DV8 DC 2009

Greetings peeps, Kermit here bringing you the word from DC Carnival 2009. It is now the night before the big event on Georgia Avenue and, naturally, all roads lead to DV8 DC.

Taboo, as this fete was formerly known, had become a signature event for DC Carnival and despite several recurring issues over the past couple of years, it remained one of the most highly anticipated events for the weekend. A couple years ago, the folks responsible for Taboo decided to expand to Miami Carnival and thus was born DV8. I was present for its first year and it was an excellent affair. Patrons were directed to park in a parking lot and we were shuttled to the venue and everything went as smooth as silk. The venue was beautiful, the food was tasty and everything went like clockwork. 2008 was their second year having DV8 in Miami and while I did not attend, I heard nothing but superlatives being used to describe the experience. It was bigger and better than before and I vowed not to miss it in 2009. DV8 even expanded to include Atlanta as a site and again, from what I heard, all went well there also. So when I heard that Taboo was to be re-branded as DV8 DC, I was immediately hyped. In my opinion, comparing the Taboo experience to the DV8 experience is akin to riding in a taxicab vs. riding in a limousine; while the taxi is clean and convenient and got you to your destination on time, the limousine would do the same except with more luxury and style. I could hardly wait for Friday night!

The process for obtaining DV8 DC tickets involved submitting an electronic reservation and then waiting for word on the ticket price and payment and pickup information and since the number of attendees were being greatly reduced, it would be first come first served. When the e-mails went out providing the details, some people had trouble with the payment link (it was not working) and many people did not even receive an e-mail. Inquiries were made, those issues were eventually resolved, ticket sales proceeded and anticipation grew especially since the location of DV8 DC was not publicized. Apparently patrons would be directed to a shuttle pick-up spot and taken to the venue. Having experienced this already in DV8 Miami, I knew that if done right, this would not be a problem and since the organizers have experience with shuttles, it should be fine. I knew that I would need to get there earlier than I normally would because, as I learned from past experience, the crowds usually peak around 12:00 am to 1:00 am and I would prefer to spend my time in the party rather that in a shuttle line so when word was released that the shuttles would be leaving from the Bowie Baysox Stadium and would begin running at 10:00pm, I decided that I would be there no later than 11:00pm and man was I right.

Before I go any further, I feel I should clarify something concerning my commentaries. I have been writing these observations since 2004 and in all of my writings, I’ve described events and happenings as I saw them unfold. Many people will have different perspectives on the same events and my intent is not to try to capture everyone’s experiences but rather depict my own. I have heard from many people about DV8 DC and their views of the night vary widely however what I am going to write about is what I myself witnessed and what I myself experienced. As always, I call it like I see it so off we go to DV8 DC: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

DV8 DC: The Good

My crew got to the Bowie Baysox Stadium around 11:00 pm and as we drove in and were directed to our parking spot, we saw 5 shuttle buses lined up waiting to go and a tent with a small line next to it. We parked and made our way to the tent and after having our ID’s and tickets checked, we were wristbanded, searched by security and ushered into the line. The line was clearly marked by ropes and we took our place and waited to board the shuttles. The process was smooth and without incident and within 10 minutes we found ourselves on a shuttle heading for the venue. The shuttles seated approximately 40 and were the type that you would catch to pick up a rental car at the airport. It was full but everyone had a seat and we were on our way so we were happy. After the first 10 minutes, we began to wonder where exactly this place would be, I mean, this was kind of far for a shuttle trip. After a 20 minute ride, we finally turned off the road and into the Broadwater Estate which was the original Taboo site. This was definitely a surprise because we had all heard that DV8 was at a new venue yet here we were back at the same old same old. Ah well, no big deal, fete is fete and we are here to fete no matter where here is so we disembarked eager to get our Jai Ho on but first we had to go through security. Yes peeps, security again. Immediately as we exited the shuttle, we were searched thoroughly a second time. What did they think they would find? At the Baysox Stadium after we were searched we were immediately put in the line so we had no opportunity to procure any “contraband” (what that could be, I have no idea).

Anyway, after the second search we entered the grounds and the fete was spread out before us. Instead of being anchored at the main house as it has been in the past, the party was being held in a hollow of sorts with the main dance floor in the middle, bar on the right, food on the left, and restroom area behind. Much of the surface was grass except for the dance floor which was assembled on a relatively flat portion of the field. The actual surface looked like a big jigsaw puzzle that was put together by interlocking the edges of the individual blocks. This would have been fine if not for the fact that the ground was very soft and somewhat unstable due to the rain that had fallen earlier that afternoon. This instability caused the interlocking edges of several of the blocks to come loose and allowed mud to seep through on to the floor which got worse as the night went on.

