about…

The players are lining up. There’s no fear, no holding back. Already, Lyrikal has touched down in Trinidad and Tobago ahead of T&T Carnival 2020 and he’s come prepared to give carnival lovers exactly what they want. Several tracks in the bag already, the Brooklyn based soca star is preparing for one of his best seasons yet, and he’s only just beginning. …

The players are lining up. There’s no fear, no holding back. Already, Lyrikal has touched down in Trinidad and Tobago ahead of T&T Carnival 2020 and he’s come prepared to give carnival lovers exactly what they want. Several tracks in the bag already, the Brooklyn based soca star is preparing for one of his best seasons yet, and he’s only just beginning. 

With one of the biggest…

Are you tired of the cold weather and in need of a little tropical heat? Charlotte’s got a remedy for your winter blues. From the pulsating rhythms of Afrobeat to the waist-slimming sounds of soca, we’ve got a list of Caribbean events just in time for the holiday season.

Get ready to globe trot in our own backyard.

Afro Soca Love:…

Few soca music videos have gone viral to the degree that singer Destra Garcia's “Me Gusta” has. The song — one of Destra's offerings for Trinidad and Tobago's upcoming 2020 Carnival season, which has been viewed over 400,000 times on YouTube — generated quite a few memes and sparked a lot of lighthearted conversation online.

Released on November 24, 2019, the video features a provocative dance scene between…

In March 2020, Conch Shell Productions - in collaboration with Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center at York College (in Jamaica, New York) - will present the second annual HEAR HER CALL CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN WOMEN'S THEATER…

The Caribbean’s leading celebration of rum is returning to St Barth next year for another week-long festival featuring the best of Caribbean rum and rhum agricole.

The Caribbean Rum Awards, a partnership of Caribbean Journal and the Saint Barth Rum Festival, will be held Nov. 10-15, 2020.

The festival will run alongside St Barth’s acclaimed Gourmet…

Mul­ti­fac­eted vo­cal­ist, song­writer, en­ter­tain­er and record­ing artist Kevon Carter re­alised at a very young age his cre­ative abil­i­ty with mu­sic through play. His spon­ta­neous com­po­si­tions on the gui­tar high­light­ed an area of def­i­nite skill. While res­i­dent in the Unit­ed States in his younger life, Carter de­fined him­self as a prod­uct of his West In­di­an roots and the New York melt­ing pot which led to his adopt­ing a world…

Carnival has officially been launched at sea. In true Trinbagonian style, a Friday morning breakfast Boatride hosted by 96.1WEFM radio personalities, Jaiga, R’odey, Nicki Crosby and Raw Fusion, saw the soca stars out in full force aboard the Harbour Master in West Trinidad.

As per usual, delayed sailing gave way for even more fun as fans of Soca showed no sign of disapproval, patiently…

Parang in Niagara — an event that brings Christmas and the Caribbean together here — is scheduled for Dec. 21 at a St. Catharines winery.

Known as Trinidad's Christmas carol, parang is a popular folk music brought to Trinidad and Tobago decades ago by migrants from Venezuela and Colombia.

The St. Catharines and Regional Niagara Twinning…

His popular refrain, “Gunman in she hole”, while proving to be one of the big tunes of the year, is, without a doubt, untenable in the eyes of right minded citizens. Many claim the song is real- a true representation of a segment of Trinidad and Tobago’s society, relatable by many who experience the gangster lifestyle, regularly. But what about those who do not?

On Friday morning,…

First year student of the Georgetown School of Nursing Faith Corrica is working on learning to heal the physical, but she is already equipped with a voice that soothes the soul. Granddaughter of one of Guyana’s legendary calypsonians, the late Malcolm ‘Lord Canary’ Corrica, Faith has already released a single, “Abide” and plans to drop her album by March of next year.…