Sweet Soca 16 Announced

The competitions have started!!

First out of the blocks is the Sweet Soca 16. The semifinalists for the Sweet Soca competition were announced at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) yesterday, June 24th, 2009.

The sixteen semifinalists and their socas (in no particular order) are:

1. All Night Til Morning - Statement.
2. Back it up - Blood.
3. Busted William - Watts.
4. Carnival Jooks - Lil Rick.
5. Come Out - Mr Dale.
6. Good Vibes - Lorenzo.
7. Hot Sun and Riddim - TC.
8. Hottie Hottie Gal - Tara Toldipp.
9. I in Dat - Mikey.
10. Keep Drinks Coming -Out Patients.
11. Move Over - Tasha.
12. Peter Pan - Peter Ram.
13. Trouble - Khiomal.
14. We Come to Party - Sir Ruel.
15. What We Do - Natahlee.
16. Wining Zone - Brett.

The competition is new but the names remain the same. In other words, there are few (but some) surprises here. The usual stakeholders whom one could pull off the top of one's head without thinking about it much, are there. Those would be Blood, Lil Rick, Nathalee, Mikey, Peter Ram, Mr. Dale and of course Khiomal.

One of the surprises is Sir Ruel. This is his first year in the "big boys" competition and the big boys tend to play rough. Although Sir Ruel is a champion from Junior Monarch I did not expect him to do this well in his first time playing in the major leagues. Good Luck Sir Ruel. (Remember your training my young padowan.)

Of the above 16, Sunflower is sweet on Statement's soca "All Night Til Morning." Or, as Statement sings it - all night til maawniiinng. To Statement I say these words which I often quote from Jack Sparrow: I want you to know that I was always rooting for you.

There were over 98 entrants for this competition, and from those these 16 were chosen. Which leaves 82 very disappointed calypsonians, or in this case, soca men and women. I would like to know who these 82 are and hear their rival socas.

Remember Sunflower's words: Many will enter. Few will be chosen.

There is always next year. According to 98.1 Barbadians will have no trouble hearing (and possibly being nauseated by) the sweet soca 16. These songs will be in heavy rotation until the final 8 are chosen. Then, I am guessing, they too will be in heavy (nauseating) rotation until the winner is chosen.

Good Luck to the Sweet Soca 16!!!

For the press release on the sweet soca 16 please got to the Crop Over 2009 website which is published by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF).

Flashback Thursday - My 5 Favourite Sesame Street Skits

This Thursday I will take a break from the calypso arena and discuss a topic near and dear to my heart. Sesame Street.

This show brought joy, letters and numbers to my life when I was but a small sunflower. It also brought humour and laughter. Those fellows at the Sesame Street Workshop did a lot more than that. By teaching Spanish, tolerance of grouches (which comes in handy), and respect for large creatures like Big Bird and Snuffy, they showed us a different way of life.

Back to the humour:

There are many Sesame Street skits which I still find hilarious today. Here are my top five (5), in no particular order:

1. Kermit and the Six Dollar Man.
Not the six million dollar man, the six dollar man, as in $6.00. Watch:



Hilarious. The $6 man destroys the lab. Did you catch Kermit hiding underneath the table? Priceless.

2. The Golden AN
In this skit, 2 crooks steal the golden "an" all the while using words which end or rhyme with "an". Of course, one of the crooks is not the brightest crayon in the box.



"I shudda ran" - brilliant.

3. Rebel L
What can I say about this one. It is superb. There is a muppet which looks like Billy Idol and a letter L who is very rebellious. It was all a little kid could ever want?



Of course this skit teaches about words starting with the letter "L". I really like the part when the really loud police woman turns up and starts singing.

4. There is a hole in my bucket
To view this classic video - Click HERE

My favourite line is when Liza says "any fool woulda known that". She has the best lines in this skit.

We are now at number 5

It is sooo hard to choose five (5) and I had great difficulty deciding on the fifth. It is a toss up between The Alligator King and his Seven Sons which is an absolute favourite of mine and Telephone Rock. As I can't choose, I have included both clips. Enjoy!!!

5. Alligator King and His Seven Sons
When I was little I tried my best to memorise this song and sing along with the skit when it came on.



My favourite lines come at the very end of the song:

Said the alligator king to his 7th son,
My son, you win the crown.
You didn't give me diamonds or rubies,
But you helped me up when I was down.
Take the crown, its yours my son,
I hope you don't mind the dents.
I got it on sale at a discount store,
Cost me all of seven cents.

5.1. Telephone Rock



Now most people who watched this in the '80's are rocking their cell phones where ever they go. Blame it on Sesame Street.

Okay - so all of these are not skits, most of them are songs. Song/skit; it was all part of the learning experience.

So - Which songs and/or skits were your favourites? Leave a comment and let me know.

This post was brought to you by the numbers 5, 14 and 31 and the letter G.

Favourite Tunes so Far - Bucky is in the Lead

It is still early in the season and many tunes have dropped. Some good and some not as good. There are two (2) songs which I liked instantly from the time their first notes played out of my car radio. Those tunes are "Wukking Up Is My Middle Name" by Bucky Wuk Up and "Chaos" by Blood (the artist formerly known as Young Blood). Apologies to Bucky if I spelt either his name and/or the name of him Crop Over offering incorrectly.

