I have been observing with keen interest the furor over the government’s statement of being committed to Bajan talent for Crop Over.

Government stated that they could not allow a situation to occur where foreign acts would be brought here to headline our premiere Crop Over events over local acts. So what the ass is the matter with that? That is a government policy we should applaud and as artistes we should be jumping with joy when we hear it.

I know you will start saying “Boyce you working with the NCF doing Cavalcades now and you supporting them” . That is not true, my position was always the same.

The Boyce position was well ventilated in several posts I wrote in 2007 including a famous Open the gates my ass where I cursed the previous administration over not only having a Trinidad act headlining our Party Monarch show but a radio ad with the Trini inviting us to our own Bajan national event.

Also last year the previous government had their ass royally kicked whem they had a Cohobblopot which featured Jamaican, Mr. Vegas causing the event to be scorned by the public who chose to attend the competitive 100% Bajan event “Euphoria” instead.

So without any reservation we need to applaud and endorse the stated government policy to highlight our Bajan entertainers during our Crop over season.

The Plymouth Jazz festival is coming up on 25th April in Tobago, looks like an event not to be missed.

Featuring major acts like Rod Stewart, Shakira, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Peabo Bryson, En Vouge, James Ingram and Steel Pulse.
Whoa, that’s quite a line up!
My first question, what do any of those above mentioned artistes have to do with Jazz?

Rod Stewart with his “if you want my body and you think I am sexy” no jazz there…

I love to see Shakira shaking those hips of hers while she is singing but she don’t do Jazz.

Whitney Houston belting out how I am all the man she will ever need, but no freaking jazz there either.
I challenge you to identify one of those acts that are even remotely connected to Jazz.
Is it that promoters are “selling out” by not booking jazz purists in order to attract more patrons?
At least when Chris Harper of Notes to Note puts on his Jazz events at the Plantations, he features “real” Jazz acts, and so does Gilbert Rowe with our Barbados Jazz Festival.

The next question I would ask is why do they call an event such as this a “Jazz Festival”?
When you to come to Bacchanal Time calypso tent don’t you expect to hear calypso? So when you go to a jazz festival should you not hear jazz?
If you will not be hearing Jazz not even once, why not change the name to more accurately reflect the musical fare offered,So it should be the “Tobago International Music Festival” then every thing would be covered, including Shakira shaking those hips!

Guyanese Timeka and our Rihanna in Jamaica

Here is a bio on Timeka Marshall hailing from Guyana, she is one on the artistes represented by Pyramid Entertainment which is managed by the irresistible Santia Bradshaw. With the coming of CSME we need to know about our regional neighbours, so read on, you are not busy ..

Who would have thought that a simple jingle for a local company would be the start of a music career that seems destined for success? Well that is exactly how young Guyanese singer Timeka Marshall got her break. In 2006
a local telecommunications company staged a competition for their new jingle. Timeka entered and won. This became the springboard for recording her first R&B Single “We Should Separate”, which was released and quickly followed by the music video. Produced by Muzikmedia and shot on location in Jamaica both the track and the video gained popularity on the Caribbean music scene and held their own in heavy rotation on radio and television stations across the region.

Yet there was much more to unearth in the way of Timeka’s talents. Timeka After performing “We Should Celebrate” on the Guyanese entertainment circuit to appreciative audiences,Timeka was keen to cultivate her songwriting talents and attended the Barbados Music seminar and Showcase in February 2007. There she blew regional and international music executives away with her obvious talent and enticing sensuality. With just one performance of the gritty dancehall track “Nothing At All”, Timeka was immediately signed to a developmental deal which would see her working with some of Jamaica’s top producers.Timeka’s commitment and hard work in the months she spent in Jamaica has paid off, with the release of two singles – “Free” and “Ice-cream Boy” (a fresh taste on a classic) produced by international reggae producer
Clive Hunt and his team of talented musicians. Her relationship with Jamaica and the treasure trove of musicians, directors and producers there continues to grow. As soon as the two singles were in heavy rotation on Guyana’s airwaves, Timeka returned to Jamaica to continue recording. This dedication is a clear indication of her intention
to take her music throughout the region and beyond and add to the growing list of Caribbean artistes who now rank among the international superstars of the entertainment industry.

Thanks to Entertainment powerhouse extraordinaire Santia Bradshaw of Pyramidfor these Exclusive photos of Mr Dale, Lil Rick and Biggie Irie at Trini Carnival

Pyramid Music Truck on the road in Trinidad, Carnival Monday

Here’s Blaxx who came 2nd in Trinidad Road March, Peter Ram, Winner of Bmobile Power Soca Monarch Bunji Garlin and Mr. Dale

 Pyramid Music Truck on the road in Trinidad, Carnival Monday

Dale Rudder (Mr .Dale),Al Gilkes (former chairman of the National Cultural Foundation in Barbados and promoter with FAS Entertainment), Biggie Irie and Peter Ram .