Since I had not had a drink in many hours, I made my way to the bar to see what options there were. The drinks were located behind a long bar and it seemed to be well stocked with the various spirits that one would expect to see at a fete. I ordered an Absolute, OJ, and Monster and when it arrived 2 minutes later, it was strong and cold. This was a good start indeed. I headed to the food to begin my customary hour of pre-fete eating and was pleasantly surprised by the variety and quantity that was available (the Chinese stir-fry was particularly spicy and tasty). After eating my fill, I decided to start taking pics because, as usual, the ladies present were looking as delicious as the food. By this time, it was approaching 12:30pm and the party was in full swing as I picked my way carefully around the field which was rapidly becoming more mud than grass. After a short set on what was rapidly becoming the dance pit, I eventually I found my way back to the bar where I decided to hold strain for a while and do my stalkerrazzi thing from an elevated vantage point. Sadly, there endeth the good portion of the night and in rolled the bad.

DV8 DC: The Bad

After liming around the bar for a while I noticed that the crowd at the bar had grown tremendously and they seemed to be somewhat agitated. As it turns out, the bar was running very slowly and it was taking people 15-20 minutes to get their drinks. When I first arrived, the bartenders were in a lively mood. They were making jokes and seemed to be enjoying the scenes almost as much as the patrons were. By this time however, the party was full and the bar was packed with people who needed to drink and clearly the bartenders were overwhelmed by the sheer volume. I felt their pain because there is no way 10-15 bartenders could keep up with the crowd that was 4-5 people deep around the entire bar. Then the bar ran out! RAN TO HELL OUT! How can this happen? Was nothing learned from past fetes regarding how much people drink? The bar was closed for “restocking” and while it did reopen later in the night, the crowd around the bar did not dissipate and in fact grew in size so that upon reopening, the wait was even longer.

The music, when it could be heard, was also a source of some disappointment. When one attends a carnival fete the night before carnival, one expects to hear an abundance of hot, current soca. The occasional change of pace is welcomed but the music selection should be predominantly current soca. Clearly the DJ’s present didn’t believe in this at all. While they did play the current soca hits there was far too much reggae, back-in-times dance, and Michael Jackson for my liking. One love is one love but I was there to get my carnival juices flowing and while the quality of the mixing was good, their choice of selections left much to be desired. Now I am not meaning to say that the music was bad ALL night because for some parts of the night we couldn’t tell that music was playing at all! As has become customary at this venue, at various times during the night partygoers were subjected to volume levels so low that the ice clinking in your plastic cup drowned out the music. The DJ would make an announcement that due to noise complaints, police insisted that the music be lowered for a while; 10-15 minutes later the volume would be raised a bit only to be dropped yet again; as the night wore on it became more and more frustrating since it did not allow the revelers to really get their wine going.

After bouncing up some friends who told me their horror stories about their shuttle experience (they arrived at the Baysox Stadium around 12:00 a.m. and didn’t get to the party until after 1:30 a.m.) I decided that I was not getting caught in the inevitable crush to leave because if there was that much hell getting here, it would be hell squared to leave. Besides, I was sober and not feeling a wining vibe so I might as well leave. I rounded up my crew, advised them of the plan, and we headed out. It was 3:15 when we reached the front of the party and joined the back of the smallish line that had formed. Little did we know that things would head rapidly downhill from there and go from bad to worse to ugly.

DV8 DC: The Ugly

The line that we were in was apparently a self-formed line as the folks in it had simply lined up where they had been dropped off and it seemed like the logical thing to do. While in the line, we saw a shuttle enter the driveway, stop at the front of the line, quickly fill with people and drive away. If things continued at that pace, we would only have to wait for 2 more shuttles or so before it would be our turn to board. Of course that was assuming that people would respect the line and would join the end of the line after emerging from the party. YEAH RIGHT! When I say it was a self-formed line, that is exactly what it was. Unlike at the Baysox Stadium, there was nobody here to direct the crowd and to keep order. Maybe the organizers expected that irate patrons leaving a fete where they paid top dollar to wait in line to catch a shuttle to get here, then fight a crowd to get drinks, then stand up under the speakers to hear old skool dance, reggae and some soca, would just walk out, see a line and, of their own volition, go to the end? What color was the sky in their world? The people leaving simply joined the front of the existing line enlarging it from 3-4 people wide, to 7-8 people wide and it was left to us to attempt to oust them. While witnessing the heated exchanges that took place between several groups, I found myself actually being thankful that we had been searched twice. Maybe the organizers had a vision and saw this coming because if anyone out there had a weapon, it would most definitely have been put to use.

It is now 3:40 a.m. and the line is now a crowd. Two shuttles entered and proceeded up the driveway and tried to turn but when they stopped, the crowd at the front BOLTED over to the shuttle doors and tried to enter. Surely, we thought, the drivers are not mad enough to let them on right there but we were wrong. The doors opened, the shuttles filled and they drove away leaving the rest of us that had been in line for the past 30 minutes to wonder if this was really happening. Finally we saw two police officers emerge and stand in the driveway close to the front of where the line used to be. The original line members pleaded with them to try to control the situation or at least send for reinforcements or somebody in authority but they steadfastly ignored all requests. One security fellow did emerge and tried to move the “line” so that it would not block the driveway but his efforts were summarily dismissed.

