Friday night Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay all over the world

Happy Barbados! – I fell in love about ten times watching this video

posted by Cliverton

It’s even funny when you’re sober!

Must have played it a dozen times last night, and it’s still good for a laugh in the morning.

Oh… my head!

And on a workday too.

Shame. Shame is me.

I miss Marcus.

If Soca star Machel Montano came out as gay, what would happen?

Our old friend Karel McIntosh of Outlish Magazine takes a look at how mass media transforms attitudes to gays. But does the same apply to gay Soca artistes?

by Karel McIntosh Outlish Magazine

Studies show that people are likely to be less prejudiced towards gay people through parasocial contact via mass media. What this simply means is that you’re socialised through one-sided interaction. You know a lot about the other person – the celebrity who’s gay or the gay character in “Will & Grace” or “Sex & The City” – but the celebrity doesn’t know much about you.

And, through regular consumption, your prejudice levels begin to drop – most likely, I suppose, because you begin to see them as human characters, and not as “that gay man or woman”.

But does increased tolerance really mean that people are ready to see homosexuality, which is still viewed as an alternative lifestyle, represented on the big stage?

Would thousands jump up in Soca Monarch for a gay artiste? Would the grassroots in general admission go for it?

Would thousands jump up in Soca Monarch for a gay artiste? Would people be cool if a male singer put “he” where they’d have expected “she” in a song? Or would we really not care because, oh lawd…de song sweet!

Read the full Outlish Magazine article Soca and Sexuality: What if your Favourite Artiste was Gay?

Before there was Michael Jackson… there was Rita Hayworth

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

I never knew she was like this. I’m about 60 years too late.

Okay, that’s it… for the next three months I’m into Rita Hayworth’s movies, history and music. I’ll never look at a green dress again without thinking of a couple of scenes from this video.

Somewhere, I wonder if Michael Jackson and Rita Hayworth are doing some steppin’ out?

They would have been fabulous together!

Posted by Cliverton on a lonely Saturday morning

The Story of Lover’s Rock

What is there to say about Lover’s Rock except – if you haven’t made it doing the Lover’s Rock, then you really haven’t done the lover’s rock.

Barbados-born Menelik Shabbaz

Whether you’re smiling at that, or you don’t know what I mean, have a watch of the trailer for Menelik Shabbaz’s new documentary The Story of Lover’s Rock. Contrast Lover’s Rock with some of the things you see happening at Crop Over and you’ll understand the difference between class and crass – between love and something else. I won’t go into the memories because I don’t want to be too self-indulgent, but oh the memories!

Shabbaz, rightly called the Godfather of Black British Film, was born Bajan and left for the U.K. at six years old. His filmography is not as extensive as fans would like it to be, but as he explained in this interview at RiceNpeas.com, in the 80’s and 90’s it was difficult to get backing for films outside of the Eurocentric worldview.

History, music, racism and West Indians making their stand in the UK

The Story of Lover’s Rock sold out on opening last August. When was the last time you saw a documentary do that? I haven’t seen the film, but after seeing the trailer it’s number one on my list.

Cliverton

Film website: The Story of Lover’s Rock

We really miss Rihanna, the girl we knew and prayed for

The Rolling Stone interview of our Barbados Ambassador for Culture and Youth is just terrible.

Rihanna’s hit single “S&M” is semi-autobiographical. “Being submissive in the bedroom is really fun,” she says. “You get to be a little lady, to have somebody be macho and in charge of your shit. That’s fun to me…I like to be spanked. Being tied up is fun. I like to keep it spontaneous. Sometimes whips and chains can be overly planned – you gotta stop, get the whip from the drawer downstairs. I’d rather have him use his hands.”

Sigh.

Can’t hardly wait for Elan Trotman’s Love and Sax!

Barbadian Jazz Saxophonist has new album

Trust me on this guys – if you can’t make it happen while snuggling up and listening to Elan Trotman’s new CD Love and Sax… it’s never going to happen!

We’ve followed Bajan son and sax wizard Elan Trotman since his Memories album and it just keeps getting better and better. Check out his website and listen to some fine, fine music here.

Plan for the weekend…

1/ Clean up place.

2/ Lay in some smooth Merlot ’cause that’s what she likes. Doan be cheap!

3/ She likes lamb, so okay. It’s expensive, but she likes it. Rosemary, garlic, mint. Check.

4/ After dinner, put on Love and Sax. Add wine. Take your time guys. About when Elan starts playing the seventh track “Turn Down The Lights”, well… the rest is up to you.

Cliverton

Please visit our friends at… One Caribbean Radio

Click on the photo to hear some of the best Caribbean music and talk from One Caribbean Radio!

BLP candidate Santia Bradshaw’s message to Barbados’ young people?

Santia, is this YOUR Lil Rick, or not?

“If you don’t like how we talk, now fuck off”

(and that’s the best of the lyrics in the song “Fuck Off”)

Pyramid's Lil Rick

Santia Bradshaw is the hopeful BLP candidate for St. Michael South East, sometimes lawyer and all the time owner of Pyramid Entertainment Management Inc., an artist representation and booking agency. Her company currently represents some of the leading entertainers and deejays in Barbados and across the region – including “Lil Rick”.

