DC CARNIVAL PARADE 2011:The Review

This review is going to be painful..but then again Saturday was painful, and frustrating!

So by now we all know that DC Carnival had some serious financial issues this year because of money owed to the Police Department for last year's parade. Eventually a compromise was reached where we could still have a parade BUT it would only be half the route and for a shorter space of time to cut back on DCPD costs. Good in theory, not so good in action.

Old Route: Total parade length included the red and green lines, the new route was just the green portion

Close up of the new route

The parade was supposed to start at 11am which at Caribbean People Time meant that the mud band didnt pull off until about 12:30pm. Then, to top things off, as soon as our band started to move the generator in the truck blew. Yep, NO MUSIC! Now on a regular parade day with time to kill, we would have been able I'm sure to pull aside and have someone fiddle with it for at least a 30 mins and get it working. But this year time was an issue so we just continued to head down GA Ave in silence, occasionally punctuated by shouts of "Oh gosh alyuh mash up d speaker boxx!!" and the like.

My friends and I decided that we would go a few sections up to the Indulgence Paint band and chip with them so our parade wouldn't be a total flop. Only to realize that the bands were moving so quickly that Indulgence had already 'crossed' and finished the parade, and it was only around 1:30pm! Pissed would be an understatement for how I felt by then. The bands between Indulgence and the Mud band were of the more ethnic types, Haitians, and Africans etc so we just killed time looking at them..since there was nothing else to do really.

Then, a grand total of 5 blocks from the ending point the mud band's generator suddenly decided to work and I'm not gonna lie, those 5 blocks of jammin rivaled my entire Tribe Red Ants experience lol. I could only imagine just how good my parade would have been if that truck had worked for the full route. The mud band crossed by around 2:30 and the parade was officially a wrap. (Bear in mind last year it finished after 4pm)

I honestly don't know what to say. I can't come down too hard on DC for this ish because it is what it is. My only issue is that this whole thing just smells fishy to me, I just feel as if some part of the story is missing. I just really hope that the DCCC made enough money to cover last year's and this year's debts and pave the way for a proper, full blown DC Parade next year.

I don't want to give much attention to the violence that was reported as ocurring during the festival. I was actually unaware that any of it happened until yesterday. I think that what everyone should understand is that like other urban areas D.C. has its share of crime, and Howard University has a reputation for being located in the 'hood'. The fight that has made the rounds via youtube and worldstar actually occurred AFTER the parade (around 6:30pm) by which time the actual participants in the parade were already off the streets. So please people don't let anyone tell you that it was Howard University violence or DC Caribbean Parade violence. It was just typical, ignorant DC local behavior. I' m a little confused about how it was possible for the fight to continue as long as it did with no police interference, especially since the DCPD are usually zooming up and down GA Ave on a regular basis. Its very, very strange.....that's all I have to say about that.

Eyes Wide Shut: The Review

I'm not gonna lie, two days before Machel's concert I started debating whether or not to sell my tickets. It seemed like everyone was going to Kes and for a lil while I even wondered if this concert was going to flop. I am soooooo glad that I ended up sticking to my original plan. Machel was bess!

I got to DC Star at around midnight and got in easily, the line was short and the entry process ran smoothly. It was interesting to see that they searched/scanned people a grand total of three times before they were allowed in. I guess they were taking no chances, which was wise considering the reputation of that neighborhood and the fact that Machel concerts tend to have their own brand of wileness as we all know. As iffy as I had been about the type of crowd that would have been there all my concerns disappeared once I walked in the club. The party had rel vibes and it was clear that everyone was just there to have a good time.

We jammed, wined and wukked up courtesy Dj Super Slice for a lil bit then it was time for the performances. Farmer Nappy came out first and did his thing and then it was time for the Soca King himself, Mr Montano. (I was secretly hoping for a lil Patrice too but she was MIA this rounds). I must say I thoroughly enjoyed Machel's performance. Yes things got a lil wild in front the stage but being a Machel veteran I know how to hold my own in a crowd like that. When I couldnt take the jammin anymore I headed to the 'middle' of the club where I could still see Machel but without all those ppl advantaging my poor toes lol. And yes as other people have testified Machel did do his usual vulgarity on stage but ummm...ppl is Machel we talkin about here, what did you expect?! Every Machel concert I've been to there's always been him playing with his nipple ring, winin up a storm and ALWAYS some thirst grls/women in front the stage trying to grab his crotch. The only difference was that this time he said and I quote

"Ladies in front the stage, alyuh could stop trying to pull down my pants cuz guess what, I not going home with any of you!"

