Mr. Vegas
Dancehall artiste Mr Vegas is nominated in six categories for the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) which takes place on May 4 at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (more…)
Now in its 25th year, Bacchanal Jamaica joins the Caribbean’s soca celebration with Bacchanal Fridays at the New Mas Camp, Stadium North in St Andrew, on Friday.
The first in its series of new-and-improved fetes for the 2013 season. (more…)
Bob Marley
igicel will, for the third year in a row, host a free concert celebrating the life and work of reggae icon Bob Marley.
On Thursday at Emancipation Park some of the best acts in the music business will belt out hits and take the audience down memory lane with musical tributes to the reggae legend. (more…)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — CBS says it will air a behind-the-scenes look at how Whitney Houston’s death affected the 2012 Grammy Awards. The hour-long special, titled “The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family,” is scheduled for Feb. 9, the eve of this year’s music awards.
Last year, Grammy producers learned of Houston’s death less than 24 hours before the ceremony. The CBS program recounts the scramble to pay tribute to the pop star and revamp the show. (more…)
Grammy-Award winning R&B singer Monica and Barbadian saxophonistArturo Tappin has just been added to the annual Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival taking place from January 24-26.
These newest additions will join the phenomenal headlining acts named so far for 2013 — John Legend, Michael Bolton and Mary J Blige.
A statement from promoters TurnKey Promotions said the 2013 event will see “more jazz back into it.”
Monica was among the flood of teen soul singers who sprung up in the United States during the early 1990s. One of her early hits was Just One of Those Days, from the album Miss Thang. Her famous hits include Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days), Before You Walk Out Of My Life, The Boy Is Mine and Angel of Mine.
Monica’s seventh studio album New Life was released on April 6, 2012. New Life debuted at number four on the USBillboard200, and at number two on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Monica is a mother of three and has also expanded her titles to include entrepreneur and actress, with her Regions of Rock clothing line and television hit series Still Standing.
Tappin also came to prominence in the 1990s, making a name on the growing Caribbean jazz festival circuit. He has toured and recorded with big-name performers like Roberta Flack, Monty Alexander and Luther Vandross.
Jamaica’s Jazz and Blues performer from this year’s festival included Celine Dion, Cee-Lo Green, Nicole Henry, Heads of State (featuring Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant), Jully Black, Earl Klugh, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Destra, and Tessanne Chin and Tami Chynn.
Walter Elmore, producer of the festival, encourages persons to take advantage of the online ticket system. “Tickets are available now online, and we encourage persons to avoid the rush and get their tickets early. You can even give family and friends the gift of an incredible musical experience as a Christmas gift,” he said.
Patrons can now purchase their tickets at www.ja
While Sting 2012 was built heavily around the clashes, the impending lyrical tag team involving Ninja Man, Kiprich, Merciless and Matterhorn promoted on the large stage screens throughout the over 10-hour marathon concert, the large audience (the biggest since the 2008 Mavado/Kartel clash) appreciated some amount of musical diversity.
So, in the wee hours of the morning, the tag team of George Nooks and Errol Dunkley went over very well with the same audience that rolled at raucous deejay jibes, Dunkley’s You’re Gonna Need Me and Nooks’God is Standing By scoring especially well. Similarly, the predominantly roots reggae offerings of Romain Virgo and Etana in what were, for the crammed Sting line-up, somewhat extended sets, went over very well, Virgo closing with a surprise, effective delivery of Adele’s Don’t You Remember.
Another standout was Chronixx in a section of four young Rastafarians on the trot. First of the quartet, which included Droop Lion, Jah Sent and Iba Mahr, Chronixx slowed down his material to deliver effectively, interspersing patter into Odd Ras to very good effect, although his voice has much to gain in terms of strength.
Much of the rest was the expected deluge of dancehall in all its unfettered glory, although on a night where the genuine enthusiastic crowd response was often hard to discern as there were fireworks placed strategically for particular artistes. Busy Signal’s triumphant, near 50-minute return performance was somewhat predictable in its content, from the opening pledge to “nah go a jail again” through to tales of his prison experience (which slowed down his set eventually before it picked up as he turned to the ladies) to the closing praises of El Shaddai. There was no mistaking, however, the Busy one’s passion as he blessed all from KD Knight to the audience and even the USA, proclaiming himself God-blessed in the process. His billed 12:45 a.m. showing did not take place until almost three hours after. Downsounds Records head Joe Bogdanovich presented Busy with a Game Changer Award after his performance.
In another extended solo set, but much later in the morning, Sizzla was in fiery, unapologetic, towering dancehall form, his language and voice strong as he dropped unexpected additional lyrics into familiar material.Holding Firm, Simplicity and Good Ways were among the reggae rockers that took the house down; Get to the Point and Karate roiled up the dancehall massive, Sizzla vehemently dismissing any notions of dancehall sponsorship from the homosexual community.
