Wednesday, February 24, 2010

BACCHANAL TREASURES – CROWD FAVOURITE

Patrons can continue to enjoy their favorite chips, with a good drink and enjoy the vibe at the Mas Camp for the next six weeks


The vibe and energy surrounding Bacchanal Treasures continues to build with week 3 showing undoubtedly the greatest intensity thus far. Even the slight drizzle that greeted many of the early revelers was not enough to either dampen the vibe or detour the patrons from coming out to enjoy another Friday night at the Mas Camp.


With drink filled cups and soca in their ears, everybody was in a great mood half way into the night with a little over 3 hours remaining before the scheduled 2am lock off, the crowds had already started to fill the gaps in one of Kingston’s more spacious venues. No one could honestly say that the vibe was anything less than good; just enough to keep the patrons moving yet teasing them making them yearn for more with each passing minute. Credit must be given to Dj Billy and Dj Smoke representing the Renaissance Sound system. Both disc jockeys found the right blend of Dancehall and soca, both old and new to keep those in attendance jumping and raving.


The revelers found great interest in the giveaways and specials from the Sponsors; the team from Matterhorn had specials on their Cigarettes, Appleton’s Mug Madness continued, Digicel’s Booth was a constant buzz with activity as their games have become something that many look forward to as an opportunity to win credit, shirts and phones from a brand that Bacchanal supporters have always embraced.


Speaking of embrace, patrons where seen enjoying a bag of chips along with their drink as Jamaica Producer’s St. Mary chips (Banana, Plantain, Cassava and Potato) continued to find their way through the crowd and into the hands of the patrons. Patrons like Carlos DeSilva were quite pleased after their first taste of the Cassava Chips, “I was always interested to taste it ever since I heard about it and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that it tastes as good as it does”, commented Mr. Desilva. A sentiment that was echoed by Roxy, a Brand Promoter from Matterhorn, “I never expected it to taste this good” was her comment after her first mouthful.


St. Mary’s Chips are certainly becoming a crowd favorite of the Friday night series as patrons continue to look out for the giveaways each night. Patrons can continue to enjoy their favorite chips, with a good drink and enjoy the vibe at the Mas Camp for the next six weeks as Jamaica Producers has pledged to continue on this drive for the remainder of the Carnival season.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

BET.com representing at the EME awards



This is for those who missed the awards show. You can check out the clip below. BET.com with host Tammy, came through the awards show and spoke with some of the persons involved in the entertainment industry locally. Check it out.













           

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Soca Lovers Treated to St. Mary’s Finest

Patrons who got the treats were visibly elated by the gesture

Week 2 of Bacchanal Treasures - the Bacchanal Fridays saw hundreds of Soca lovers coming out to the Mas Camp in New Kingston to get their weekly fix of the ever infectious genre of music.
At a $600 entry price, the organizers have somehow found a way to make the weekly series ‘recession friendly’ and with drink specials being offered by Appleton, Smirnoff, Heineken and others, there is always a cost effective way to spend a dollar and enjoy a drink.

The vibe around the Mas Camp was relatively slow. However there were sporadic moments when the energy reached climatic proportions; selections from the soca catalogue of 2 and even 3 years ago worked well for the masses and there was a thunderous sound of appeal when the selector played Skip to Ma Luu with Serani, Ding Dong and Razz & Biggy. The crowd erupted in a dancing frenzy swinging from left to right all around the venue and shaking various booths set up by the sponsors.  At the drink central set up by Appleton they had female bartenders dancing on the counters much to the delight of some of the male patrons in attendance who found themselves lost in somewhat of a trance staring at them.

The Treasures of the night

Digicel Jamaica continued along their path of giving back to their customers with Phone, credit and T-Shirt give aways. Patrons were treated to some of the best snacks on the market in the form of St. Mary’s Banana Chips.  These delightful treats provided by Jamaica Producers were given out by members of the Bacchanal Jamaica team.  Patrons who got the treats were visibly elated by the gesture and some were even seen coming back for seconds. Mr. Stephen Willie, who was the representative for Jamaica Producers at the event, said that "the initiative was a simple yet effective way of allowing the Consumers who have consistently supported St. Mary’s Banana Chips to understand that we value their confidence in our product and also just to give back a ‘little something’ to them." “It is our intention to make giveaways like this and others a staple of Bacchanal Treasures “, Stephen further explained.

JP Tropical Foods pride themselves on being the home of the most delicious, authentic, Caribbean Snacks. Their snacks are 100% natural, healthy fun and ideal, whether you’re taking it slow or in a high energy environment like Jamaica Bacchanal Carnival. All their snacks are free of transfat, gluten, cholesterol and lactose, making them a great choice for all ages. All are encouraged to come out and enjoy Friday nights at Bacchanal Treasures with a healthy yet delightful snack of St. Mary’s Banana Chip.

