Beres ready for Reggae on the Bay 2

Reggae Icon, Beres Hammond is excited to return to Trinidad next month, when he will headline the second annual Reggae on the Bay Music Festival, alongside Cocoa Tea and Tarrus Riley. Scheduled for May 5 at the spacious and scenic O2 Park in Chaguaramas, ROTB 2 will feature one of the ladies' favourite singers performing live with his Harmony House band in Trinidad for the first time in three years.

"I'm wonderful and happy to hear everything is great with you all," he said via telephone. "It's been some time now since I have been here. Probably about three years. It’s a wonderful feeling coming back to Trinidad still and I'm happy the folks could have invited me."

With a brand new album titled, One Love, One Life just released last November, Hammond is ready to share his special blend of Lovers Rock/ Reggae tunes with the world again.

The new LP from Beres Hammond: One Love, One Life

“Presently we're promoting this new CD that's out,” he enthused. “It’s called One Love, One Life. It came out during the Christmas period, so we're working to see how much we can get out of it. We haven’t even released any singles from it yet. We're pushing the entire project. Maybe after we see what Trinidad likes the most, we may probably work on that one. That’s why I’m happy to come for Reggae on the Bay at this time and I’m always happy to come to Trinidad.”

Revered for his warm husky tone, soothing yet sensual vocals, love centric lyrics and infectious melodies, Hammond has been known to captivate audiences for hours at a time – and only really faces problems when it’s time to exit the stage!

“We just perform as usual,” he revealed. “We work until the people are satisfied and say that's enough now. It's always beautiful. I give my all every time, so I'm not one to say expect this or that, because it’s very hard to choose which songs to sing. Sometimes I find myself in problems trying to choose one or the other, so now I just allow the vibes to take over and the mood to determine what songs to sing on stage. My coming to Trinidad this time will be a continuation of this same kind of behaviour and vibe cause they always seem to like it and embrace it, so I'll work with that some more. That way, most people feel happy in the end you know.”

Over the past two years, there have been many troubling rumors regarding Hammond’s health – but thankfully none of them were true. The amicable singer assured his fans that he is healthy and very much alive.

Beres sings of peace, love and positive vibes

“I wish I knew where those rumors are coming from because they've been doing it so frequently now,” he joked, “it almost seems like I need to start celebrating it! All I can say is we have all kinds of people in the world: some are nice people and some are not so nice... But I still pray and worry for those who are not so nice because you can still be a good person if you want to be. And my duty is to do the best I can to give you a touch of love. But I'm fine and I'm well! This new technology we call the internet can do a lot of damage. Somebody just has to say one little thing and it goes viral. If and when, I'm gonna catch a cold, I'll call you and let you know.”

Asked for his thoughts on the upcoming Reggae album from West Coast Rapper turned Music Icon, “Snoop Doggy Dogg” aka “Snoop Lion”, Hammond embraced the project.

“I'm not a very good person at opinions you know,” he admitted, “especially when it comes to trying to dissect an artiste, but... I personally appreciate him coming down here to do that project you know. I am happy that a person of his stature would choose Jamaica to come and make a difference for his career. I'm happy about that. He probably needs to come down to Trinidad too… (laughs)”

Also performing on the night, will be local acts: Solomon Gabriel, Verse Ital, Sistah Efa and the band known as Buzz Rock. In between the live acts, music will be provided by DJs, Black Chariot and Solid Rock. 

Reggae on the Bay 2 is scheduled for May 5th at O2 Park, Chaguaramas

Tickets are available from all Committee Members, as well as at Converse, Cache and/or Lollobee Cellular outlets nationwide, as well as Ali’s Roti Shop in St James, Bazo Sport in Town Centre Mall, Port of Spain and Bobby’s Bar in Curepe. Join the Reggae on the Bay group or log on to the event page on Facebook for more information.

Major Lazer's Musical Mission

If for some reason you haven’t heard about the super sound system/DJ/Producer team known as Major Lazer yet, then please allow us to enlighten you: With over 14 million views on their Vevo channel, over 2 million on their YouTube channel, fans from around the globe and three hot new music videos for their second album titled Free The Universe (just released on April 16), Major Lazer is making major waves in the music industry with their cross-genre, Caribbean-flavored productions and collaborations with the top artistes in the world.