It is now 4:00 a.m. and the crowd is a mob. The party is over and the music is turned off. Everyone is now filing out and filling up the area in front of the venue but nobody can leave. One shuttle attempts to make its way up the driveway but only gets halfway before being swarmed by the crowd. The mood in the driveway is tense and is one confrontation away from turning into a riot and believe me, I am not exaggerating ONE BIT! In all my years of partying, I have never experienced being in a situation where I felt so completely out of control and helpless with no possibility or hope of deliverance. Some people expressed the hope that since the party had officially ended, the organizers would finally show up in force to organize the shuttles. After all, they made us take the shuttles here and they knew they had to get us back. They organized the departure from the stadium so why wouldn’t they do the same here? After 15 minutes, when it became apparent that we were left to our own devices to get back to our vehicles that we were forced to leave a 20 minute drive away, hope turned to despair. For me and my crew’s safety a decision had to be made soon.

I had received word from some friends who had walked out to the highway that shuttles were no longer coming inside the property and that they were filling up at the entrance to the estate. I marshaled my crew and we started to trek down the driveway in hopes that we would get lucky and actually get on a shuttle. Soon we made it to the highway and joined a small group waiting expectantly by the roadside. During the wait, some people decided to call taxis; some decided to walk to the 7-11 further down the highway; some were waiting on friends that were lucky enough to have gotten on a shuttle who said that they would return to pick them up; and some even said that they would walk back to the stadium cursing every step of the way. After 15 minutes or so, two shuttles appeared and, as was reported, they simply pulled over on the shoulder and opened the doors so we scrambled and managed to get on. AMEN! Our prayers were answered and believe me there were many people praying that night especially once it became apparent that only God could help us since the organizers clearly would not.

We made it safely back to the stadium a little after 5:00 a.m., got into our cars and drove home counting our blessings that nothing more unpleasant than being severely inconvenienced had befallen us tonight and that at least we were unharmed and finally out of danger. Strange sentiments to be exptressing after what was supposed to be one of the best parties on the DC Carnival scene. The horror that was DV8 DC will not soon be dispelled from my mind. Based on my previous experiences with the promoters and with the DV8 franchise, I had set high expectations for this night and not only were they not met, they were driven down almost to the point of nonexistence.

In my opinion this was one of the worst organized and most irresponsibly conceived fete experiences that I have even been to and what has compounded this affront is the inexplicable silence of the organizers. It has now been 2 weeks since DV8 DC and they have not even seen fit to issue an apology or any communication for that matter. We would all be well within our rights to expect an explanation for the night’s shortcomings but we would be happy to receive a simple apology. We did everything that was requested of us. We jumped through all hoops presented with nary a grumble. Yet when it came time for the organizers to step up to the plate and deliver on the wonderful experience they promised, they dropped the ball. There may well be reasons, valid or otherwise, for all the snafus that occurred this night but in the absence of any reaction from the DV8 management, we are forced to come to our own conclusions and they most definitely will not portray the organizers in a favorable light.

Maybe this night was the “perfect storm” of a series of unexpected, unanticipated glitches. Maybe, as the DV8 franchise goes, this night was the exception and I truly hope that it was because, all logistical issues with food, drink, and music aside, abandoning what seemed to be close to a thousand people at a fete is not only infuriating and irresponsible but it is very dangerous. It was a miracle that no one was hurt or that no one suffered from anything more than a major inconvenience. It could have been worse, much, much worse.

It remains to be seen what epilogue will be written about DV8 DC. Will we ever hear from the organizers or will they simply hope that our memories fade over the next year? Will they set about to analyze the debacle and work to ensure that something like this can never happen again? Only time will tell but knowing some of the individuals involved and their personalities, I think it likely that the latter will be the case.

I sincerely hope so my peeps because fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.


Enjoy the pics……D’ Garage Boyz Mud Ants is next.



Ribbit.

The Bands Are Tweeting....

So, TRIBE got on Twitter yesterday, announcing on The Secret of Silk facebook group that we can all follow them on twitter @carnivalTRIBE for "inside info". First tweet by carnivalTRIBE is to let those interested know that tickets for the launch will be available next week at the mas camp and through committee members.

Following closely on TRIBE's lead is Spice who now have a twitter page as well, you can follow them @SpiceCarnival. Whose the next band to start tweeting, I wonder?

In totally unrelated twitter news, Dream Team's theme for Carnival 2010 is "Gems of the World", which seems like Deja Vu to me since I recall their theme was Bejewled in 2008! Well I guess we can be glad that one band is deviating from the trend of exploring the Asian continent!

Cropover Fetes

Here are two more fetes to add to your Cropover list:

Sunny Side Up goes to Barbados....

The Orchard

Opposite Portvale Sugar Museum

#4 Blowers, St. James

Date and Time:

Kadooment Sunday

2nd August 2009 (4am – 10am)

General Admission

Couples 130USD (Male and Female or Two Females / Single 75USD

Visit: Sunnyside Up-Premium All Inclusive Breakfast Party and Bash Brothaz for more information.

And The Bathsheba Experience All Inclusive:

Click for larger view

Carnival Confession

One of my readers sent me a hilarious, first person account of a "lone white guy" playing mas in TRIBE's Caged Canary section at Trinidad Carnival 2009,featured in Islands magazine July/August edition.

