Warwick Academy are hosting a free concert with the Duke University Concert Chorale on Tuesday [Mar 12] in the school’s Phoebe Purvis Memorial Hall. The concert will feature the Warwick Academy Upper Primary Choir and the Warwick Academy Jazz Band and starts at 7.30pm.
The Duke University Concert Chorale, is a primarily undergraduate concert choir at Duke University, performing an extensive repertoire of chorale pieces, ranging from Renaissance German and French works to Latin Requiems and Negro spirituals. Under the baton of Dr. Rodney Wynkoop, the Chorale comprises 50 young singers renowned for their artistry, audience appeal, and beautiful programming.
The visiting group will also be performing tonight [Mar 10] at a concert being held at The Earl Cameron Theater at the City Hall at 8.00pm. Joining the Duke University Concert Chorale at tonight’s show is the Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist Men’s Chorale and MT. Zion Male Voice Choir.
The death of legendary Bermuda calypsonian Roy Talbot at the age of 94 in 2009 marked the end of a musical era.
The last surviving member of the hugely popular and groundbreaking calypso group The Talbot Brothers, Mr. Talbot and his siblings made an indelible mark on popular music both locally and internationally.
“Mr. Talbot lent his voice to the Talbots’ distinctive blended harmonies and cut a striking figure onstage with his homemade bass,” said a “New York Times” obituary. “Called the doghouse or the Bermudavarius, it was fashioned from a Swift meatpacking crate and had a single string made from fishing line.
“As the Talbot Brothers toured the world, fans would sign the instrument, among them Babe Ruth, Bing Crosby and Tommy Dorsey. In their heyday, the late 1940s and ’50s, the Talbot Brothers were a major attraction at Bermuda’s hotels and clubs and at the private homes of wealthy Americans who were discovering the island.
“Their popularity is often credited with playing an important role in putting Bermuda on the tourist map. Songs like ‘Bermuda Buggy Ride’ and ‘Bermuda’s Still Paradise’, with their smooth harmonies and easy, swinging beat, helped establish the islands’ image as a carefree, no-worries leisure destination.”
Bermuda’s Talbot Brothers in their heydey
A reminiscence about Mr. Talbot and his group written by American musical scholar and WFDU radio host Bill Hahn recounts how the brothers — though a cousin was also in the band group — grew up in Tucker’s Town.
They moved to another section of Bermuda in the late 1920s to allow for the development of the area into a posh residential enclave.
” … Their roots started in Church music and led them to such great heights,” said Mr. Hahn, who has featured shows dedicated to the Talbot Brothers’ music and their enduring cultural influence on “Traditions”, his long-running New Jersey radio programme . ”They appeared in worldwide venues including TV in the US including appearances on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’.”
Mr. Hahn said he and his wife had the delight of first coming across the group while visiting Bermuda in the late 1950s.
“They along with artists like Erskine Zuill were exciting discoveries to us,” said Mr. Hahn. “We found The Talbot Brothers, as I said. Found them with such wonderful pieces as ‘Yellow Bird’, ‘Oh Mr. Trimingham, Oh Mr. Trott’, ‘Back To Back, Belly to Belly ‘and many more including ‘Jane Jane Jane’ …
The Talbot Brothers performing “Yellow Bird”
“One had to reserve quite some time in advance to get into their performances—as one did for people like Zuill and Hubert Smith. The music was rhythmic and topical in that it covered political situations in Bermuda and the US …”
The Talbot Brothers consisted of Roy, Archie, Austin, Bryan, Ross, and cousin Cromwell Mandres.
Mr. Hahn said the Bermuda group’s unique, lilting sound owed to the fact they used a different instrument line-up than the more typical Trinidadian calypso instrumentation.
“Fast forward now to the 1970s,” he said. “The Talbot Brothers had achieved world wide fame appearing on major TV shows in New York and touring the world. Being, not only, the toast of Bermuda but, given the segregation there in the earlier years much demanded at private parties at the [homes of the] very wealthy.
