The Value of a TRIBE Costume

On Carnival Junction recently there was an costume for sale in TRIBE, Threads of Morocco Male, for the cost of $5000.00TT, note the original price of this costume is $2950.00TT

When confronted by the owner of the website who does not support or condone selling any costume at a "severely marked up price" (as stated on the website) the person who placed the ad had this justification for the 69% profit margin:

My dear friend, it is nice to know that you are so concerned that you could have copied Tribe. please see my points below.

1. The costume belongs to me and that is what I value it. If you are aware of the experience of playing with tribe you will definitely know it is always painful having to sell one of their costumes. The costume to me is worthless, the joy I feel on Monday and Tuesday with my family and friends, with people bringing their kids and love ones to look on as I have fun is PRICELESS.

2. The safety and facilities is priceless. What does it worth paying 2000.00 or 3000.00 for a costume and you are unsafe. Are you aware of the crime situation in Trinidad? If you are then you will understand that a price cannot be placed on that.

3. This costume was not purchased with the intention of swindling someone, if you are aware two or three thousand dollars has very little or no value in Trinidad especially if you have Kids and Bills.

4. TGIF, Trotters. Ruby Tuesdays sell their alcohol for twice or even 3 times the price, is that robbery??????? NO it isn't because it's totally up to the consumer to purchase if they so desire. In TRINIDAD we are ALLOWED to exercise our rights as consumers without any prejudice. This is democracy. SO my Friend you do not HAVE TO PURCHASE OR EVEN CONSIDER TO PURCHASE. THAT IS YOUR RIGHT. Remember that.

5. Last but not least, Tribe is more than a band, they treat us like family as we are pampered, spoiled, entertained and most importantly protected for those 2 days. So my friend in conclusion I will advise you that MY TRIBE COSTUME worth MUCH MUCH MORE than 5000.00 or 6000.00 or 7000.0 to me. Whether it worth that to you is your choice.

So have a great day and may God continue to bless you.... By d Way, I've been confronted by quite a few people who knows the TRUE VALUE OF A TRIBE COSTUME.

Tribe keep up the great work.

Regards

I absolutely LOVE point #1 where the seller states that the costume BELONGS to them yet they have only paid the deposit! And while I can agree that the "value" of playing mas is not as something that can be easily quantified I do know that even I have a price point which will not be crossed, not to mention that the COSTUME is only one factor that adds value to my overall Carnival experience. Really the justifications laid out by the seller is the kind of tripe that sends people into a frenzy when you tell them TRIBE is NOT Carnival and there are other bands that you can get the same "value" from. It really isn't that serious to "value" a costume to such extent that you use it as leverage for price gouging, but you all know how I feel about that matter quite well.

So, humour me today readers, what really is the TRUE VALUE of a TRIBE Costume? What is the most you are willing to pay a re-seller for the privilege of taking a costume off their hands? Is 50% worth it, 100% worth it or even 200% worth the TRIBE experience?

Trinidad Carnival 2010 New Soca

Hope you all enjoy the new music from Julian #1 Imeem Soca Promotion:

Kaotic is Back for Carnival 2010

Just when I was thinking that only a few more bands are left to launch for Carnival 2010 comes news that Kaotic will be presenting "Precious Gems", band launch to take place on October 25 at Aura. This is surely surprising news as I was reliably informed that after their debut in 2009 Kaotic would not do a sophomore presentation,next thing I will be hearing Elements is also coming back!!!

Trinidad Carnival 2010 Fete Calender

The following is a tentative listing of fetes and events for Trinidad Carnival 2010; I cannot vouch for the complete accuracy of the dates, however this is the information exactly as I received it:

Friday January 29, 2010
* Central Bank All Inclusive

Saturday February 3rd, 2010
* Privilege ‘Hysteria’ Cooler Fete
* Agua Trinidad – The Paddock
* Fete – Pier 1 (Chaguaramas)
* South Cancer Society All-Inclusive
* Chutney Soca Monarch Finals – Skinner Park- 8pm
* O’Farrell All-Inclusive- Mobs 2, Chaguaramas – 8pm

Sunday February 4th, 2010
* Panorama Semi-Finals – Queens Park Savannah
* Friends of Blood Bank Fete All-Inclusive – Trinidad Country Club – 2pm
* Mc Leod Annual All-Inclusive – 2pm
* US Embassy All-Inclusive
* T&T Air Guard All-Inclusive – Prisons Sports Complex – 5pm
* Maritime All-Inclusive

