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A Short Reflection:
* About Us:
MISSION STATEMENT
Chief Editor
Like a Phoenix from the ashes, RED INK Magazine has risen. It is here to deliver incredible images and stories of your favorite artists, actors, singers, bands, events, models. designers and lifestyle news from the Caribbean and beyond. RED INK Magazine will always represent the people and culture of the Caribbean and West Indies, but we will not hesitate to include interesting people and culture from the rest of the world.
RED INK Magazine will be one of the trendsetter when it comes to delivering entertainment and lifestyle news to the people. We will provide updates on concerts, events and music festivals. There will be introductions of new and upcoming artists from Reggae, Soca, Hip Hop, R&B and other genres. And let’s not forget interviews and bios of all of your favorite performers that you know, love and follow. We hope you all love the internet based format; the times have changed and so have we. You can now enjoy short video clips and links within the pages of our publication. Yet, know that even though the magazine is online, it is designed to be read like a traditional magazine, turning pages and enjoying incredible, visually stunning spreads, and let’s not forget about our beautiful centerfold models that will grace the center spread of the magazine each month.
RED INK Magazine is here to stay and we aspire to be “THE” Lifestyle / Entertainment Magazine providing all of our readers with the stories and interviews they crave, the beautiful imagery they desire, and the design standard that we refuse to compromise.
~Michael Devine
MORGAN HERITAGE HOMECOMING
A Tribute to ‘Peetah’ Morgan
2024 marks 30 years since the formation of Morgan Heritage, the Grammy® winning group, known as the Royal Family of Reggae. The recent passing of frontman Peter ‘Peetah’ Morgan in February was a shock to the music community and a major loss for reggae music.
To commemorate his life and impact on the music, the CTBC Music Group, VP Records and Central Park Summer Stage will present an evening of Reggae music at Rumsey Playfield in historic Central Park on Saturday, August 10, 2024, as part of the summer concert series, titled Morgan Heritage Family & Friends – A Tribute to ‘Peetah’ Morgan. The surviving members of Morgan Heritage, their family and friends will come together with New York music fans for an evening of uplifting roots reggae music celebrating the life and legacy of this gifted recording artist.
Morgan Heritage has been associated with VP Records for almost 20 years (active from 1995 –2013), releasing nine studio albums and a ‘best of’ compilation in 2009. During these years, the group established themselves as an anchor of the ‘new roots’ Reggae movement and a cornerstone of the VP Records roster of the period. The group has toured internationally for decades, spreading roots Reggae music far and wide. Morgan Heritage holds the singular notoriety in the reggae genre, of having played the 1999 Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, performing alongside Shirley Caesar, Sugar Ray, Kirk Franklin, and Stevie Wonder. The Vans® Warped Tour (2001 and 2002) as well as headlining festivals in the US, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and Africa.
Born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the members of Morgan Heritage have a special connection with the New York music scene and Central Park Summer Stage is a fitting location for this memorable occasion. Connect with Morgan Heritage
http://www.morganheritagemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/m organheritage
https://www.instagram.com/ morganheritage
https://twitter.com/morganheritage
https://soundcloud.com/morg anheritage.
By natasha.voncastle@vprecords.com
1- I had Some Help f/M.Wallen by POST MALONE
2- Too Sweet by HOZIER 3- Espresso by SABRINA CARPENTER
4- Million Dollar Baby by TOMMY RICHMAN
5- A Bar Song (Tipsy) by SHABOOZEY
6- 3- Beautiful Things by BENSON BOONE
7- Please Please Please by SABRINA CARPENTER
8- Illusion by DUA LIPA 9- Lunch by BILLIE EILISH 10- Good Luck, Babe CHAPELL ROAN
7th Annual LAKE TAHOE REGGAE FESTIVAL August 3rd & 4th 2024 Olympic Valley, CA Top1100 SONGS this month Top1100 MOVIES this month
1- Deadpool & Wolverine
2- Twisters
3- Dispicable Me 4
4- Insise Out 2
5- Longlegs
6- A Quiet Place: Day One
7- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
8- The Fabulous Four
9- Fly Me to the Moon
10- Raayan
this month Check
Monkey Bar
Address: 26 Wall St Orlando, FL 32801
PH: (407) 481-1199
https://wallstreetorlando.com/venues/monkey_b ar
AUGUST 23-25 ~ AUBURN, CA
estival attendees can expect the full festi val experience with a Vendor market place, two stages and an intimate atmos phere. The venue is the beautiful Gold Country Fairgrounds & Event Center
209 Fairgate Road in Auburn located right off Interstate 80 where the beautiful his toric scenery provides the backdrop for the 40acres of Fairgrounds with parking on both sides of the grounds. This is an all-ages event and kids 12 and under are free.