An MP3 is going viral with young folks across Barbados. The email it comes with says it is the Pyramid artist “Lil Rick”.

It sure sounds like Lil Rick to us and a whole lot of people – but maybe it’s a clever imitator sent by a rival to do damage to Santia Bradshaw, the BLP and/or Lil Rick. Considering the song has probably been shared thousands of times already and glorifies violence, drugs and a kind of rape – if it isn’t refuted, explained or handled it will be damaging to Santia Bradshaw’s political and legal career. That is a for sure.

Spark of the Day! African drums, kilts and bagpipes…

L’Acoustica plays and the world gets smaller

After seeing the above photo inserted into a YouTube video from Scotland, I tried to discover more about the musicians. I think I’ve discovered who they are, but I’ve been unable to hear their music anywhere.

L’Acoustica is a new Scottish sonic folk/soul trio formed by Bryan Tolland, Noel Bridgeman and Carl Bridgeman. Bryan is the white guy and twin brothers Noel and Carl hail from Dominica – or at least their family does. The group’s website is fuzzy on that.

They played live on BBC Radio Scotland on the Janice Forsyth broadcast at the Royal Highland Show, but sadly BBC didn’t post a recording, only some photos. There is something wildly intriguing about this fusion of music and cultures. The photo showing one of the Bridgeman brothers dressed in a kilt and riding a stand-up bass like Buddy Holly and the Crickets playing the Apollo is pure adrenaline for mixies* like yours truly. And part of the high is knowing that it drives the racial haters and segregationists (of all colours) insane.

*Mixies = People who are mixed race, mixed culture or in mixed marriages.

Proof that Bob Marley lives!

You must, you absolutely must, check out this video. It’s short, it’s had ten million hits and is everything that is wonderful about the world and Mr. Marley…

Please visit our friends at… One Caribbean Radio!

Click on the banner for the best in Caribbean music, news and views – One Caribbean Radio!

Bajan Pied Piper teaches music online, has thousands of students from around the world!

How David Gittens taught Shona to sing jazz and play the blues

“Where did you learn that!” was all I could say the other day when I caught Shona singing in the shower like I’d never heard before. She laughed, a little embarrassed – but it sounded good, different. It turns out she’s had a secret boyfriend for a couple of weeks and he taught her how to scat sing like Ella Fitzgerald.

I’m not too worried about the boyfriend though, because he’s David Gittens (“DeeGee” to his friends) and Shona learned from his Bajan Pied Piper website and the videos he’s posted on YouTube. Shona also showed me some simple blues progressions and riffs she learned too. Not bad at all.

It’s amazing what a little inspiration and somebody showing you a few tricks can do to raise your music to another level.

Rihanna: Trouble on tour – shows canceled, low turnouts in USA

Is it only the economy, or is something else happening too?

Low ticket sales have forced Rihanna to “postpone” (read “cancel”) six Last Girl On Earth tour dates in the USA and downsize venues for some of the other shows. She even cancelled the big tour launch concert. Last week in Sacramento, California, she became teary-eyed on stage as she thanked the way-smaller than expected audience for coming out to her concert.

‘Gossip Girl’ by Bajan band Nexcyx about to hit big in the US? We think so!

Let’s pile on the YouTube viewings and help local band Nexcyx!

A trailer for the hit US television show Gossip Girl, featuring Bajan band Nexcyx, was just shortlisted as a contender to become the official trailer for the international series.

That’s pretty special, but how did this come about?

South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo Returning To Brooklyn Center For The Performing Arts

Tickets available for March 19, 2011

Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s recent release, Songs From A Zulu Farm (February 2011), is the group’s most personal work to date.  “These are songs from the earliest time in our lives,” says Shabalala. “These are stories our fathers and mothers and other relatives shared with us, songs our grandparents sang.  We have changed them somewhat and/or added extra harmonies and lyrics, but overall these songs represent an important memory of our early life. When we sing these songs, we’re singing songs from our history.”

Be There! Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 8pm

Two years ago I wrote about Shona and I seeing Ladysmith Black Mambazo when the sisters got together in New York City. At the time I said,

Mike Wilkinson passes – 1960 Pic-O-De-Crop with “Dey Coming Up”

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mike Wilkinson: winner of 1960’s Pic-O-De-Crop. Sad to say that we couldn’t find a photo of Michael Wilkinson anywhere online. If someone can send us one we’ll put it up right away.

CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. May 4, 2010: A Barbados-born singer who was the first Barbadian to be appointed entertainment coordinator at a hotel on the island has passed away in New York.

Reports indicate that Michael Wilkinson, brother of Richard and Norma Stoute passed away in a Brooklyn hospital Sunday at the age of 74.

Wilkinson was the calypso crown winner in 1960 with the songs `Fat Woman` and `Dey Comin Up.` He moved to New York in the 1980s and continued his career singing in the Church and ministering to people in prison…

… continue reading this article at CaribWorldNews