Keep your eyes open for this one folks! I have been informed of a new MEDIUM sized band which will be making it's debut for Carnival 2011 and it is called GEMS.
No word on what theme is of this new band, but further details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Now, lets see how many new bands come on the scene for Carnival 2011..I am guessing the recession is over?!
9 comments:
Good grief. ANOTHER new band??? NCBA doesn't have anything to say about this? The streets cannot take it. The congestion is ridiculous!
Something needs to be done. NCBA should institute an upper limit on band masquerader numbers and also on the acceptance of new bands or whatever. Because if something isn't done, the days of the seven-hour wait down on Charlotte St will continue for years to come.
Excuse you, Mjsbunny???. To each their own opinion, but I think your comment is totally out of place, and condemns what Trinidad and Tobago (nobody else...) Carnival stands for.
That's by no way a solution to the present challenge. Maybe band leaders can come together and use their brain next year, to stagger the bands accordingly instead of all rushing to the savannah.
I have suggested extending the route (like previous years). But placing a limit on new bands is bordering on stupidity
Anyway, I look forward to this new band. There's also talk of a new band Skullduggery (it makes my pores raise when i think of it)by the two Peters. (I know one peter is involved for sure)
Then yeah, sure. Why not have six more new bands enter the fray? What an excellent time thay will be on the road.
Carnival has changed from the fun thing it used to be, and gotten to the point where people think it's an easy route to big bucks. So with this evolution, comes the need for regulation. It is that simple.
Yes, everyone should have the right to play mas and be on the road, but at the end of the day, we need to understand the physical limitations of Port-of-Spain. And the sheer number of bands and masqueraders is making the whole experience very unenjoyable for some. It's the same thing with vehicular traffic. When the roads in Trinidad were designed and built, they weren't done for the amount of cars we have on the road.
There needs to be regulation, or else bands like TRIBE might end up growing big beyond all sense. And while I didn't play in Poison in that historically bad year, I've heard enough horror stories.
So while I'm not hating on this new band, after spending nearly eight hours on Charlotte St, with only five drinks for that period, because we were stuck behind Trevor Wallace, who was stuck behind Island People, who were stuck behind Spice, who were stuck behind Lord knows who else, forgive me if I'm not turning cartwheels at the thought of yet another band on the road come Carnival Monday.
Lawd the ting start!
What I like to know is how de mudder neck a new band just come out as a medium band just so? Who are they? Are they a spinoff of a bigger band? New kid on the block? What?
I think I goin' and play mas in South yes. Town too congested.
mjsbunny I find your comments hilarious!!So we should havcev the NCBA regulate band size and new band entrants because bands like Tribe are getting to large. Hilarious. So you think big bands can't regularize themselves to appease the needs of the masquerders who play with them religiously. We should ask NCBA to regulate it. LOL
I just want to say that a new band does not guarantee more masquerders on the streets of POS. Not everyone who plays mas is band loyal. I say bring on the competition and the options. If you don't want to be bottle necked on Charlotte Street you a) dont have to play in a large band. b) can choose a route that allows you to cross the savannah stage at times when other large bands are not crossing or c) play mas in south
Ok.
How is it logical to deny a new band the opportunity to showcase their talent because a (perceived) veteran band cannot keep their numbers under control? That is hogwash of the HIGHEST farm grade!
Maybe the NCBA does need to regulate the numbers a little, but please do not completely remove the responsibility that band leaders have (who should know better) to make sure that their masquerader clientele has the most optimum experience for their dollar.
Not everyone wants to be a part of the acclaimed "it" band. Some people have other desires, and maybe this band will offer them that Carnival package they are looking for. Making statements to the effect of "the streets cannot take the congestion of a new band" is astronomically anal-retentive, and by no standards does it offer a viable, comprehensive solution to the issues that (may have) peaked in 2010.
Better than that please!!!
While I can see the value in putting a cap on the band size itself, there is absolutely no validity to the argument that additonal bands on the road will cause more congestion. If 10 new medium bands were to materialize this year, do you honestly think 10,000+ additional masqueraders would appear out of nowhere to clog up the streets?
Many new bands of different sizes join the fray every year. Some of them buss, some barely break even, some are successful. And conversely, every year there are established bands that simply blink into oblivion. So the volume of masqueraders is not growing at some wildly exponential rate, particularly with a global recession still pressing hard on many of our wallets. The mere existence of a new band does not guarantee that there will be even 100 new people to fill it, much less 1000, or 5000.
More bands means more choice, more creativity, more competition, more variety. All of these are good things for the masquerader.
The problem of congestion has been around even before the dawn of the 'mega-band'. And just because one segment of the route is horribly congested doesn't mean that all of Port-of-Spain is packed with people. Any spectator will tell you that there are often long stretches of time between bands at certain stages, so the road is quite obviously big enough for everyone. The route needs to be altered and/or properly managed in order to limit potential bottle-neck situations.
The solution to this problem requires a coming together of fair-minded, experienced and creative people/groups, who will represent the masqueraders AND the spectators in a genuine effort to improve the Carnival experience across the board.
I welcome any new band that wants to make a go of it for Carnival 2011, and I wish them all the best.
Bunny this is the MOST set of crap yuh type in a while. Like REAL rubbish yuh spewing there.
Well said sqeezle. In addition to more choice, more creativity, more competition,addtional bands may open the door to upcoming designers, employment for security and service staff etc. AS sqeezle said the main problem is the routing of the bands. One regulation the NCBA should enforce is the route bands take to avoid having 2 large bands crossing paths.
At some point the band size must also be regulated. We cant have a mega band of 15000 stretching for 2+ miles on the road where they could literally be crossing 2 or 3 judging points at the same time. Maybe a luxury tax on said band would encourage them to keep the size in check. Their mere size affects the enjoyment of masqueraders in other bands who have the same right to palance across the stage.
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