NeggieViews: Valentines Day

So I was asked to share my views on Valentines Day by a friend of mine. I delved into the inner workings of my mind and came up with the following.


According to the internet. Valentines Day celebration is attributed to St. Valentine and blah blah blah. To this I say ERRONEOUS. Valentines day was created by a secret society of women who were being neglected in the gift department from their men. These women were tired of not being treated to gifts and nice things and as such went to Thomas Edison, upon their visit they recieved a lightbulb moment and decided to scheme of ways to solicit gifts from their male counterparts. After countless revisions Valentines Day was born. They still exist to this day, their message perpetuated by the media. This is why the focus of Valentines Day is on women.

Thats the TRUE history of how Valentines Day came about. Now for my take on the whole Valentines excitement.

In my opinion Valentines Day should hold NO importance whatsoever. Lets think about it for a second. If you are a girl in a healthy relationship and you are being taken care of by your man. To clear the air I dont mean being spoilt with expensive gifts, I mean if your man makes you happy and surprises you when he can with gifts within his budget, why is it so important if he does it on February 14th or not. It is NOT important, you are just being brainwashed by the hype and the media. On the flipside. If you inna a crappy relationship and your man refuses to show appreciation in the form of gifts then why is it so IMPORTANT for him to do it on February 14th. It is NOT important, because if he does buy the gift for you on February 14th he is not doing it out of appreciation for you. He is doing it because he feels he must, if you have one of the men in your life please feel free to utilize the next exit.

Now that we have established that Valentines Day is overhyped, let me clear the air a little more. I am not against a fellow buying a gift for his girlfriend on Valentines Day. I am against the reasons behind it. If you buying a gift for your girl just because it is Valentines Day and you feel like you have to, then you sir are a FOOL. If however you decide to go all out on this day for the sole reason that you know your girlfriend is still brainwashed by the hype and it remains important to her and you want to make this day special for her, then and ONLY then will I support these actions.

Also fellows if you are with a lady that reciprocates your efforts on Valentines Day, for the reason that she wants to make the day special for you and NOT for the reason that you are buying her a gift so she feels inclined to buy you one, then you sir have a woman that has the NeggZ stamp of approval.

In essence the thought behind your gift giving is what important and not the fact that you have recieved a gift on this day.

Written by: Stephen 'Neggie' Pryce

Look out for his blog coming soon

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bugle Maintaining the Focus for 2010

Musical interests both locally and internationally found 2009 to be a turbulent year for the industry; feuds, lackluster production and writing efforts aided in an even greater decrease in album sales.  The flip side is that this tight squeeze around the neck of the entertainment industry allowed persons to dig deeper inside their creative engines to bring good quality music to float above all the undesirables, much to the delight of the fans. One artiste who was able to bring forth really good, quality filled tracks was DASECA’s first artiste – Bugle.

Bugle has found himself blessed with a writing/lyrical skill that allows him to bring forth songs that connect with people on a personal level; things that basically any and every one can relate to. In 2009 he stayed true to that form and worked with some of the industries talented producers to bring those songs to the ears of the fans. With the help of visionaries like Julia Braham (1456 Productions) and Jay Will (Jay Will Films) he was able to bring some of these stories to life. One of his last projects for 2009 was the song ‘Pearly Gates’ produced by TJ White (Tj Records) for the Alter Ego Riddim. The concept for the video was coordinated by the team of Jay Will Films and it became one of the most memorable videos of the year. “I like working with Julia and Jay Will because of the creativity that they bring to the table”, commented Bugle, he went on to say that “some of our directors are becoming monotonous”, something that critics have repeatedly been saying, so it is a breath of fresh air that people like Jay Will can inject that creativity in their work and as Bugle looks towards working with other directors for the coming year he encourages them to tap into that creative energy that will help Jamaican Artistes get there messages/music across to the masses.

Good music truly knows no bounds; this was proved time and time again when promoters across the globe requested Bugle to headline tours, concerts and be present at events across the Caribbean, Canada, United Kingdom, Belize and Bermuda. Locally, though he was not in Jamaica to perform at Sting, he was privileged to have delivered an outstanding set at Reggae Sumfest, one that had the patrons hungry for more and set the basis for his intent to deliver an even bigger and better performance for the 2010 staging of the event.