Jillionaire, Walshy Fire & Diplo are Major Lazer

Comprised of LA-based Producer/DJ/Rapper and Songwriter, Thomas “Diplo” Pentz, Jamaican mic-man/selector, Leighton “Walshy Fire” Walsh and Trinbagonian DJ/Music Lover, Chris “Jillionaire” Leacock, Major Lazer most recently caused a stir as they played their remix of Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology” for thousands gathered to party at the Coachella festival in Indio, California.

OvertimeTT linked up with the “Jillionaire” on the eve of Major Lazer’s album release day and got the 411 on the enterprising musical team:

OT: Who/What exactly is Major Lazer?

CL: Major Lazer is a dancehall inspired club music project. There are three of us on stage, but it's more of a family or a movement: our dancers, our production crew, our management – they all make up Major Lazer in some way. Shout out to our fourth silent member, artist Ferry Guow, who comes up with the concept and back story for the actual Major Lazer character.

OT: Whose idea was it to form this super sound system?

CL: Diplo & Switch wanted to do another project after Kala's M.I.A. and it seemed fitting to do a dancehall-esque release since they were both big fans of the genre – and of Caribbean music in general. At the time it was a bit weird to contextualize two white dudes making reggae so they decided to do it under the Major Lazer moniker. Switch has since gone on to do other things (working with Beyonce, Rihanna and others), but he's still the homie for life.

OT: When did y’all officially come together?

CL: I guess around 2008 – I think the first album came out in 2009. We all went down to Jamaica for the release and played at one of the clubs down there, I forget which one. We sucked! But we did go back to Jamaica in January for a proper show at the University, and the response was incredible.

Diplo waves the flag onstage

OT: What’s the mission of this collective?

CL: Man... I guess our mission would be to spread the positive energy of Caribbean music to the rest of the world – as cheesy/cliche as that might sound. To put it in a way that people who've never heard it or experienced it before can understand it. 

OT: What’s the name and the concept/idea behind the album, Free The Universe?

CL: When the first album came out it was way ahead of its time and I guess it was somewhat overlooked. But now so much of what's on the radio and in clubs sounds like that (in a good way). So it's easier to understand now. I think we put in a lot more time with this record and wanted to actually make something memorable, not just disposable dance music. We put a lot of time and energy into this project and we're really excited to share it. 

OT: What/who can we expect to hear on it?

CL: The lineup is crazy... Shaggy, Wynter Gordon, Wyclef, Bruno Mars, Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend... the list goes on. Vybz Kartel, Ward 21 and Elephant Man are among some of the dancehall artists on there as well. 

OT: What does your touring schedule for the next few months look like? What parts of the world will y’all be visiting?

CL: We're gone forever this year... We do a UK/Europe headline tour in May that takes us from Hamburg to Warsaw and back, then all of June/July/August is pretty much back and forth between the US and Europe doing festivals and Mad Decent Block Parties. 

OT: What kind of reception have you guys been receiving? Is it all similar to the response at Coachella?

CL: I think in a sense we sometimes take the reception for granted. It's always crazy everywhere we go – we take what we do very seriously (we don't take ourselves seriously at all though! Hahaha!), so it's important to us that we come out every night and give a kickass show, whether we're in St Louis or Toronto or at Glastonbury. I think last weekend (during Coachella) we were maybe at 80% – we’re trying to come even harder for week 2. 

OT: How light/heavy do you guys travel?

CL: Crew wise we're three, plus our dancers, plus our tour manager and lighting guy. For bigger festivals we roll with a stage manager as well. In terms of actual STUFF man, I think we got too much junk right now: vuvuzelas, confetti, hamster balls and flags – sometimes I'm not sure if we're a DJ group or a traveling circus.

Major Lazer Dancers

OT: Onstage y’all started off your set in full suits and ties and ended up bareback, is this the new symbol of freedom: going “Trinidad James” regardless of how buff you are?

