DESTRA'S GAY PRIDE

Hey all!, This week I'm collaborating with my buddy, my pal, Early Pearly who runs all things LGBT over at The InQueery...#excitement.





Don't get excited because of the flag, let me squash that right now... Destra is not a lesbian, sorry guys...

...but she did perform at Canada's gay pride celebrations last year. I had no idea...

Apparently after winning Best International Act at the Black Canadian Awards (yes, that's a thing), she was asked to perform at their gay pride celebrations as the first ever representative of the Caribbean gay community.

At the end of every gay pride month, Canada hosts a Blockorama party to close of their celebrations. Destra performed as only she could, giving her absolute best. When she was asked about her experience, she said, "I have a lot of fans across the board. I don't see colour, creed or sexuality."

Buuuttt, get this...many locals didn't like it, nope, in fact, they were brutal on social media, attacking Destra from all sides...

So people were saying it's all about the money and in reality, they may be absolutely right, but what's wrong with that? Who are we to get angry at the way Destra chooses to make her money? Yes she is one of the bigger names in Trinidad and Tobago's music scene, but at the end of the day, it's her brand.

Please bare with me for a moment, but the reason I'm talking about this, even though it was last year is because artists are constantly being judged and ridiculed for the way in which they live their lives. It's their brand and how they choose to represent that is their business, you and myself have the option to pay attention to them or not. If the message they are sending is not pleasing to you, then by all means, move on to something else that may bring you peace. But if you are in support of it, then that too is your right.

In the Caribbean, people are of the opinion that if you associate yourself with anyone that may be gay, then automatically you are gay as well, guilty by association I guess. 

But let's face it...Our musicians really get work around Carnival and for the rest of the year they are forced to seek other means of survival. So Machel selling rum and Iwer selling boat ride, Bunji Garlin selling clothes and Iwer selling what?...Boat Ride!

So why are we mad again when one of our artists decide to perform at a gay pride concert in Canada? Our treatment of local music has limited our artists, and I'm not saying that they are not to blame as well, they can produce music for all year round, but we as the people find it hard to accept anything other than Soca from our artists and only around Carnival time. When Carnival is over we go back to regularly scheduled music which include everything from Rap, Hip Hop, Reggae, Pop and Alternative Rock...hmmm, shame.

Let's face it. Trinidad and Tobago and by extension, the Caribbean, may always have difficulties in accepting the gay community. Our culture has taught us against it, but music is universal and can and will affect any and everyone. Music is the purest thing in the world, capable of creating great feelings of hope, love, empowerment and pride. No one has the right to deny anyone of music and an artist has the right to share their music to anyone they wish. Music heals the world!

So what do you guys think about Destra performing at Blockorama 2015? Drop a comment below and check out The InQueery for a different spin on this and so much more!

THE NAME'S MARLEY...BOB MARLEY!

So I wake up this morning and it feels great to be at the beach, there's nothing better than waking up to the smell of the ocean, the cool clean air, fried bake and shark for breakfast, a cold cup of coconut water and Bob Marley playing in the background...oh the feels.

Marley's voice could fit in anywhere, the repetitive rhythm of the sweet reggae coupled with Marley's vocals can mellow out any day, any situation, anything! If the steel pan actually had a voice, I bet that it would sound just like Bob Marley.

But as much as we love us some Bob...how much do we actually know about the legend that is Bob Marley? Walk with me will you...

Did you know...

• Bob's father was a 50-year-old navy captain named Norval Sinclair Marley. With his mother being a 19-year-old village girl named Cedella, Bob was born from an interracial union and needless to say, Norval's colonialist family was not thrilled to hear the news. Norval left Cedella to raise Bob on her own, after he made it clear that Bob was her child and hers alone.

• As a child, Bob would constantly make people uneasy by telling them details of their past and future through palm reading. After living in the ghettos of Kingston for one year, 7-year-old Bob returned to his village and refused to palm read for anyone ever again.

• Bob's recording label, Tuff Gong is named after him. It was a nick name he earned as he was considered the wrong guy to mess with in the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown.
  

• Bob would work for hours and hours and not get exhausted. As a child he would walk five miles just to fetch firewood and never complained. He showed his resilience working three jobs when he moved to Delaware as an adult and famous for rehearsing hours on end with his band, never getting tired.


• Bob was arrested for possession of marijuana and spent a month in prison. During that month, Bob became acquainted with the prisoners who encouraged him to do more songs with strong political messages. Thank you prisoners of Jamaica.

• Bob would constantly question why he was so poor even with all the constant performances and his undeniable fame. He eventually found out that his long time manager and friend, Don Taylor was stealing from him. Needless to say, Bob beat Don within an inch of his life, then he fired him. Don't mess with the Tuff Gong!

• In 1973, Bob and the Wailers joined a 17-city tour of Sly and the Family Stone, but was later fired by band leader, Sylvester Stone for being too good and getting all the attention.
  
  
  
  

• Bob was a professional level football player. If he wasn't making music, he could be seen outside playing a game of football.