“My wife and I once again went to Bermuda [in the '70s] and hoped to see the Talbots. It seemed sad—an Irish troupe of performers which included dancers, singers, and an alleged comic were headlining and the Talbot Brothers were relegated to being an opening act and playing dance music afterwards.
“Man Smart — Woman Smarter” by Bermuda’s Talbot Brothers
“At one point, my wife asked if they might be able to perform ‘Jane Jane Jane’ and they said that the brother who was the lead on that had died—but if she knew the words to please join them on the stage for it. She did. A memorable and nostalgic [now] moment.
“Fame may well be fleeting but sincerity and loyalty are not. On the way back to the airport I overheard one of the passengers on the bus say to his wife or fiancee, ‘Hey, was this not great — just like NY’. Sad! You were supposed to open yourself to the great local talent and not hope you were home with the touring Irish Troupe of performers doing what was homogenised entertainment.”
The lyrics to one of their 1976 hits ran “What you doin’ on your back/You should be dancing, yeah/Dancing, yeah …” and the following year the entire world was doing just that when three songs written by the superstar Gibb brothers in Bermuda topped the international music charts.
“Stayin’ Alive”, the Bee Gees’ theme song to the phenomenally successful movie ”Saturday Night Fever”, along with two back-to-back number one hits by teen sensation Robin Gibb were all composed at the Bermuda home of Australian-born impresario and entertainment entrepreneur Robert Stigwood.
The Bee Gees — brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb — had been managed by Mr. Stigwood since the 1960s when they first found fame as a pop act. The trio later released their singles and albums on Mr. Stigwood’s independent RSO Records label which he launched in 1973.
The groups’s career was resurgent in the mid-1970s; they had moved from pop songs and ballads marked by their signature three-part harmonies to a more rhythmic, disco-influenced style, producing hits such as “Jive Talkin’”, “Nights on Broadway” and “You Should Be Dancing.”
Throughout 1976 Barry Gibb, the eldest Gibb brother and the Bee Gees’ unofficial leader, and twins Robin and Maurice had been regular guests at Mr. Stigwood’s elegant resort home “Palm Grove” in Devonshire.
While on the island planning new projects with Mr. Stigwood, the brothers worked on several songs — one of which was eventually titled “Stayin’ Alive.”
Bee Gees Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb with Robert Stigwood
The songs were originally intended for a new Bee Gees album. The group was in the midst of recording the material at France’s Le Chateau Studios when Mr. Stigwood informed them the songs they were working on were now to be featured on the soundtrack of his upcoming film “Saturday Night Fever.”
Mr. Stigwood’s transitions from a rock band manager and producer to multimedia entertainment impresario had started in the late ’60s when he saw the musical “Hair” on Broadway and decided to produce it in London’s West End.
He went on to produce the stage and movie versions of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, a film adaptation of The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” and brokered the deals which repackaged British TV hits “Til Death Do Us Part” and “Steptoe & Son” as “All In The Family” and “Sandford & Son” on American television in the early 1970s.
A 1976 “Rolling Stone” magazine profile described Mr. Stigwood “as constant traveler, a bachelor with homes in Los Angeles, New York and Bermuda … a peripatetic power broker with a penchant for style and a fondness for life in the grand manner.”
“Saturday Night Fever” movie trailer [1977]
When Mr. Stigwood arrived in Bermuda in 1976, he was planning a slate of new movies — one of them a low-budget production based on a “New York” magazine article about the disco sub-culture called “Tribal Rites Of The New Saturday Night”; the film’s title was changed to “Saturday Night Fever.”
Starring the relatively unknown sitcom actor John Travolta, the film told the story of of a Brooklyn paint store clerk who escapes his dead-end life on the disco dance floor.
A massive popular and critical success when it was released in 1977, the film became something of a cultural phenomenom. It popularised disco music around the world, spawned trends in everything from dancing to fashion to hairstyles and turned Mr. Travolta into a superstar ["We thought we were making a little art film," the actor said in the wake of "Saturday Night Fever's" remarkable success].