Click on the photo below to be taken to the entire article:

Makeup Artist Tsahi Baxter

I first met Tsahi Baxter at Dream Team's band launch in 2006 where she was applying makeup to the models on the spot. Consequently, I listed her as a makeup artist for Carnival under a feature called "Glitz, Glamour and Fantasy".

Tshai now has a blog called The Makeup Artist, along with photos of her work she also gives makeup tips and product reviews, so check it out!

Carnival makeup by Tsahi Baxter

Carnival Nationz goes to Miami

Got this bit of information in my email yesterday, interesting developments and additions to Miami Carnival:

CARNIVAL NATIONZ MIAMI ...

BIG News from the CNz camp...

Picture this... it’s October, getting colder in Toronto as Thanksgiving long weekend fast approaches... dreams of sun, sea and sand on everyone’s mind... yuh feet doh stop ‘cause somewhere around the world ah carnival is about to explode on stage... ahhhhhhh where better to be in early Fall than in MIAMI... playing mas with North America’s #1 Carnival masquerade band...

CARNIVAL NATIONZ – MIAMI in the 2009 rebirth of “One Miami Carnival”.

In this, our 5th year of existence, with 2 Caribana “Band of the Year” titles and numerous King, Queen and Individual wins under our belt, we have commenced a new era in Toronto’s #1 band’s history, i.e. the launch of CARNIVAL NATIONZ MIAMI.

CARNIVAL NATIONZ MIAMI begins...

What is CNz Miami about?

CNz Miami is about unleashing the spirit, quality and experience that is deeply embedded within our philosophy and mentality on the sensory overdose that is MIAMI , especially around carnival time. Now we have not ventured into this lightly but rather through months of careful planning. We truly believe that with the recent consolidation of the Broward & Miami carnivals into one Miami festival... the timing is perfect to launch CNz Miami. So we will be teaming up with promoters and other business people in Miami and across the US to re-create the CNz vibe. We are truly excited with this venture and look forward to being able to participate and develop a strong loyalty base in two of the biggest Caribbean-style carnival festivals in the world.

Miami Carnival takes place on the same weekend as Canada’s Thanksgiving Long Weekend – so that is even more incentive to get away and travel to Miami to enjoy a long weekend in the sun, near the sea and playing mas with CNz Miami.

What does this mean for YOU – the masquerader? Quite simply put... if you buy and play mas with CNz in Toronto for Caribana, then you are automatically entitled to use that costume at Miami Carnival in CNz Miami – for a nominal band fee.

So buy one costume and play mas at two of North America ’s premier festivals. There will be further details explaining how this process will work but for the first time in North America the ultimate mas loyalty program will be put into action. Of course if you wine-up too much during Caribana and yuh mash up yuh costume, then you can always purchase a brand new one specifically for Miami . Or you can even buy a brand new costume in a completely different section to the one you played in Toronto .

So buy one CNz costume and play mas at TWO of North America’s best carnivals – Toronto & MIAMI ... this is the just the beginning of the madness!!

MORE INFO to come...

So stay tuned to favourite websites... CNz facebook user group info... CNz official emails... etc... and get more info on:

CNz Miami specific details

Miami travel plans

CNz Miami dates and events

CNz Miami DJs – e.g. Bandit etc...

Any questions regarding CNz Miami please feel free to contact us:

CNz Band Leaders:

Bryce @ 416.985.8488

Marcus @ 416.565.4079

Dwayne @ 416.930.9650

TRIBE Ignite (D.C.) 2009

Greetings peeps, Kermit here bringing you coverage from Ignite on DC Carnival Thursday. This is a relatively young event on the DC Carnival scene and I since heard many good reports from last year’s party, this year I decided to take it in myself to see what the action was like. It has been my experience that while Tribe’s events usually attract many beautiful ladies (and their accompanying male entourage), rarely is there much wildness taking place. Maybe all the pretty clothes and high heels discourages wining with reckless abandon but I heard from reliable sources that last year’s fete was on fire and waist was flying like so much mad-bull and chickee-chong in the savannah breeze so I charged up the camera and came to see if the wind was really blowing.

I arrived outside the club a little after 11:00pm to see a small line at the door. Not wanting to be the first one inside, I limed for a bit outside and within 10 minutes the line had grown from about 20-30 people to around 100; it was now time to buss a line-lime and make my way in. A short time later I was inside and got a good look at the venue. It was a large space with one bar facing and one bar on the side of the main dance floor and a lounge area with couches and tables off to the right and as I surmised, it was mostly empty. No scenes I thought, judging by the crowds outside it will fill up soon enough. I decided to make my way to the bar to introduce myself to my bartender for the night and get the party started. The drinks at this club, while being a bit expensive, were definitely robust and you could definitely taste where your money was going. After fortifying myself with a couple, I decided to start circling and taking pics of the lovely ladies that were by now slowly filling the club.

