Soca Buzz
Soca Buzz!!! This week 17/05/06
By Islandevents Features Desk
May 17, 2006, 6:16

Visa Bacchanal
Recently all the members of a popular chutney soca band were denied US work permits when the applications of two Guyanese women with forged local passport were found in the group application.

Since then a popular US venue was able to secure the work permits for all the band members except its leader who was unable to travel this weekend when they performed in the US.

The popular band had one of the top crossover chutney songs for the season and has bookings throughout the US for the rest of the year.

(I guess everybody does have problems to get a US visa, including the artistes)

War of the Bands!
A top New York based Grenadian soca band seems to have hit a slump recently. After an extremely poor performance a top fete last month the band has been taken off a number of events and replaced by other bands including upcoming soca band Impack 2. 

In order to try to regain its top spot the band has resorted to copying the set of their replacement band.

(How the fight will end is anybody’s guess but Impack 2 seems here to stay.)

Mastamind still at it!
Award winning producer Shawn ‘Mastamind’ Noel is at it again! The talented producer is preparing to release the much anticipated Estrogen Riddim featuring Nadia Batson, Ms Alysha, Precious and Daria.

Mastamind has won accolades locally and internationally and collected an award at the recently held Soca Monarch prize giving for 2006 Groovy Soca Monarch Shurwayne Winchester’s hit Don’t Stop. Mastamind is also responsible for Bunji’s two consecutive Soca Monarch titles with Warrior Cry in 2004 and Blaze de Fire in 2005.

Rupee thinks of Future!
Internationally signed soca artiste has had a memorable last couple of months. The talented 30-year old took four months off to be on hand for the birth of his first child Chloe.

The talent artiste, who is now back on the job, has been touring extensively while looking towards a future where he will be able to harness and promote upcoming soca artistes and spend less time behind the mic.