Friday February 5th, 2010
* Misty Ridge All-Inclusive – Hadeed Ranch
* Wild Meat All-Inclusive – Celder Grounds, Tunapuna
* Carnival Under The Trees – Normandie Hotel, 10 Nook Av, St Ann – 8pm
* International Soca Monarch Semi-Finals

Saturday February 6th, 2010
* Red Cross Kiddies Carnival, Jean Pierre Complex, POS – 11am
* Fatima College All-Inclusive – Fatima Grounds, Mucurapo Rd – 7pm
* Carnival Under The Trees – Normandie Hotel, 10 Nook Av, St Ann – 8pm
* Karma Sutra 9 – Country Club, Maraval – 10pm
* Machel Montano’s Alternative Concept 8 – Haseley Crawford Stadium – 9pm
* White Oak Chutney Brass 8 – Guaracara Park (Point-A-Pierre) – 9pm
* Victoria Garden’s All-Inclusive

Sunday February 7th, 2010
* Privilege ‘Jamboree Sunday’ – Jamboree Park, Valsayn – 2pm
* Heart Beat Hilton
* T&Tec Soca Shoka IX – St John’s Complex
* CAREC All-Inclusive – Federation Park (St. Clair) – 2pm

Monday February 8th, 2010
* People’s National Movement (PNM) Fete – Balisier House, Victoria Ave. POS – 9pm
* Mardi Gras- 10pm

Tuesday February 9th, 2010
* Army Fete – Macqueripe Rd, Chaguaramas – 4pm
* Bishops Junior School All-Inclusive Fete
* Carnival Under The Trees – Normandie Hotel, 10 Nook Av, St Ann – 8pm
* Islandstyle GLOW- 10pm
* Eyes Wide Shut – Queens Park Oval – 9pm
* Senior Kings Semi –Final/ Queen’s Park Savannah, February 09, 2010, 7:00pm

Wednesday February 10th, 2010
* S.O.S. – Maracas – 12pm
* The Ranch – Cunupia
* Carnival Under The Trees – Normandie Hotel, 10 Nook Av, St Ann – 8pm
* Bacchanal Wednesday – The Hanger, Chaguaramas – 9pm
* Custom Boys Fete- Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain – 9pm

Thursday February 11th, 2010
* Beach House All-Inclusive – 11am
* Escape to the Sanctuary – Salybia – 11am
* Blanchisseuse All-Inclusive – 11am
* TRIBE Ignite – Jean Pierre Complex – 9pm
* UWI Splash – Chaguaramas – 9pm
* T&T Police Assoc. Annual Carnival Fete – Police Training College

Friday February 12th, 2010
* Fantastic Friday (Soca Monarch Finals) – Queens Park Oval – 7pm
* Island People Girl Power – Jenny’s Car Park – 9pm
* Privilege ‘RISE’ All-Inclusive – Moka, Maraval – 9pm
* Blue Range Cooler Fete – Diego Martin
* D’Cooler Fete – Pier 1, Chaguaramas – 9pm
* Senior Queens Semi-Final -Queen’s Park Savannah - 7:00pm


Saturday February 13th, 2010
* Re- Enactment of the Camboulay Riots - Piccadilly Greens, Port of Spain - 5:00am
* Privilege ‘EUPHORIA’ All Inclusive – Jamboree Park, Valsayn – 3pm
* Atlantis 2009 (Nauti Krew All-Inclusive) – Pier 1 – 4pm
* National Panorama Finals – 7pm
* Trini Posse Fete – The Hanger, Chaguaramas
* Island Style Insomnia Fete – Mobs 2 (Chaguaramas) – Midnight
* Dawn, Sunrise In The City – Jenny’s Car Park
* Lions All Inclusive Fete – Lions Civic Centre (Port of Spain)