Boyce Voice Comment;

I admire the savvy and adventurous spirit of Pyramid Entertainment, how they are always finding unique and innovative ways to promote their artistes.

I have always found the concept of artiste management in Barbados sadly lacking, most managers are lazy as ass, they don’t go out and look for work and promotional opportunities for their entertainment wards, they just sit back and wait until a promoter calls and then step up and say “I am the manager” so they can get their 25% cut.

When you look at Pyramid Entertainment management style you get a different view, you see videos being done, billboards being erected and trucks being put on the road all promoting their artistes.

You begin to get the impression that not only Pyramid benefits FROM their artistes, but their artistes also benefit FROM them.

Pyramid’s policy is probably “Ask not what  your artiste can do for you, but what you can do for your artiste”

I am trying to sound wise, is it working? I write this in hope that Santia Bradshaw reads this and decides to manage me, I can see Boyce bill boards, Boyce videos and Boyce sold out concerts, I can see Boyce doing a duet with Rihanna and ……… wait …….

Sorry about that I think I dozed off just now and started to dream, or fantasize, must be Valentines in the air…. Boyce is leaving the computer
 

Barbados based company Pyramid Entertainment Management Inc. has once again created history during the festive period of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival celebrations, by being the first foreign entity and entertainment company to put a music and performance truck on the road for T&T Carnival.

This comes following the successful 2007 venture between Pyramid Entertainment and Sesame Flyers International (New York’s largest Carnival mas band), when the Pyramid music truck was a very visible element in the New York Labour Day parade and celebrations.

In 2008, they aligned themselves with the big mas band Tribe, consisting of over 5,000 eager revelers to present the Pyramid “All Star” music truck. Complete with a performance stage, music by Dawg-E-Slaughter and Xcaliber and fully equipped by Tank Sound Systems, the truck was a literal media magnet, attracting not only spectators with cameras but also crews from local, regional and international media houses (who took opportunities to interview the truck’s featured artistes).

Pyramid had broken boundaries last Carnival when Biggie Irie (an artiste featured on their talent roster) became the first non-T&T national to win the International Groovy Soca Monarch Competition.

Biggie Irie was also a featured artiste on the 2008 “All Star” truck; along side 2007 Barbados Road March winner and peoples choice award winner Mr. Dale, 2007 Barbados Soca Monarch finalist Peter Ram and regional soca star Problem Child.

Also sending the crowd of masqueraders into frenzy were the performances by invited Trinidadian guests 2008 International Soca Monarch winner Bunji Garlin and his wife, the newly crowned 2008 T&T Road March winner Faye-Ann Lyons, as well as Road March contender Blaxx and Umi Marcano.

 Pyramid’s billboard in Trinidad…..Biggie Irie, Lil Rick, Peter Ram and Mr. Dale

In addition to the music truck, Pyramid Entertainment also made a promotional impact for their company, their artistes and for the general festival culture of Barbados by erecting a 20′ X 8″ double sided billboard on the east/west corridor of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway which reads “From Carnival to Crop Over” and features images of four of the Barbadian superstars on the Pyramid roster, Biggie Irie, Lil Rick, Mr. Dale and Peter Ram.

Pyramid Entertainment’s management team Santia Bradshaw and Ruel Ward, express their sincere gratitude to all of the artistes who performed on the truck, the radio stations which continue to promote the music of the Barbadian and regional artistes, the promoters who were responsible for booking the artistes over the Carnival season and the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), whom they invited to come on board as a co-sponsor, in an effort to promote the Barbados Crop Over Festival and encourage the participants of T&T’s carnival experience, to join them in Barbados for their festival in August of 2008.

More Exclusive Pictures from T and T Carnival coming tomorrow 

Continuation of the phenomenon of Trini women grabbing and feeling Machel Montano’s testicles while he is performing.

Let’s look at this from a financial perspective like the Business news would. That activity which Machel is now engaging in would be sure to increase revenue of events he is performing in, which in turn would benefit the government as they would collect increased vat because of Machel’s penis. Promoters knowing that Machel comes with this “feel” feature, should advertise it and promote it when they book him for shows. That’s an idea that Freddie and Al Gilkes could use or Mikey from Krosfyah when they have Machel for “Soca on the Hill” next year.

Come see High Definition Machel and touch his H D P (P here meaning penis) It would be an interactive show..

If I were you Machel, which I am not, but if I were, I would be careful with that crotch grabbing thing while I am performing for 2 reasons:

• Next thing you know you will be performing jumping up and down and some one will grab your crotch when you are going up and they would have grabbed it permanently, ouch that could be painful. Next thing you know one of your fans would be taking it home as a souvenir. I can hear a Trini girl running home from a fete excitedly “Hey look mommy look what I got, Machel Montano’s penis! And I got him to autograph it too”. If that were to happen fortunately for Machel they can do a lot of great things with plastic surgery these days.