The DJ lineup: Squarefield Massive, OG The DJ, Jah Mikey One and Deejay Sugarbear.
www.drydiggingsfest.com
When: August 23-25 2024
Where: Gold Country Fairground & Event Center
SHANNEN DOHERTY
American Actress & Director, Died at 53
orn April 12th, 1971, Shannon Doherty lost her battle to cancer at the young age of 53 on July 13th,2024. She was one of those Hollywood stars that was truly born to act. She started her acting career in 1982 at the young age of 11. Early on she had small roles in dozens of popular TV shows throughout the 80’s. She had parts in Little House on the Prairie, Airwolf, Magnum P.I., Voyagers, The New Leave it to Beaver, Highway to Heaven, 21 Jump Street, Life Goes On and several others. Then in 1990 she got her first and most well-known break, playing Brenda Walsh on the hit show Beverly Hills, 90210. This was four years of stardom in the spotlight. She later returned as the same character on both the 2008 and 2019 reboots of the 90210 shows. She also had a big hit when the series Charmed launched with her once again in a starring role as one of the witch sisters. Shannon went on to appear in episodes of dozens
of different television series and she had lead and supporting roles in 19 movies throughout her career, including: The Secret of NIMH, Heathers, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Fortress, Hot Seat, Bethany and others.
With all of the success, some dark side was bound to follow, and follow it did. She became known as the Hollywood bad girl of the 90’s. She was known to be a party girl, and very aggressive towards directors and co-stars on sets. So much show that she was forced to leave Beverly Hills 90210 after 4 seasons and fired from Charmed for harassing Alyssa Milano after 3 seasons. She was also married and divorced three times, with the final divorce finalizing the day before her death. Sometimes the amount of success and new found fame and
wealth is just too much to handle and goes to one’s head, especially when they are so young. But
Shannon did grow out of that phase and became much more stable as she got older.
In 2015 she was diagnosed with cancer and everything changed. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer that had metastasized to her lymph nodes and after 2 years of treatment she believed that her cancer was in remission, however it reared its head back again, literally and spread to her brain in 2019. She underwent brain surgery to remove tumors and was still optimistic. However, in 2023 she learned that treatment and surgery were not working and that the cancer had spread to her bones. Continued on page 10
Continued from page 9 She continued acting and directing until the very end, because she was very public and outspoken about not being a victim or allowing herself to become an invalid or a burden. And over the last 5 years she had become a very outspoken advocate raising money for Cancer research and promotion of testing for early detection. Shannon Doherty lived a great life, where she was a phenom in her craft from a very young age. She has many great credits to her name and will be dearly missed by her family, friends and fans all over the world. Shannon’s nearly 10 year battle with cancer has finally ended, unfortunately, it ended at far too early in her life. Shannon, you will be remembered, rest in peace.
by Michael Devine u
“DR RUTH” WESTHEIMER World Renowned Sex Therapist, Died at 96
Born Karola Ruth Siegel on June 4th, 1928 in Germany. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, got her start to life in as unfortunate a time as any.
Just as Nazi’s were taking over Germany and persecuting the Jews, Her family sent her away to a Swiss boarding school for safety when she was just 10 years old and she never saw her family again, believing them to be victims of Auschwitz. Now many people in the world remember Dr. Ruth from her various Radio and Television talk shows and her many books, as being the sweet, heavy accented woman who was only 4 foot 7 inches tall, and was basically a sex crazed grandma, that would talk about anything and everything related to sexual relationships and sexual practices. However what they might not know is that on her way earning that psychology degree there were many unexpected stepping stones. The most unexpected is that she was a professionally trained sniper in the Jewish militant group Haganah in Palestine, which she joined at the age of 17 after leaving
Switzerland. She does not have any confirmed kills and was actually discharged due to injury after being wounded on her 20th birthday by an exploding mortar shell in Jerusalem and almost lost both her feet. It was a few years after this that she moved to Paris and studied psychology. Several years later she immigrated to the United States and continued her education while working as a house maid to pay her college tuition. She eventually earned her Masters and then her Doctorate at the age of 42 and for the next 10 years she taught at universities, including Lehman College and Brooklyn College. And at the same time she had a private sex therapy practice. It wasn’t until 1980 when Dr. Ruth started a radio call-in show Sexually Speaking, which ran for 10 years. During this time, in 1983, her show became the top rated show in the country’s largest radio market. Soon after that in 1985, Dr. Ruth launched her television show, The Dr. Ruth Show, which became an immediate success earning more than 2 million views a week.
It was so successful, because she was literally the first shock TV, People saw her, this 57 year old woman who was so tiny at only 4 foot 7 inches tall and looked like a typical grandma accept she was talking about sex and sex practices and taboo things, and even created the tag line for her show “Get Some” it is almost like the hot sauce commercial with the grandma saying “I put that sh*t on everything” IT was that shock of seeing a granny talk so eloquently and also so comedically about such topics as lube, anal sex, sex toys and threesomes. It was incredible how her call in radio and television shows with real people seeking advice became so popular and so loved. Almost everyone that spoke with her said that they had truly been
helped by her advice and everyone watch ing and listening was thoroughly educated and entertained by her way of putting a fun spin on everything. She was quoted in an interview explaining her antics saying that in college she learned that the professors that made their students laugh had the best test scores because the students retained more from those funny lessons than from the tedious ones.
