The Crop Over Sponsors’ Breakfast and launch is out of the way.
New music is in production in preparation for radio release. The first youth rally and Cavalcade is set for May 14 at the Briar Hall playing field in Christ Church.
Pretty soon there will be no getting away from all the elements that make Crop Over the “Sweetest Summer Festival”. A big part of that is the music; it is the vehicle that drives the festival and entices people to the many limes and fetes.
Even though artistes will be producing music for people to enjoy during the festival and hopefully win them some prizes, they will also be hoping for that hit which will land them some gigs overseas and appearances on the circuit.
One of them is Trinidad Carnival, which many see as the big breakthrough or some sort of coming of age.
Time was when local bands and acts would take up residence in Trinidad for more that a month when Carnival was in full swing and Bajan music was in big demand. That is no longer the case, but some entertainers are still enjoying limited success and rewards at Carnival.
With the dwindling pickings down sout’, there was some guarantee of Bajan involvement in the greatest carnival on earth when producer of the bMobile International Soca Monarch, William Munro, opened up the competition, making the regional soca monarchs automatic finalists.
Khiomal Nurse was the first to qualify but, given the issues he faced, one cannot say it worked out to his benefit. TC was the second, and any chance she had of toppling the Trini and regional competition was derailed on the night.
This year Blood’s fire was never going to be hot enough, even though he did not have any major issues to report. It did get him some warm cash in his pockets, which was more that his winnings for the Party Monarch and Soca Monarch combined.
I was right there front stage at Hasely Crawford Stadium for all three, and I strongly believe Bajan and other regional monarchs need to stop going into Trinidad to compete, or think they have a real chance at winning.
If it were just a case of odds, I would say take a chance, but it would seem like the unwritten rules of the competition are guaranteed to frustrate if one goes in with the thought of winning.
I have heard stories out of the King of Kings competition and now, with my own experience of the Soca Monarch, I can say without fear that the playing field will never be level once it’s on Trini soil.
The monarchs from St Vincent, Grenada and Antigua are yet to respond to questions for an in-depth follow-up from the competition, but I believe the account from Blood.
Munro’s pre-competition promise of equal airplay for all the finalists in the week leading up to the March 4 showdown never happened, I am told. But that was nothing compared with preparations for the actual competition.
According to Blood, a draw for places in the finals never took place.
He said numbers were placed on a table face-up and people were called in to decide where they wanted to be, starting with defending monarchs JW and Blaze. The numbers drawn, and by whom, were then written on a board for everyone to see.
One would think that the monarchs from the other islands would be the next called, but not in Trinidad. The visiting monarchs were the last three to be called.
As I wrote in a previous column, the TT$2 million was a major drawing card, but apart from that it was as if Machel had to win. He was not a popular choice on the night though, and fans expressed their displeasure by booing.
The attorney general of Trinidad endorsed Machel in an article in the Trinidad Express the day before the competition. Additionally, comments made by Munro days after the competition were not only out of place but, to my mind, brought the result into question.
Munro said Iwer had to blame himself for not winning, and he spoke of time and prop violations and the singer’s backstage conduct. Interestingly, both Iwer and Machel were penalised for exceeding the eight-minute time limit. Machel was reportedly on for 12 minutes and Iwer for 14. Even though he said he could not recall the exact tally for each artiste, Munro was able to say Machel emerged three points ahead.
Having said all that, I say non-Trinidadian acts should not go to the Soca Monarch to compete. Go all out and make a show of it as if it were an overseas gig and enjoy the substantial pay. If by some fluke or intervention, you happen to win $2 million, it would be a wonderful thing.
Big up Biggie Irie still for bringing it home in 2007; there will not be another like you any time soon.
I leave that issue with some thoughts from Blood: “It (competing) makes sense on a financial level, and it makes sense if you’re going to sell yourself, basically, to the rest of the world because everybody is looking on at that point in time….if you think you’re going to win, you will continue to think that you’re going to win.”
Gimme the night too!
I join with all those who have endorsed the move of the Party Monarch competition to night, and look with great anticipation to the presentations and spectacle that should come with it. I have seen some amazing things at bMobile International Soca Monarch and I know our local guys can rise to the challenge.
One would have hoped that the Sweet Soca Monarch would have been given the same treatment, but I guess we should be happy with the small step.
What I hope we will not have to deal with is having to wait until dawn for a result! This year results in Trinidad came back after 5 a.m, and I remember a stakeout for the semi-final results until 4 a.m. at the National Cultural Foundation.
Teams from the NCF would have seen the Trinidad model and should know what not to do. Quite apart from that, they are going into the third year for the two competitions and should by now have a formula for keeping things tight.
