Monday, April 28, 2008

Digicel Rising Star Part 2: Sando Auditions

Morning folks,
It's Da Face again. As I write this, the sun is still a rising star (not Digicel though) but I 'eh ha no' choice since I have some interesting and some really hilarious stuff to show this week.

So Saturday started off cool. I see a partner of mine in Chaguanas up in the Edinburgh but I don't know how he got there. No scene. I travel out the road try to go in the barber shop but you know how sticky the shop could get on a Saturday morning. Is almost like men does camp out in front from the night before or something. Pressure! Leaving that out, I proceed down to the Digicel Rising Star in San Fernando without a mark and without the benefit of a smile to entice any talented female artistes to sing in front of my camera but the real problem is that I have to find some place called City Hall. Now for me this is embarrassing as a big South man (I am originally from Palo Seco) but when the mark finally buss it happened to be a building that I passed almost everyday going to school in Pres but never really took on.

Now I'm up in the City Hall and here comes the interesting part. Now if you read my last post you would remember when I said that one of the interesting features of the Digicel Rising Star competitions is again meeting contestants who like you have tried and failed to make it past the auditions stage. Well the thing is, I was still shocked when I met some of the people I saw last week. I almost didn't recognize one of the guys (his name is Iziz Machete, remember that one) because he got the barber's touch that I couldn't receive but soon we were there leaning up against the wall and catching real 'jones' on random stuff like brethren from long time. You know how we trinis do.

After that, I met up with two of my brethren and found out that they made it past the first stage of the audition which bring across another point that I didn't know: each stage of the audition has a Saturday and a Sunday part. When you get through on the Saturday you're not safe yet; you have to go back again on Sunday where they whittle down the number even smaller. It's like 75 on Saturday down to 10 on Sunday (yeah is no joke). Nevertheless I congratulated them and at this point we were all there hanging around and looking to make our next move because frankly, the auditions are pretty much boring if you're not competing; all the actual auditions take place behind closed doors so there isn't much to look at. At this point, a mad man starts to act up and I get footage of this pseudo-vagrant almost losing his life because of crack.


Tell me this not hilarious

After a long period when I'm ready to breathe again after watching the mad man, I buss it out a there with my brethren and interview them. They are both aspiring gospel artistes and one of them is bringing out a cd later this year. After this, I head home and take a sleep. And that's how it went down. Till next week people. Laterz. And one more thing, check out KeiRhon's in San Fernando (715-2583) for some real bess urban and rasta man gear...that's the store that we did the interviews in.


DL: Gospel artiste


Vokalz: Gospel artiste

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Digicel Rising Star

Yeah folks,
Greetings and blessings to all ah allyuh. How allyuh going? Good? I hope so...the price of rice is not what it used to be.

Anyways, on a more uplifting note, I just want to announce that Underground Trini Artiste is going to be covering the Digicel Rising Star competition for the duration of the competition. Through no fault or deliberation on my part I found myself in the Digicel Rising Star auditions on Saturday in Presentation Chaguanas and I must say that I was really loving the vibes there. Now for those who don't know, Digicel Rising Star is uniquely special in that the auditions are held in several locations nationwide (Tobago too...wait...that's nationwide right?) and if 'yuh eh get through', you can enter multiple times. What I experienced when I went to Chaguanas was a deep sense of comradeship shared by hopefuls who didn't make it in Port Of Spain and were trying their luck in Chaguanas and so friendships were forged in the struggle. The funny thing about rising star is that a lot of really good people don't make it the first time; the runner up last year Justin Cross reportedly tried out multiple times before gaining acceptance. I got so caught up in the vibes that I even tried my luck but unfortunately I was one of the good ones that didn't get through (yuh done know). I'm thinking I may roll with this hippie vibes and try out again next week down south because I may meet those wonderful talented people I met last week and with some actual practice this time I may actually make it on the accepted list. Who knows.



Some true underground trini artistes...

Guitar man: 'Ace'
Guy next to him: 'Iziz Machette'
Rapper guy: 'Just Noe'

Friday, April 11, 2008

COTT - Mek sure and join it

Yes folks,
Is yuh boy Da Face again.
Right about now I'm coming wit a serious head about a scene that any underground artiste needs to handle if they want to be successful (doh play like you doh wah be successful). Yuh know how things does go sometimes...yuh write your own stuff, load up de fruity loops...blaze out a world class beat in ah hour or two and then yuh looking for a studio to beg a demo from. One thing dat most upcoming artistes don't consider is the importance of their work and how important it is to protect you intellectual properties (yeah daz what it is). In a nutshell, yuh need to get yuh tail down by COTT and sign up hoss.

Speaking ah dat, Wednesday I was in a COTT seminar and a lot of sense starting passing in that room. Did you know that COTT is an international organization that can collect revenue for your shit all over the world? If a babes in Honolulu is wining low to your music in a public event on de beach yuh could eat ah food (well not Honolulu but yuh know wha ah mean). And dats just one part. You can also generate money from your works not only from radio, but through soundtracks, advertisements, ringtones and many other revenue streams on the Internet.

Now if the stuff that I'm saying doesn't convince you then consider this: a dude from Trinidad called Reel to Reel came out with a song in 1994 titled 'I Like To Move It'. The song was a hit in its time and at the time he did eat a food but that's not the most amazing part. From then till now, this same song has been used in numerous advertisements, been re-made a few times and even used in the hit movie 'Madagascar' . Moral of the story, this man who is probably linked to an organization like COTT that can go all over the world and collect his revenues for him is STILL EATING A FOOD for a song he created over ten years ago. Think about it. Is only $100 to join. Doh stick!


I Like to Move It Move It..lol

Friday, April 4, 2008

Next-To-Blow (exploding soon)

Yeah ppls,

Is yuh boy Da Face here. I know I haven't said nuttin in a while but you'll be hearing from me a lot and in a big way in the upcoming months. Very soon, my blog about Underground Artistes will have another home on Next-To-Blow and I'll be starting brisk out de gate interviewing the artistes there and letting you all get to know them. Presently the site is down for maintenance but trust mih...when dey start back, dey plan to come out big. And if I say it yuh done know.

Also, yuh boy done call down he camera so you can expect to see some videos, exclusive freestyles and interviews with underground artistes soon. Stay tuned...Da Face not going nowhere.