Tommy Lee played it safe
Tommy Lee was heavily touted and played it safe to go over very well, sticking within his vocal limits and putting salve on any dancehall wounds by honouring Bounty Killer among his elders, even as he did hisMechanic track. He snarled as ‘Uncle Demon’ and intoned his allegiance to the Gaza and incarcerated Vybz Kartel repeatedly.
Aidonia bustled his burly voice through a set that included Run Road ; Chuck Fendah and Khago were on the fiery side; Stacious slithered her very healthy body into the mix as she insisted on finishing a ‘talk’ lyric; I-Wayne and Lutan Fyah cooled the clash atmosphere when it threatened to go overboard, even as they blazed fire on sexual impurity. Specialist came on for a combination song which staved off dismissive handclaps for Ishawna and Lady G showed her class, dismissing Macka Diamond as someone she had already killed as Lady Mackerel.
But it was the clashes which took the night, Flava Unit’s Badda Blingpicking a brief sound system war he lost clearly to Foota Hype, who dismissed the younger selector as someone who never won even a school fight. That was unplanned and so, it seemed, was Black Ryno’s attempted stage invasion when Popcaan (who proclaimed his extreme loyalty to Kartel) was hardly into his set. Ryno was dismissed physically and, after a snatch of song, Popcaan was off too, a missile tossed at the stage preceding his exit.
Spice dismissed an attempted stand-in challenger for Macka Diamond, whom Spice compared to a literal donkey.
The clash of the night was a one-sided affair, even as Kiprich asked Ninja Man to stay out of the ring on the stage and took on Merciless and Matterhorn himself, annihilating them completely, even though Matterhorn pressed on to the very end. The icing on the cake was the Ninja’s lyrical test of his successor Kiprich before handing him the belt, Ninja’s responses clearly a cut or two above Kiprich’s calibre at this stage of their careers.
Sponsor Downsound Records stamped its mark on Sting in no uncertain way, Flippa Mafia splashed liquor, changed his shoes and tossed out greenbacks, there was a single stampede (which Ninja worked into his lyrics), and a marathon with its expected lulls, but largely successful, ended at close to 8 a.m. yesterday.
Tens of millions of people were hunkered down Monday, bracing for howling winds, torrential downpours and storm surges that authorities warned could bring devastation unlike anything they’ve seen.
Hurricane Sandy could affect as many as 60 million people.
“This is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said.
An expected storm surge at midnight could raise water levels to 11 feet above normal high tide, bringing “the potential to cause unprecedented damage.”
Two dozen people in Delaware who had ignored mandatory evacuations were taken to shelters overnight. Gov. Jack Markell, on Twitter, said they were “rescued from flooding,” but the state government later told CNN that they were not emergency rescues.
Officials across the Eastern Seaboard had implored residents over the weekend to evacuate, emphasizing that authorities could be endangered if they tried to save them. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put it bluntly: “Don’t be stupid. Get out!”
Mass transit grinds to a halt
Hundreds of thousands of people have abandoned their homes. New York City landmarks are eerily empty. The nation’s capital is emptied of government workers. Much of the region was settling into paralysis, bracing for what’s to come.
From North Carolina to Maine, forecasters said Sandy was likely to collide with a cold front and spawn a “superstorm” that could generate flash floods, snowstorms and massive power outages.
The National Grid, which provides power to millions of customers, said 60 million people could be affected — up from its previous estimate of 50 million.
“It could be bad,” said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steven Rattior, “or it could be devastation.”
The impact goes beyond the East Coast. Wave heights in Lake Michigan could reach 28 feet Monday night and 31 feet by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
Eight days before Election Day, President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney have canceled or changed planned campaign events because of the storm.
Obama returned Monday from a canceled campaign event in Orlando to Washington, where he went directly into a briefing, the White House said. He was to deliver a statement on Sandy at 12:45 p.m.
A state-by-state breakdown of hurricane preparation efforts, impacts
Sandy has already claimed at least 67 lives — 51 in Haiti — on its path last week across the Caribbean.
In the United States, federal, state and local officials have been working to convince those in vulnerable areas that Sandy is dangerous.
“My biggest concern is just people not taking it seriously and not taking the proper precautions,” Newark Mayor Cory Booker told CNN early Monday. “We still have some time for people to get ready. … We anticipate there could be many days without power afterward.”
What to expect when Hurricane Sandy hits
On Monday, Sandy started to turn toward the United States, putting it on course for landfall late Monday or early Tuesday.
At 11 a.m., the Category 1 hurricane was 205 miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and 260 miles south-southeast of New York City, the National Hurricane Center said. Maximum sustained winds were 90 mph, and Sandy was moving north-northwest at 18 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward 175 miles from the storm’s center, and tropical storm-force winds reached 485 miles.
