13th Edition of the Montreal International Steelpan Festival!

The 13th edition of the Montreal International Steelpan Festival

at CÉDA Little Burgundy and Vinet park on July 5, 6 and 7, 2013

For the 13th edition of this event which was originally presented at parc Émilie-Gamelin and then parc Jean-Drapeau, the Montreal International Steelpan Festival (MISF) moves to Little Burgundy and presents, in association with CÉDA three days of pan music, featuring a dozen pan solists and steelbands of international reputation including: Andy Narell (who performed at The Montreal International Jazz Festival in 1991, 1996 and 2005), Darren Shepperd, Fusion Steel Orchestra, Pan Coalition, Salah's Steelpan Academy and Joy Laps Trio. The event will conclude with the annual steelbands competition at Vinet park, admission is free. A premiere for this year's edition: steelpan workshops will be offered, also on a free admission basis on Friday and Saturday afternoons. 

Friday, July 5 (CEDA main hall, 2515 rue Delisle) 

4 P.M. Steelpan workshops

* Salah's Steelpan Academy

* CCAH Steelband

* The Pan Piper

Free Admission

8 P.M. Pan solists in concert

* Andy Narell (USA- France)

* Darren Sheppard (Trinidad & Tobago)

* Joy Lapps Trio with Larnell Lewis and Andrew Stewart (Toronto)

* Bert Boldon (Montreal)

* Hameed Shaqq (Toronto)

* Salah & Family (Montreal)

Backed by Nasyr Abdul Al- Khabyyr, Brian Cezair, Rivu Khoda and Karine Betournay

Admission $ 10 in advance ($ 12 at the box office)

Saturday, July 6 (CEDA main hall, 2515 rue Delisle)

4 P.M. steelpan workshops

* Salah's Steelpan Academy

* CCAH Steelband

* The Pan Piper

Free Admission

8 P.M. Steelpan Extravaganza

* Andy Narell (USA- France)

* Darren Sheppard & Steel Fusion Ensemble (Trinidad & Tobago) 

* Joy Lapps Trio with Larnell Lewis and Andrew Stewart (Toronto)

* Hameed Shaqq (Toronto)

* Raynald Drouin (Quebec City)

* Chief Bowie (Nigeria, Africa)

* Salah & Family (Montreal)

*  2013 Montreal CalypsoMonarch and a local calypsonian t.b.a.

Backed by Nasyr Abdul Al- Khabyyr, Brian Cezair, Rivu Khoda and Karine Betournay

Admission $ 12 in advance ($ 15 at the box office)

Sunday, July 7 (Vinet park, next to the CÉDA building)

1 P.M. International Panorama and Tune of choice competitions plus show

* Fusion Steel Ensemble (Trinidad and Tobago)

* Pan Coalition (Maine, USA)

* CCAH Steelband (Toronto, Canada)

* Salah's Steelpan Academy (Montreal, Canada)

* Martin Albino Golden Stars (Montreal, Canada)

* Special Connection (Montreal, Canada)

* Coronation School (Montreal, Canada)

* Special Guests: Andy Narell, Darren Sheppard, Chief Bowie, Hameed Shaqq, Raynald Drouin, Salah Wilson, When Steel Talks, Martin Albino, Nasyr Abdul Al- Khabyyr, Brian Cezair, Rivu Khoda and Karine Betournay

Free Admission

About Salah Wilson, founding director of MISF

Adopted Montrealer Salah Wilson is a great scholar of pan culture; he is currently completing a doctorate in ethnomusicology at York University and has been sharing his passion for the steelpan with Quebec for many years and in many ways. Since 1991, Salah has implemented a program of steelpan in a dozen Montreal schools and since 2000, has founded and presented the Montreal International Steelpan Festival, inviting North American, Canadian and Caribbean pannists and steelbands to perform and compete against each other in our fair city. This competition is inspired by Panorama, the national steelbands finals, held on the Sunday night (also called Dimanche Gras) at the annual Trinidad & Tobago Carnival.

About the steelpan

In Trinidad & Tobago the steelpan- the only new acoustic musical instrument invented in the twentieth century- rapidly created a movement that has spread through the vibrant calypso musical culture, being staged at the various annual carnivals and events throughout the West Indies. This melodic percussion instrument invented in the 30's by recycling barrels of oil and tuning them into a family of instruments has developed a culture of its own that has spread across the globe.

* A musician is called a pannist, the rehearsal place for steelbands is called a panyard. A manufacturer is called a pan maker and the tuner is called a pan tuner.

