Music and Events: Fela Tribute Oct 15

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Poetry: Tuffy de Gong

For him they marched through the city streets
Demanding a prominent place
On the coach's game sheets
Yet their passionate and intense campaign
Was met initially with disdain
We care not that this fellow can score
We have a full squad of players
Who needs one more?
Still their chorus was strong and loud
"Put in Tuffy and he'll make us all proud!"
And still, he was made to wait
While by a slender thread hung our fate

Till finally one damp rainy night
The Ticos were making us fight
A goal down and the minutes ticking away
There was only one thing left
Fro the new coach to say
"Our chances look dark and the minutes are few
But get on the filed and show what you can do"

From that very first touch
He showed just how much
he was eager to shine
And as the clock passed 89:00
He latched on to the ball
and a moment later.....one -all!

And joy has replaced depression and rage
The local boy made good on the international stage
The boss at the The Office
He showed he's no novice
And now in Waterhouse and beyond
The party goes on all night and
all day long
As people raise a cheer
For Tuffy - The Gong

Poetry: No News

Radio silence....Western powers dithering driven by the
shame of their own chemical-stained hands....Despots cling to power relentlessly....sports still scintillates.....and bearded believers are still willingly falling to
pieces over the promise of virgins
Beyond the clouds....No more of that
I can rejoin 2 days later and still
hear the same stuff
Fro now as the stories encircle
the pre-dawn air
I drift off
to make my own news

Poetry: Turbo Donkeycart

Clip-clop
the unhurried trot
So many lay
vicarious claim to the techonological
rush
marvelling at and revelling in
the gadget-filled veneer of
Progress
But otherwise at at standstill
Or at best
A mule's pace
Preening like the jackrabbit
Who can't see
he's no longer in the race
So quick to show
How much we have
But anxious really to mask
how little
we have produced
So much acquired
so little
Created
Still the ersatz rush
continues unabated
We sadly have not shed
An affinity to the whip
And many prefer
to ride in others' boats
than to build the ship
We present motion
As progress
and mistake mere
Presence
for prowess
On the economic Autobahn
were' a
Turbo Donkeycart

Poetry: "Angle Ma Bizniz"

The system, its evident
Deprived them of eloquence
A quartet born in tropical climes
With the Cold War
Long since thawed they stepped
into an arena tainted
by boycott and dope plot
their spikes left an impression

on that Moscow track
No handicap too great
no one could detract
from their sterling exploits
So post-race fluency
Be damned
A far greater statement had already
been made
Fro when all
is done and said
The Luzhniki faithful
Used to names like Vasily, Alexy, Pyotr and Boris
were chanting:   Javere
                         Omar
                         Edino

and Javaughn instead

Brands News: Voice Mail skate on the "Fire Blade"

Jamaican pop-dancehall duo Voice Mail have officially been signed as Fire Blade Energy Drink Brand Ambassadors and will be representing the new beverage in Jamaica and overseas.

Fire Blade Energy Drink is fairly new on the local market but has already gotten great taste test reviews and general feedback since hitting the shelves earlier this year. The Austrian made product is marketed in Jamaica by Indies Pharma Jamaica and distributed by World Brand Services, a subsidiary of the Grace Kennedy Group of companies

As the Energy Drink’s Brand Ambassadors, Kevin and Craig will be involved in the company’s advertising campaign to be launched in a matter of days as well as making numerous public and performance appearances in Jamaica, the Caribbean and The United States.

The Duo sees this as proof that their effort and input in the Jamaican music industry has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

Voicemail has 'upped the ante' this Summer with numerous releases including ‘Gyal Instruction' featuring Skinny Fabulous on the Guacamole & Chips riddim and ‘Fat Pocket’ on the Goosebumps riddim, the Video for the latter has already hit number 1 on Hit List’s local top 10 video chart.

‘Fire Blade is a high energy product and Voicemail has the high energy image, it’s natural that the brands would be a great fit’ Craig mentioned when asked about the synergy. ‘We are grateful for the opportunity to work with a fresh new high energy brand because Voicemail is constantly evolving and we are a constant voice in the local industry.

Burke's Works: Artist Inansi's Arresting Alchemy of Colour, Shape and Emotions

"That man is a success

who has lived well,
Laughed often and loved much;
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of
children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who leaves the world better than he found it,
Whether by a perfect poem or a rescued soul,
Who never lacked appreciation of the earth's beauty or failed to
express it;
Who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."

--Robert Louis Stevenson

The above quote was, ironically, not included in a revealing and engaging parlour game of artist/artistic quotations that comprised the centrepiece of the opening of the solo show by artist Nancy Burke (who signs as INANSI) at Kingston's Cafe What's On Friday last, but it may as well have been. It aptly describes the range and impact of her portfolio -  a cornucopia of colour and shape which in its totality represented only a fraction of what Burke has produced over a lifetime of devotion to art and crafts.

"Heartfelt"

led by sister Virginia, herself a mutli-faceted (graphic artist, cookbook author, businesswoman) the exercise called upon guests at the show to read

Usain

select quotes (alphabetically coded) from the likes of Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Scott Adams (the cartoonist of "Dilbert" fame).

After each quote, Virginia, with timely interventions from her sister and other guests, filled in the gathering on "the back story" as it were, of Nancy's artistic life, from naturistic beginnings to sojourns in London and New York, to running -together - the art-based business Art Beat. (The name has survived, but the initial business in NYC was beat back by high costs and dodgy customers), with intervening stints as a flight attendant with the former Air Jamaica.

As stated, the works on display reflect a wide range of fascinations and ideas, from representing the faces  of famous persons, like Usain Bolt and Grace Jones, on smooth stones, to personal catharsis "Heartfelt" and keen, sensitive observations of contemporary urban landscapes. On the latter score, her assemblages of various city scapes, piecing together the flotsam and jetsam of today's convenience-driven world, bring the challenges and the complexities of our present-day life into sharp focus, and with a welcome sprinkle of good humour.

Big Rat

The occasion was in fact a double treat as it also marked the birthday of What's On proprietor Suzanne Couch, herself capable of weaving magic in the culinary and musical spheres. There wraps, wine  and other goodies courtesy of her more-than-capable kitchen, and the obligatory birthday cake in sumptuous chocolate. In between repeated casual and serious viewings of the works, there were conversations on a plethora of subjects, some sparked by a particular piece, others just  issuing forth on their own steam. Its the kind of vibe that one would expect from an artist of Burke's sensibilities - no great airs, no stuffiness, but serious dedication to producing the work that best represents her states of "heart and mind" in the present, and the kind of work  which, like the verbal expressions of the famous quoted subjects, will stand for quite some time.

"Winter Reflections"

"Paper Goddess"

Inansi