In the lead for favourite tune - Wukking Up Is My Middle Name

This song has many of those aspects which a layperson like the Sunflower looks for in a good crop over party tune. The song is:

• Catchy
• Memorable
• Contains imagery
• Has a great beat, and
• High on the dance-ability meter

I just hope that it has staying power. As most bajans who follow kaiso know; if an artist brings out a hot tune in late May/early June; it has the potential to last for the entire season. (A good song can last for decades.) However, the tune also has the potential to be overplayed and become forgotten when another hot tune by a more popular artist hits the airwaves. Sad, but true.

So Bucky, I really wish you all the well this season. May your tune last until the end of August (or later).

One thing I'd like to say to Bucky: Boy you hit this nail on the head. When I heard this song I could think of many people I know for whom "wukking up" becomes their first, middle and last names during the crop over. Just call them Wuk up Wuk up Wuk up. There are many people I don't know who act as though their names have changed to the aforementioned also. I can see the following conversation occurring:

Guy meets girl at wet fete and asks: What is your name?

Girl replies: Jane Wuk Up Smith. What is your name?

Guy replies: John Wuk Up Jones.

It could happen. You see these people every year at the fetes, party monarch finals, in the calypso tents, and jumping down the street on Kadooment Day. They are everywhere during crop over and your song speaks to all of them. It can become their own personal anthem.

In crop over and in time of need

When this season was young

Our great kaiso men sowed the seed

From which this kaiso sprung

Wukking up is my middle name

Wukking up is my middle name

I 'in frighten, I 'in shame

Wukking up is my middle name

(Sung to the tune of the national anthem, them suddenly breaking out into Bucky Wup Up's tune.)

Running a close second - Chaos

This song has many of the aspects I listed above for a good party song. I think it is a great and classic Blood tune.

Whenever Blood gets his hands around a good melody and adds some slamming lyrics, the result is a song which can go all the way to the finals of Party Monarch or Pic-o-de-crop.

I don't expect Chaos to get lost when tunes by Lil Rick, Khiomal and others come out. This is because Blood knows how to handle a big tune, he is a veteran and can be referred to as a shareholder. He cut his eye teeth on "Sport Billy" and has not looked back since. He honed his craft during his many years as frontman for Square One and is very crop over savvy. So my prediction (early as it may) is that Chaos or another tune by Blood will make it to the Party Monarch finals.

To Blood, I also wish you all the best this season. I know you always put your best foot forward. Of you, much is expected.

The Road March and People's Monarch competitions are also other avenues which these two songs can take.

I am looking forward to hearing what else the kaiso men and women have in their repertoires this season.

(All those planning to jump please see my post titled Costume Band Revelry - Five Do's and Don'ts)

Costume Band Revelry - Five (5) Do's and Don'ts

Jumping in a costume band is fun. Jumping in a costume band is great. But every year people make the same mistakes over and over again. Sunflower is here to help with some tips to get you ready for Kadooment Day.

# 1
Do - Select a costume which fits your size and budget.
Don't - Buy a costume 2 sizes too small and so expensive that you can't afford to pay the rent.
Why - No one wants to see that!!! And you will be broke come August 2nd.



# 2
Do - Put on your costume and have a grand ole time.
Don't - Have a grand ole time wukking up on an officer of the law (policeman/woman).
Why - That just ain't right!!!

# 3
Do - Drink plenty of fluids before Kadooment Day so that you are well hydrated.
Don't - Drink plenty of alcohol on Kadooment Day, get drunk and lose control of your inhibitions and common sense.
Why - What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens on Spring Garden ends up on YouTube, BajanTube and Facebook.

# 4

Do - Exercise consistently during the year so that by August 1st you are ready to jump all day in a costume band.
Don't - Wait until July 15th to start walking around the Garrison Savannah in hopes that by August 1st you are fit enough to jump all day in the broiling sun and/or driving rain, in a costume band.
Why - It ain't gonna work!!! You may have to settle for a larger sized costume. (See tip #1) And you may become so bruck up, that your friends may have to carry you part of the way.

# 5

Do - Use the supplied public facilities to relieve yourself while travelling along the parade route.
Don't - Do anything different!!!
Why - Cameras and cell phones are deceptively tiny but have very powerful video recording capabilities. (See tip #3) Need I say more?

Follow these tips and you will be a-okay.

Calypso Time Travel

So you are sitting at home, listening to all the new tunes and you are asking yourself these questions:

• Who won party monarch last year?
• Who won road march?, and
• Who went to the Pic-o-de-crop finals?
  

With all the partying, frolicking, jumping, dancing, yamming and overall merry making that you did last year, you can't remember didley. What happened last year might as well have happened year before, or year before that, or year before that...it is all a blur.

Have no fear, Sunflower is here to help. That's right - Sunflower to the rescue, again. But I'm only going back the last three (3) years 'cause Sunflower has to research these things and that takes time. And today, I'm only going to go back to party monarch.

So here goes....Party Monarch Results

• 2008 - Khiomal singing Unleash De Beast
• 2007 - Lil Rick singing Can't Wait
• 2006 - Barry Chandler singing Flames
  

There you have it. Are the memories flooding back? Well here is a bonus - Lil Rick's Can't Wait music video. Enjoy!!! You can thank me later.

Annoying Phrase of the Day

Phrase: I joined the competition to gain self confidence in myself.
Often used by: Contestants in any type of competition (sport, artistic, academic, etc)
Why is this annoying: Really? Reallllly.......who else are you going to have self confidence in?

Enough said.

The photo in this post is from the PicApp website.