So for carnival 2010 it was decided that I go leave my Pulse8 carnival band and try something new. So after reading up my reviews on www.trinidadcarnivaldiary.com and hearing from people that played in diff bands in 2009 etc etc we decided to join SPICE. It is an all inclusive band that had a ok first year in 2009. bla bla bla etc etc etc here's the summary
Registration
So when we decided on the "ISIS" section I think it was only 4 fellas playing for sure. Then the day to register a couple girls decided to play also. Unfortunately the females were already advertised as sold out. Couple calls to spice PR oman (who we knew from before) and we eventually got through with the extra costumes required. In the mas camp itself it was smooth sailings. Couple complaints though - 1) no male prototypes in the mas camp (2)No visa in the mas camp steupssss (3) you couldn't touch female prototypes in mas camp . Nothing too serious and we were in and out in 30 mins (real thing to sign though and had to swipe link card separate for all the 7 people registering . And like they does pre order everything down to size cause when I was there there were only about 2 size 34 pants left and very few SPECIFIC sizes left .Same thing with the females - like they does order a specific number of SIZES in each size way before carnival. So instead of catering for say 100 men and 100 women the does cater for 30 A cup women , 30 B cup etc etc etc . Not sure if thats the best system but watever yes
Collection
Ah breeze Carnival Friday. We reach , we pay , we talk shit with all 4-5 people we had to deal with. All 4-5 people were polite and friendly and we were out in 30 mins. Some partners who when later had to wait lil longer but again , this part of review just focussing on my experiences . MY costume was pretty well made. The waterproof thing for pockets was nice but too much velco there cause them thing was hard to open so hardly anyone I knew used it (maybe woulda come in handy for car keys though).
D Road
Monday I meet the band 11:30 thanks to my jouvert experience and I met up with band couple hundred meter from where they started (supposedly at 9) . Now by this time those who reach at advertised time were not in best of moods cause they had a long wait without music or rum or security . Maybe 9 in kinda unrealistically early ...... ok I take that back . NINE in morning after jouvert IS TOO EARLY. FIX THAT SPICE !! Tuesday start time might also need to be revised .Oh yeah and where the azz people was supposed to park to meet ah band Charlotte Street ??? Maybe ah lil clue in the package would help. And who knew about them shuttle from King George Park? If you shuttle to venue how you was supposed to reach back. maybe the car parks by Despers could be rented out .. maybe. Like Pulse8 spice doh give we no Monday wear so iz all kinda thing on the road Monday . The music trucks were generally good.MerryPerry was my fave except for when they try to play effing techno on the road for them 5 min interval every few hours. "I gotta feeling" is ah big song but I rather hear ah Nigel and Marvin, Iwer or Preacher before I hear TECHNO on the F***ING road carnival time . But guess machel, kes and sherwayne does do it in their sets so who iz me - I'd exercise the right to go to the "assassin truck" behind them .
Organization
The food organization was okish. I'm sure menus probably tasted better than others (I doh eat much on the road ). But probably more tents, chairs and ENTRANCES could be provided . SO why the hell must standard bearers take ah rest so often on the road ? Like they can't just give the standard to someone else who not tired. And why is it that for long periods of time the standard bearer for sec 3 be 50ft behind the one for sec 4 .?Like nobody in the organization notice that. And why must the band get so spread out soo often. if ah truck in the back stop they cant stop the front truck from going up too fast to keep the band in ah order . Come on Spice its 2500 people not 800 . Why the rope people couldn't keep up with the first few sections soo much????? When all the "extraction Crew " operating as the "GATE" to cross a stage for section number ten the people in section #1 does be quarter mile down the road with not ROPE and NO REAL SECURITY . Arapita Avenue was the wuss wuss - not only Spice fault but the security there just has to be MUCH BETTER. Also when section #1 ready to cross ah stage maybe ALL the trucks could announce that the band gonna cross the stage cause sometimes people in the back out of section didn't realize that people in the front were crossing a stage .
With all that said SPICE was still ah good band -I get drinks right through, good dj, goood vibes for ME on the road. But now I would point out a major peeve that has to do with a friend of mine
COSTUMES
The FL in ISIS had some big plumes all over head piece. It's the ADVERTISED headpiece on the website and even on the front page on the official spice handbook. It was a HUGE headpiece. People pay real money to carry around this huge head piece - I think it was too big but say what if thats what people pay money for FINE. So sometime for whatever reason SPICE decided to make the headpiece "lighter" , "Smaller" or easier to carry . People who pay for the oversized head pieces were only told this when they went to collect. WTF !! Is only prob 10 FL people you had to contact to inform about CHANGES to ah costume they PAY for . Mrs SPICE PR WOMAN - least you coulda do was call, give part refund something. And then to go on the road and see ah bandleader with HUGE plumes modeling for all to see is like rubbing salt into the wounds . And y'all also made changes to Caspian Sea FL without telling people before hand what yall were doing BIG STEUPS . If I pay for ah 30ft long living room table whoever better bring me ah 30 ft living room table (doh tell me after, you cut it short cause it cant fit in my house ) . People pay money spice and I want to play with y'all again but I want the costume I register for and what I see in the mas camp and thats only FAIR .
Dats all for now!