CL: We have one song called “Jah No Partial” and we did the shirts off thing for the first time at Outside Lands in San Francisco a few years ago. We want to bring a dancehall stage show, or a Soca fete to the festivals – when you're at Machel Monday and he tells you to take your shirt off, what are you gonna do? So we started doing it and now kids just look forward to that part of the show where they can get shirtless. Girls too! 

OT: Are you aware that some Trinis have started a petition on Facebook to bring Major Lazer to Trinidad this year? What would it take to achieve this and how likely is it to happen?

CL: Yo! My boy showed me that this week. Classic. I seriously get someone hitting me up every two or three days going yooo, how do we get you guys down to Trinidad? We're working on setting up a show down there soon, as long as we can fit it into the schedule. Do it somewhere crazy in the bush or something like that. 

Walshy gets airborne during a performance

OT: How did the collaboration with Snoop Lion happen?

CL: Snoop just got older and wiser and wanted to do something that his kids could be proud of that wasn't just about a** and ti**ies and shooting cops. He really wanted to do a reggae album and he'd worked with Diplo before on a couple projects, so he just called up the one white boy he knew who could do reggae. People been talking a lot of trash about the whole Snoop Lion thing, but personally I really like the album and I think it will have a strong impact. Snoop is just one of those larger than life characters, who has an insane following, so I think it will be a good boost for reggae music and Caribbean music in general. He got Popcaan and Mavado on one track (Lighters Up) and got them sitting in the same room and talking and having a good time. He's so far above the whole Gaza/ Gully thing that he will have nothing but a positive effect on the music and the culture surrounding it. 

OT: Between your own efforts and Snoop Lion’s upcoming album, it seems like reggae music is making another splash into the US Mainstream, what are you seeing and hearing in the industry with regards to reggae and Caribbean music in general?

CL: It's funny when we talk about reggae or Caribbean music 'making a splash' – it's always been here: since Shabba Ranks on MTV days, Shaggy days, Sean Paul days... I think it moves in waves more than in splashes if you know what I mean... Caribbean music is feel-good music and kids out here just wanna party and have a good time... We had Kees, Sean Paul and Machel Montano with us on stage for Ultra (Music Festival in Miami) and the response was overwhelming... “Palance” is still one of the biggest songs we do every night. 

Major Lazer loves the ladies

OT: Why did y’all choose that song with Busy Signal, “Watch Out For This” as a “single” off the album and one to shoot a video for?

CL: Actually it's the third release thus far... We did Get Free featuring Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors and that was shot entirely in Jamaica, then we did Jah No Partial featuring reggae dancehall legend Johnny Osbourne and now we just did the whole 90s-inspired thing with director Jay Will down in Jamaica. We went DEEP for those outfits, nobody cyah come roun’ my mesh marina!!! 

OT: Are there any Soca artistes featured on the new album?

CL: Ooops nah... but we just did a remix for Bunji Garlin's “Differentology” which has been getting a whole lot of buzz... We play it in our sets every night... And we're working on a couple tracks with Machel Montano... He has the whole camp out here in LA right now as I'm typing this... Kernal, London Future, Precision Production. Oh and there's a Swappi thing with 1st Klase as well. We're just really excited about all the young dudes that are doing crazy genre-bending stuff right now... Shout out to Sheriff Mumbles, Kes The Band, Madmen Production, Jus Now, Parliament... Doh vex wit meh if I forget to call yuh name, is a love still!

PHOTOS COURTESY SHANE MCCAULEY

Click on the album cover to BUY on itunes now!

Kes & Maxi Priest deliver a Timeless experience

Reggae icon Maxi Priest and soca sensation, KES The Band masterminded a timeless experience for thousands assembled at their "Timeless" concert event last Sunday, March 31 in Manhattan, New York City, USA.

Kes The Band onstage!

Presented by New York City's haute nightlife tastemakers, Big & Strong and Tryst Experience, this rare fusion of reggae and soca took center-stage at the ultrachic Stage 48 venue in midtown Manhattan. The venue was filled to capacity with reggae aficionados and soca revelers, who braved the elements and packed into the venue hours in advance on a rainy New York Wintery-Spring Sunday.

Maxi Priest opened the show just after 9.30 pm with a smooth, reggae-dancehall-pop mix, with KES The Band closing the event in fine energetic fashion as the band of brothers belted out their string of groovy and uptempo soca/Island Pop tunes. The combination of these two internationally-renowned sex symbols drove the audience into a frenzy, with many not wishing to leave the venue even after the concert wrapped up just after midnight.

Performing for almost an hour, Maxi Priest delivered an engaging set that showcased his biggest hits for the lovers and ladies, including: "Wild World," "House Call (Your Body Can't Lie To Me)" and culminating with his international pop blockbuster, "Close To You," accompanied by Brooklyn-based dancehall deejay/rapper, Beniton The Menace. 

Red Fox also made a special guest appearance during Priest's set, hitting the stage for a duet, before seguing into his own smash single, "Bashment Party," much to the crowd's delight. Before he made his exit, Priest introduced each member of his band and thanked the crowd and the city of New York for having him and “showing him so much love throughout his career”.

During the band change, GBM-affiliated Soca producer-turned-artist, “Nutron” introduced his sound to the audience and paved the way for KES The Band.

A section of the audience gathered for the Timeless concert

The dance floor was filled to capacity as lead singer, Kees Dieffenthaller hit the stage with his band and back-up dancers, immediately sending all hands and flags up in the air. The energy and momentum continued to build to deafening heights as KES flowed flawlessly through their catalog: from their monster hit, "Wotless," to signature singles, "Where Yuh From" and "Ah Ting" and also showcasing their new groovy tunes such as "Rum And Soca" and reggae vibes such as their new rootsy anthem, "Tuesday On The Rocks."

KES also covered classic soca and calypso tunes, fusing them with reggae beats, and had their fingers on the pulse of audience for well over an hour.

The party kicked-off from 5pm and continued all night with music from DJ Callie B and DJ Kevin Crown. This DJ kept patrons dancing throughout with an eclectic mix of dancehall, reggae, soca, hip-hop, rap and even pop and dance music.  

All Photos courtesy Clyde Belcon. Story courtesy Fox Fuse

Kes The Band's Lead Singer, Kees Dieffenthaller

Jame$ shows off more of Trinidad on #FemalesWelcomed

Trinidad-born, Atlanta-based rapper, Trinidad Jame$ continues to showcase “the beauty” of his homeland with the release of his latest video, “Females Welcomed” earlier this week.

Trinidad Jame$ takes over the city of St James

Filmed in the capital city of Port of Spain during Carnival 2013 by acclaimed photographer and Director, Jonathan Mannion, the video features cameo appearances from Soca Monarch, Machel Montano, Ms World Trinidad and Tobago 2012, Athaliah Samuel and HD Family Princess, Patrice Roberts, as well as an explosive cast of blue devils and fire blowers.

Happy to have the new video completed and released, Jame$ thanked the residents of Nelson St –where several of the major scenes were shot and told OvertimeTT that he wanted to show Trinidad as no one else had done before:

Scenes from the video feature traditional fire breathers from Trinidad like this one

“Whether you accept me as a Trini or not, I'm proud to be a Trinidadian." Jame$ declared. "I wanna give an extra blessing to the island and show its real culture and not just the glitz and glam.”

“Females Welcomed” is the third single to be released from Jame$’ groundbreaking mixtape, Don’t Be SAFE. Following an MTV “Rap Fix Live” World Premiere, the new video was uploaded to various web and social media sites on March 27 and has since attracted more than 70,000 views on Vevo.

Director, Jonathan Mannion describes himself as an “honorary Trini” having visited our shores for Carnival religiously over the past nine years.

“I’d been working in Jamaica for about 15 years doing album covers for Capleton and Buju, Beenie Man, Jah Cure and everybody along the way,” he recalled. “Rupee brought me down in 2005 and I didn’t know anything then, but once I arrived, within 20 minutes I was like: oooh! I get it! This is incredible! It was quite a moment to experience it for the first time and my eyes were wide open for the whole trip – beautiful people, amazing food, the spirit in the air was unbelievable and I think I drank all the rum I could find on the island that first time and I’ve been coming back every year since.”