The “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack album, featuring four new songs by the Bee Gees and two previously released hits, sold more than 15 million copies. The album stayed atop the US album charts for 24 straight weeks from January to July 1978 and stayed on “Billboard” magazine’s album charts for 120 weeks until March, 1980. In the UK, the album spent 18 consecutive weeks at number one.
Some sections of the other chart-topping Bee Gees songs from the soundtrack — “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Night Fever” and “More Than A Woman” — had been sketched out in Bermuda. But the infectiously appealing “Stayin’ Alive” — which topped the US singles charts for a month and was once famously described as “a kind of national anthem for the’70s” — is the only song that was largely completed here.
Speaking to a Netherlands radio interviewer in 2002, Maurice Gibb said “Stayin’Alive” was “really born, I think, more in Bermuda than anywhere else. We finished it off in France.”
The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” [1977]
Aside from working on new songs and discussing plans for a movie starring the Bee Gees based on the Beatles’ album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” [it was released in 1978], the Gibbs also plotted the next career move for younger brother Andy while visiting Mr. Stigwood in Bermuda in 1976.
With his blonde good looks and clear, melodic voice, the youngest Gibb brother — he was then 18 — had become a pop sensation in Australia and Mr. Stigwood was interested in launching his career internationally.
After Andy Gibb married girlfriend Kim Reeder in Sydney on July 1, Mr. Stigwood invited the couple to spend their honeymoon at “Palm Grove”.
“[Following] the reception, the new Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Roy Gibb left for a honeymoon in Bermuda at Robert Stigwood’s lavish home there,” said Bee Gees biographer Andrew Hughes “Barry and Robert Stigwood were there to meet them and to begin making plans for turning ‘The Bee Gee’ Baby Brother’ into the teen idol, Andy Gibb.
While in Bermuda, Andy Gibb signed a recording and management contract with RSO and collaborated on two songs with brother Barry — “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” and “[Love Is] Thicker Than Water.”
“[When he wasn't working] Andy and Kim found plenty of time to themselves to enjoy their honeymoon,” said Mr. Hughes. “They rode motorbikes all over the island, went shopping and took sightseeing trips.
Andy Gibb’s “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” [1977]
“They went swimming in the crystal clear water and went out in catamarans. An entire day was spent out on a big-game fishing boat.
“Kim enjoyed Bermuda and loved Stigwood’s house and its garden with a huge pond with a map of Bermuda in it.Stigwood’s culinary skills also impressed her. ‘We ate five-course dinners,’ she remembered. “Robert Stigwood imported nothing but the best and he cooked the food himself. He’s a pretty good chef’ …”
“I Just Want To Be Your Everything” was the first single released by Andy Gibb on the RSO label; released in May 1977 it reached number one in the US and Australia and was among the most played records of the year.
The follow-up Bermuda-penned song “[Love Is] Thicker Than Water” was even more successful.
Released in October, 1977 the single peaked in early 1978 during the time that the Bee Gees’ contributions to the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack were dominating the world charts.
Ironically, in the United States it replaced “Stayin’ Alive” — another product of Barry Gibbs’ frenetic “Palm Grove” writing sessions — at the top of the charts. ”[Love Is] Thicker Than Water” was in turn surpassed by the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever”, which also owed something to the Gibbs’ 1976 Bermuda retreat. Andy Gibb performing “[Love Is] Thicker Than Water” [1977]
While he had a handful of other hits, Andy Gibbs’ career proved to be a troubled one. Succumbing to drug abuse and the pressures of fame, he died in March, 1988 of a heart ailment in Oxford, England. He was just 30 years old.
Among the best-selling musical artists of all time, the Bee Gees continued to record and tour for many years. Maurice died suddenly on January 12, 2003 at the age of 53 from a heart attack, while awaiting emergency surgery to repair a strangulated intestine. Robin Gibb died in May, 2012 following a long illness.
Surviving brother Barry Gibb lives and works in Florida.
