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Central Rainbow Calypso Stars Tent
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Central Rainbow Calypso Stars Interviews
'Mighty Monach', 'D Juba' and 'Mystic Guru'
TriniSoca.com Reporters
Interview Recorded: January 27, 2006
Tonight we are at the Central Rainbow Calypso Stars Tent in Chaguanas where the Calypso Stars have come to entertain and be judged for the Semi-finals of the Calypso Monarch Competition. This Tent which was launched on December 12th is in its second straight year at the Chaguanas Community Centre. Managed with the assistance of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) and other corporate sponsors, Central Rainbow Stars proudly operates with a full cast. The cast includes a number of long-standing performers as well as newcomers. However, on this particular night, the Tent will be hosting the Hard Core Kaiso 2006 Competition. This Competition will be the first to be visited by judges for the Semi-finals of the Calypso Monarch Competition which would be held in Skinner's Park Savannah in San Fernando.
Joseph Lewis aka 'Mighty Monach'
Joseph Lewis
TRINISOCA: Next we have Mr. Joseph Lewis better know as the 'Mighty Monarch'. Tonight Mr. Lewis performed "Kaiso Ent So".
TRINISOCA: Mr. Lewis, how long have you been singing Calypso?
MONARCH: I have been singing Calypso over thirty years now.
TRINISOCA: How has your experience in Calypso been?
MONARCH: Well...there are a lot of ups and downs in the art form. There are a lot of loop holes that can be filled. I have seen a different era with a different type of music during the time I have been performing and singing Calypso. The music is versatile but I do believe we should stick to the Traditional Calypso a little more.
TRINISOCA: What advice do you have for the younger generation of Calypsonians?
MONARCH: They should stick more to Calypso and not what I am hearing now and calling it Calypso. It is not the authentic Calypso in lyrics; it is a lot of melody. The late Lord Kitchener, Sparrow and these fellas had melody in their songs. The change I see in the Calypsos now is kind of dry. It doesn't have enough melody and lyrics. The topic is only about woman or jam 'n' wine. There are a lot of things they could sing about in the society. The society is falling apart. The Calypsonian is the modern day messenger. Some of these guys do not look at themselves as the messenger because they are only studying the party and the money. This is not Calypso to my understanding. It is a great art form and we have to learn more about it because it is our heritage. I also find we do not get the support the Calypsonians should get. Hopefully things will be better in the future.
TRINISOCA: Thank you sir.
Anthony Charles aka 'D Juba'
Anthony Charles
TRINISOCA: This next artiste is Mr. Anthony Charles better known as 'D Juba'. His rendition tonight was "Dog Politics".
TRINISOCA: Mr. Charles, what influenced the title of your song?
D JUBA: The scandal with Dansook and the ministers. It happened in my area so I decided to let the public know what was going on.
TRINISOCA: How long have you been singing Calypso?
D JUBA: I have been singing since I was in school. I stopped singing Calypso and then I started singing again about ten years now.
TRINISOCA: What influenced you to start back?
D JUBA: Well...I see Kaiso has places to go. Some people were not bringing out the right messages so I decided to start writing again.
TRINISOCA: Do you have any advice to any of the governing bodies about what can be done to help Calypso?
D JUBA: I would like to see TUCO emphasize more on the poorer class of Calypsonians so that they could bring out their materials before the season. Studio fees are sometimes hard for some of the artistes. Some of the poor Calypsonians still have strong messages that haven't been heard.
TRINISOCA: Thank you sir.
Daniel Pitt aka 'Mystic Guru'
Daniel Pitt
TRINISOCA: Standing beside me now is Mr. Daniel Pitt, better known as 'Mystic Guru'. Mr. Pitt performed a song tonight entitled "Let's Give".
TRINISOCA: Mr. Pitt, how long have you been singing Calypso?
MYSTIC GURU: I have been singing Calypso since I was a child growing up with my grandparents. There was always music in our home. My first microphone was a corn stick and my grandfather used to indulge me in pretending to be a singer. Back in those days we had Aunty Kay on the radio. My first public appearance was in Queens Hall at the age of eight.
TRINISOCA: Have you always been in Calypso?
MYSTIC GURU: I have always been into music in general.
TRINISOCA: Given what you have seen influencing the younger people and the different variations of Soca, what advice do you have for somebody coming into the whole arena?
MYSTIC GURU: What I have noticed with the younger generation is the lack of musical instruments in the home. In my time almost every home had a musical instrument. The children at that time were more musically inclined. As time passed the stereo replaced the musical instruments in the home. Playing the music for themselves was no longer there. They are just listening to the music now. They got hypnotized and now they are just accepting what the media gives them. In my time almost every home had a guitar, a banjo or some kind of instrument. When you go to someone's home they could play music. That is the difference between the kids back then and the kids today. They should bring back musical instruments in homes and send children to learn music so when Buju Banton tell them to "bawl", they must respond, "Not at all". (laughter)
TRINISOCA: Thank you sir.
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