In the name of Troy!

Genesis' website is up and running folks! Now, it would be expected that I would comment on the backgrounds in some of the photos that not only look desert like, but they appear to have NOT benefited from the services of a fulbright photographer or an expert in adobe photoshop, but I will not comment on that at all. Neither will I comment on some of the male costumes, however I will say one thing, I do like Andromache!



I have counted 13 sections with prices ranging from $2095.00 to $2800.00 and downpayment is still $600.00 for regular costumes and $1000.00 for frontlines. The section Thetis has not been changed, much to my surprise, it still looks like my grand mother's house dress.



The theme Troy left the door wide open for some beautiful, creative costumes but I have to say the costumes do not impress me much at all. This one, Citizens of Troy, looks like the model is wearing a blouse with a belt, consequently it is the cheapest female costume:



To Genesis' credit they are offering online registration, using Senvia if you please (no moneygram for THIS band!) though the sizing is odd in that they list S, M, L, XL and no sizing guide. At least they provide a section for you to type in your measurements the old fashioned way. It appears that the band is all-inclusive since they list an option for meat or vegetarian on the registration page, but there is really no information on the website saying what the all-inclusive package entails.

Hopefully more information will be forthcoming as they tweak the webiste over the next few weeks. For now I will enjoy the photos, if for nothing more than the entertainment value.

Saphyre 2007 Carnival Band Launch

There seems to be a new band launching for Carival 2007 every week with some flying under the radar! Triniscoa.com has an article on the latest launch, the band is called Saphyre and their 2007 presentation is "Once Upon a Melody"

TriniSoca.com Article
Posted: October 09, 2006

Saphyre Band Launching in Pictures

Saphyre Band Launching

The band 'Saphyre' launched its 2007 Carnival band presentation on Friday 07th October, 2006 on board the Treasure Queen. The choice of the launch was quite interesting although it was questionable whether it was the right venue for the launch. For one thing, the lighting on the vessel was not suitable enough to highlight the contours and definitions of the costumes. Another point was that the boat itself was not a particularly elegant setting for the affair. It can be assumed that there may have been other factors that the organizers saw in hosting the event at that particular venue that helped to manifest their creative ideas.

People began to trickle into the boat about forty-five minutes to an hour before take off and the vessel finally left the docks of Pier II at about quarter after eight post meridiem.

The Treasure Queen was filled with supporters of the band who were treated to music by DJ Darryl whose selection of tunes had visitors on their feet. Many on board the Treasure Queen ate, drank and socialized with each other and hardly a soul could be found bored or on their seats. Guests were also mesmerized by the natural light of the moon as well as by the lights emanating from the city of Port of Spain.

On the return journey, those on board were entertained by beautiful pan music played by the B.W.I.A Invaders. The music of the sweet pan seemed to hypnotize many who immediately rocked and swayed to the orchestrated melodies.

After the entertainment it was time to get down to the business of the night. People immediately rushed to where the costumed girls were to root for their favourites and to capture them on camera. The theme of the Saphyre band for 2007, "Once Upon a Melody", seemed very intriguing and guests could not wait to steal a view of the artwork. The costumes depicted some of the musical history of Trinidad and Tobago as well as the rest of the Caribbean. The variety of colours and textures used displayed the myriad of musical expressions of the Caribbean.

The twelve sections of the band were: Calypso Rhythms, Samba, Salsa, Caribbean Jazz, Zouk, Roots Rock Reggae, Rag Time, Rock and Roll, African Rhythms, Chutney Soca, Classical Music, Tassa Rhythms.

The individual sections within the band all have musical and historical context. Possibly, the Saphyre band would stand out over all others on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, 2007.

Contacts:

The Saphyre Mas Camp is located at 118 Oxford Street POS Trinidad. The costumes prices range from $1100TT to $1500TT.

For more information call:
Abby 707-0185; Larry 784-1293; Aleema 732-7825; Colin 779-7075; Celeste 722-8461; Cobby 799-5221; Carlene 678-7349; Kandice 782-8861

For more photos from the band launch visit Trinisoca.com

I have to admit this is the first I have ever heard of this band Saphyre, that means a visit to their mas camp is on the agenda. Most of the costumes look quite good from those photos, and honestly, some of them are comparable to other presentations I have seen so far from the bigger bands ,with Chutney Soca being my favourite. There are two costumes that have a "hmmm, what were the thinking?" reaction, but on the whole I think the presentation is creative.


Chutney Soca

If anyone has more information on this band Saphyre, please send me an email:
trinicarnivaldiary @yahoo.com