Maybe it was the combination of the strong drinks, people’s heads being bad, or the Michael Jackson medley, but the crowd was considerably livelier than I would have expected from a Tribe crowd. Make no mistake, the posers were there dressed to kill (pointy shoes and all) looking like ice can’t melt in their mouth, but there were also many women present looking hot who clearly dressed with the intent to fete and fete hard! One particular pretty partier decided that since her high-heeled shoes did not provide enough stability on top of the table, she would remove them before doing her table-top-ting. The pictures will tell all peeps, the pictures will tell all.

Although the aforementioned reliable sources tell me that the music was better last year, in my opinion this fete was very enjoyable. The music was decent, the atmosphere was upbeat and dare I say, wild-ish and the drinks were strong and did not take long to purchase. The ladies even succeeded in looking cute while wining hard in a hot, sweaty fete and that is no easy task. Everybody had a good time and at 4:00 a.m. when the party ended, we all spilled out into the street to breathe some cool air, to lime (of course) and to purchase corn soup and other traditional post-party foods from the vendor in the van. It was very good fete and it definitely got my DC Carnival started on the right foot.

Enjoy the pics peeps, Kermit out.

Ribbit.

DV8 DC: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is next……

New Hotel in Trinidad

For those of you looking for hotel accommodation in Trinidad for Carnival 2010 there is a new hotel to add to your list of options. The Carlton Savannah is situated on Coblentz Avenue, right where the infamous and legendary Pelican Inn & Pub used to be. And if you do not know exactly where that is, it is pretty close to Queens Hall, the Prime Minister's residence and the Savannah making it an ideal base for Carnival.

Carlton Savannah opened it's doors to the public last month, and all reviews thus far have been excellent, however I will be making my own visit to the hotel to check it out in the near future and will report back on my findings.

To check out more of The Carlton Savannah you can visit their website or email reservations@thecarltonsavannah.com for information on their rates for February 2010

Guess Who is Going to Miami Carnival?

With plane ticket in hand a few weeks now, I am officially going to be attending the 25th Anniversary of Miami-Broward Carnival in October.

At the moment my friends and I are currently looking for accomodation, on South Beach no less, so I am open to suggestions and information on which is the best area to stay in as well as opinions on a condo versus hotel.

This will be my first North American Carnival so you can imagine that I am really looking forward to the experience and plan on playing mas as well, no sense making the trip to be a spectator!

There's A Brown Girl in the Ring is my go to blog for information on Miami-Broward Carnival, however I would love to hear from the Miami Carnival veterans on which fetes should I put on my list of "must go to parties" and which bands should I consider playing mas with?

Leave me a comment!

Legacy presents Masala

What is it with Carnival 2010 and the Asian continent?

Island People is bringing their version of "Kuchela" which is what Trinidadians call an East Indian condiment but Kuchela is also a friend of Krishna, from the story Mathura. I know Island People is doing Indian inspired costumes complete with sexy saris, Spice has an East Indian section "Rubies of Mumbai" and my sources also tell me there is also an Indian section in TRIBE!I bet there is a red costume in EACH band!

Now, Legacy's Carnival 2010 presentation is "Masala", a blend of spices used in East Indian cooking; more "Indian inspired" costumes to look out for on October 3rd.

So for those of you looking to spice it up with some kuchela and masala, stock up on your exotic bindis at those Indian Expos (in Trinidad) for an easy addition to Monday wear , book your Mehendi appointment now and think of alternate footwear because sneakers and boots are not going to cut it with the sexy saris!

Namaste!

Islands in the Sun 2009

Greetings peeps, Kermit D. Frog here bringing you coverage from the pre-DC Carnival fete Islands in the Sun fete which as usual, took place on the Saturday before DC Carnival. This year as I found myself watching the thunderstorms sweep through the area that morning, I wondered if the evening’s activities would be a washout. I mean, these were no mere thunderstorms. At one point, I could have sworn that I saw an ark going down the street. By mid afternoon however, the rain had stopped and the sun came out so I made my way to the Lake Arbor Golf Course to begin the festivities early.

My typical plan for these types of all-inclusive events is to arrive early, eat for a solid hour, and then begin my assault on the bar. On this occasion I arrived around 6:30pm and was surprised to see a fair number of people already present. The grounds looked to be in excellent shape and the first thing I noticed was that the dance floor and food station positions were transposed from last year. The food was atop the hill while the DJ and bar were situated down the hill and as the night went on, I must say that I preferred this setup as it kept the attendees in a nice group and gave a cozy and intimate feel to the partying.

I made my customary circle of the venue and after picking up a starter drink at the bar, I followed my nose and made my way to the food tent. As usual the food was catered by 2 Island Bwoyz and as usual it was very tasty and plentiful. While I did not chow down for a full hour, I did eat until my tank was nicely filled with their deliciously jerked and BBQ’d food. After all, I had some serious drinking to do and there was still 5 hours left of feteing on the agenda. After the feeding, I proceeded back to the bar for a refill or five and I cast an eye around to see what was happening. I noticed a very animated group gathered around an iceblock in the distance so I made my way over to scope it out.