It was predicted to turn toward the northwest soon, and turn toward the west-northwest Monday night. Its center was expected to make landfall along or just south of the coast of New Jersey on Monday evening or Monday night.
Gale-force winds were already occurring over parts of the Mid-Atlantic states — from North Carolina up to New York’s Long Island. The winds were expected to spread later in the day over more of the Mid-Atlantic coast, New York City and southern New England.
Storm surge — the combination of a storm and a high tide — “will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded,” the weather service said. It said water depths could reach 6 to 11 feet along Long Island Sound and New York Harbor.
“Elevated waters could occur far removed from the center of Sandy,” it added.
Three to 6 inches of rain were expected over far northeastern North Carolina, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible, it said.
Four to eight inches of rain were expected over portions of the Mid-Atlantic states, with isolated amounts of 12 inches possible.
Two to 3 feet of snow were expected to accumulate in the mountains of West Virginia and 1 to 2 feet in the mountains of southwestern Virginia to the border with Kentucky. One to one-and-a-half feet of snow were expected in the mountains near the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
But even with Sandy hundreds of miles offshore, officials were warning of its life-threatening storm surge flooding portions of the Mid-Atlantic, including low-lying areas of New York and New Jersey.
Keep a hurricane preparation checklist
Michelle Franchaise of Ocean Gate was among the tens of thousands of New Jersey residents ordered to leave their coastal communities Sunday.
She and more than 180 others hunkered down at an emergency shelter in Toms River, New Jersey, to ride out the storm. She selected one of the 250 green cots that lined the floor.
“I’m very concerned when I see the map, and I see how big it is,” she said. “I think I’m in good hands here. I think I’m safe.”
At least 60 people at the Toms River shelter took their pets with them.
“The cops came around and were like, ‘If you don’t leave, you’re going to be arrested,’ ” said a woman as she cradled one of the four kittens she had taken with her. “I couldn’t leave without them.”
Five things to know about Hurricane Sandy
Bracing for the worst
By early Monday, the city that never sleeps bedded down after halting service on its bus and train lines, closing schools and ordering about 400,000 people out of their homes in low-lying areas of Manhattan and elsewhere.
The process of halting subway service in New York began Sunday night. Other mass transit systems suspended their services Monday, including Washington’s Metro service and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trains and buses in and around Philadelphia.
In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Yvette Cafaro scrawled a plea on the plywood that covered her burger restaurant: “Be kind to us Sandy.”
The seaside area largely dodged last year’s Hurricane Irene, and Cafaro is hoping for another reprieve, but not optimistic.
“Everything that we’ve been watching on the news looks like this one will really get us,” she said. “We’re definitely worried about it.”
After filling his trunk with sandbags Sunday in Cranston, Rhode Island, resident Steve Pacheco said he had done what he could by clearing Halloween decorations and other items from his yard. Still, he said, he was nervous.
“I don’t want to go through this again,” Pacheco told CNN affiliate WPRI-TV in Providence.
The estimated cost of potential wind damage alone is estimated at $2.5 billion to $3 billion, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
That estimate doesn’t include potential flooding and other damage, though the federal government has preemptively declared states of emergency in a number of locales to help states cope with Sandy and its aftermath.
Classes, trading and campaigning canceled
Officials canceled classes Monday for more than 2 million public school students in districts such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore, while numerous universities and federal offices in Washington and government offices in states like New Jersey were closed.
The U.S. stock exchanges were closed Monday and may remain closed Tuesday.
The last time the New York Stock Exchange closed for a weather event was in 1985, during Hurricane Gloria. And in 1969, a snowstorm also brought the exchange to a halt.
Sandy has even managed to put the presidential election on the back burner, turning campaign plans upside down.
Politicos from both sides said it was still too early to tell what effect the storm would have on the presidential race, though access to voting centers would be a concern if the storm’s effects persist until Election Day.
“I don’t think anybody really knows,” top Obama adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Obviously, we want unfettered access to the polls because we believe that the more people come out, the better we’re going to do, and so, to the extent that it makes it harder, you know, that’s a source of concern.”
Virginia’s Republican governor said Sunday that his state would take measures to ensure residents are able to vote despite obstacles the storm might bring.
Travel nightmares
Then there are the travel nightmares related to the storm — thousands of flights have been canceled, Amtrak train runs scuttled and hundreds of roads and highways expected to flood.
“This is not a typical storm. It could very well be historic in nature and in scope and in magnitude because of the widespread anticipated power outages, flooding and potential major wind damage,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said.
“Essentially, this is a hurricane wrapped in a nor’easter.”