Mr. Stigwood lived in Bermuda for many years, moving from “Palm Grove” — which he had rented — to the sprawling “Wreck House” property at the West End of the island [while he was negotiating to buy that estate one of his spokesmen told a Chicago newspaper the mogul was in the process of buying "a small corner of Bermuda the size of several golf courses ... He loves it there"]
“Palm Grove”, the luxurious South Shore estate rented by Robert Stigwood in the ’70s
While in Bermuda he went on to produce the ’50s-era rock’n'roll movie musical “Grease”, which co-starred John Travolta and Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, and the West End and Broadway versions of the stage show “Evita” along with a later film adaptation starring Madonna.
He hosted such visiting luminaries as the Duchess of York, Mr. Travolta, film director Ken Russell and pop star Cyndi Lauper at his Georgian Wreck Road mansion before moving to the Isle of Wight in the late 1990s. Mr. Stigwood now lives near London.
Bermudian reggae singer Clinark released his latest video — “They Don’t Care About Us – A Tribute to Michael Jackson.” The video was directed and produced by Chris Cargill of D.O.F 4:13 Productions.
Clinark has previously worked with this team on earlier video projects including; “I’ll Be There” and “Life in the Ghetto.”
The main choreographer was The Boogie Woman, from ”Thrill The World London,” the dance organisation which hosts the worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” She also directed some of the scenes in the video. Her dance troop of children and young adults were filmed on location at the Kilburn Festival, London (2012).
This new release follows on from Clinark’s last single “Babylon City”. It was his self-penned message for the youth about the previous riots in nearby Tottenham. He was born in Bermuda, and now resides in Edmonton, North London.
Clinark says,“I am still overwhelmed that my fans who have supported me through difficult times of late. The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson were a major musical influence and inspiration to me as I grew up. RIP Michael Joseph Jackson, The Greatest Entertainer of All Time.”
Bermudian reggae star Collie Buddz will embark on the “Light It Up” tour alongside Cris Cab and New Kingston.
Collie Buddz “Won’t Be Long” music video:
The tour commences in April 2013, and runs through May covering a variety of North American locations including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Burlington, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Cleveland, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Atlanta, Charleston, Norfolk, Richmond, and Washington D.C.
Teen musical duo Hollie Hassell and Keenan Bailey — who go by the name HNK [Hollie 'n' Keenan] — have uploaded a new video of their cover version of country artist Hunter Hayes’ hit “Wanted.”
Grammy-nominated “Wanted” was released in March 2012 as the second single from Hunter Hayes’ self-titled début studio album.
Hunter Hayes was also nominated for Best New Artist and Best Country Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
HNK’s “Wanted” music video
Berkeley Institute students HNK have collaborated on a number of music productions in recent months including a cover of “Down”, the 2009 R&B-electropop song by British artist Jay Sean.
That song went on to sell four million copies in the United States and six million copies worldwide. Featuring rapper and Jay Sean label mate Lil Wayne, “Down” is the best-selling single by a British/European male artist in North America since Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind.”
The talented teenagers who comprise HNK began working together earlier this year.
“Hollie wanted to sing,” Keenan Bailey told Bernews “Being that I’m a singer/songwriter/producer/ recording engineer, I made her wish come true.”
HNK’s cover version of “Down”
Last year Keenan Bailey — then 17 — hit the local headlines when he wrote and released a tribute song dedicated to murder victim Joshua Robinson.
The secondary school student — who also performs under the stage name Keenan Thraxx Exodia — posted the song on YouTube on the same day of the murder at Jason’s Barbershop on North Shore in Pembroke.
Earlier this year he started posting “my soft. soothing style beats” to Soundcloud.
Hollie Hassell has also uploaded some of her songs to that on-line music site.
“HNK are putting together a mixtape set to be released in the spring.” Keenan Bailey told Bernews.
The Bermuda Philharmonic Society is presenting a POPS Concert tonight [Mar 17] at the Somersfield Academy in Devonshire starting at 7.00pm.
The orchestra will be conducted by Kevin Hayward and the ensemble singers conducted by Angela Sainsbury. Tickets are $25 for general admission. Students and seniors are $10 and patrons pay $50. Tickets are available at the door or from Bermuda Philharmonic Society members.
The latest album from Bermudian reggae singer Mishka is #2 on the iTunes reggae charts, just behind the “Legend” album by the legendary Bob Marley.