If course it was the old big-assed-iceblock-shot tent and the hotties in charge of this attraction were very zealous about getting rid of the alcohol they had. All one had to do was pass within 50 feet of the tent and one of the lovely ladies would hasten over and entreat you to come over to check it out. The next thing you know, you are crouched under the block drinking a beastly cold shot of something. Having my camera in hand afforded me some protection from their efforts but I did not have to fend them off for too long as there was a steady stream of people walking in to the fete and of course once they passed the tent, they were snapped up and wined under the iceblock as you will see in the pics.

The fete was filling up and while the crowds were not as large as in previous years, the folks that were here were here to have a good time and they wasted no time making that happen. As a matter of fact, the diminished numbers enabled things to get out of hand even faster than usual. With less people, you waited less to get served. Food was procured and eaten quickly and as for drinks, lawd have mercy. The bartenders were acting like they wanted to get rid of ALL the liquor. It was as if they themselves would have had to pack up whatever remained and carry it back to the truck so they were determined that there would be little, if any, left. As you leaned on the bar, they immediately popped up ready to assist. It is my belief that this level of service contributed greatly to the behavior that will be described 2 paragraphs from now.

Of course our resident audiologists were tearing up the 1’s and 2’ (and 3’s and laptop) and since the sun had set, the crowd was feeling the feeling. The DJs were situated on a small stage under a tent at the front of the paved dance area. Of course Sprang International was front and center but while he took a break, his relief was more than able to maintain the pressure and keep the tunes flowing non-stop. Clearly the relief was in a zone as he selected big tune after big tune after big tune stopping only to wipe some drool from the mouth of the baby that was strapped to his chest. Yes my peeps, he was spinning the tunes and hyping the crowd with a baby in a harness strapped to his chest and the child seemed to be happy with the situation. I will confess that I did not notice this during the fete. It was only while editing my pictures that I noticed what I thought was an unusual kind of bling that the DJ was wearing and after zooming in, I saw the baby. The only explanation that I can think of is that it wasn’t actually a baby but was in fact a mini-me. I have no comment, none.

Soca Baby aside, by now the party was in full swing on the dance floor. The footing was good, the music was loud and the bar was only 35 feet 8 inches away. This was an almost perfect location for winery (toilets were too far away for it to be perfect) and the revelers made full use of the situation. Man was wining on woman; woman was wining on man; a man was wining on the tent pole on stage; groups of women and men were forming, wining low, falling down, getting back up and reforming. In case you missed it, let me repeat: a man was wining on the tent pole in the stage. It all started off pretty innocuously with two men on the stage wining for the women and then it evolved to a pole routine that would have made Jodie Foster blush. Clearly Jodie’s timidity was not a sentiment shared by the audience because some of the ladies decided to reward the men’s efforts by rushing to the front of the stage and “making it rain” on them. I was able to catch the piece of the shower of cash in mid flight.

What could possibly follow such an act? I am not even going to talk about the lady in white pants doing her superman cape impression. I won’t even mention the fellow that went on stage to advertise Zen and got mobbed by the three Zen-girls. Not even the fellah that while wining down low behind a line of women was making a phone call with one hand on the ground could come close. (Yes, saddis was making a call fuh real!) The only thing that can compare to the dynamic-duo took place later in the night when one of the dynamic duo went back on the stage and an extremely fit looking young lady decided that she would like to join him. She did and he welcomed her with open arms and after a brief warm-up wine, he used his open arms to hoist her up in the air and into what can only be described as a “back-to-front-donkey”. The young lady was enjoying her position so much that she grabbed the top of the tent to steady herself. Now picture this, he on de stage, she on he and the floor real far. I found myself wondering what their exit strategy would be? When ons is drunk, it is far easier to get someone onto one’s shoulders than it is to get them off safely so I waited with camera poised to see what would happen. I need not have worried because I was apparently dealing with two wining experts and a mere donkey dismount would not challenge their ability at all. After a swing to the right and a swing to the left, she slid gracefully down the front of his chest, was caught by him, and in their best “dancing with the stars” form, they struck a pose. The crowd went wild! It is always a treat to see professionals at work and these two made it look easy.

The rest of the night was a blur of beautiful people, hot music, and good times. Once again the Wynah Krew did their thing in style and as I sipped hot corn soup on my way out, I knew the DC carnival season was off to a roaring start.

Enjoy the pics peeps, Ignite is next…………

Review of DV8, DC Carnival 2009

DC Carnival 2009 concluded in a street parade last Saturday, here is a review of the fete "DV8":

Good day:

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the DV8 party that was held by Gresham Entertainment in Upper Marlboro, MD on June 26th, 2009. Traditionally, Gresham Entertainment held an event known as Taboo (hands down, the best party for DC Carnival) on this day, but this year, for some reason they decided to DV8 from the norm and the result was a total disaster as far as the patrons were concerned.

To begin with, in order to attend the event, one was required to "reserve" tickets online. Now, just because you reserved tickets, did not mean that you were going to be allowed to purchase tickets. The people at Gresham Entertainment then selected who they would allow to buy tickets out of those who "reserved". The lucky few were sent a link via email to purchase tickets. Once purchased, patrons were not told where the event was being held. The Wednesday before the event, yes 2 days before the event, we were told where we were supposed to meet to be shuttled to the event. Nobody was sure where the event was being held, but we assumed that it was somewhere new due to the extreme secrecy surrounding the location of the venue.

