Las Lap...The Aftermath!

Las Lap was a charity event held by TRIBE Carnival last night at Pier 1. The cooler fete was in aid of an employee. The idea, brilliant! I can certainly attest to the fact that it was the perfect opportunity to squeeze the last remaining dregs from Carnival 2011, in the middle of Lent and all! I had a GREAT time! And if you were not there here is a sample of what you missed!

If this fete is to be a staple on the calendar it should be mandatory that people wear costumes! Special shout out to the guys that represented in their board shorts and to everyone that came out in Monday Wear and costume! You rock!

Ready For Battle

The new look TRIBE Mas Camp exterior.......

And interior with Warrior murals..............

And Here Come The Bandwagonists!

1. Bandwagonist
A bandwagonist is someone who mindlessly goes along with an action or idea, without any real reason other than other people are doing it.

Immediately following the delivery of TRIBE's email into several thousand people's inbox's last evening and the subsequent post on the blog, my facebook stream lit up with the question "TRIBE or BLISS"?.The question  extended to persons who have never played with TRIBE contemplating which band they wanted to be in, and  even the masqueraders who had sworn off playing in TRIBE altogether.

To say I was amused is an understatement, especially since I heard that according to TRIBE's poll many masqueraders were satisfied with the size of the band this year, so how come now everyone is all abuzz over the smaller more intimate experience? The bandwagonists are already hitching their wagon to the latest and newest thing, Bliss is on everyone's lips (even though some are clueless as to what Bliss is about) and I know for sure many of them will be disappointed.

Among even the die hard TRIBERS, who by the way think they have every right to expect first dibs on either band, the choice is not an easy one. They are not simply lining up like sheep to get into Bliss just because it is new; one has to consider where your choice of designer is, which costume grabs you, where your friends will want to be and even if you want to go to the Savannah or not. For me first priority will always be which costume I fall in love with, everything else secondary. My main concern at this point, even as a veteran masquerader is getting into the band when I have finally chosen my costume, and if I am worried that alone should tell you something!

The reality is that the numbers are basically the same, the options have just been doubled. What this means is that it is the same amount of spots total distributed in either band. If you did not get into TRIBE this year, think for one second how much harder it will be to get in NEXT year with even less people being catered for. And, if TRIBE is offering Bliss because their loyal and faithful masqueraders have complained about the size of the band, what makes you think that there will even be an option for the marish and the parish to get in? I foresee mass hysteria of epic proportions when people come to the realization that they may not actually  have a choice. I fear that no common sense will prevail especially on the TRIBE facebook group,  I feel sorry for the TRIBE committee members already!

My hope is that  TRIBE actually makes having a TLC count  next year, factoring that into the registration  process for both bands. I cannot tell you how amazed I, and many others were, to see some faces that never played in TRIBE jumping up in the most sought after costumes THIS year. Bandwagonists boasting about their links to get into TRIBE before a card carrying TLC member rubbed many people the wrong way, especially when these bandwagonitsts historically had nothing good to say  about TRIBE,  or TRIBERS, having previously being aligned with another rival band. If you are offering pre registration TRIBE, offer it to the people who HAVE been playing with you since 2005!

And my advice to the newbies, who complain every year about how unfair the process to get into TRIBE  is, start looking at alternatives because everyone simply cannot play in TRIBE or Bliss! You have to be realistic, I am just saying. For 2011 we now have a record number of bands for you to choose from if you want bikini and beads mas. There are the newcomers like YUMA, Oasis and Gems plus the stalwarts like Island People, Legacy and Harts. Then we have the bands with  strong public support like Spice, D Krewe, Trini Revellers and Pulse 8 . And if you want a smaller, more intimate experience take your pick from Dream Team, Wee International, Ronnie & Caro, Kaotic or Trevor Wallace. Not to mention there are even smaller bands like Genesis and Carvalho Mas . 

So, don't be a sheep and act as if Bliss is the second coming of THE ONLY BAND TO PLAY MAS WITH all over again people! Explore ALL your options, be practical and temper your expectations to reality. Above all else this remains true; TRIBE cannot accommodate every single masquerader just because they  now offer two SMALLER bands......let common sense prevail or God help us all after July 24th!

The Secret Is Out!!! TRIBE and BLISS for Carnival 2011!

Finally, the big news I have been sitting on for the past couple weeks, for Carnival 2011 TRIBE Carnival will be bringing BLISS, the smaller more intimate experience!

I am absolutely happy that TRIBE is offering this option for those of us who have really gotten jaded with the size of the band, even though TRIBE 2011 promises to be smaller as well. Rumour is TRIBE will cater for 4000 masqueraders while BLISS will cater for half of that number.