Sunday February 14th, 2010
* D’Original Breakfast Party – Diamond Vale, Diego Martin – 3am
* Sunny Side Up Breakfast Party – Palm Avenue West, Petit Valley – 4am
* Dancing In the Sanctuary ‘Headley All-Inclusive’- Windsor Road, Valsayn – 11am
* Eye Spy – San Fernando Hill
* Brian Lara All-Inclusive – Chancellor Hill, Queen’s Park West – 2pm
* Harvard Club All-Inclusive Fete – Harvard Club, St. James – 4pm
* Dimanche Gras, Jean Pierre Complex, Port of Spain – 7pm
* Free Drinks Mania – Country Club – 9pm
* Hilton Poolside – Hilton Hotel (Lady Young Rd, Port of Spain) – 9pm
* Is Just A Fete (TASA) – Queen’s Hall, Port-of-Spain
* Cotton Tree Foundation All Inclusive Fete – Spanish Acres

Monday February 15th, 2010
* Jouvay (4am)
* Parade of the Bands
* Carnival Jump Up – Hilton Hotel (Lady Young Rd, Port of Spain)
* Monday Night Mas – Paramin Hill

Tuesday February 16th, 2010
* Parade of the Bands – Judging points @ Adam Smith Square, Piccadilly on the Greens, Queen’s Park South
* Pan Trinbago Pan on the Road – Victoria Square and Downtown Port of Spain
* Pan Trinbago Las’ Lap – Western Main Rd, St James

Wednesday February 17th, 2010
* Beach Lime – Maracas Bay, Las Cuevas, Blanchisseuse Bay
* Wild Meat Cool Down – Balandra Bay
* Ash Wed Boatride – Treasure Queen (Pier 2, Chaguaramas)
* Annual Ash Wednesday River Lime – De Freitas Ranch, Valencia

I am back!!! What is new?

After a hectic Miami Carnival and subsequent vacation in Orlando I am back in Trinidad (still super tired from all the activity) and catching up on all that is happening in the mas world... so what is new?

While I was away Wee International held their band launch for "Tesoros del Caribe", photos from the launch can be found on their website.

Harts has now sold out ALL their male costumes, with only SIX female section options still open; the Harts men are not playing with their Carnival!

By now all registered TRIBE masqueraders should have gotten a receipt via email, if you have not hopefully you are not one of those whose "registration" was not registered!

Most Carnival bands have already launched for Trinidad Carnival 2010, still to come is Glenn Carvalho's "Aloha" which takes place sometime this month and Jhalwa - The Real Fire launching on the 25th of October. Other than those two still to launch, potential masqueraders now have their pick of bands and sections as none are fully sold out save TRIBE.

Island People, Legacy, Harts, Pulse 8, Genesis, Trevor Wallace, Trini Revellers, Dream Team, D Krewe and Spice still have spaces people!

Oh and Triniscene, you are really late with the Miami photos, even Trini Jungle Juice has beat you to the punch!

Festivals Of The World Preview

Trini Revellers website for their 2010 Presentation "Festivals of the World" was supposed to be up and running yesterday, looks like it is still a work in progress but you can check out a few sections courtesy The Sauce:

Click on the section links to be taken to the page:

The Caval Highland Gathering - Scotland

Boi Bumper Festival - Brazil

Raks Aladi - Syria/Lebanon

Trinidad and Tobago Carnival

Mardi Gras - New Orleans

Festival of Holi India

Carnival in Venice - Italy

Carnival Du Quebec - Canada

The Mayan Festival - Guatemala

Sections still to come:

*Cairo Oriental Dance Fesival - Egypt
*Tenjin Matsuri Festival - Japan
*The Festival of Panama
*The Heiva Festival - French Polynesia
*The Inca Festival of the Sun - Peru

Kiddies Mas Update

For all you parents inquiring about Kiddies Mas Bands please note that Rosalind Gabriel has revealed her theme for Carnival 2010 and it is "Love Your Country". The band launch takes place on 1st November 2009 from 4.30 p.m. to 8.00p.m. at the Mas Camp 26 O'Connor Street, Woodbrook. Once again Rosalind Gabriel will also be producing adult mas for Monday and Tuesday, those costumes will be launched at the same time as well.

In other kiddies news Gerard Kelly's website is now up for "Festivals in Dance", you can view costumes and prices HERE.

Bohang - Gerard Kelly

And finally Spoilt Rotten Kids will be holding their launch on October 31st, mark the date!

Metallic Boots

Ami Clubwear has a nice array of metallic boots, I especially like the studded ones;add some coloured stones to match your costume and you have easy decorated boots!