To say Dr. Ruth was the world’s most influential sex therapist is an understatement. No topic was off limits and her manor and way of speaking enthralled everyone who listened and watched her radio and television shows. She also authored over 45 books on topic of sex. Continued on page 14
Continued from page 13
She had a meteoric rise to fame starting in the 80s. She was the star in several televisions series on sex on various networks including lifetime. She continued to deal with topics of oral sex and erectile dysfunction and was a huge proponent of Safe sex practices, and relationship sex as well as education on sexually transmitted diseases. As much as she enjoyed entertaining and helping people in need she also never lost her root focus as a college professor and always endeavored to teach the right things. Dr. Ruth became a household name and a cultural icon, she was on the cover of People magazine and was in a few movies and commercials. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, The German-American Hall of Fame and The Women in Technology International Hall of Fame, was granted various medical and educational awards, and in 2023 she was given the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Psychology Pioneer Award from the United Nations. And in 2013 the one-woman play Becoming Dr. Ruth, written by Mark St. Germain and directed by Julianne Boyd and set in 1997, opened Off Broadway at the Westside Theatre. It was a show about her early life and also about her meteoric rise to success as the world’s most influential sex therapist. Dr. Ruth Westheimer lived an incredible story of a life. Her life began tragically, and then was full of action and later was full of shock and awe. She was an incredible woman who helped make discussions about sex in all of its forms no longer taboo and shameful. She was a leader in women’s health and the pro-choice movement. She was a leader in sexual health and education
on STD’s. She was someone who truly cared about both the health and pleasure of everyone, everywhere. It was her passion and for the latter half of her life it was her dedication. She has touched countless lives and helped people move past and get over sexual fears, and disorders both one on one and en masse, through her Radio Shows, Television Shows, Books and private practice; she was dedicated to everyone being able to “Get Some.” Dr. Ruth you lived a long and fruitful life and gave the world so much, yet I feel you still had more to give. At the ripe age of 96, on July 12th, 2024, your story has finally come to an end. You will be missed by family, friends, patients and fans the world over. You will live on forever in the books you have left behind to educate in perpetuity. Rest in Peace. by Michael Devine u
M M I I S S S S A A U U G G U U S S T T 2 2 0 0 2 2 4 4
Photo by Frank Photography IG: @frankphoto301
Designer by @jhonycalderon
Model: Mia IG: @itsmemeemz_
JHONY CALDERON
NY Designer, who’s creation is inspired by modern women
- Get the scoop on fashion, Get the scoop on fashion, see what’s in & what’s not. see what’ s in & what’s not. Are you in? Are you in?
S S H H I I O O N N C C O O R R N N E E R R S EE WH AT’S IN STYL E
Jhony Calderon, a native of the country of Ecuador, a designer who finds constant inspiration in the beauty of women. They play the main protagonist in his design and serve as muses to his creation. His creations show an innate perfection in the use of his favorite materials such as spandex, lace, silk chiffon and organza and a touch of glamor is present with the distribution of fine Swarovski stones.
design she’s wearing.
Jhony Calderon design provides a constant connection between art and current trends, reflecting a true cosmopolitan spirit. His creations have been featured in many magazines, and other medias, his creation have also reached the public through exhibitions in beauty pageants and cultural events.
Currently based in New York, Jhony has delighted us with great creations inspired by modern women, her elegance, her sensuality, her confidence of whom she is and the changes she’s creating in her surroundings that provids her with an air of sophistication in every single detail of the
Jhony is also popular for his discrete clientele of up and coming actors and actress in independent films and other media as well.
Make sure to check out his amazing clothing line and secure your very own design. Follow him on his social media platforms as well.
Samantha’s friends Charity Fundraiser Gala Weekend in September 2024Golden Age of Hollywood starts in just a few weeks. They are so excited to see everyone joining as they all laugh, cry, and raise a lot of money for 501C3 Nonprofit Philanthropic Charities. A great number of stars, comes out to mingle and entertain all of the attendees.
It’s a great charity event to get involve with. I’m truly honored to have attended the last event and will be attending again in the future. Please support this amazing charity and you will enjoy a great weekend with incredible people. Why not get into the full spirit and dress as your favorite Golden Age of Hollywood Actor! It’s going to be a spectacular event. Don’t miss it! by
Michael Devine u
JAMES “BONZAI” CARUSO
Behind the Board: A Conversation with Grammy-Winning Engineer/Producer
I' ve always been captivated by the magic behind the music—the unsung heroes who bring songs to life from behind the scenes. So, when I had the chance to sit down with James 'Bonzai' Caruso, the legendary recording and mixing engineer with six Grammy wins to his name, I knew I was in for an extraordinary experience.
JEN: Let us start at the beginning. You mentioned you were 17 years old when you started this studio engineering journey. What sparked your interest in this field?