LMAO! They looked so ashamed afterwards!

Special Guest Walker made an appearance which I loved as With or Without You has always been one of my fave songs. He even put down a small wine on the stage, and what can I say, 'A' for effort lol.

This was hands down one of the best events for the weekend, Machel performed from around 2am to like 4:30 (after begging management for extra time) and joked that we were gonna make him miss his flight. He later replied to my tweet saying that he made it tho :)





At one point one of my friends turned to me and said "Damn I forgot Machel had all these tunes yes!" From Too Young to Soca, to Pretty Gyal to Advantage we heard it all! What had me laughing is that while DC Star was getting advantaged....the Kes concert was already over. I heard that Kes was off the stage by 2:30am and the party finished soon after. A lot of my friends were totin that Machel was on stage for so long, to the point that at 4:30 I had to send a mass text letting them know it was over and they could stop totin and go to bed lol.

Long story short Machel officially brought my carnival vibe back, by the end of the concert I was making plans to be on the road the next day and bbming my friend asking for Indigo tix. So thank you Machel, for saving MY DC CARNIVAL!

C'est Fini!

DC Carnival weekend ended last night. Overall I had a great weekend, there were definitely some ups and downs but at the end of the day I totally enjoyed myself.

My first event was the Launch Party at Bar 7 on Wednesday. It was exactly what you would expect for a warm up party, a more lounge than club type setting and a chill crowd (well except when wotless and where yuh from' played). The event was free with happy hour from 10pm to 11pm. The crowd was a tad uptown as I think at least half of the people there just kinda wandered in after work and found themselves in the middle of a carnival party. This was evidenced by what one patron said to DJ Hazzard (see his tweets about it below). I just about flatlined when I saw this, I mean who goes to a soca party and asks for Trey Songz?? LOL



I do know there was at least one weirdo in the mix who approached my friend with the opening line of "yo ma you aint got no panties on huh?" -_- I kid you not. We couldnt even be that mad because it was obvious that he was really drunk and we also didnt want to cause a scene so we just moved as far away from him as possible. Other than that it was a good night. This was a nice addition to the Carnival weekend line up and I hope they have it again next year. A link to the photo album for the event is below.

http://www.facebook.com/DeeJayHazzard?ref=ts#!/media/set/?set=a.751389866610.2183269.8908404


ONE
This event was held on Carnival Thursday and basically replaced TRIBE's Ignite. I missed Ignite last year but did attend it in '09 and I must say I prefer Ignite to ONE. ONE was held at the Muse Nightclub which was a tad too small for the crowd imo. Also, a lot of people including myself were a little upset that it ended at 2am which is typical for dc clubs during the week but not of course the usual finishing time for carnival parties. Hopefully next year they find a club that facilitates a later end time.

At that point of the week I honestly was not feeling the Carnival vibe at all and was still adamant that I would not on the road on Saturday and would not be attending Indigo. Particularly after Thursday night I just was not feeling the hype that I usually get so close to the actual Carnival weekend.

That all changed after Friday night....to be continued!

Machel to perform at White House

Link to article below
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/featured-news/Machel_to_perform_at_the_White_House-124472059.html

Nice to see that all of this is cleared up and I'm extremely proud of Machel...this is a huge accomplishment! I can't help but wonder how this performance is going to go down tho....am I the only one picturing Machel and Brittany dancing to 'Bend Over' in front of the Obamas? lol!


So far DC Carnival is shaping up to be ...okay. Wednesday night I attended the Launch party at Bar 7, last night One at Club Muse and tonight which is my last night of partying I will be at DC Star for Machel's performance :D I really hope that tonight is great as the events thus far have been decent but not as good as years past. My experience this year has actually made me pretty sure that unless these promoters and the DCCC get it together next year, DC Carnival will not be on my list of events to attend.