As Seen At Miami Carnival

It's the same costume..hmm.....interesting!

Miami Carnival Reveler

Harts Earth Crisis

2009 Miami Carnival - Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Greeting peeps, Kermit here, bringing you coverage from the 2009 Miami Carnival party scene. After the cobo-sweat that was the Tribe party on Thursday night (too much man and too much lame music for most of the night) I headed to the Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fete on Friday night hoping to finally get my carnival started right.

I arrived around midnight to take advantage of their 2-for-1 drinks specials and found the club to be pretty much empty. No problemo. This fete was supposed to go until 5:00 a.m. and I wasn’t worried at all about people not showing up so I settled in at the bar and limed with the hottie bartender until the action heated up. The venue was almost ideal for this fete. The main dance floor was bordered on two sides by the VIP area which came in handy later on in the night when the main area became crowded since one could recline on a sofa or chair and chill while watching the winery taking place. The VIP experience also included a private lounge in the back which has its own bar and complementary food which included chicken, fried rice, and noodles. The food was tasty, hot, and plentiful and was very welcome later on in the night when hunger struck.

As the night progressed, the club filled with people ready to party and the DJs were more than happy to oblige with tunes that kept the masses hyped and moving. After roaming through and looking around the fete, what truly impressed me was the demographic that was represented here tonight. The partygoers ranged widely from young to not-so-young, short to real tall (ladies included), slim to nicely curved, and from hot to hotter (including the Carib Girls) while encompassing a wide variety of ethnicities. Everyone was here to have fun and despite our external differences we did not just become friends that Friday night, we became Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

By around 4:30 a.m. the party had thinned out somewhat and I decided to call it a night and get some rest for the next event on my list: DV8 Miami. Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S. was a well conceived and well executed fete and while the crowds weren’t huge they were exactly the right size for the venue. Good job Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S. moving the fete to Friday night and I hope to see you again in 2010.

Enjoy the pics.

Ribbit.

Carnival Du Quebec

The following section is Carnival Du Quebec from Trini Revellers "Festivals of the World". My first thought was why are the "costumes" actually lingerie, but upon closer inspection and matching the name of the section I am thinking it is supposed to represent winter and a winter cape......still looks like boudoir wear and not a costume however. I patiently await the rest of Trini Revellers sections!

Legacy Masala Website is Up!

Tassa

Taj at Sunset

Shanti

Phagwa

Masala

Lotus

Jaipur Market

Chinnar Peacock

Chakra

Blue Jodhpur

Bollywood

*The special VIP section Khus Khus is not pictured.

Trinidad Carnival Updates

Evolution is supposed to be having a band launch after all, I was told it would be later this month for those who were inquiring. The interesting part is that Curtis Eustace is no longer with Evolution!

I see Genesis website is now up, the best thing about those costumes is the price; the females are all under $3000.00 and the males under $2500.00, with the exception of the frontline costumes which for the most part are under $3500.00 I would really love to know what is the VVIP amenities in Desert Rays, frankly I am unaware that Genesis has so many masqueraders that it merits a VVIP! Anyway, lets hope next year that includes music for Carnival Monday.

Trini Revellers it's been several weeks since the band launch and not only is the website not up your masqueraders (and potential masqueraders) are complaining of the lack of costume photos on the facebook group. I see threats from persons that they are going to play with a next band! Funny stuff.

Miami Carnival The Review

Yesterday morning I awoke to the sounds of soca in the air, reaching my room five floors up and what did you know the parade could be seen out the window!

The Hilton Miami Downtown is the perfect spot for the parade, I simply walked like two minutes after exiting the hotel and came smack upon the parade. The hotel was also very close to the venue for Vale Vibe Fete and Blocko and many masqueraders were staying there. It is a decent hotel, if you get it for a great price even better.

My first thought when I decided on Miami was that I would play mas and experience what it is like, that desire changed later on and I decided to be a spectator yesterday which is not an experience for me no matter what country! I simply cannot spectate when I would rather be playing, looking at mas is so much different than participating in it.

