Images Pan and Mas 'On de Road' - Carnival Monday Night 2015 - High Street - San Fernando - Trinidad - TT

Carnival Monday Night - High Street - San Fernando - Trinidad - TT - WI

On de Road Pan and Mas On de Road in San Fernando

16th February 2015 - A chronology of the night.


	Steelbands On de Road 2015 High Street, San Fernando, Trinidad, TT	Diatonic Pan Institute - Siparia Southern Marines Steelband Foundation - Marabella San City Steel Symphony - Carib Street, San Fernando Old Tech - San Fernando Union Hall South Landerz - Union Hall, Cross Crossing La Romain Super Vibes Pan Movement - La Romain Golden Hands - Independence Avenue, San Fernando Skiffle - Coffee Street, San Fernando

	Mas On de Road 2015 High Street, San Fernando, Trinidad, TT	Jubilation Time Supported by 'Big Truck' *DJ Les* Royalty & Friends Midnight Blu An some ah we sweet Trini to de bone Guardian Angels of Fantasy *Scorpion* - Mon Repos Posse *Black Gold* - The red crew *Di Davo* (DD) sound system *Dynamic Sounds* - (And a few Friends)

Diatonic at top of Lord Street

A late hour change in schedule for carnival 'Pan on de Road', in San Fernando, sees Diatonic halted by an amiable crew from the strong arm of the law, at the top of Lord Street; as new changes in routing are confirmed by the authorities. At around 08:45 pm, as bemused as the authorities themselves, Diatonic, who had spent a long day away from their Saperia home, to attend early morning J'Ourvet in San Fernando, were seeking the nights 'Judging Point' that had previously been scheduled on Coffee Street opposite the station of 'Culture Krazy' WACK 90.1 FM.

That was not to be as, San Fernando Alderman Junior Regrello, dissatisfied with the facilities outside the station, had decided to re-route both carnival 'Mas' and 'Pan' to a site at the front of Scotiabank, High Street, San Fernando. "It will also help revive carnival on High Street" claimed Regrello a little later, "Let's see how it goes."

scotiabank

Down on High Street, the 'Judging Point' was presently deserted, but the area flood-lit by portable lighting, and the adjudicators were getting ready with their score sheets to handle the events, seated under a tent next to the bank.

Upper High Street, San Fernando, Trinidad, TT
The view up and down High Street showed a deserted setting; until the news of the new change got out to the revellers.
Lower High Street, San Fernando, Trinidad, TT

Regrello+Byer
Regrello consults with the adjudicators, the manager of Diatonic Mr Byer in attendance, as they await the arrival of the band.

The MC eventually announces the arrival of Diatonic, at around 09:20pm, to start the proceedings.

Thereafter, a stream of revellers, first in small groups then later in larger numbers, began to appear on the new High Street route.

Included were the various San Fernando and some out of town, South Central, steelbands; on floats pulled by lorries or tractors; some were even pushing their individual pan racks on the road. The Mas bands were usually accompanied by leading Big Trucks, blaring the seasons music through their portable kilo-watt high-tek music systems, usually manned by a DJ on a laptop. An on-board managing Mas MC would coordinate, instruct and vamp the revellers, through his microphone, to present any set pantomime in front of the judges. The whole thing usually being a loosely themed visual and music production. Behind some better organised (and the more expensive) Mas bands, lorries would follow with drinks and portable toilets to facilitate their on the road participants.

Very few, if actually none, Mas bands in San Fernando use steelbands as their music source for carnival on the road these days. A faded tradition looking for revival in the South; control electronics overriding steel in application. A tradition more likely hampered by the preparedness; itself a difficult and fragile tradition under stress; requiring forward-thinking and forward-planning management to surmount, of the steelbands themselves.

Diatonic Pan Institute

Alderman Regrello assesses the start of Pan and Mas On the Road, High Street, San Fernando.

Southern Marines Steelband Foundation

SMSF 2

SMSF 8 SMSF 4

Scoby, leader SMSF, rides the chair.

SMSF 6

SMSF 5
Brother Malamo, Captain and arranger, in the middle of front row.

SMSF 7

SMSF 1
'Iron' rings in syncopation at the back.

Jubilation Time
Supported by 'Big Truck' DJ Les

JT 1

JT 2

JT 3

JT 4

JT 5

JT 6

JT 7
That's 'Ball Head' Sparks (Hatters) - Teet' boy!

JT 8
Ola!

JT 9

JT 10

JT 11

San City Steel Symphony

SCSS 1

SCSS 2

SCSS 3
Rhythm high on th float and some lead tenors for balance.

SCSS 6
Aquil Arrindell-DeCaries, Captain and arranger, leads San City in play.

SCSS 4
...on the Bass

SCSS 7
The bass-rack train pulled at the back of the trailor.

SCSS 9

SCSS 5

SCSS 8
Damian StClaire, San City's other arranger (2nd from left on the bottom row), plays on tenor; while Aquil takes a moment to listen.

Old Tech

OT 1

OT 2 OT 3
Salvradore, manager of Old Tech, passes around the bass-racks

OT 4

OT 6

OT 7

OT 11

OT 8

OT 9

OT 10

Union Hall South Landerz

UHSL 1

UHSL 3

UHSL 2

UHSL 5

UHSL 4

A Little Action

SG 1
Spectators begin to gather

SG 4 SG 2
A noisy inclusive night lime passin' (Big Truck in front! Drinks behind.)

Spectators Gathering monday night carnival road San Fernando
Royalty & Friends Midnight Blu Mas

5 Trini girls - Monday night carnival road, San Fernando, Trinidad, TT by tobagojo@gmail.com
An some ah we sweet Trini to de bone

Guardian Angels of Fantasy

A dispondant Kyle, sitting dejected and hoping for better things, falls into a dream.
GA 1
Is it? Are those Angels drifting through the clouds? Am I dreaming?

GA 2
Noooo? Deh look real to me!

GA 3
Look! Dem comin'.

GA 4
Kyle looses his coat to jump up and dance. Oooh Bacchanal!

GA 5
Plenty Angels. Is TT Carnival!

GA 6

La Romain Super Vibes Pan Movement

SV 6

SV 5

SV 1
Super Vibes, ever under stress but extreamly inventive, strap a large 'pan-rack' onto the back of a pick-up; decorate with what's at hand, wrap their Panorama 2015 banner around the whole; and are 'ready' for the road; they usually don't miss. Always a bit of a visual spectical, if mounted a bit high, Vibes do the business with much verve. The yellow drum is a 'strap-on' bass 'dud-dup', a bass fashoned for the Single Pan Bands (SPB's), with 2 notes, that provides a repetative monotonic percussive bass sound. The 'Barbie Doll' type picture on the right (artificially highlited), is an accidentally captured and discovered image from an 'ad' on the wall of the building behind.

SV 3

SV 2

SV 4

Big Truck Action

HA 1

'Big Truck' time came with the appearance of Scorpion and their crew. There would'nt be a San Fernando scene without them.
HA 3 HA 2
Scorpion were running with the Mon Repos Posse.