At the last minute the Saturday event got switched up and they basically changed the focus and headliner acts from the whole bag of artists they had listed initially (and their emphasis on Kes) to just Blaxx and Benjai -_-. They then put Kes onto the Friday party so it went from hosted by to performance by. Now what if as intended I had already bought my ticket for Sat so I could see Kes perform? I would have been PISSED! Thankfully I am Ms Last Minute and kept stickin with that and now Saturday night will meet me in my bed.

Allegedly one of the promoters for the Saturday event got shortchanged in the mix-up. The Saturday event was their only fete for the weekend, unlike the other promoters and now they stand to lose revenue due to the recent changes. This is because of course Benjai and Blaxx will not pull the same crowd as Kes. Talk about taking the L.

Thats all the updates I have for now, now excuse me while I go nurse my mini hangover, Long Island Iced Teas are my kryptonite! :S

Update on Cuba Carnival

Taken from today's Express

Trinidad may miss own party
By Wayne Bowman wayne.bowman@trinidadexpress.com


The 31st Caribbean Music Festival, also known as the Fiesta del Fuego Caribbean Festival, taking place in Santiago de Cuba next month, is dedicated to the arts and culture of Trinidad and Tobago, but there may be no Trinbago culture at the festival.

Locals with interest in the festival, scheduled to come off from July 2 to 10, said the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism failed to fulfill its commitment toward supporting a local contingent participating in the festival.

A source from the Ministry denied this, saying the Ministry paid for two representatives from the festival producers, Casa del Caribe and the Cuban Ministry of Culture to come to T&T and stay at the Chancellor Hotel, St Ann's, for several days for the purpose of working out plans for Trinbago's participation in the festival.

There were, however, never any meetings between the Ministry and the Cubans, who left without accomplishing anything, a source connected to the Cuban organisers told the Express. The source said with the knowledge of the Ministry, a local travel agent placed on offer two charters providing about 160 seats each.

There were also 200 rooms pre-booked at two hotels, one a three-star the other a five-star for Trinidadians expected to attend and participate. Those rooms were released from the pre-booking last week after there was no definitive confirmation from Trinidad, the source said.

The Ministry source said the Multiculturalism Ministry did express that it will support the participation of Trinbago in the festival, but there were certain concerns that needed to be addressed before any investment into the venture could be made.

The Express was told that either Minister Winston "Gypsy" Peters or Permanent Secretary Vel Lewis would contact us yesterday afternoon to explain what was taking place, but up to press time, no one from the Ministry had contacted us. The Cuban Embassy also declined comment on the issue.

The Caribbean Music Festival is an academic and cultural space for debate on the history and culture of the Caribbean peoples. The festival also provides an opportunity to appreciate the region's rich cultural heritage through dance, music, painting, visual arts, theatre and literature.

The festival is therefore a platform for solidarity, diversity, friendship and hope for peoples sharing a common destiny despite speaking different languages.

The charter flight and hotel accommodation package is being offered by Naipaul's Travel Service.



Funny how the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism puts so much emphasis on wanting to see Carnival expand and for Trinidad to 'own' Carnival then they drag their feet on opportunities like this. SMH.

Bits and Pieces

Well first off does Machel Montano know yesterday was not April Fools? Everyone was going crazy yesterday over his announcement that he would be performing at the White House. I refrained from posting anything because honestly well...I didn't believe it. I googled and binged and wikipedia'd and nowhere could i find any original US government source to support this claim. I followed the link posted by The Sweet 7 that led to this page. Note no mention of Machel there. I guess we will eventually get the behind the scenes story from his camp, and hopefully sooner than later. Maybe it was a joke that went a lil too far?

Still undecided on what I'll be doing for DC Carnival....got all excited about the Machel concert on Friday but I'm now rethinking it. I mean what if like the White House performance this doesn't get off the ground? I have also never heard of these promoters which makes me even more hesitant. If one more DC promoter has a performer-less party after falsely advertising the opposite I WILL trip so maybe I should just avoid this one lol

In other news TRIBE launches on July 23rd, first said by my friend then confirmed by Saucy. So yes folks its time to get that deposit money ready and your committee link on speed dial lol. I'm thinking of doing frontline this year but that depends on how much progress i make in the gym. I'm also still hoping for huge Victoria Secret wings but we'll see....Hope they put out another teaser video as well!