So, TWO sets of costumes, TWO routes, TWO lunch stops and TWO Sets of TRIBE/BLISS madness when band launch kicks off. The only caveat is ONE band will not be going to the Savannah and ONE band will not have any private sections, only TRIBE in house sections! And if you did not know before, the in house designers are Gail Cabral, Monique Nobrega and Lana Nobrega.  Decisions , decisions.

Are you ready?

We thank all of you for your feedback via emails, phone calls and the recent masquerader survey conducted in May. The results of the survey were extremely heartening as TRIBE received a positive rating in 27 of the 30 questions asked, indicating a very high level of customer satisfaction and a real indication from our valued customers. We would like to sincerely thank all of our masqueraders for endorsing our Band and our Brand!

On the Road

We recognize that road congestion along the parade route was the major reason that the band did not move as freely as it did in 2009. The authorities have full control over the movement of all the bands on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, and other Bandleaders have received similar feedback from their masqueraders in 2010. Spectator congestion along Ariapita Ave. was another issue raised by masqueraders in all bands. Both these issues will be collectively brought to the attention of the authorities by all Bandleaders. Additionally, TRIBE intends to avoid all congested areas along the route in the future.

Costume Re-Sales

NO MORE COSTUME TRANSFERS! Reports of TLC cardholder abuse and costume profiteering have been repeatedly brought to our attention. To stop this practice, one measure we will implement is a strict “NO Costume Transfer” rule.

Registration and Fraud Activity

Once again we would like to re-iterate that the ONLY persons authorized to collect monies for registration are the TRIBE Mas Camp/office, Committee members (see website) and TRIBE Management. TRIBE shall not be held responsible or accountable for monies not directly submitted via these channels. Please feel free to contact our office to make any inquiries or to report suspicious or potentially fraudulent activity.

WARRIORS…GET BATTLE READY FOR 2011!

Get battle ready for a new unbelievable Carnival Experience!! The Launch of Carnival 2011 is here and on Saturday July 24th TRIBE will unveil its most outstanding presentations to date.

2011 UNVEILED

As Carnival continues to evolve and the masquerader demands shift, TRIBE’s cutting edge approach enables us to adapt to these varying needs. As such, TRIBE has heeded your suggestions and will offer two different carnival experiences for Carnival 2011. We are pleased to introduce two smaller bands, TRIBE & BLISS, which will improve manageability and maneuverability on the road, thereby significantly enhancing your Carnival Experience.

Those of you who enjoy the “organized bacchanal” can continue to ‘palance’ in TRIBE…The ULTIMATE Carnival Experience. Those who desire a much smaller band with the same high quality product and service as they have become accustomed to in TRIBE, now have the option of BLISS…The INTIMATE Carnival Experience.

This carefully studied and planned approach allows each band and its respective masqueraders to have their own distinct identity with each having its own parade route and band management. As our launches approach we will release more information on the both bands.

The Battle has begun…release the Warrior within!!

Preparations......

TRIBE Mas Camp Getting a makeover

Hmm, what is going on here?

When You Are In With The In Crowd...

When you are in with the in crowd you proudly BOAST on Facebook that not only do you have your costume money ready, but you also KNOW that you are in! Good for you Nikesha Nanlal, let everyone know you have the TRIBE hook up... gag.

click to enlarge

Ready To Launch?

Just yesterday someone was asking me when do I think TRIBE Carnival 2011 band launch will be held. My answer was possibly July 24th since they usually launched the weekend before Crop Over, at least in the recent history of July band launches. Well, lo and behold I am surfing the net and come across a date listed on  Go Trinidad And Tobago for TRIBE's band launch as July 1st,2010! 

This has to be typographical error on the part of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) since July 1st is a Thursday. However I recently got a message, in panic,telling me that TRIBE's band launch is in JUNE ( I heard costumes prototypes have been very early this year) so now I am wondering if their launch will indeed be earlier than expected this year!

All I have to say is some form of communication from the TRIBE camp on the band launch date would be nice seeing as so many masqueraders like to come to Trinidad for the event and we are all looking at July 24th, based on history.

The Carnival Rumour Mill!

I have been reliably informed that the breakaway band from Island People Mas will definitely be looking to venture into Carnival 2011. The persons involved in this new band have severed their affiliations with the formerly mentioned Island People and are currently looking for the hottest designers out there as they did not hold a "designer" position in Island People.Names like "Sandra", "Crystal" and "Ruana" are being whispered about as potential designers for said new band. I am liking the idea of using the young, forward thinking designers and this person certainly has the cash to fund a new band... but we all know money and costumes are only part of what makes a new band successful. Hopefully they learn from predecessors mistakes as I am quite interested to see how this new band fares and whose crowd they will pull.