BONZAI: As a young teenager, I was a guitar player. I was studying guitar and listening to lots of records and I was fascinated by the quality and the sound and placement of instruments. My hearing just picked up on each individual, part and arrangement of the songs, especially growing up in the ‘70s. There was great music in the ‘70s. But when I graduated high school at the age of 17, I grew up in the countryside in New Jersey, and I worked on horses, on horse farms, and I had to care for chickens and hundreds of acres of farmland. So I went right to New York City, which is about an hour and a half away, after I graduated high school. I signed up for a course at the Institute of Audio Research, which was part of NYU at the time. After a couple of months in school there at NYU, I was placed in an internship at a recording studio called Secret Sound Studios, which would have been previously owned by Todd Rundgren. When I first started as an intern, they paid me $5 a day. I worked 90 hours a week.
thing then. We had the emulator and a couple of other keyboard samplers at this time, that were fresh on the scene, and he was utilizing samples, and I was just so inspired. Trevor Horn was a really major influence on me.
JEN: Can you describe a typical day in the life of a studio engineer?
JEN: At least you got paid something. A lot of interns don't get paid.
BONZAI: I got a sandwich every day. I just dug into learning, how to use microphones, and the patch bay, and how to use compressors and equalizers and reverbs. I just was a sponge soaking it up. I was very fortunate to have that opportunity.
JEN: So, who was your biggest influence in the world of audio?
BONZAI: At that time, I was a big fan of the band Yes, from the UK, and later when I was an intern at the studio, Trevor Horn became a producer. He did that record, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” from the album “90215” and I was just completely blown away by the sound quality, by the production, by the mixing, the use of samplers. Sampling was a brand new
BONZAI: No!! Because there is no typical day. Every day is different, and it really depends on the project. It depends on if we're recording, if we're mixing, if we're editing, or overdubbing. So if it's a typical day of tracking, it's setting up microphones for drum kit, bass, guitars, amplifiers, and singers, In a live situation, recording a band, that would be a typical day. In an overdub session, when you already have tracks laid, you might be just setting up to overdub strings or horn section, or possibly vocals. In a mixing scenario, a typical day would be coming in, and tracks have already been produced and recorded. I would just be focusing on mixing, so a typical day in a mix session would be just be blending and balancing and getting a good mix.
JEN: Do you get whole bands in the studio at one time?
BONZAI: I look forward to those, especially with Stephen and Damian (Marley), especially with Stephen Marley, and we're tracking his band, or any band, for that matter. I just love tracking live drums, bass guitars, live instruments, with 6,7,8 people in the room. That vibe, I just love it so much. Unfortunately, in the last five or ten (years), especially the last five years since the pandemic, I haven’t been doing very many of those sessions, and I miss it, because those are my favorite sessions.
JEN: What are the biggest challenges you face in your work, and how do you overcome them?
BONZAI: The biggest challenges today is, I mean, there's been a lot of challenges over the years, but most recently, in the last decade or so it has been the volume wars. Everyone wants everything so loud, so it's always, push, push, you know, and that's one of the most challenging things, ‘cause I
love dynamics. I love when songs get quiet, and they build, and they get louder and they get quiet again. So much of today's music is just so in your face, and that's fine, I mean, I'm embracing it, and I've gotten good at it, but it's one of my least favorite things, so it is challenging. One of the other challenging things is when I get sessions that have been recorded wherever, Jamaica Australia, Europe, and they’re not recorded that well, and I’ve got to polish that, you know what I mean. That's a big challenge ‘cause now I'm doing a lot of fixing before I start mixing. I'm hired to do the mixing, and now I've got to fix the drums, fix the timing, ‘cause the bass player’s not on time, or the guitar player’s off, or the singer’s out of key. Pitch correction.
JEN: I know that must be a challenge. I can hear things, I can't do it myself but I can hear when it's off. It hurts my ears. People laugh at me when I say that, and I say, “No, it physically hurts my ears”
BONZAI: Yeah, it’s not fun.
JEN: I'm glad somebody else feels that.
BONZAI: I can hear. It can be the bass, a guitar, be one string on a guitar, itcould be the vocalist, it could be anything. Like, “ No, that's not right”.
I've worked with Cher, she has perfect pitch. Some other people I've worked with, keyboard players, and string players that have perfect pitch, and it's really a gift.
JEN: What are some of the key pieces of equipment or soft ware that you rely on?
BONZAI: I'm an analog fanatic. I love working with analog stuff, but the key components that are most important are equalizers, compressors, reverbs and delays. I would say those four. Now in the software that’s around, plug-ins. A lot of these plug-ins are designed to emulate the old tube equipment from the 60s and 70s. But yet, I would say the equalizers, compressor, reverbs and delays are the most important pieces. Another extremely important piece of equipment is your monitor, your speakers. The quality of your speakers, of what you're listening to, depending on how true they are, is very, very important because then it translates accurately. If you're hearing a lot of bass and treble, when everything's balanced really nice, but then you go in your car and it sounds like mud, then it's lying to you, and it's not going to translate. Speakers are very important. The key is to make it sound good on everything, yeah that's the key.
RECIPE : Low Carb-Kung Pao
Chicken
Marinade
2 tsp. rice or white vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 green onion, chopped
JEN: Can you share a specific technical tip or trick that you used to achieve a particular sound or effect?
BONZAI: Oh! There are so many.
Chicken & Vegetables
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
JEN: Do you have one that's specific to you, that you use?
