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Machel Concert – Advantage

Advantage Concert Flier

Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy and Zan to give Guyanese the Carnival Experience. Machel fever is in the air! Tickets are flying out the stores and anyone who is still contemplating or has not gotten a ticket as yet, should waste no time since this is one event that you cannot afford to miss!

Soca-holics get ready for the The Soca King who is heading to Guyana along with fellow Powerhouse Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Zan and the renowned HD Band for the Hits and Jams’ ‘Advantage’ concert set for the Guyana National Stadium on June 18th! Local fans can look forward to an amazing Soca Explosion as Montano who has recently dominated at the 2011 Trinidad Carnival, by effortlessly snatching both the Soca Monarch and Road March titles, is now anxiously awaiting this chance to set a mood of ‘celebration and revelry’ for the upcoming Jamzone Summer Break 2011 festivities!

“There is no other act we would use for such an event. The last time he was here, due to the constraints of time he was unable to give the performance he wanted, but now that he has won these titles, he’s ready and excited to give Guyanese the real ‘Carnival Experience’. It’s going to be incredible”, said Simeon Francis of Hits and Jams Entertainment.

Machel Montano is famous for his vigorous, interactive, high-energy live performances which usually sets any crowd ‘on fire’. For the past 25 years, he has lucratively represented his homeland Trinidad and the wider Caribbean nations as a role model and dynamic entertainer. He has also secured several International collaborations with artistes such as Pitbull, Doug E Fresh and Wyclef Jean. Machel Montano currently stands as one of the most noted names in Soca music and continues to headline sold-out concerts worldwide!Tickets for the show cost 1500 GYD and are available exclusively from Ashmins; while Stage Front tickets cost 50 USD for GT&T customers and 60USD for those of the other network.

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School of Music to be Established by Year End

– Dr. Frank Anthony

A school dedicated to the advancement of the arts and music in particular should be established by the end of 2011. This is according to Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony. Dr. Anthony made the disclosure while addressing a gathering at School of the Nations as his ministry was handing over a complete steel band to the school.

The news is a welcome development to members of the music fraternity who prior to this announcement had no institutional means of developing their musical talents and being professionally certified locally. The Youth Culture and Sport Minister added that the vision for the school is to develop the talent of persons identified in communities across the country and developing them to a level “which would see persons even making a living” from music.

Though the establishment of a school is an important step forward for the development of the music industry locally, copyright laws need to be enacted in order to provide a legislative framework for such development. The local music industry has significant potential since talent is abundant and stakeholders such as Swansea and HJTV are doing their part to develop the music industry but music piracy is a major obstacle hindering the development of the industry locally. The handing over of the steel pans represented a partnership between the ministry and School of the Nations and in recognition of the work done by the management of the school to assist in the development of the community of Tiger Bay.

The donation was towards the Shemroy Anthony Project, a 11 year old resident of the community who died after being involved in a fight with another child over a cricket game a stone’s throw away from the school. Though the outreach to the community’s youth by the school has been ongoing for the past 3 years, the death of Anthony caused Dr. Brian O’Toole, School of the Nations’ Director, to develop a proposal for intensified interaction with the community in the name of the child. Dr. O’Toole stated that within hours the business community responded positively to the proposal with Stanly Ming pledging US$5,000 to the project within hours of receiving the document.

The Director added that he had a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport Mr. Alfred King on June 5, 2011 and within 3 days the steel band was available. Dr. O’Toole added that because of the investment into the lives of the children he is “already seeing the transformation of Tiger Bay.” Children within the community would have over the past 3 years been exposed to computer, literacy, numeracy, drama and swimming lessons all free of cost compliments of the school. The band will see the children now being exposed to the pans as well as musical theory to unlock musical potential. The youths will also be provided with the opportunity to attend the ministry’s annual Steel Pan Summer Camp sponsored by Republic Bank.

– By Andrew Ross

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Digicel sponsors “Full Hundred” in Jamaica

– To perform with cast of “ova mi dead body”
Full Hundred, a group of  dramatists who performed at the National Drama Festival Finals from May 30- June 3 at the National Cultural Centre, will be sponsored by Digicel to perform in Jamaica and learn from Stages Production. Stages Production is the company who put on the play “ova mi dead body” at the NCC on June 5.

The announcement was made following the staging of the play and the members of Full Hundred were called on stage and warmly received by the audience. The group includes comedian and actor Michael Ignacious and reigning Miss Guyana Universe Tamika Henry. The performing arts locally has seen some resurgence after years of hardship and the investment of the region’s largest cellular service provider top class actors writers and producers will undoubtedly benefit from the opportunity.

The play “ova mi dead body” though Jamaican in origin touched on issues Caribbean people experience and relate to on a daily basis and as such it did not take long for the crowd to become fully engrossed into the storyline of the production. The main character Melcita Senoirs has an incarcerated boyfriend and leaves him to go to the United States of America in search of a better life. She leaves her daughter Delcits to stay with some senior citizens who physically abuse her.

As the story unfolds issues such as domestic violence, child abuse and women’s empowerment among others are explored in a vivid yet comical manner. Though written for a Jamaican audience the cast skillfully integrated Guyanese activities into the production to add spice for the local audience. References were made to rice fields in Guyana and the One Laptop Per Family project much to the surprise and amazement of the audience.

Members of the cast had an opportunity to witness the final day of the Drama Festival and revealed that the talent of Guyanese in theatrical productions is on par with other countries in the Caribbean with more resources.  The opportunity Digicel has afforded the Full Hundred will therefore serve to build on a solid foundation in theatre and assist in the forward movement of the arts locally.

-By  Andrew Ross

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Machel Montano – ‘Advantage’

Fresh out of delivering what many fans considered the best performance of his career, and claiming the 2011 Trinidad Soca Monarch crown, Caribbean Soca Legend Machel Montano is heading our way to give Guyanese an unforgettable show, along with fellow musicians Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy and the HD Band for the ‘Advantage’ concert billed for the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday, June 18th!

This is neither the first nor second time Montano has graced our local shores, however like true addicts, Guyanese can’t seem to get enough of this generally perceived ‘King of Soca’! Montano told Hits and Jams that he absolutely loves his Guyanese supporters and can’t wait to arrive so that he can experience our scrumptious cuisine and famed hospitality once again! The artistes have all prepared astounding performances with hopes to have the crowd ‘partying hard’ till morning in true Soca style!

Tickets are available at Ashmins Trading for $1,500 while VIP passes are $12,000 for those who want an up close and personal view of the event!

– Hits and Jams Entertainment

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Olive Gopaul Show to be Launched Wednesday June 1st, 2011

Olive Gopaul Show Logo

One week after the American queen of daytime talk show vacated the screen, Guyanese aspiring talk show presenter, Olive Gopaul will launch the Olive Gopaul Talk Show – a unique, classy and stylist talk show – here in Guyana.

 

The show, which is a production of Olive Nalini Gopaul Productions [O.N.G. Productions], will feature a range of topics of interest to the Guyanese viewing and listening public both locally and in the Diaspora. Areas to be focused on in the first three months include: challenges of the modern family, healthy living, Guyanese inspirational personalities, courtship and marriage, fashion.

The show is recorded before a live audience, and will be divided into four seasonal productions per year, each season comprising of 36 shows to be aired three times per week.

On Wednesday June 1st at the Duke Lodge at 6:30pm in Kingston there will be a Red Carpet Launch and Preview of the talk show before special invitees.

Ms. Gopaul is a former Miss Guyana beauty queen, former television news anchor, and one of the hosts of the Lotto draws.

– An ONG Production