• Marley has at least thirteen children that are known to the world, Imani, Sharon, Cedella (named after his mother) Stephen, Robbie, Rohan, Karen, Stephanie, David aka Ziggy, Julian, Ky-Mani, Madeka and Damian aka Junior Gong. It is rumored that there are more.

• When Bob became successful, he shared his wealth with his struggling friends and family, building them homes and helping the poor in his community.

• Bob is at number five on Forbes list of Top Earning Dead Celebrities.

I encourage you, any artist that inspire you or create a feeling of peace within you. Research their lives, their stories and understand who they are and what their message is. If there music dont represent who they are, then it can't be real. Bob did music that represented who he was and what he stood for. He wasn't driven by commercial success or fame, but by the want and need to help his family and his people which made his music pure and powerful.

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

                                                                                                           - Bob Marley

STEEL PAN TO THE WORLD

I really believe in the power of music-and I mean literally the power of musical tones-to rearrange the way we can think.
                                                                      -Michael Azerrad


The Caribbean is a beautiful place don't you agree? We should appreciate it more, people pay thousands of dollars to live like us for just one week, I don't know about you, but I feel pretty good right now. Think about it, everyday we wake up to tropical breezes, the smell of rich, home cooked food, a little bacchanal now and then, when you're talking to the neighbor. We can visit the beach anytime we feel like it, plan river limes and monthly hikes, weekend excursions and backyard jams. We live in the lands of Carnival and Crop Over, of Calypso and Reggae of Soca and Steel Pan.

Oh yes, the sweet steel pan, the voice of the Caribbean. The sounds of the steel pan are unmistakable, but amazingly enough, many Trinidadians and Tobagonians don't really like it that much. That's unfortunate though, the steel pan has the ability to invoke some serious rhythmic power within you, you feel it in your bones...pan lovers, you know what I'm talking about. Well I'm not going to convince anyone to like steel pan music. No, not gonna do that at all...

What I am going to do is give you some cool facts about the steel pan you probably didn't even know. You know, things you don't know about steel pan, facts about it...that you didn't know. I'm talking to you, yeah you, Trinbagonian, I'm going to tell you things you probably don't know about your own N-a-t-i-o-n-a-l  I-n-s-t-r-u-m-e-n-t.

So let's go!

• The steel pan is the second youngest instrument in the world, second only to the hang drum; an instrument inspired by the steel pan.

• Though loved now, in the 1930's when steel pan was first created by the lower class, it was not well accepted and looked down upon by the upper class. 

• Rival Street Bands would often end in violent encounters, causing the steel pan to be referred to as the instrument of hooligans.

• In 1951, the first steel band, The Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra, played at the Festival of Britain with rusty steel pans. The people not knowing what to expect from the rusty instruments, loved the sound it produced and referred to it as black magic.
  

• Although still made by hand by very few using old oil drums, today, steel pan is made from steel and manufactured both locally and internationally.

• It's the only percussive instrument to be made of steel.

• Steel pans are made in family groups; tenor pans, bass pans and rhythm pans.

• The largest steel pan in the world is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records and measures 104 cm in width and 84 cm in height. It was created by Trinidadian Jomo Wahtuse.

• It is always associated with holidays and sunshine, giving it it's internationally appeal.

• While traditionally the pan is played with two pan sticks, many locals have perfected playing with four, such as Earl Rodney, Jason Baptiste and Kyle Noel, all from south Trinidad. 

Earl Rodney

Jason Baptiste

Kyle Noel

• Every year, countries such as Switzerland, Japan and Sweden host Steel Pan festivals in celebration of the steel pan, while in trinidad, the steel pan is only featured once per year at Carnival celebrations.

• Steel pan has been in the world of Pop music for a long time. It made appearances in the songs, "Just The Two Of Us," written by Trinidadian Ralph McDonald and sung by Grover Washington Jr. and," Side By Side," by Earth Wind and Fire featuring Robert Greenidge. 

• You can hear the steel pan being featured on "New Position," by Prince, "Jumanji," by Azalea Banks, "Jane Says," by Jane's Addiction, "Me And The Rhythm," by Selena Gomez, "Rum Is The Reason," by Toby Keith and most recently, "Close" by Nick Jonas.

Now why can't we do that?

• Although there are many great things surrounding the steel pan, there's also one, not so great thing, a complete pan shocker. Two Americans, George Whitmyre and Harvey J. Price, have successfully patented the production of the steel pan. Horrible news I know...if only the Trinidad and Tobago government had thought about it before those guys...hmm, maybe new found cultural heroes, Ansa Mcal can drop in like...

Don't just stop here, look for more information about our beloved steel pan. The rest of the world is mesmerized by it because they've experienced it. Unfortunately we have to wait once a year to lose ourselves in the magic that is steel pan, and I must admit, the treatment of Panorama could improve in terms of creativity and image, but the sweetness of the steel pan is undeniable. If it wasn't, why would it attract the world?

My culture is my identity and personality. It gives me spiritual, intellectual and and emotional distinction from others and I am proud of it.

                                                        - M.F. Moonzajer