In other Carnival news outside of Trinidad and Tobago, for those who were wondering looks like TRIBE Toronto is still in the works. Sources say they are scouting for designers and designs;however , the standard is pretty high. Looks like TRIBE Toronto wants to give you Trinidad quality costumes! You can check out the website as well.

And finally, one band for New York's Labor Day will be getting a touch from the dynamic duo (so much for taking the year off!) as I hear they will be doing the sexy designs for Ramajay Mas! Looking out for that one as well.

TRIBE Feedback

Each year post Carnival I always do my "Dear TRIBE" letter, as I did last year, pointing out areas that as a masquerader I think could be improved for the overall benefit of everyone. Since my critique will be the same as in 2009... TLC registration needs to be revamped, size of the band is overwhelmingly too big, more toilets needed at the lunch stop I will not rehash those points. Suffice to say that many of those concerns were not addressed for 2010, hopefully they will be for 2011.My letter today has to do with the attitude of the section leaders who cannot take criticism over their designs, the ones who found their way on the blog to personally attack me because of my personal opinion concerning their costumes.

Dear TRIBE, I have been your biggest supporter from day 1, I have always defended the band and my decisions for choosing to play with TRIBE so much so that I have been labeled as biased. My credibility has been attacked by accusations of being paid by TRIBE to write this blog as well as that I only give TRIBE  favorable reviews because I get a free costume with the band. As we both know this is not true and the year 2010 has seen me, your biggest  supporter, become enemy # 1 in the TRIBE camp.

In spite of all that I still played in the band this year, as you can see I rise above that pettiness because as a paying masquerader I  do not put the fact that I write this blog ahead of myself to get any leverage; see how cooly I accepted the fact that my section was last this year? I expect the same considerations that are given to all masqueraders  who spend their hard earned cash on a costume and I will choose to support whichever band I see fit until I am turned away, victimized or  discriminated against for the fact that write this blog.. .and, well that will be a whole other topic!

The gag order you put on me and this blog is fruitless as you can see, the fact is TRIBE news is BIG news and you get enormous publicity every time I write something about the band. Case in point is the huge boost in  popularity Spice received by the controversy surrounding their numbers that was hotly debated on this blog; the truth is there is nothing like bad publicity. So for 2011 you need to ease up on hounding staff members unfairly and incorrectly accusing them of giving me information. There is nothing you can do in stopping information getting to me because it always does from all over; people just LOVE to talk and they just LOVE to talk to me! Relax, roll with it and enjoy the fact that your band is getting talked about constantly and you band will have even more demand for 2011, don't you think?

As for certain designers in the TRIBE camp getting upset over my costume review for 2010, as designers they really need to grow up!  I am just ONE person with a point of view, surely that point of view did NOT cause the band to lose masqueraders because the band sold out anyway. I do not have any personal agenda against or dislike for anyone, as they seem to think. Being a masquerader for so many years, I know what costumes I like from what I do not like, that may not necessarily be  the same as someone else but alas those other people just do not happen to have a blog to express their opinions. Not to mention the older I have become the more discerning  are my tastes in costumes.

I have never flinched when costume prices increased year after year, I have always justified paying the price for the costume I want because I have a holistic approach to what the value of the costume means to me. However I think for the price of costumes in 2010 the actual product was not up to standard; I mean really who sat down and approved some of those costumes in a costume critique is beyond me. Some of the designs looked unfinished and like and afterthought and was no way in line with the standard set in years before. I was happy to see ,though ,that post band launch some costumes were giving a sprucing up so that tends to make me feel that some designs were indeed rushed.

So, as stated many times before good designs get great reviews, bad designs will get the reviews that they are due regardless of the fact that the band is TRIBE. One would hope that honesty is appreciated more than ass kissing, which I never do for the record, and that the critique would only help to position the band as being a leader in not only good service but also good costume design seeing as the actual product of the "ultimate all inclusive experience" was not so ultimate for 2010. The saving grace for me this year was that I absolutely loved my costume and that I had a great time on Monday. I know certain things were beyond the band's control on Tuesday however the size of the band is certainly a factor to be considered for 2011. Ideally I would hope the band actually DOES split in two, that would make things very interesting indeed!

I am liking the theme for 2011, hopefully we do get stellar costumes and not so many bruised egos giving me ( little old me!) the "stink eye". Good luck and looking forward to the start of band launching season "Warriors".