The weather was beautiful, when I finally got on the way at 2PM; gorgeous, sunny HOT day. It was HOT, hotter than Trinidad on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. So HOT some masqueraders fell ill. Initially we started looking out for my friend's band, Generation X, her section was Eye Candy (yes THAT section). I kept getting messages from her that they were yet to leave but I knew that the masqueraders were assembled since 10:30AM and after taking in the costumes on the road we headed for the park at Biscayne thinking Generation X were on their way there. Well, what I learned later was that Generation X chose position number 34 to allow more time on the road for their masqueraders, which worked because they did not cross the stage until 10:10PM!! Worse yet is that Eye Candy ladies were told to walk with heels to cross the stage, somehow the message got mixed that the stage was pretty close so some of them wore heels for up to 3 hours, like my friend, because their change of shoe was located in the park!

As for the park, it is like a huge outdoor area that was $20.00 to enter, you could not walk in with water which you were later charged $3.00 for! Someone got a bright idea to make a killing yesterday as the water was the most precious commodity in that heat. Too bad that "someone" was not smart enough to notice the spelling on this sign:

I did not like the set up of the stage or the stands as where they were located the music trucks accompanying the bands essentially blocked your view of the masqueraders when they got to the stage. And the stage was miniscule, but at least they had one and masqueraders played with vicious abandon when they finally got to the stage; how well do I know that feeling! Triniscene carried the parade live until 6PM which was pretty cool if you were not there.

To make a long story short, my entire day (eight hours) was spent at the park as I had to see my friend in Generation X, and they were the last band to make it into the park before the six o clock deadline, though it would be four more hours before they eventually crossed the stage.

look the wee wee truck!

My impression of Miami Carnival is that of a much, much,much, smaller Trinidad Carnival experience with the weather and even some of the more elaborate costumes. The all inclusive bands had wee wee trucks, medic vans and served lunches on the road just as they do for Trinidad Carnival. I also liked that for the most part there were actual costumed bands, I think I saw just one T Shirt band and most of the bands seemed to have a Trinidad origin.

What I found so humorous was that I asked masqueraders what band they were in and only about 10% of the ones I asked actually knew the name of the band! I was happy to see ladies were in their boots and decorated sneakers (with some matching sandals thrown in) and were totally on point with the makeup as well. The masqueraders looked great and looked like they were having LOTS of fun too.

For lots more photos of Miami Carnival click on the picture below:

Mas Jumbies Jouvert 2010 - L'Echo

Band launch coming in November

DV 8 The Review

I have to say this was the fete I was looking forward to the most on the agenda for Miami Carnival weekend as I had heard much about DV 8 last year and how great an all inclusive it was. Well, let me tell you it did not disappoint!

Our thinking that we needed to be shuttled to the venue from the "meeting point" in Homestead meant we arrived fairly early, which was excellent timing as there was enough time to explore the grounds and absorb the atmosphere. Venue wise the outdoor setting was fabulous, very nice location with grottoes, waterfalls and ponds. The only thing was the mosquitoes were out in force however there was "off" spray at the entrance so you could protect yourself from the inevitable bites; this small detail was a hallmark of the detail that went into the fete.

There was one very long bar, stocked with Johnny and coconut water as well as lots of other spirits such as 1919 for rum drinkers. Another bar was dedicated to wine only, with flavors such as mango. The food service was running a bit late as they were not ready when we arrived but the nibbles came out soon after. I only had the very first set of finger food like mini spring rolls and chicken bites, the lines were not long then. Later on I heard that there were very long lines, but I was lucky enough to have food brought to me, and enjoyed the fare then.

The only caveat to such and expansive venue was the fact that at first the crowd was scattered in pockets throughout, the bar area seemed to be very popular until much later the spot closer to the DJ became filled and then you got an idea of how many people there were; the fete was packed! This was also the fete where I saw probably everyone who I knew that was in Miami for Carnival! I would say DV 8 was like Beach House on a Carnival Thursday in Trinidad.

As for the music, best out of the three fetes for the weekend, the DJ played 2009 soca and not once asked "anyone from Trinidad?" TRIBE Ignite was really good, I had a great time but DV 8 also ranks as one of the best fetes I have been to, both in and out of Trinidad, as well. The fact is it compared to any popular all inclusive in Trinidad and at 50.00 was well worth it! No wonder tickets were so exclusive. If you have never been to DV 8, put this one on your calender for Miami Carnival 2010, it was awesome!

Off to the parade today.....check out pics from DV 8 2009 as well as all the fete pics HERE: