Gadling

My time spent here so far has been anything, but quiet and uneventful. Over the past two days my ears have taken in so much Soca, Calypso, Soca-Chutney, Rapso, and various other forms of the two main genres. With two more weeks remaining on this trip it is guaranteed I’ll know every single song by heart. My first real dive into an unknown was an evening spent at the Little Carib Theatre for the Vibes It Up show featuring popular Rapso group 3canal. Rapso is the mixture of island Calypso in its slower and traditional form with today’s urban up tempo Rap music. Fueled by personal experiences and political issues in Trinidad & Tobago the group accompanied by their band, the comical Jamettes and a handful of other artists kept the night moving despite the blaring music seeping into the venue from a fete next door. As an outsider looking in, I felt the show was interesting and filled with a range of talented artists, but prefer regular Calypso’s over Rapso. (For a perspective other than my own and from someone who seems to follow their music regularly I suggest visiting this Francomenz site.)

3canal was only the start of my eclectic music packed weekend. The next item on the menu was Machal Montano & Xtatik’s Alternative Concept 4 concert which was hyped to no end. Machal is one of the best Soca artists around helping to take Soca to the distance and convince the world that Trinidad is indeed a cosmopolitan place. After some full-scale liming earlier that day in St. James and at Crobar I headed back to the hills of Cascade for a brief snooze to prepare for this Global Village I would later encounter. Getting some shut eye was tough due to the level excitement flowing in my veins. I laid down, got up and laid down again. Music from one of the neighbor’s place made it into the apartment. I got up again and looked at the clock. One and a half hours before my friend would pick me up and they were running late. Make that two. At this point I lost hope in sleeping and opted to play some Bob while I waited and walked the apartment.  Finally my friends showed and the night became alive again – off to see Montano!

When we showed at the Queen’s Park Savannah hordes of people had already arrived. Many were hanging out front waiting for friends while a few headed in to snag the closest spots to the front possible. While there were still several other events taking place around the island I believe at least 20,000 showed up to AC4. Several folks who came being hard-core Montano fan’s only wished to see Montano and the rest of us were drooling for all. Wyclef, Mr. Vegas, Maximus Dan, Allison Hinds, KMC, Bunji Garlin, Patrice Roberts, Minimi and a load of folks were on deck to ignite the crowd. The show went for what seems like forever. I admit my legs started getting just a tad shaky and I kept wishing I had gotten that nap in beforehand. Too late now. Jump, wave your rag, wine, and please don’t let another person stomp on my foot. In short the party didn’t stop until 5 AM, I enjoyed myself tremendously and in terms of pre-Carnival prep – I’m guessing I haven’t seen nothin’ yet.

To ensure that I am well prepared for Carnival and my stamina built up, my friends took me to one of Trinidad’s most popular night spots for a long night of dancing and entertainment from Destra Garcia (the Queen of Soca). I’m not your out on the streets, into the club, shake your body body every night kind of girl and club reviews aren’t my usual cup of tea, but since I’ll be doing a lot of partying here on the island I’m sure we’ll all adjust accordingly. For the record when I do go out, good times are bound to be had and that is exactly what I found and had at Club Zen.

From the exterior one can hear the pulsating Soca tunes from the inside flowing lightly onto the streets. Security eyes pleasure seekers carefully and performs a quick body search on the men while women gain stares that could burn holes through their attire. After the brief experience up front the music instantly moves you to a jammed dance floor with people eagerly awaiting Destra’s performance and a few others who have let loose and started dancing. Ten minutes inside the club and two drinks later I started feeling quite irie, but before taking off onto the dance floor myself I took note of the gorgeous population of men and women that make up the island’s locals. Way too many beautiful faces under one huge club structure. While there were only two levels open I’m told there are more, though looking towards the roof  it didn’t appear that there ever was or could be. Perhaps I just need my eyes checked or was it my drinks? The Asian-inspired atmosphere was complete with red-orange colored lights glowing from the walls and the occasional flickering light above. You know the one built to either give you a pounding headache or to help the non-dancers appear as if they are dancing.

Since we had arrived fashionably late we only waited for about an hour for Destra to hit the stage and from that point the entire crowd exploded. Of all the places and clubs I’ve been to in my lifetime the energy of the people in Trinidad’s is unrivaled by all. Jump, wave, wine and repeat a number of times. Now you’ve got the basic formula to come alive and have a guaranteed good time. Confetti pours from the ceiling clinging to the dancing and sweaty bodies. Balloons fall shortly after with waving hands bouncing them around the crowd. Destra promises to unleash the ‘bacchanal’ next week during Carnival and the people go crazy. Though there may have been a number of other fetes happening on the island or in the world that night, the only one that mattered that night was at Club Zen.

Club Zen is located on Keate Street in Port-of-Spain. Check in advance for admission prices as they may vary. For past Zen photos check out these galleries from TriniScene and Kadooment.

Well folks I finally made it here and after my hot, cramped, sticky flight into Piarco International Airport in Trinidad one of the very first things on my mind was a nice cold Apple J. For those of you unfamiliar with the sparkling beverage it is made from nature-fresh apple juice, has no preservatives, additives, and is enriched in Vitamin C. In short it is sweet and delicious. Back home I discovered a West Indian restaurant that happens to sell the Solo Banana, but cannot find the Apple J anywhere in my neck of the woods. But before I go any further, you’re probably wondering whether I have flown all the way over to Trinidad to bore you with dispatches on the local carbonated drink and if you’ll allow me the opportunity to rid your mind of such foolishness I’ll answer that question now. Most certainly not.

Since this is my second visit to the island some things are familiar and welcoming like the taste of an ice chilled Apple J. It holds the pleasant memory of my first sip on a bus trip down south to La Brea with my long-time pen pal who had prepared home-made beef patties as well. However this being my first time here during Carnival season many things are still very foreign. Leaving the airport for one, I noticed several large costumed figures resembling men on stilts in red, black and white (the colors of the flag) situated just inside a round-a-bout.  This was just one hint of the festive season and others are bound to reveal themselves shortly. As they come I’ll be sure to share.

For the most part this first day back on the island was like a first day anywhere. One of the first stops after my arrival was a trip to Mount Hope hospital to see my pen pal who was paying a short visit her grandma. My companion and I checked in with them both, wishing a speedy recovering to the older woman and the three of us exited shortly after so she could get some sleep. The rest of the day included a good amount of time in late afternoon traffic, a trip to the grocery store, and getting nestled in for the evening. Now that I have discovered what my internet connection is like and that I can blog to the masses, I can safely rendezvous with the Sandman.

Stay tuned for more.