On the night of the event, we all met at the location specified to be shuttled over. Now, this would have worked fine had Gresham Entertainment hired enough shuttles for the number of patrons attending the event. However, in an obvious attempt to cut costs, they had very few shuttles and so patrons were made to wait over an hour to get a shuttle over to the party. Then, it turned out that the event was being held at the same location that Taboo was held in previous years, so the reason for the secrecy and the need to be shuttled made no sense to anyone. On top of this, where we were made to park and catch the shuttle was a 10 minute drive from the actual event, so if you got tired of waiting, walking was not even an option. Also, if you happened to forget something in your car, you might as well count it as a loss. When we finally made it over to the event, the crowd was small and grew slowly as the shuttle could only hold 32 people and so the party was filling up 32 people at a time.

Next, we decided to go to the bar, because after waiting so long for a shuttle, we needed a drink. Now this event was touted as a premium all-inclusive event. Tickets were $55 and given the hoops we had to jump through just to make it there, one would assume that the event was going to be top-of -the line. Not so! The bar (yes, there was only one bar) that was supposed to be a fully-stocked premium bar only had Appleton rum, some kind of vodka, scotch, smirnoff, beck's and soda. Call me crazy, but this does not constitute a premium bar and definitely was not worth my $55.

Then we went over to the food and again it was sheer disappointment. The food was dry and hard and had us all wondering why we spent our money on this. We still tried to enjoy ourselves, but when one of the speakers cut out, leaving us struggling to hear what was playing on the sound system, it seemed that the night was doomed.
We went back to the bar to attempt to get more drinks, only to find out that the bar was running out and we had to pay if we wanted to get drinks. So, after paying $55 to get into the alleged all-inclusive party, we were forced to bribe the bartenders for drinks. In all of my life I have never experienced anything like this. A little later, the bar ran out.

When it was time to leave, getting back to your car was another bacchanal. Again there weren't sufficient shuttles and so people who actually got a shuttle back were forced to drive back to the event and help shuttle their friends to their vehicles. Completely inconvenient! The party ended around 430am and two hours later, there were still people who had not made it back to their vehicle.

Overall, we were left feeling cheated by the promoters of this event. Previously, Gresham Entertainment was known for quality events. This year however, something was amiss. I don't know if it was that they tried to cut down on costs and cut down too much or if they simply felt like because they had such a good reputation that patrons would come regardless and so they didn't have to try too hard to please us. Having attended Gresham events for the past 6 years I was completely disappointed and disrespected by the way the night turned out. I expected that with the increase in price and the high secrecy surrounding the event, quality would increase. Instead it sunk to the lowest low.

After the event, while everyone stood around waiting for a way to get back to their vehicle, it was clear that the general consensus was that everyone was discontent with the event and many vowed never to attend another Gresham event again. Honestly, I would have to be assured that many changes would be made next year to convince me to attend. First off, if they do attempt the shuttle service again, there should be a continuous flow of shuttles. People should not have to wait for the shuttle to drive a 20 minute trip to and from the event. A premium bar needs to be a premium bar with more variety and better quality alcohol. The bar should also last the duration of the event. The sound system needs to be better. You can't have a successful party if people cannot hear the music that is being played.

This entire experience has left many with a bad taste in their mouth where Gresham Entertainment is concerned and I hope that the promoters take into consideration the opinions and suggestions of their patrons who have been supporting them for many many years.

Edited to Add:

Photos of the DV8 shuttle line from blogger, The Sweet 7:

This is the line in front of her:

And the line behind:

The Secret of Silk!!

It is that time of year again, when masqueraders are on the edge of their seats with anticipation, eager to see what TRIBE has to offer for the fast approaching Carnival season. This year is no exception!

Our 2010 presentation entitled, The Secret of Silk, will be launched on Saturday 25th July 2009. Keep posted to our website for further details on ticket prices and availability.


Registration:
Online and In-house registration will begin in early August 2009.

Phase 1: TLC holders ONLY.

Phase 2: NON-TLC holders and new masqueraders.


Payment Information:
Online Registration - Credit Card ONLY

Please Note - A new credit card payment option will be available.

SENVIA will no longer be able to facilitate Person-to-Business payments for Mas Band costume purchases. As such SENVIA will NOT be a payment option this year.

In-House Registration - Cash and Linx ONLY

Tribe Loyalty Cards (TLC):

We pride ourselves on being an innovative team providing new concepts and ideas that continue to make TRIBE “The Ultimate Carnival Experience.” In 2006 we introduced the Tribe Loyalty Card (TLC) programme that recognizes and rewards our loyal masqueraders. This initiative has been extremely well received and we continue to receive positive feedback.

We are currently in the process of improving the TLC system so that greater benefits may be derived. In light of this, we will NOT be issuing any new TLC codes/cards this year. All Tribe Loyalty Cards and/or codes previously issued will remain valid.

