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CARNIVAL Memories 12 Credits 14 From the Editor 16 Winner’s Row
17 Your Favourite Celebrities 19 Carnival Headlines
On The Cover
The sweet spectacle known as Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is a festival which remains unrivaled. During this period, there is an unsurpassed feeling of joy, passion and pride for all involved. This cover photo exemplifies the beauty and exuberance of the season. It features former Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe Gabrielle WalcottPollonais in full party mode as she laps up the full flavor of the streets during this epic parade. Photographer: Roger Jackson for Absolute Pics
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INTRODUCING
COCONUT UNSHELLED A delicious blend of natural coconut, passion fruit nectar and premium French spirits that offers superior mixability. Satisfy your customer’s taste for the islands with New Alizé COCO.
LIFE’S MORE COLORFUL WHEN YOU MIX IT UP. ™ Mix It Up Responsibly. | © 2012 Kobrand Corporation, New York, NY | Alizé COCO Liqueur 20% Alcohol by Volume | www.alizecoco.com
FETE FavoUrites 23 Tribe Ice 24. Out 25 Fantasy Secret Saturday 26 Amnesia 27 Soaka 28 Pan Semis 29 Outta D Blue 30 Nikki Land 31 We Wednesday 32 Wicked In White 33 Flight Cruise 34 Ultra Soca 36 Friends to the Max 37 Ladies Night Out 38 Tuesday on the Rocks 39 Mania 40 Kiddies 43 Jouvert Jumbies 47 On De Road Monday 57 On De Road Tuesday
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Editor in Chief - Anthony
Gomez
Director of Production - Marvin Mason Director of Photography - Cleon Henry Copy Editor - Pauline Philip Design Director - Richard Lyder Art Director - Richard Lyder
Features Senior Editors: Marvin Mason, Pauline Philip Special Projects: Nicole Fisher, Leah Lewis Photographers: Cleon Henry, Alana Stanislaus, Kelton Francis, Trevor Goddard, Eva Abraham, Roger Jackson
OPERATIONS President and CEO ANTHONY GOMEZ Executive Vice President/Editorial Manager Marvin Mason Executive Vice President/Office Manager Kerri Inniss Lead Coordinator – Events Division Cleon Henry Chief Operations Officer Jorim Williams Production Assistant NIGEL ROSALEZ Executive Assistant Jamie Subar Financial Advisor/Accounts Fayola Braithwaite
Advertising Offices PO Box 1879 P.O.S. Trinidad WI. TEL/FAX: 868 638 1156-9 and 638 1160
www.amgtt.com The ETNT magazine is published by Abstract Media Group Company Ltd in the island of Trinidad and Tobago and is protected by strict copyright laws and is not to be reproduced in full or in part without the written consent from the management of Abstract publishing.
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ET&T CARNIVAL 2014
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from the editor
Carnival WAS TOO REAL!!!
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o say that Carnival 2014 was fun is an understatement! OMG where do I start? As I predicted last year the groovy tunes ruled the entire Carnival. By all accounts, the feters liked nothing better. Even a full two months was not enough for Trinbagonians as Ash Wednesday met them with a serious Carnival Tabanca. As you will soon see within these pages, the road experience was simply magical. Plus, the lengthened season meant more fantastic fetes to partake in for most of us. I’m sure many of you will still be wining in your seats at work long after Ash Wednesday. As usual, there were a few changes and some new winners to highlight this year. Don’t worry; we’ve documented it all for you. The new parade route would no doubt be the biggest change. The Soca Drome was introduced this year allowing for some bands to parade on a new route. Whether it was a success or not is still up for review and time will tell if this initiative will return for C2K15. In this ET&T collectable, we documented everything in Carnival that was worthy of mention. Whether we are talking Fetes, Kiddies Carnival, Pan, J’ouvert or Monday and Tuesday on the road we’ve got you covered. We see our wings spreading further and further and for all our foreign readers, you can now see the entire magazine on our website www. amgtt.com. To all our readers, fans, well-wishers and advertisers, thank you for all the love and support throughout the years. We dedicate this gift to you. “Ah tell yuh ah have it... A Real Carnival Tabanca”
Anthony Gomez Editor in Chief
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l a v i n r a C emories M
Winner’s Row Everyone loves a winner. That is why so many constantly strive to be number one at what they do, whether it is offering a service or showing off a unique talent. Trinidad Carnival is a showcase that promotes the art of competition in several forms and celebrates the heart of the champion once crowned. Some people and groups politely decline the invitations to compete, while others use the opportunity to stamp their names in the annals of Trinidad and Tobago history with memorable showings. Last year, Brian Macfarlane won his last Band of the Year title and he retired from making mas to move to other things. Superblue and Machel dominated the road and stage where Soca is concerned and 16
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others like The Pink Panther, Phase 2 Pan Groove, Charrisse Bovel, Raymond Ramnarine and more were competition winners. This year, saw several others seek supremacy in one way or the other and both private entities and the government combined to make it worthwhile for many financially. As we always do around this time, here is a salute to those on Winner’s Row.