1/3 cup peanut oil
Broccoli, peppers, carrots – chopped into pieces ¾ cup thinly sliced cabbage (or more if desired)
BONZAI: I don't know about specific to just me because a lot of these tricks have been tried and true and have been around for you a long time. They're just concepts and ideas and tricks, if you will, that work, for instance, side-chaining compression, so that certain instruments will get out of the way of other instruments when they play. You will send a signal to it to kind of duck the other thing when it plays, and then it comes back, so they make room for each other. It's called side-chaining and ducking.
Seasonings
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Splenda
1 tsp. rice or white vinegar
Mix vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, ginger and onion in a large bowl. Stir in chicken and marinate 15 minutes at room temperature or up to 12 hours in fridge.
JEN: That's cool.
Meanwhile, stir fry vegetables in oil over high heat until tender crisp – about 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add marinated chicken and marinade to skillet and stir fry until almost done. Add soy sauce, Splenda and vinegar mixture along with vegetables. Cook stirring an additional 3 or 4 minutes until chicken is cooked through. (Serves 2 or 3 with 10.6g carb per serving).
BONZAI: Yeah! That's a really cool technique to use when things are fighting each other, and they're both fighting for the same space, but you want one to be more apparent than the other, and you just send that one to attenuate, to lower the volume of the other one. It's been around for a while. It's also in the analog role. It's been around.
JEN: I'm going to ask you a controversial question. What do you think of the use of auto tune, the way it's being used now?
BONZAI: Auto tune. I don't know. It's a love-hate relationship. It's a useful tool for certain things. It's a great effect, even if you don't need it on a singer. I used it on Cher. I worked on that “Do you believe in life” song, ( “Believe” from her 1998 album “Believe”) I did her live concerts with that. Continued on page 24
Continued from page 23
JEN: Wasn’t it Cher who brought it to the forefront?
BONZAI: But she didn't need it. It was an effect. She has perfect pitch. We were just using it as an effect because it was a new box, it was a new toy, it wasn't software yet, it was an actual piece of gear. I did Jay Leno’s show with her and David Letterman and a bunch of TV talk shows and some live shows. I used to bring it with me and have her with two microphones, one set at normal voice and one with the effect and then when she wanted to go to the effect, it was up to her. So she had to remember to put tape on them to say “This one for the effect, this one for normal”. I still love using auto tune in that regard, but not on everything. But then, as you know, a lot of artists rely on it, they use it on full-tilt stun mode all the time, and it is what it is.
JEN: Then there are artists that use it because they can't sing.
BONZAI: And then there's that.
JEN: But what about when they go live?
BONZAI: They've developed a live version of it now, that works in realtime, so they can use it on stage now, too, even if they do sing off-key.
it's falling apart as they play. So what you do is you bake the tape in the oven at 400 degrees for about 6 hours.
In 1977, they performed at President Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Ball and since then have received their share of platinum and gold singles, albums, and other industry kudos; most notably a 1980 Grammy for “Shining Star” written and produced by Paul Richmond & Leo GrahamIn 1985, THE MANHATTANS, wanting to enhance their show by adding a female vocalist to the act, chose Regina Belle after being introduced to her by legendary New York dj Vaughn Harper. Spending two years touring with THE MANHATTANS, she appeared on the Bobby Womackproduced single, “Where Did We Go Wrong” (a duet with Gerald Alston). She also contributed to The Manhattans 1986 Columbia Records album, “Back To Basics”. A year later she was signed to the label as a solo artist.
JEN: That would scare me.
it was held in the National Arena. Gerald Alston made a personal tribute to deceased Manhattans cofounder Winfred “Blue” Lovett, at the performance.)
BONZAI: It adheres the metal particles of the tape to the myelar backing, so you can get some plays out of it before it falls off and is gone forever.
JEN: Wow!
RED INK: Will you be returning soon to Jamaica?
GA:
Yes. The
JEN: How do you handle technical difficulties during a session?
BONZAI: One of my specialties. I was dealing with one today and last night. They always come up. I've really gotten good at tracing the signal, you know, troubleshooting and finding the source. So I can detect where it's coming from, I use a process of elimination, to track it down, to track the signals to where there's the problem. You know it's not from the source, you know it went from here to here, to here, to here. The problems right there, so you’ve finally traced it. You just backtrack, and you find where the problem is, and you fix it.
After 16 years with Columbia Records, lead singer Gerald Alston took his turn as a solo artist with Motown Records; while Blue Lovett, due to doctor’s concerns regarding his health, decided to turn his attention towards producing and grooming new artists. The late 1980’s found THE MANHATTANS pursuing individual interests within the industry.
In 1993, all that changed. With their 30th anniversary approaching in 1994, it was the perfect time to reunite. So, along with new members Troy May and David Tyson, a reunion tour was born.