It has been brought to our attention that the TLC privilege is being abused by those who “rent” and “sell” their TLC codes. We would like to reiterate that this practice is in violation of the TLC terms and conditions, and as a result any TLC used in this manner will be CANCELLED.

Please note that TLCs are NON-TRANSFERABLE.

Once again we would like to thank you for your tremendous support throughout the years and look forward to Carnival 2010 when together we will discover.... The Secret of Silk.

Spice Band Launch Info.

Greetings from The Spice Team.

Just a little heads-up to let you know that TICKETS for the band launch will be available from THIS FRIDAY 3RD JULY.

SUNDAY JULY 19th, 2009... CLUB ZEN! 5pm til.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM ZEN BOX OFFICE & SPICE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Doors open at 5pm

2-4-1 Premium Drink Specials from 6pm - 8pm

DJ's:

XTC

HI-FIDELITY/LESS THAN ZERO

Special Live Performances!!

www.spicecarnivalband.com

The Spice Route has begun!!!

Spice Mas Commancheros

Spicemas 2009 culminates in a street parade August 10th 2009, and is it just me or have the costumes for the island summer Carnivals gotten a total upgrade from the past years?

For instance, check out this costume "Joy" from the band Commancheros and their presentation "Emotions Gone Wild":

For the rest of costumes from Commancheros click HERE.

As seen at...

Pride Parade in NYC:

Trinis came out to represent in Carnival costume of course! The Brazilian Macaw Frontline... priceless!

As The Mas World Turns.....

Lots of interesting developments have been taking place within the local Mas Fraternity, several bands have already announced band launching dates and/or presentations so mark your calenders:

Spice - "The Spice Route" Sunday July 19th @ Zen

TRIBE -"Silk" Saturday July 25th

Harts - August 15th

D Krewe - "Salvaje"August 29th

Ronnie & Caro - "Tributes"August 29th

Trini Revellers - "Festivals of the World"

Island People - "Kuchela"

Showtime - "Matrix"

So, TRIBE has changed their theme, dropping the "Road" (Silk Road) to just SILK...a theme that is open to so many interpretations that I am eagerly awaiting to see exactly what SILK translates to in terms of designs and section names. And though masqueraders have yet to receive any communication from the band, which is odd seeing that the band launch is less than a month away, I have been reliably informed that costumes are being feverishly worked on and in some cases reworked! I tell you the competition for 2010 will be FIERCE.

In Island People news , costume viewing for critique takes place this week and word is that the costumes are looking "nice", expect some sexy saris is what I was told. I am especially looking forward to what Sonia Mack is bringing to the table since she did the Indian costume Bhaarat in Poison's Culture Shock, Carnival 2001. Sonia's colours for 2010 are pink, blue and gold. More Indian costumes? Bring it on!

Sonia Mack - Bhaarat 2001

Hawks Band Launch Postponed

HAWKS INTERNATIONAL, INC. PRESENTS:

NEPTUNE’S CRY

LABOR DAY 2009

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

19 June 2009

Dear Masqueraders, Sponsors, Members, Supporters and Friends of Hawks International, Inc.

Re: Postponement of Neptune’s Cry, Hawks International Band Launch 2009

Because of unforeseen circumstances, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our 2009 Band Launch. Our new date will be Sunday July 5th, 2009.

Hawks International, Inc. apologizes for any inconveniences this may have caused. Hawks International, Inc. is much more than your typical mas band. We are an Ultra All-inclusive Band which inspires to provide a true carnival experience for our family (masqueraders) on the Parkway.

Please mark your calendars and prepare for a great event as we invite to come party with Legends…

Yours sincerely,

Hawks International, Inc.

Dare

Salvaje .. D Krewe 2010

Nice write up on D Krewe and their 2010 Carnival presentation "Salvaje" in the Trinidad Guardian yesterday, band leader Roland St George is talking about discounts to masqueraders!



Mas band D Krewe plans to continue its discount programme on costumes to new and die-hard masqueraders in C2K10, despite the looming economic meltdown, says bandleader Roland St George. Long-standing masqueraders with the three-year-old band—which operated as a section in Trini Revellers and the now defunct Legends—already benefit from group and individual discounts.

George said if things go as planned, discounts could increase, but would depend on the band’s ability to source quality materials at low cost and/or the intervention of the Patrick Manning administration to reduce or remove duties on essential materials, used to ensure rich pageantry during the national festival............................

Salvaje will bring 12 sections with themes such as Tsunami, Volcano and Rain Forest. Its media and band launch is scheduled to take place on August 29, at Amar Car Park, located on Long Circular Road, St James. Karma is D Krewe’s music band for the road on Carnival days.

For the full article click HERE.

The Celebrity - Summercrew Section

So here is an "original" special section from Summercrew's "Show Time", this one is "The Celebrity", Spice Mas 2009:

A Section of Untamed 2K9

"The Celebrity"

Summercrew's Reloaded Theme "ShowTime"

Grenada Mas 2K9

Contact Info :-Ashley Lauren - 1 473 416 4045

kaseykc@gmail.com

Pricing :-$425 EC - Full Male & Female Costume

FEMALE

MALE