One can always hope right?!

DC Carnival Party Woes

Brace yourselves, its gonna be a long post!


I've put off blogging about this for some time now in hopes that how I felt would change. I really hate to have to be negative about a promoter that has done such a great job in the past but I feel strongly about the situation.

According to one of my friends I am the DC Carnival financial analyst.

Last DC Carnival I had a blast! I went to Machel the friday ($50 approx), jumped with the mud band Saturday ($15 because I only paid for the tshirt) and Indigo the Sunday ($40).. Now mind you Machel performed for a pretty long while complete with Patrice and Nappy, I heard everything from 'Stalker' to 'Music Farm' to his most recent hits. The vibe was bess and food and drinks just flowed. I 100% got my money's worth and then some. Indigo was undoubtedly hands down one of the best fetes I've been to in a really long while, so much so that this year I said I would prob just go to one party for the weekend and Indigo was it. The crowd kept it fun but classy and it was the perfect end to my carnival weekend.

Fast forward to this year and lets see how much this same weekend would cost me now. Friday 'concert' with Kees ($55.), mud band ($35), Indigo ($70). Yes I said it..SEVENTY DOLLARS USD! Now the mud band is getting left out because honestly that is and has been for some years now the price of their real package which includes t shirt, breakfast and non alcoholic drinks. BUT as for the other two. First off to all you folks getting hype off of seeing Kees perform please take another look at the flyer and note that it says HOSTED BY Kees. Nowhere on the flyer does it say prformance by! So more than likely I would be paying $55 dollars to watch Kees be a mic man and if I'm lucky maybe he'll sing a verse off one of his songs. Yeh. Not happening. I'm sorry but if I spent the same amt to see Machel do everything but back flip off the stage there is no way I'm going to spend that amount this year for a regular party. ESPECIALLY when the Saturday night will have legit performances and its only $35.

Then Indigo...sigh. where to start. I mean its true that it comes down to "Supply & Demand. they can charge what we will pay...." as @cropover123 tweeted to me but jeez a $30 jump with nothing to show for it? Alyuh have no shame? Despite the pressure of my presumably richer? friends I have decided not to bother 'submitting my ticket request for review' this year because honestly its just not worth it.
1)No performance
2)The crowd is already pretty much as bougie as it could get...there was not a single person at that party last year that was remotely hood or grassroots or however you want to say it. So basically there's no room for improvement here in my opinion as Gresham Ent was already doing a good job of crowd selection.
3)Drinks menu looks pretty much the same as does the dj lineup except there's no Private Ryan :(

I mean really..you expect me to pay more to go to a party with the same djs, same drinks, same crowd? Negative!

So my DC party plans are now pretty much up in the air...who knows, maybe I'll just sit this year out at home...or take that $150 and go buy myself a Longchamp lol

FINALLY!

Just yesterday I was wondering about the lack of info on the DC Carnival fetes. Other than the smaller events I had heard nothing about the events on DC Carnival weekend. In fact, I was starting to wonder if maybe their short notice on the fact that there would be a DC Carnival this year interfered with planning. But thankfully and finally the website is up, so go on and click over to http://www.dccarnival.com/ for info on all the upcoming festivities!

I have noticed that there are some changes in the line up this year. For the first time in...well rel years there is no TRIBE IGNITE on the Thursday.....wonder why?

Also, typically there are two events on the Carnival Saturday, one hosted by Pumpstation Entertainment and the other hosted by Basement Knokers Ent, however this year it seems that they have joined forces. Hopefully this all works out as both these events are typically 'ram out' so it will be interesting to see if they can find a suitable venue for the large crowd or perhaps cut back on no of tickets sold.

Regardless of all the changes I am definitely looking forward to the weekend, especially seeing Kees perform :D. Also extremely pleased that the Friday night event has been moved even closer to DC proper, definitely makes it easier for people like me who don't own cars. The 'purchase tickets' link is not working yet but hopefully this gets sorted out soon. Can't wait to buy my tickets! (and I hope they don't sell out before I do).