Lock it down and start the counter for the dawn of Carnival 2015 because Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival for 2014 is over - gone to bed to rise again next year! After much revelry and feting to the last minute we have the dawn of Ash Wednesday upon us. Tomorrow morning many "children of mother carnival" will flock to the church to receive ashes and a promise of a new start. Some soul searching may take place but when the Carnival itch beckons the old carnival animal will rise, once again, to grasp the opportunity to 'fete' and enjoy another carnival season - that is just the way it is!
As we all reflect on the season there will be much to reflect upon but then again that took place last year and much has not changed. I don't expect anything good to come from the postmortem of this Carnival season. Until they change the system in place and uproot many of the people making dumb decisions I don't expect much to change.
Streaming of Events:
Oh my goodness what a mess this still remains. No one seems to understand how important this aspect of the festival is and can be for the country. It appears that the various bodies controlling various aspects of the carnival have their own idea of how this should work or not work I have an idea of what should be done. When I think about it I do so from a national perspective with increased tourism and advertising the product in mind. Having said that I believe that there should be one body in control of all streaming that should be in high definition. The government subsidizes the various carnival events and organizations. They should take control of the streaming and let the world see what we have to offer. If other bodies want to provide paid coverage let them do it. However, the government should provide a free feed for any event that they subsidize including the parade of the band!
Soca Monarch:
This show needs a total overhaul with fairness in mind. Fairness I said because if you followed the events of the Semi Finals you may still be wondering how Ann-G went to the finals with the song "We Love Carnival". That was not a good decision by the organizers because Ann-G did not deserve a place in the finals. I don't want to hear that it was done to add an international flavor to the show. The show itself was terrible this year. So many good songs but the artists did not sound good on stage. They need to sing to a live band without any recorded material. They should be penalized for shouting and for talking to the audience during the performance (especially this low, low low).
Chutney Soca Monarch:
I wonder what would happen if the government does not sponsor either the Chutney or Soca monarch competitions. What would take place? These are business people they will survive. Let me say this about the Chutney Monarch. People around the World (maybe Trinidadians of East Indian decent) are more interested in this show and the results than any other carnival event. Why do I say that? Well the statistics on this site prove that point. This blog received over 28,000 hits for the Chutney Soca Monarch Show and just about 13,000 hits for the Soca Monarch competition and 8,000 for the Calypso finals. The Chutney Soca monarch could survive without government's financial support. We should make them try and get by without all the financial help... what do you think will happen?
Calypso Monarch:
The Calypsoes were excellent this year but the people responsible for marketing the calypso music keep faultering. Soca songs are available all over the Internet. Many sites send music blasts and very few sites have the music for sale. After the carnival is over these song are not heard on radio again except for Wack Radio 90.1 FM. Something needs to be done to sell the music to the rest of the World. TUCO must be praised for a well produced Calypso Monarch finals. However, many people still want to see the financial report from TUCO and need to know what was done with the gate receipt from the Semi Finals and Finals.
Parade of the Bands:
I am sure it was crazy on the roads and "on the big yard stage" in the D'Savannah. This year there was the addition of the "Socadrome" stage at the Jean Pierre Complex - a welcomed venue for bands that simply stood still and waited for hours to get on the Savannah stage. I hope this grows and becomes as popular as the Savannah stage.
Free streams showed the parade outside of Port-of- Spain and it did not look like something to call a friend and brag about. We needed to see the splendor of mas in Port-of-Spain but that was not the case. There was a paid feed from the Savannah on Tuesday. However, that is not the way to promote the splendor of the festival - let it stream for free! Why? It benefits the country's tourism drive and in the end it is all subsidized by the government! Yes, when you think about it just about everything (important) for Carnival is subsidized by the government - a fee stream will not hurt the carnival budget!
Panorama Competition:
This is one of the most loved aspect of Carnival. Carnival without Panorama will never be the same but there are a few bands that control the destiny of the titles as it relates to the large bands. Year after year the same big bands come out on top. Something needs to be done to level the playing field and give hope to many of the good bands who know there is a line that they can't cross.
The carnival is over and I can't wait to hear the new songs for the next season. It looks like the artists will be releasing new music all year round (at least the major players). There are upcoming carnivals in Grenada, Saint Vincent and Barbados. I expect our singers and music producers to bring new music for these festivals. I am sure you have much so say... I await your thoughts. Until then keep playing the music and "play more local" music on the radio stations of Trinidad and Tobago. Our music must be king at home and the radio stations playing 'more local music content' can only help! Come on guys there is an abundance of music... Play More Local!
Calypso Monarch:
The Calypsoes were excellent this year but the people responsible for marketing the calypso music keep faultering. Soca songs are available all over the Internet. Many sites send music blasts and very few sites have the music for sale. After the carnival is over these song are not heard on radio again except for Wack Radio 90.1 FM. Something needs to be done to sell the music to the rest of the World. TUCO must be praised for a well produced Calypso Monarch finals. However, many people still want to see the financial report from TUCO and need to know what was done with the gate receipt from the Semi Finals and Finals.
Parade of the Bands:
I am sure it was crazy on the roads and "on the big yard stage" in the D'Savannah. This year there was the addition of the "Socadrome" stage at the Jean Pierre Complex - a welcomed venue for bands that simply stood still and waited for hours to get on the Savannah stage. I hope this grows and becomes as popular as the Savannah stage.
Free streams showed the parade outside of Port-of- Spain and it did not look like something to call a friend and brag about. We needed to see the splendor of mas in Port-of-Spain but that was not the case. There was a paid feed from the Savannah on Tuesday. However, that is not the way to promote the splendor of the festival - let it stream for free! Why? It benefits the country's tourism drive and in the end it is all subsidized by the government! Yes, when you think about it just about everything (important) for Carnival is subsidized by the government - a fee stream will not hurt the carnival budget!
Panorama Competition:
This is one of the most loved aspect of Carnival. Carnival without Panorama will never be the same but there are a few bands that control the destiny of the titles as it relates to the large bands. Year after year the same big bands come out on top. Something needs to be done to level the playing field and give hope to many of the good bands who know there is a line that they can't cross.
The carnival is over and I can't wait to hear the new songs for the next season. It looks like the artists will be releasing new music all year round (at least the major players). There are upcoming carnivals in Grenada, Saint Vincent and Barbados. I expect our singers and music producers to bring new music for these festivals. I am sure you have much so say... I await your thoughts. Until then keep playing the music and "play more local" music on the radio stations of Trinidad and Tobago. Our music must be king at home and the radio stations playing 'more local music content' can only help! Come on guys there is an abundance of music... Play More Local!
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The Carnival is Over - Lord Kitchener
I know it is going to be rough until next year's festival is back. However, you can follow the upcoming regional carnivals here on Zagaga. Don't let your Carnival Tabanca get you down keep coming back to TriniZagada for the latest music and information on Carnivals of the region.
Carnival Tabanca - Bunji Garlin