For an industry that brings thousands of tourists to Jamaica on a yearly basis, industry affiliates and entertainers alike find it hard to understand why dancehall is still being hampered by our society. The Noise abatement act which developed some new muscle in 2009 is having a domino effect on the industry. “What will the jerk man do when him cah mek him money at the gate any more? How will the artistes feed their children, how will the promoters send their children to school?” Bugle questions. He proposes that the government simply look into providing some greater means of support for all the people that will be affected, instead of imposing a law that does more harm for one of Jamaica’s greatest assets.

Bugle says that “Negativity cannot benefit dancehall”, that’s not a new sentiment, however he feels that the ‘uptown/downtown’ segregation and feuding between artistes are the driving forces that limited the growth of Dancehall on the world stage in previous years. It is a hope that


Keeping his Ears and Eyes Open

2010 may see Bugle releasing an album, with exclusive tracks that have already been recorded and never released. With his lyrical prowess and production from some of the industry’s finest this album will definitely be a collector’s item. Fans will have to wait until mid-year though after Bugle executes an extensive tour of Europe, a market he plans to take his music to a lot this year.

With his eyes firmly set on maintaining his momentum through 2010, Bugle keeps his ears open for good productions from established and upcoming producers alike; he continues to keep his eyes open for creative directors to work with and talented entertainers with an earnest love for the music to do collaborations with.

With Bugle and other artistes in this frame of mind our music culture seems destined for greatness.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

DIGICEL AND SHAGGY’S ‘RISE AGAIN’ HAITI RELIEF SONG AVAILABLE ON iTUNES NOW

International acclaimed Caribbean artists Shaggy, Sean Paul, Sean Kingston and many more feature and internationally renowned director Jay Will shoots video

Digicel today announced that ‘Rise Again’ - the song written by international reggae sensation and Grammy Award-winning artist, Shaggy, to support the relief efforts following the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti on 12th January - is available on iTunes for download and purchase for 99 cents (US) now with the artists and label donating their proceeds to the Digicel Haiti relief fund.


‘Rise Again’ is a Caribbean song, which was written and performed by Caribbean artists for the people of Haiti. And with the New York Times hailing the song as “fast becoming a post-quake anthem”, ‘Rise Again’ has had a fantastic reception and is already getting heavy rotation radio airplay and news coverage across the globe.

In addition, from mid-next week, the video to accompany ‘Rise Again’ will also be available on iTunes.

Directed by internationally renowned film and video director, Jay Will, and filmed around Port Royal in Jamaica, the video’s central theme is of people from across the Caribbean coming together to rebuild Haiti and help the people of Haiti to rise again.

From red, white and blue balloons mirroring the colours of the Haitian flag being released to aid arriving on boats and planes and a mother being gently handed her new born baby by a nurse - the images portrayed are of hope for the future – and are interspersed with actual footage of the aftermath of the earthquake.

A veteran of some 50 music-related films and videos and with roles at MTV, CBS, ESPN and NBC under his belt, Jay Will has worked with some of the biggest names in music including Kanye West, Bob Sinclar, Elephant Man, Lee Scratch Perry and Vybz Kartel.

Commenting on the video, director Jay Will said; “The devastation in Haiti and the heartbreak is immeasurable. The aim of this video is to offer hope and a chance for change and recovery. The simple message is: throughout all things, one thing will remain true – that despite the tragedy, despite the struggle, despite the hardships, Haiti will rise again.”

Colm Delves, Group CEO of Digicel, comments; “‘Rise Again’ succeeds in being both moving and uplifting and we are delighted with the reception that it has had across the globe to date. We would like to thank everyone for their support and encourage people to log on to iTunes and purchase the song so that we can keep giving to the people of Haiti in their time of need.”

Artists featured on ‘Rise Again’ include Shaggy; Sean Paul; Sean Kingston; Barbadian Artists, Alison Hinds, Shontelle Layne and Edwin Yearwood; Trinidadian Soca Artists, Destra Garcia, David Rudder and Kes Dieffenthaller; Jamaican reggae artists, Tessanne Chin and Etana; and Haitian artiste, Belo. The track was produced by Christopher Birch.

As the single largest investor in Haiti with a total investment of over U$300 million since its launch in 2006, Digicel has over two million customers in Haiti. The Digicel Haiti Relief Fund has donated US$5 million to NGOs in Haiti to support the relief efforts and over US$600,000 has been raised by Digicel customers across the Caribbean and Central America through a text and voice donation line. Digicel also gave each of its two million customers in Haiti US$5 in free credit – totaling US$10 million.

In addition, over 60 video messages of support have been recorded by well known people such as the Fastest Man in the World, Usain Bolt; President Martinelli of Panama; West Indies legend, Sir Garfield Sobers; and many more. All videos are available to view on www.facebook.com/helphaiti.

Source - Digicel Group