For information and reservations: (438) 875-1426 / (514) 596-4422

Tickets on sale at these locations

CÉDA 2515, Delisle St, Montreal (514) 596-4422

Ungava Duvet 10, Pine Ave West, Montreal (514) 287-9276

Doreen's House Of Beauty 6875 Victoria Ave, Montreal (514) 419-4345

Marché Colonnade 4850, René-Émard St, Pierrefonds (514) 624-7689

Princessa's 1669, Dollard Ave, Lasalle (514) 595-4894

Valentino Trading 5480 Sherbrooke St West, Montréal (514) 485-5225

Maison du cari/ Curry House 6892, Victoria Ave, Montreal (514) 733-0828

Kes the Band News! KTBLIVE: The Concert Experience

Returning home in the midst of tours of the U.S. and Europe, Kes the Band will present #KBTLIVE The Concert on July 13, 2013 at O2 Park in Chaguaramas.

Designed as a one-day music festival, rather than your typical fete, #KTBLIVE The Concert is an afternoon show for youth, designed to allow the band’s fans to experience the Kes show they might have been otherwise unable to, due to time or location constraints. The concert follows the #KTBLIVE Career Sessions held at secondary schools around Trinidad, which saw the band visit each school and deliver a music workshop and discussion accompanied by a mini performance. It aimed to encourage more in Trinidad & Tobago's education system to get involved in music and pushed for the reintroduction of music development, facilities and the provision of music-learning opportunities in the classroom for young creatives.

#KTBLIVE The Concert will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 3pm-8pm at O2 Park (formerly Mobs 2) in Harts Cut, Chaguaramas. The concert will feature performances by Kes the Band coupled with guest performances by both established and emerging young acts, as well as other attractions on the grounds and information for those interested in pursuing their own music. "Going to different schools and sharing our life experiences was not only inspiring for the students, but for ourselves as well," said Kees Dieffenthaller, lead singer for Kes the Band.. "It reminded us of where it all began. #KTBLIVE The Concert gives us the chance to celebrate with this generation of thinkers, believers and dreamers. May they continue to be inspired to create change and progress." Doors open at 3pm. Early-Bird Tickets are available for $150 TT each.

Tickets can be purchased at locations around Trinidad or at the door on the day of the event. For all ticket locations please visit the Kes the Band Facebook page or website. Through a hashtag contest on social media platforms twitter and instagram fans will also have the opportunity to win VIP backstage passes and Limited Edition #KTBLIVE T-Shirts. Follow Kes The Band on Twitter and Facebook for more details.

Nurse Nisha Delivers the Cure for the Common Fete.

Chutney-Soca princess Nisha B of the band Karma had a truly hectic Carnival 2013 with as much as 5 event appearances per night. This year the young singer has certainly shown the masses that much like her brother Ravi she can command massive audiences, deliver original crossover hit songs and offer her own unique ‘party prescription’. 

In addition to garnering her fair share of radio rotation with her C2K13 hit tune ‘Wine Up Your Body’, her sizzling performance of the track in fetes sent several male audience members into a frenzy. Decked in a sexy nurse’s uniform among other sultry onstage numbers, Nisha touched down on several fete stages and at the recent events such as RAMA, A.S. Bryden’s fete and St. Anthony’s All Inclusive her mesmerizing moves motivated male patrons into performance mode as several of them climbed onto the stage to display their dancing abilities for the Chutney-Soca diva.

Most notably, much like her music repertoire, the very humble and hard-working Nisha has also seen an expansion in her brand. Recently, the East Indian beauty was signed as a local endorsee to international beauty product line Virgin Glam Hair. As one who always had an interest in fashion and beauty, she shared that she sees this product alignment as a natural fit for the Nisha B brand as she herself has many goals to accomplish on a global scale in the not too distant future.

As the T&T Carnival season has ended Nisha aspires to produce more original music in various genres and to continue to carry indigenous Caribbean music to various international borders throughout 2013. 

Along with her brothers Ravi, Anil and the other members of the Karma family, Nisha anticipates taking the band’s fresh show on the road. With a renewed energy, a pumping song and a collection of eye-catching outfits Nisha B is set to fire up fetes and keep audiences moving for the entire 2013 and beyond.

L3 Magazine February Issue ft. Patrice Roberts

February, 2013 has shaped up to be one of the most exciting for fans and lovers of Soca!  As Carnival season is upon us, Team L3 traveled to Trinidad & Tobago to speak one of the industries hottest talents, Ms. Patrice Roberts!