BONZAI: I was under a lot of pressure to make it happen. So I was doing it, and the tape machine, the multi-track machine, was only playing back 1 through 8, 9 through 16 but it wasn't playing back 17 through 24. So I'm missing eight tracks and some of those are Bob Marley's vocals, and some of them were bass, for different songs. I'm like, “Oh my God! What am I gonna do? We’ve gotta get another machine in here or something.” Then I came up with a brilliant idea. I would transfer the 1 through 16, and then I turned it upside down and played it backwards, 1 through 8 was now 17 through 24 backwards, so I put it in the computer backwards and then flipped it forwards in the computer and lined it up. Everyone was like, “What did you just do?” I had to find a workaround at two o'clock in the morning and where were we gonna get another machine. We're in a studio in Miami, and I’m like, “What am I gonna do? I don't have channels 17 and 24, they’re not playing back. I'll start over. It'll be 1 through 8, but it'll be backwards but in the computer it will be forwards”.
Low Carb Diet
Manhattans used to do
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an annual Mother’s Day concert in the Montego Bay / Kingston area. And he would like to start that tradition back again.
RED INK : The Manhattan’s began performing in 1962, that is 57 years of performing. Do you find yourself slowing down at all or are you ready for many years to come?
GA: Ready for many years to come..
RED INK: Plans for the future?
GA: New Single - Get it Ready.
JEN: Wow! So, did it have the crackle that you get on originals?
On February 25, 1999 THE MANHATTANS were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.
JEN: Do you have a memorable troubleshooting story?
In 2003, THE MANHATTANS released their first studio album in fifteen years featuring the beautiful ballad “Turn Out The Stars” which became one of the year’s best songs. On December 9, 2014 Winfred “Blue” Lovett passed away.
BONZAI: Oh, gosh, oh gosh, yeah, I do. I’ve got so many. Back in the day, I was doing Bob Marley's “Chant Down Babylon” remix album with Stephen and Damian (Marley). I had to take Bob Marley's original analog two-inch tape, multitracks, regional ones, and put it into the computer so we could chop up his vocals, put a new beat, and have guest vocalists. We had Erica Badu on one, and Aerosmith and a whole bunch of different artists featured on every different song on that album. So our multi-track machine is set up in the head stack for the heads to play back. The multiple tracks are set up in banks of eight, so you went 1 through 8, 9 through 16, and 17 through 24. So all those channels would come up on the board. That's the original tapes, so I couldn't play it too many times,
On August 15, 2018, THE MANHATTANS will celebrate their 56th anniversary.
On The Love & Harmony Reggar cruise 2019, RED INK Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Gerald Alston of The Manhattans. He’s a classy and an extremely humble human being. It was truly a pleasure meeting this great singer.
New Album – In process of being put together will be a combination of a few “Live” versions of some of their classic songs as well as 4 or 5 “New” songs. Still actively Touring as well.
BONZAI: They had the noise, tape saturation, and tape hiss. Yeah. Cassette noise, but the crackle, that's from vinyl. But actually, sometimes we'll do that too. Like if you listen to “Welcome to Jamrock”, we dropped the needle on any old record, at the beginning before the song, I just took three seconds of it, looped it, and put it all the way through. We do this sometimes and make it sound like you're playing vinyl, but you're not playing vinyl. Yeah, cool trick.
RED INK: With recording for over 62 years, and being able to hear yourself on all different media formats, from Vinyl Records, to Cassette tapes and CD’s, additionally with the resurgence of Vinyl records over the last few years, do you have a favorite media format?
JEN: Now I'm gonna go back and listen to it again, knowing that. What is the most memorable project you’ve worked on and why?
RED INK: With the love that Jamaica has for you and the love that you have for Jamaica, you must love performing there; how long has it been since your last Jamaica concert?
BONZAI: I'm so blessed with so many. “Chant Down Babylon” is definitely one of them. Recording the Marley's in Ethiopia for what would have been Bob Marley's 60th birthday.
GA: Two years ago in Kingston for the Startime Concert.
(It was the biggest venue in the 29 year history of Startime,
GA: “Believe it or not; I am glad you asked that question, because at first I had heard CD’s in Japan, many years ago, when they had first started, and I had thought to myself ‘wow, this sounds great, like the music is flowing,’ then recently I heard the same album on Vinyl and ‘Vinyl kicks CD in the butt.’ It sounds just like the way it sounds in the studio.” ~ Gerald Alston
RED INK: What is your personal favorite song, the most meaningful to you?
We went to Ethiopia and did a concert called Africa Unite, and I had to set up a recording studio on the stage in Addis Ababa. The concert was from noon to midnight with all the Marley brothers, Lauren Hill, I forget who all we had. We also had some local Ethiopian artists. I got to record for 12 hours straight with 110,000 people in the audience. I built this video on stage and I got to record the show on multiple, multiple, multiple hard drives, all running simultaneously. Now the voltage for Ethiopia is not very steady, and I'm watching the voltage go from 110 to 126 to 110. I thought, “Everything is going to crash”, but it didn't. We got through it. So that was very memorable. They made a DVD of that whole show.
JEN: Do you have a funny story from a recording session?
BONZAI: There was this really big artist. No names, she's a material girl. We were in the studio where I was working on her record, it’s in the mid-'90s. The configuration for her album was a digital multi-track machine, and an analog multi-track machine synced together, so 32 tracks of digital and 24 tracks of analog, connected. The studio was under the famous Studio 54. The ceiling was the dance floor of Studio 54. It's called Sound Works. It was a beautiful studio, and she loved working there. So that particular day, I had been working there for months with her, and that particular day we were recording a string section. It was small, but it wasn't a quartet, maybe 8-piece strings with violin, viola, and cello, for the “Erotica” album. So we set up, players were showing up, and the digital tape machine just went down, won't play, it's dead, and there's only two in the whole of New York City, 3 altogether with the one we had. So I'm like, “What are we doing? We've got these string players coming, she's on her way. How am I gonna make the session happen? I’ll call the other studios, maybe we'll just go to the studio that has that particular machine”. It's a Mitsubishi X85 machine, 32track digital. I’m like, ”I'll just call.” So I called the first studio, “No, we’re booked today. You can't come in here”. I’m like trying to make it happen for her. The string players were very expensive, you know, they're all Juilliard students or the Philharmonic. So there's a studio upstairs in the same building, on the roof, called Axis. It's no longer there. So I called them up and said, “You wouldn't happen to have the day available today, would you?” They're like, “ Yeah, actually, we do have cancelation today.” I said, “ Can we come up? All we have to do is get in the elevator. This is so convenient.” So we all get in the elevator, including her husband. So they've all been told who we’re working with. We get in the elevator, and it's so funny, I'll never forget it. We get up to the top floor, and the elevator opens, and there's the whole staff, so excited. They have it decked out with flowers etc., and she says, “ You call this dump a studio” It was hysterical. She just did it for the shock value but she's amazing like that. I spent maybe a year or 8-9 months with her on “Erotica” in ‘94/’95. Did all the remixes for her. She would invite me to her house for a party. We got along just fine.
JEN: What trends are you currently seeing coming up in the audio engineering industry?
BONZAI: There's a big scene in using sample libraries, where you drag and drop. They've got like thousands of bass sounds,
drum sounds, guitar sounds, piano sounds, and you can just drag and drop and create. It makes it easy to create stuff. Yeah, it’s kind of cheating, but I mean it is, and it isn't, ‘cause I do it too. It's a great resource for sounds. Some of the libraries are really good, and some of them are really expensive too. Yeah, trends are sort of like that. I don't know, just outsourcing stuff makes everything easier. You can make a track so quickly. You know it sounds great. We used to have to dial stuff in, and it would take hours and hours to make something.
JEN: How do you think technological advancements are shaping the future of studio engineering?
BONZAI: They have and are continuing to do so, especially with the advent of digital audio in the mid late ‘90s when digital audio started really being prevalent and taking over the analog scene. That changed the ball game, it changed music completely. Things like auto tune, processors, digital processors, robot voices, those types of things are really transforming music and for music production, and the sound of songs. The ease of changing tempos or changing a key. Changing tempo is just so easy now with the advent of new technology. A few years ago, it would take half a day, now you're doing it in 5 seconds.
JEN: That question leads into talking about this amazing new studio where we are doing this interview. Can you describe what you have here?
BONZAI: It’s called Shrine Studios in Las Vegas. At Shrine Studios, we built a Dolby Atmos studio mixing and production room. Dolby Atmos is a fully immersive audio. Our system is 9.4.2. We have 15 speakers around in a 3-dimensional space in the room for mixing. It’s formats are in Logic audio and Pro Tools. Pro Tools and Logic are two of the biggest formats for recording and mixing in music, television, and movies, and since Las Vegas is becoming Hollywood 2.0 with the advent of Hollywood’s film production studios moving here, it seemed like the perfect time to open up a room like this.
JEN: It’s awe-inspiring.
JEN: What advice would you give to aspiring studio engineers?
BONZAI: Just be ready to immerse yourself, spend the time, and train your ears first. Number one, Train your ears. Number two, learn to play an instrument, whether it's a guitar or piano or bass. Knowledge of music and how to play is vitally important, I think. So that when you are in the studio, and you're working, you have that communication mindset, and you know the language, if you will. A knowledge and understanding of chords, scales, keys, are vitally important. People send me sessions, and I can fix it, but now you have to pay me to produce it or get a real producer, because I can produce the heck out of a recording and make it sound great, or I'll just mix what you’ve got and it won't sound great.
JEN: Thank you, Bonzai, for a fascinating interview. I think we could carry this on for days and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for you.
Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus, simply put, is an icon and legend of Hip Hop. With a career spanning over 25 years, he has released hit after hit, and is an ever-constant presence in pop culture. Snoop has stayed extremely relevant and, now more than ever, has built a significant multi-cultural and cross-generational following.
In 1994 he wrote "Gin & Juice:” it was about good feelings and real experiences; it just naturally became a global anthem. Snoop has always wanted to create his own spirits brand, so it was only fitting that he created the world’s best tasting gin. In his quest for flava, he remixed seven botanicals, and infused natural fruit flavors, thus creating his masterpiece.
