For the love of our music

JENSEN LA VENDE

For the love of calypso, soca and our culture.

That’s why Orlando Octave and Trevon Turner, both 27, continue to step into the recording booth and produce music.

Both men presented songs this year that showed their admiration for and of TT and its culture. Octave presented us with Love You So while Turner gave us Champions, that many may know as For the Love of Calypso.

Local music is their foundation, but they do not want to be defined solely as soca or calypso artistes, noting their genesis was reggae. This does not take away from their advocacy for a space for young performers of the local art form.

Octave, in an interview two weeks ago, said there needs to be some guidance for artistes coming up so that they too could be calypso lovers and ambassadors for the music. He was critical of calypso’s governing body, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO), calling on it to be forward-thinking in its leadership.

“We need new blood in TUCO, we can’t have the same judges from years ago still there judging. It has to evolve. How come there are no youths in extempo?

“The people behind the scenes need to change, not just the artiste, you need to get youth behind the scenes. Nothing has changed. It leaves me to question: are these people behind the art form really for the art form?” He said there are some people studying arts and theatre and they could be groomed to take over the organisation.

Contrary to his belief, head of TUCO, Lutalo “Brother Resistance” Masimba said there are young people in the organisation which has a strong youth-focused regime.

Masimba, last Wednesday, said the organisation is a democratic one and anyone wishing to contest can do so.

He added that disgruntled members may be misinformed because they are not attending TUCO meetings.

Turner, who spoke with Sunday Newsday at MovieTowne, Mucurapo two weeks ago, in a similar vein, said the “bigger heads” should assist in creating an atmosphere for youths to learn and grow in the music.

He said no matter how far a musician strayed, local music is their root and, as he was advised by “an old man,” a musician must have foundation in his homeland before branching off into other territories.

Masimba, responding to the claim that TUCO needs to be vision-oriented, said the organisation has and uses its comprehensive youth programmes, including the Junior Calypso Monarch competition, Junior Calypso Roving Tent and Junior Calypso Vacation Camp. All these, he said, are aimed at nurturing the budding calypsonians.

Examples of some who passed through those ranks are Karene Asche, Devon Seales, Duane O’Connor, Chuck Gordon, all former national calypso monarchs, and this year’s Calypso Monarch Helon Francis.

One thing all three agree on is that there is no separation between soca and calypso.

Octave said soca “is the soul of calypso” and in the past calypso addressed social issues. Now, he said, there is nothing on social issues in soca music.

Turner held the same view. “We lose the essence of soca and make it a commercial thing. More content is needed.

“If you could listen to old music you have a better understanding of knowing where to start. It’s like building a house you must know foundation,” he said.

“People just writing a song. Your song should have meaning. Some of the artistes have it, some on hype. Today we lose substance, hopefully with other artiste coming along keeping a positive vibe, it still have hope nah boy.”

Octave, when asked about what is needed to bring new blood into the music, said, “We need the root. The more we dabble into it we realise we lean to calypso. I got a beat from Africa and that is a calypso beat, so them taking what we have and using it and making it. We don’t really like we own.

“What are we showing the world when at soca events we have reggae and hip hop artists as the headline acts?”

He added that in the next five years he hopes to be changing lives and by then would have nurtured new talent in the industry. He is currently working with younger artistes so that one day he can fade into the background and allow them to shine, and hopes others do the same as well. He, like Turner and Masimba, said TT music can be sold internationally as long as there is a product worth buying.

Turner’s advice to older artistes is to acknowledge that they had their time and did things differently, and to learn to give breathing room and groom those up and coming. To younger artistes, Turner advises them not to give up. He recalled being booed off stage but said young performers must use all the negative feedback as a stepping stone to get better.

Turner and Octave said artistes should not only sing about wining and the behinds of women, but should produce songs that can resonate worldwide while being indigenous to the country.

Masimba said, whether soca or calypso, once an artiste can sing a song that captures an audience the music will sell itself and there will be no need to copy other genres. He advises musicians to shy away from the political aspect of the music while remaining true to the social issues.

Despite their differences, all three men agreed that the future of calypso and soca, is bright.