Interviewed by Tricia ‘ZJ Sparks’ Spence, Patrice opens up on an intimate level as she shares some of the pressures and stresses she faced as a newbie to the business while learning from the master of modern day Soca, Machel Montano.  The artist also gives us a peak into her work out regiment which keeps her in fabulous shape.

What did Patrice say when Sparks asked “Your beauty is rather unique, has any modeling agency approached you or designers to model their line?”

Dawn Richard is no stranger to the spotlight.  Being in P. Diddy’s group Danity Kane, she was front and centre with the Rap mogul and didn’t disappoint.  With the group dismantling, Dawn has found incredible success as a solo artist.

Interviewed by the UK’s Portia Clarke, Dawn explains her new sound and her reasoning behind calling her fans ‘Hearts.’  She also explains why being an independent artist without a label was a blessings in disguise, giving her more bargaining power.

Readers will appreciate Dawn’s intelligence as she tells Portia “Usually when an artist is coming out and they have an album, which gets the response, but for us to have an EP and get this, it was great.  With the distribution deal, it worked out better because we have more of the sales revenue and don’t have to go through a middle person which is the label who would take more money, and change the direction of what we wanted to accomplish….”

Rounding out the interviews, Heike takes a trip to the Bahamas to speak to Peter Runks who arguably is the #1 Reggae export from the island.  Peter is open and candid as he shares his experiences in the industry and the support he’s received from home and abroad.

Our International DJ feature is none other than Trinidad & Tobago’s Kaotic International!  As February is Black History Month, we explore the offerings of Music Africa in Toronto, and as it’s also the month of Love, Canada’s leading songstress, Ammoye, rocks lover’s Valentine’s Day with her HOTTT new singles.

We have charts, the hottest Valentine’s Day couples, beauty features, music marketing 101 and hot new releases.  All this and more at www.L3Magazine.com! 

SHAZELLE – ‘GOT TO HAVE LOVE’

Shazelle has released her first single for 2013, “Got To Have Love.” It’s a catchy pop/dance track celebrating love and life with a hint of Caribbean flavour. “Got To Have Love” was written by C2W Music songwriters, Mark Cyrus, Candy Gloster along with Desmond Dennie,  also produced by Mark Cyrus. This single is one of the songs featured on her upcoming debut album to be launched early this year.

2012 proved to be a successful year for the pop artist/ songwriter. Her previous single "State of Emergency" featuring Beenie Man, received positive global attention from fans and industry heavy weights, which launched her entry in the Japanese music circuit. On July 18th, 2012, digital sales for "State Of Emergency,’ started on Recochoku (Japan's biggest digital download site) international charts and reached the #2 spot within two weeks moving ahead of artists like Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber.  The video hit the local and regional airwaves and are played on popular tv stations such as Synergy TV, CVM Hitlist countdown, MD TV, LINKS TV, RE TV, HYPE TV and CVM Plus.  

Signed and published as a songwriter to C2W Music in 2012, Shazelle travelled across the Caribbean working with some of the world’s top songwriters and producers including Mickaela Shiloh (Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, J.Lo, Pitbull), Jackie Boyz (Madonna, Chris Brown), Ras (Jordin Sparks, The Wanted), Autumn Rowe (Leona Lewis, Cher Lloyd), Saint Nick (Usher, Missy Elliot), , Chuck Harmony (Ne-yo, Rihanna, Kerry Hilson), Jukebox (Willow Smith, Chris Brown, Mindless Behavoiur). This past year C2W Music has hosted writing camp in collaboration with various music labels for their artists such as Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Amber Riley from Glee, Rachel Crowe from X Factor 2011 and Interscope Records/Universal rising group Mindless Behavior to name some.

Shazelle was among some of the big winners at this year’s 103FM ‘The First & Finest’ 12^th Hall of Fame and Music Awards. The Trinidadian pop singer/songwriter took home the award for ‘Best Indi-Pop Song’ (Indian Pop) from one of Trinidad’s leading stations 103FM (The First, The Finest) for her single, “If We Fell In Love” (Hindi Version).  “If We Fell In Love” was co-written by Shazelle, Rupert Gayle, Justin Forsley, Keo, and Louie Grants. The Hindi version was produced by Justin Forsley, vocal produced by Pama Sarai and translated by Ria. The official video was shot in Romania at the Buzau mud volcano site.

2013 is set to be a very exciting year for Shazelle with her debut album slated for release in Japan and other global markets along with more songwriting opportunities and traveling through C2W Music. She also looks forward to joining a team of local personalities lending their voices in a local animated film, “Perfect” written by Teemal, air marked for release in August (TBA).