Power Soca Monarch: Machel Montano
Chutney Soca Monarch: Kris ‘KI’ Persad
Band of the Year (Medium): K2K Alliance & Partners: The Rise of Sanctuary
Extempo Monarch: Brian London
Groovy Soca Monarch: Kerwin Dubois Carnival King: Wayne Madray Carnival Queen: Peola Marchand Band of the Year (Large): Ronnie & Caro: The River Come Down
Junior Calypso Monarch: Ronaldo London
Band of the Year (Small): Tribal Connection Cultural Promotions: Before the Europeans Came
Panorama Champs: Phase II Pan Groove
Road March Champion: Machel Montano (MoR) www.amgtt.com
paparazzi
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Road Reflections What was your greatest Carnival 2014 memory? Whether the road boisterously beckoned to you or you answered the call of the fete fever bug, there would have been unforgettable moments. While you reflect on yours, we will share what some other people have to say. Hyatt Lime had my most memorable moment. I was blown away when the Viking pulled up along the waterfront in a big truck. He literally had one BIG, BAD, STINK TRUCK on the Road. That pretty much set the vibe for me. I heard he did something similar in a previous year by arriving on a boat. Bunji has really stepped his game up recently and I am just totally in love with his recent work, so that made my evening at the Hyatt even though the rest of the party wasn’t all that. – Phoebe Almandoz
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Jouvert was E.P.I.C. This was my first year and it took a lot of prompting to get me out on the road for dutty mas. However, I will never miss a j’ouvert again as long as I have the energy. I will really miss Carnival. – Raquel Sorrios
I missed the Carnival for several years and I definitely wasn’t going to miss this one. It was my first time back in the mas since 2000. I loved the calypsos at Skinners Park. Bois was a favourite. Congrats to Chucky as well. I need to visit T&T more often. – Corey Philbert Howard – Trini in NY The road was fantastic for me. Ministry of Road all day every day. I was rooting for Machel to win the Road March and my dream came true. I had a ball going down to his song and I just didn’t want the partying
to end when Carnival Tuesday was winding down. – Marcia Bishop
Panorama Semis was the bomb. I did not take a dip in the pool, but I dipped and swayed and had a time on the greens. I did not do much feting, but pan made up for it because the top artistes all came out to perform. – Indira Singh The Guys all come out for the ladies and I am not lying when I say there was a gyal overload. Island People was off the chain. We rebuked stushness at all costs. It was a case of man and woman wining on anything! – Marc Hospedales
Crossing the stage with K2K was my favourite memory.. Best friends, best music, the best times of our lives!” – Simone Charles-Babb
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ET&T’s Epic C2K14 Moments
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out and publicly denied that he was the artiste in question due to the public making assumptions that he was person involved.
mid all the revelry and constant carefree behavior that constantly permeates Carnival, there were some moments that made us pause and ponder if only for a split second. These headlining moments will stand out after the snake oil has washed down the drains and we get ready for carnival again. Here are some of 2014’s biggest stories in no particular order. Soca Mystery Man Lets It Hang The year began with bacchanal right off the bat. On January 2nd 2014, an unnamed soca artiste allegedly exposed himself to two females at Palmiste Park. One of the women was said to be a police officer who recognized him and made a report to the police. It was reported that the entertainer in question allegedly pursued the women whilst making lewd remarks before eventually dropping his trousers and showing them his genitals. The story goes that the artiste was held at the nearby recording studio
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where he was questioned. Upon tracing the artiste’s vehicle registration number, police discovered that there were other similar complaints against him. While the artiste’s name was never officially released, soca entertainer Swappi’s management came
The Birdie Returns The calypso King of the world Slinger Francisco, a.k.a. The Mighty Sparrow emerged from death’s door to make a triumphant return to his homeland for Carnival. Mere months before, the 78 year old master of the artform found himself on the brink having slipped into a coma after a lengthy period of illness. Rumours abounded in November 2013 that the singer had actually died despite assurances from members of his family that this was not the case. However, the ‘Birdie’ touched down in Trinidad on Monday 10th February 2014 to an immense outpouring of local love. The beloved bard even did a couple gigs in an effort to cover his medical expenses. He was also present for a series of Tribute lectures in his honour hosted by the University of the West Indies. In an immense, yet belated gesture, the government offered to cover all CARNIVAL 2014 ET&T
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ET&T’s EPIC C2K14 MOMENTS for much of the festivities, but the usual jamishness took place as is accustomed.