At least one promoter shares the opinion that some up-and-coming reggae/dancehall artistes are unable to effectively perform live.According to media personality, GT Taylor, promoter of GT Taylor’s Extravaganza, the decrease of local stage shows is a recipe for disaster, as it relates to the development of local talent.The promoter, who has hosted his stage show in Black River, St Elizabeth, for more than ten years, says a reduction in stage shows leads to a reduction of on-stage experience for artistes.”There is not enough stage shows to practice on, so young artistes are really not that experienced when it comes to performing live,” he said.
GT Taylor believes Corporate Jamaica and the government should contribute to the production of more local stage shows in order to set a future for up-and-coming talent.”I think Corporate Jamaica needs to come out and back shows and the government needs to intervene, because stage shows help to introduce new talents and if we don’t have enough exposure for the youth, they will fade away because they are not being exposed enough,” he said.The promoter also highlighted that stage shows have decreased due to the high cost of production. However, he believes sponsors can help to alleviate this problem.
“The economy has reduced the amount of stage shows we normally have and Corporate Jamaica has not been too keen on sponsoring stage shows because they are very expensive when you have to take into consideration artiste fees and the cost of production. Tourists come to Jamaica for authentic shows with local talent and not some other events that have international artistes, so the Tourist Board should look into this when they are sponsoring events as well as Corporate Jamaica,” he said.In the meantime GT Taylor believes local artistes should spend time and work on their performances in the absence of live stage shows.
“Artistes have to just do what others have done in their profession. Just work on your craft and hope that stage shows will come back. Artistes must also look into themselves and learn to put an act together. Look overseas for the best examples. Many Jamaican artistes just go on-stage and sing a song and a performance takes more than that. It’s not about singing a song, it’s about a total presentation for the public,” Taylor said.Arts and entertainment consultant Lloyd Stanbury believes the reduction in the number of stage shows is not the only factor causing poor live performances from up-and coming artistes.
“We can’t just blame the fact that there are not enough shows, it has to do with rehearsal, being prepared and having enough songs. You can’t have two songs and expect to perform for 45 minutes and some of them don’t rehearse so their performance is not at a professional level,” he said.Up-and-coming reggae artiste Melloquence spoke on behalf of youngsters in the industry and is calling for more platforms.
“In Europe they have a lot of stage shows which is why the European artistes are gaining on us. That is why only a few local artistes are getting booked for some of the biggest international reggae festivals. If you look back in the day when we had more live shows, artistes were able to perform more frequently and that aided in their development,” the artiste said.
THE Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Kingston and St Andrew Parish Office will be hosting its annual Tenky Miss Lou Family Funday and Concert in honour of the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverly OJ -M.B.E., on Saturday, September 29, at Gordon Town Square in St Andrew.Miss Lou, as she was affectionately called, was a poet, folklorist, writer, and educator. She died on July 26, 2006.
The event will feature rides and attractions for the entire family, storytelling, poetry competitions. Documentary on Miss Lou’s life and works; kiddies village; live demonstration of the traditional folk forms among other entertaining activities. The evening will culminate with a concert dubbed Gal and Boy. The first segment will feature popular local gospel acts such as Miriam Hibbert, Noretta Lewis, Lubert Levy and Angele Smith. The second segment will feature festival enthusiast and multiple festival song winner Roy Rayon, the 2012 Festival Song winner Abby-Gaye Dallas and comedians Ity and Fancy Cat.Admission is free.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Miss-Lou-funday-for-Sept-29_12622531#ixzz27aJBVhg9
TOMMY Lee, dancehall’s latest sensation, is the headline act for the 29th staging of Sting at the Jamworld Entertainment Centre in Portmore, St Catherine on Boxing Day.The singjay, a member of the Vybz Kartel-led Portmore Empire, is currently enjoying in-demand status, and his Uncle Demon mixtape is a hot commodity.”Tommy Lee is really the person this year that everybody is going to be focusing on,” says Isaiah Laing, head honcho for Supreme Promotions, promoters of Sting.After a dip in crowd support for Sting last year, Laing predicts this year’s staging will have one of the biggest crowds in recent times.
“Wi bringing back the show to the level that the people want. This year, look for a bumper crowd,” he told Splash.Laing said he and his co-director Howard ‘Heavy D’ McIntosh saw Lee one year ago, before he was an established act.”Last year, we went for the young artistes and the young generals; they are mature now,” he said. “One of them was Tommy Lee. A lot of people weren’t even focusing on him then, but Heavy D and I knew what he had in him. We said this artiste going to be one of the baddest artistes within the dancehall.”Lee burst onto the music scence in 2011, and has not looked back.
From the community of Flanker, Montego Bay, he is known for songs such as Warn Dem, Grave Yard, Uncle Demon, Nuh Fear Dem, Daddy Devil and Psycho.In the past, Sting showcased over 50 artistes, but because this year is Jamaica’s 50th anniversary, the number will not exceed that amount. Keeping with tradition, there is a vintage segment with a four-the-hard-way clash of old- school performers.The official press launch for Sting 2012 takes place in November.
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