• How will you be sure that only female audience members are grabbing. If I were you I would think long and hard about that.

Barbadian performers would now find it hard to get jobs in Trinidad to perform if they do not have up-to-standard equipment. That’s probably what the Trini Promoters look for now, I could hear them “yea no doubt about it that baje boy can sing, but he seems pretty lacking down there where it counts”. Also when you are sending out a bio to Trinidad you would have to send a picture of that area as well.

From my own personal side, audience members grabbing my privates would be a no no. Frankly I don’t think I have the balls for it….

Read in the news recently where Police attempted to stop a Machel Montano show while he was performing at the Zen nightclub in Trinidad. Why? Because he was allowing female audience members “to touch his testicles” while he was on stage.

Machel ignored them however and continued to perform while the women continued to “touch”. He must have some balls, ignoring the police like that… Now this is a serious thing, if this trend continues with Trini women feeling the penises of male performers, that means Edwin Lil Rick, Peter Ram and them had better watch out when they go down performing in Trinidad. While Peter Ram might be singing he “wants a woman by his side”, he might find a woman in front of him grabbing what is in front of him.

Of course there might be some performers that might like that; there will also be some with whom it might be difficult finding something to grab.

Now if you say “A” you have to say “B”. If the females are grabbing the males, that then lends itself to the assumption that males can now grab females. Now there’s a sobering thought, I bet you that if Destra Garcia were on stage performing “I dare you” there would be no man that would “dare” to try a grabbing stunt like that, and if you did you would probably find your self before the law courts. But if the women do it to the men its ok, it’s like if we are dog meat or something! I can now see why Machel is so popular though, I am sure that with the extra “perks” and “feels” he gives his female fans he would have quite an extensive and loyal fan base.

I find this phenomena of women grabbing male performer’s privates to be an interesting one. It can be paralleled to what happens in “strip joints” where similar treatment is meted out to female strippers, except you also throw money on the stage reflecting the dexterity of the performer. In that case where is Machel’s money ladies? You are short-changing him….

A financial Analysis of Trini Crotch Grabbers Coming Soon!

October does not seem to be a good month for reggae stars, On Friday the world was shocked to hear of the shooting death of Lucky Dube, who was killed in an apparent carjacking in a South African Suburb on Friday.
Earlier this month Tu Face Idibia was also shot by bandits, luckily he survived, unfortunately it was not the same for Dube.
Lucky Dube was seen as one of the Icons of Reggae music, in league with greats such as Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
He was also known as a musical “freedom fighter” who was an outspoken critic of apartheid.
It is tragic when a human being who would have contributed so much could be shot for something as trivial and materialistic as a car.

Boyce Voice presents Lucky Dube performing a song that seems appropriately named “Its Not Easy”.

Wow, this is one impressive video! Jumbie by Machel Montano. The choreography is impressive the cinematography is super! It’s a real Caribbean “thriller”.It shows why Machel is celebrating over 25 years in the business and still going strong. I was a fan of Machel from the time he did “Too Young To Soca” back in 1982 when he was 8. In his impressive career he performed all over the world and has done collaborations with Alison Hinds, Beanieman, Burning Flames, G Unit, Mr Vegas and more.

Click to see Machel’s collaboration with the living dead zombie aka in the Caribbean as “Duppy” aka “Jumbie”

Check the title “testing testing testing 1, 3, 1,3″ you should be asking what happened to the number 2?

There is a funny story behind that, and when I say funny I mean homophobic funny.

When I was in Jamaica recently our group was touring in 3 buses, I noticed the buses were numbered 1, 3, 4 skipping the number 2. So while talking to the Jamaican bus driver,I asked what happened to the number 2 bus and here’s what he said.

Appearently Jamaicans have developed an extreme aversion to the number 2. We know that “number 2″ in the Caribbean is some times used to refer to what someone does when they go to the bathroom. So because Number 2 is associated with something which comes from the behind.

In Jamaica Number 2 has been therefore designated as a “botty boy” number. So the driver said if a number 2 bus turns up people ask “whey you gine wid that botty bus?” And then people started stoning the buses and so they had to take the 2’s off the buses.

Because of the aversion to the number 2, when sound men are testing the microphone in Jamaica they now say testing testing 1, 3,1,3!

And where did this flawed concept originate?

Music!

Appearently this perception of the number 2 was birthed in certain song lyrics. This speaks to the power of music and power and influence of entertainers. It also speaks to the extreme homophobic nature of Jamaicans.

If I was Elton John, I wouldn’t quite start planning my Jamaica tour just yet!

Testing testing 1,3 out!