his medical expenses, while also announcing that the icon would receive the nation’s highest award, the order of T&T. Ella Andall Survives Death Rumours Soulful and spiritual cultural gem Ella Andall has kept a low profile over the last couple years for mixed reasons, including her health. Somehow, her latest health scare turned into a vicious death rumour that quickly spread across the country. In fact, various established media outlets broadcast this news as fact when the singer was in England at the home of her daughter in law. Sections of the entertainer’s family threatened to take legal action for the distress caused. In the midst of it all, there was a spike in interest for all things Andall as her music became highly requested at music stores. Benjai’s Ballsy Performance Arimian artiste Rodney ‘Benjai’ LeBlanc let his own swankiness go to his head at the Semi Finals of the International Soca Monarch in his hometown. He shocked and awed the audience at the Arima Velodrome by performing I Come Out To Play in nothing but his underwear and socks. The ladies in the crowd seemed impressed by what they saw as Benjai let it all hang out on stage. He became the subject of social media frenzy
for the remainder of the season. He went on to copy his rambunctious act at events to follow. Many say these were his ballsiest performances yet. Pan Poolarama Panorama Semifinals at the Queens Park Savannah is loved by a wide cross-section of the country for varying reasons. The pan purists celebrate the sweet strains of our national instrument as they back their chosen bands. The others come out en masse for the lavish limes which take place on the Savannah Greens. This year there was an added attraction to the fiesta as Pan Trinbago added a 70 foot pool to the greens for their Pan Splash initiative. They hoped the addition would generate even more interest to what is usually one of the season’s biggest events. He pool remained underutilized
Addition to Local Lexicon Soca suffered this year as there were generally weak offerings from the majority of carnival regulars. However, Grenadian livewire Mr. Killa seized the opportunity to make a name for himself with his smash Rolly Polly. The single was produced as an ode to plus-sized women and the diminutive performer’s antics and delivery helped to propel the song to modern day classic status. Soon young and old were singing along whether they generally liked big girls or not. People from all walks of society adopted the term ‘Rolly Polly’ to describe overweight women despite some obese women stating they felt offended by the singer’s use of the word ‘fat.’
Parade Route Reboot Bliss, Tribe, Harts and YUMA opted to parade along a different carnival route and were given the all clear by the NCC to do so. The large bands took to the newly developed Socadrome at the Jean Pierre complex in an effort to ease the traffic flow headed to the Savannah. It helped to relieve a lot of the common congestion problems bands usually face heading to the savannah, but it also spread the Carnival much more thinly over a larger area.
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Tribe Ice
The Carnival season isn’t off and running until Tribe Ice kicks off. On January 5th, fans of the band as well as fete lovers in general flocked to the country’s capital for the event. ICE stands for Insane Cooler Experience and by all accounts this party was one of the greatest cooler parties in a long time. The Tribe committee kept patrons pleased with great performances by the country’s leading soca stars including Nadia Batson, Machel Montano and Kerwin Dubois. This party started the Carnival season right and we look forward to more action from Tribe and all the other fete promoters.
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OUT
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The Out carnival cooler experience took place at Twin Wall in the southland. It was a nice change of pace from all the activity in Trinidad and Tobago’s north-western peninsula. Almost every drink under the sun was brought into the venue to satisfy the cravings of the feters present. Here’s a taste of the action as it unfolded.
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Fantasy’s Secret Saturday It’s no secret that mas band Fantasy is one of the top large bands in the country. They are a sight to behold on the road and masqueraders generally attest to having a good time with them, despite last year’s much publicized issues. After a successful launch in 2013, Fantasy got 2014 rolling with their well-attended cooler fete entitled Secret Saturday. A ton of big artistes graced the stage and the vibes flowed throughout despite intermittent rain showers. ET&T has photos of the action and we are sharing some here.