This juicy gin, with its laidback California style, is like no other gin in the world. It’s gluten free, low calorie with no sugar, and will leave you wanting more. Easy to mix, easy to drink, hard to forget. INDOGGO™ Gin is the ultimate remix of seven premium botanicals infused with all-natural ingredients including strawberry, no sugar with a slightly sweet and fruity finish. Bottle Size: 750ml
3. Shake, then strain into a rocks glass. Serve with crushed ice.
4. Garnish with strawberry slice.
HInstructions:
Step 1
Healthy Eating
AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER
ello again RED INK foodies! In this issue we hope you enjoy our wonderful recipe selection for this month. We are always happy to share with our readers a fun recipe for you to try. Enjoy!
RECIPE:
30-Minute Chicken Teriyaki
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake.
Step 2
Heat the saucepan over high heat on the stovetop and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring so the sugars dissolve.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer until it is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
As the sauce reduces, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Step 5
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
Step 6
Add the chicken and sauté until browned all over and cooked through, flipping once, for about 8-9 minutes.
Step 7
Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Step 8
Wipe out the skillet.
Step 9
Add the remaining canola oil back to the skillet and heat until shimmering over high heat.
Step 10
Add the pepper strips and sauté, stirring only occasionally, until the peppers are crisp-tender and lightly charred, about 3 minutes.
Step 11
Transfer the peppers to your intended serving plates.
Step 12 Serve Enjoy!
*Disclaimer: I am not a physician or medical professional. If you have any medical issues or concerns, please always consult your doctor before committing to a challenge. The challenges are intended for introducing small lifestyle changes in a fun and easy format.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 4 (6-ounce) chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, and lightly pounded • salt, to taste • freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large Italian frying peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips • short-grain rice, steamed, optional, for serving.
Aries
(Mar 21 - April 19)
Taurus
(April 20 - May 20)
Gemini
(May 21 - June 21)
Cancer
(June 22 - July 22)
Leo
(July 23 - Aug 22)
Virgo
(Aug 23 - Sep 22)
Libra
(Sep 23 - Oct 22)
Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Sagittarius
(Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Capricorn
(Dec 22 - Jan 19)
Aquarius
(Jan 20 - Feb 18)
Pisces
(Feb 19 - Mar 20)
In August, Aries will dream for a while, and they will succumb to their ideas of a perfect life. During this period, certain blocks that have been following you for a long time will also surface, and even mild health problems with your back will show up.
In August, Taurus will be full of passion and can look forward to many new love experiences. Due to your composure and peace of mind, you will spread positive energy in your surroundings, and you will get in touch with interesting people with whom you will be on the same wavelength.
August will bring many unpredictable twists and turns to Gemini, but these will be based only on irrational foundations. Therefore, do not let your feelings engulf you, and you better think about everything in advance and rationalize. During this period, you will be prone to impulsive behaviour and if you are not careful, it can backfire on you in the form of an unpleasant quarrel with your partner.
August will be a challenging month for Cancer. You will be betrayed by one of your closest friends, and it will knock you down. You will deal with it, but it will be necessary to close up for a while and process everything gradually. Reading slightly spiritual books will be the right choice for you this month, as it will open your eyes in the sense that you will be able to forgive and move on in your life.
August will be a month full of success for Leo. You will prosper not only at work but also in your personal life. You will shine with positive energy, positively affecting surroundings, and you can expect very interesting invitations to VIP social events. Wherever you walk in, you will be a welcome guest that everyone will want to chat with.
In August, Virgo will face mood swings. Therefore, this period will not be ideal for making important life decisions that need rational consideration and insight. On the other hand, your intuitive actions will not hurt. If these are ordinary things, on the contrary, it will make the situation much easier for you.
In August, Libra will be very sociable. Empathy will awaken, and thanks to that, you will become favourite mentors to your friends. This month you would do everything for others, so it will be fulfilling for you when your friends confide in you, and you will be able to advise and support them.
August will bring a portion of stubbornness and drive to Scorpios. You will achieve whatever you set as your goal this month. However, you will have a tendency to have no regard for others and have no boundaries, which might be problematic, especially at work. Maybe your colleagues will look at you with some hostility in their eyes, but that could be because they will envy your drive and success.
August will bring out some sexual energy and passion in Sagittarians, which they will have to give vent to. The best thing you can do is go on a holiday abroad where you can switch off and let yourself be led by your desires. You can look forward to incredible erotic experiences because you will crave to explore new areas of your sexuality which will open in you this month.
August will bring a lot of mood changes to Capricorns. You might feel as if you are on an emotional roller coaster that will not have a good effect on people around you or your partner. You will also have problems with jealousy and with a desire to control everything. That can be potentially very problematic if you will not hold yourself back.
In August, Aquarians will take everything too seriously and personally. You will also start being overly perfectionistic, which will motivate you, but also any failure of reaching your goals will put you down, and you might even have anxieties. You will lose track of what you actually want in life, and you will be looking for help from your close ones.
You will definitely not lack an urge to be social this month. Pisces will want to spend every free moment by some shared activity with their friends or partner. You will enjoy being playful, and you feel comfortable and confident talking with a higher number of people as well; they will listen to everything you say.