Approached by Jame$ last year prior to his record deal with Def Jam, Mannion said they agreed to return to Trinidad “when the time was right” and capture the authentic energy of the island and the culture.

Def Jam Rapper, Trinidad Jame$ and Photographer/Director, Jonathan Mannion take a break on the set and pose in front of one of the trucks used in the video

“My agenda walking into this video was to almost create a volume switch so there’s a growth from start to finish,” Mannion explained, “just as the Carnival season builds, cause typically I would come down from like the Wednesday before to the Tuesday and there’s a constant build – so that whenever you think it can’t get better, it does… So it starts off like you would wake up, you have a Stag, you holla at some cute girls and Athaliah was great in it and totally gave of herself freely – and we wanted to create the story of a side-girl and a main girl, but not being obvious about it, nobody was being dissed and in a way: it’s sort of what Carnival culture is about cause you can have some fun with one girl and say, see you later babes and then move on to the next one and honestly, I feel like it was in the positive spirit of all that Carnival really is; that freedom and that ability to share a moment in the spirit of Carnival, to ‘tief ah wine’ as you say and have a good laugh or two…

“So that’s the start of it – a calmer, daytime vibe and certainly, with the transition of the song, we wanted to slow everything down and let the images really sink, while the volume builds and it became more of a frenzy and we add the fire and it builds and builds. The last twenty seconds, I actually asked the engineer to add that bit of music because I had some visuals I wasn’t willing to sacrifice, so we created it just for the video. It was the way for me to take up one more notch – just when you thought it was over, he excites people to go to that next level and embraces the culture symbolically with the Trini flag and face-painting.”

Trinidad Jame$ represents with his national colors. 

Mannion kick-started his career in 1996, when he photographed the album cover of rapper, Sean “Jay Z” Carter’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt. Since then, he has photographed most of the top hip-hop and dancehall artistes and directed approximately 15 music videos, including: “One Blood” with The Game and Junior Reid, J Holiday’s hit “Bed” and Jasmine Sullivan’s “Need U Bad”.

Ms World Trinidad and Tobago 2012, Athaliah Samuel stars in Jame$’ 4-minute clip and describes the experience as “priceless, professional and a lot of fun”.

Reigning Ms World Trinidad & Tobago, Athaliah Samuel feels welcome on the set

“Working on this video was really a blast!” She enthused. “It’s my first international video and the fact that they were able to do all our scenes in one day made me feel really proud to be a part of the production. Jonathan Mannion was in charge on set and like Jame$, he was very gracious and polite and professional, while still communicating exactly what he wanted from us models and dancers. I think my scenes were very tastefully done and even though this video is for the rap/hip-hop market, I think they showcased Trinidad and our culture very well and made a very classy video in the end. I am the reigning Ms T&T and I’m embracing all my experiences as I stay focused and walk the path that God leads me on to. I hope that everyone will support Trinidad Jame$ and the video because he’s really very passionate about showcasing and embracing his homeland and he’s taking us along for the ride as he opens doors and breaks down barriers for the red, white and black.”

Aside from thanking all the crews, cast members and extras who contributed to the production, Mannion and Jame$ also gave kudos to Soca Monarch, Machel Montano for facilitating the trip and lending his advice.

Jame$ & Soca Star, Machel Montano on the move in Trinidad

“I must give a special extra shout out,” said Mannion, “to Kara Barnett, Devaughn Hughson, John "Stevie" White, Tom Marvel, Princess and Machel Montano!” 

“I gotta salute Nelson St and give much respect to the owners of that bar on Nelson also.” Said Jame$. “Thank you to the Montano's for believing, accepting and embracing me from the beginning – they really paved the way for all of this to happen and gave of their time and energy and resources without asking for a thing in return. Much love to my family at home of course – I hope they feeling the video and once again, big ups to T&T and all the islands man. We winning!”

** All photos courtesy Jonathan Mannion **

Download @TrinidadJamesGG #FemalesWelcomed (VIDEO Version)

Click on the cover to download the edited version!