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Amnesia
The Island People faithful were out in their numbers for the all-inclusive extravaganza Amnesia held at Pier 1. Dubbed the ‘Return of Happy,’ the event featured headlining act Machel Montano (the self-professed Happiest Man Alive), Swappi and more! As with any Island People party; females came out in their numbers. With eye candy, great food and drink and a Happy Zone featuring fun and games, the event was one to remember. ET&T was there for the action.
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Soaka
After Machel Montano chose to film his Fog video at this event last year, the buzz for this cooler fete rose exponentially. Tickets were sold out early and scalpers caught people gaping at over a grand a pop. Bear in mind, this was a cooler fete and not an all-inclusive. With all the hype, you just know this fete had to be epic. Indeed it was epic as the J’ouvert and water party vibe ruled the night into morning. Great performances by soca’s elite also took this event to the next plateau.
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Pan Semis
Pan is a staple at Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. At no time is our national instrument more celebrated than at Carnival for Panorama. The semifinal stage of this competition is especially humongous. Pan lovers and party lovers converge at the Savannah stands and the greens to have a blast amid the sweet songs of steel. We would be remiss to not feature some of the pan action.
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Outta De Blue
Queens Royal College’s Outta De Blue is one of the most anticipated school events on the Carnival events calendar. The school’s all-inclusive affair attracted a beautiful mixed audience and everyone left satisfied, from the young and exuberant to the mature. The event was undoubtedly spectacular and ET&T was happy to be a part of it all.
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Nikki Land
Veteran comedienne Nikki Crosby loves children and as a way to give back to those who bring so much joy to her life she began hosting the Carnival kid’s retreat NikkiLand. 2014 proved to be a successful one for her again as the show thrived due to its all-inclusive format and strong entertainment cast. ET&T was there.
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We Wednesday
The Queen’s Park Oval was the venue for the epic mid carnival week event known as We Wednesday. The promoters would have been more than merely satisfied with the outcome of this fete which featured top-notch performances from soca’s elite. Lots of girls and vibes like rain were part and parcel of the bacchanal.
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Wicked In White
Elizabeth Street, St. Clair came alive as the Queens Park Oval transformed for the all-white affair known as Wicked In White. Women glowed in their white apparel and the guys were happy to be a part of the enticing activity. Privilege promotions definitely scored with the 2014 edition of this yearly event.
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Flight Cruise
Maracas St. Joseph was where the actionpacked Flight Cruise took place. The poplar event developed from a boat ride and blossomed into one of Carnival’s premier parties. This event did not disappoint in 2014 and ET&T has proof.
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Ultra Soca
O2 Park was one of the most utilized venues for Carnival. Ultra Soca Festival in early February was one of the major events which took place there. Machel HD, the Asylum Vikings, Kerwin Dubois and more performed at the event that was a celebration of Lights, Cameras and Action. ET&T is about all three, so we hit up the festival and we are sharing the fun with you.
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Friends to the Max
O2 Park Chaguaramas was the venue for the lavish and vibe-filled Friends to the Max all-inclusive fete. The party was created by legendary partier and former President of the Republic George Maxwell Richards. ET&T was more than happy to be present for the action as it unfolded. Here are some of the photos.
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Ladies Night Out
The Jean Pierre Complex was packed to capacity for this popular annual fiesta. The Valentine’s Day event featured a special performance from veteran R&B talent Peabo Bryson and Jamaican sensation Jah Cure. Otherwise, local soca stars ran the gamut of exciting performances all night long. The ladies left thoroughly satisfied that night and it looks equally promising for 2015.
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Tuesday on the Rocks
The final week of carnival is non-stop pace. From Machel Monday all the way to Mania you would be likely to witness no less than four premium fetes per day. On Carnival Tuesday, local star Kees threw his hat into the Carnival concert ring with his Tuesday on the Rocks event. This event scored big time despite several other events occurring on that day. ET&T was happy to be a part of the action.
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Mania
Carnival Sunday is a day where there is normally a mad rush to get in the last of the season’s fetes before hitting the road for J’ouvert. When it comes to Sunday events they don’t get much bigger than Mania. This event, which took place at the Trinidad Country Club, was one to remember as the party was held at the pinnacle of the fete vibes. The performances were on point and a few foreign celebrities were also spotted in the crowd for the event.
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kiddies carnival There were a lot of Big People Parties for Carnival this year. However, it wasn’t all about the mature crowd. ET&T loves the kids. That is why we had to dedicate a segment of the magazine to the young ones. Many of us enjoy our first Carnival experiences on Carnival Saturday and Sunday morning for Kiddies Carnival. Here, we share some of these experiences as they were enjoyed by the junior masqueraders.
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Kiddies Carnival
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