“Ocean Is My Potion” was released in February 2013, and features tracks including the title track Ocean Is My Potion featuring Jimmy Buffet, Rebel Soul, Love and Roots, When the Rain Comes Down, Constant Revolution, and Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season.
On Thursday [Mar 21], the U.S. Consulate will once again welcome Harvard’s finest a cappella groups to perform a free charity concert in aid of the Bermuda-registered charity, the Family Centre.
The Harvard Krokodiloes and the Radcliffe Pitches are in Bermuda for their annual spring break and will sing popular, toe-tapping music from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, including jazz, swing, ballads, and rock from America’s Golden Age.
A spokesperson said, “For the second year in a row, there will be an exciting addition to the line-up, with the Bermuda Institute’s own En Harmony septet performing several of its signature songs.
“Everyone is invited to the free concert on Thursday, March 21, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Anglican Cathedral on Church Street.
“The concert has been arranged in an open-house format and is scheduled for the lunch hour so people can drop in. Come for one song or come for the whole show – all are welcome. No reservations or tickets are required.”
U.S. Consul General Robert Settje said, “As the U.S. Consul General to Bermuda – and as a Harvard alumnus – I am proud that these young goodwill ambassadors have once again offered to give this benefit performance.
“Their annual trip to Bermuda, when they sing across the island, is an excellent example of cultural diplomacy, which helps create a foundation of trust with other people and builds relationships that endure over time and beyond changes in government.
“As a special treat, I am pleased to welcome local a cappella group En Harmony to the concert program. En Harmony is composed of seven talented Bermuda Institute students aged 11-13 who began singing as a group in 2010. These young men are members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
“Together, these young Bermudian and American men and women are stellar examples of how much can be achieved when students work hard and are given the opportunity to develop their talents.
“The Kroks, the Pitches, and En Harmony are happy to be part of the great charitable tradition that characterizes Bermuda. So, while the concert is free, the Family Centre will accept voluntary donations.
“One hundred percent of all the donations go to the charity, which supports families across the island in myriad ways and offers them the skills they need to be successful.
“Please join in the fun at the Anglican Cathedral on Thursday in support of the Family Centre. I look forward to seeing you there.”
The Bermuda National Gallery [BNG] will be hosting an Art of Music event on Friday [Apr 26], featuring acclaimed pianist Mirei Tsuji.
The Art of Music is a fundraiser series hosted by the BNG, which started in 2011. A spokesperson said, “This event, in partnership with the Family Centre, recognizes our shared belief in collaborating to reach common goals of social and cultural enrichment.
“This rather demanding programme for solo piano celebrates the genius of 18th century Mozart and then transports the audience into the 19th century for an appreciation of Spanish composers: Granados, Turina and Albeniz.
“The programme will conclude with Chopin’s Sonata in B minor that “holds a very important place in contemporary concert repertoire.”
BNG Chairman, Gary L. Phillips comments: “I had the joy of hearing pianist Mirei Tsuji perform in Paris, France last summer and knew immediately that I wanted to share her extraordinary virtuosity and interpretative style with Bermuda.
“The Bermuda National Gallery is, however, equally delighted to collaborate with the Family Centre and to present this Art of Music experience under the Distinguished Patronage of Mr. Richard D. Butterfield OBE and Mrs. Susan Butterfield whose passion and commitment for the arts in Bermuda continues to move this community to greater enlightenment.”
Family Centre Executive Director, Martha Dismont says: “The arts are a vital aspect of a healthy society and the Bermuda National Gallery is an organization that is committed to reaching all people and families in our community with the inspiration that art provides.
“Family Centre is delighted to be associated with this Art of Music event, featuring pianist Mirei Tsuji. We are honoured to have the support of BNG and the community to assist us as we reach out to more families with helping services that strengthen children and positive parenting in Bermuda.”
Performing Arts Centre Chairman Richard Butterfield adds: “It gives us great pleasure to be associated with a charitable endeavour benefitting Bermuda’s fine National Gallery, and to benefit another of Bermuda’s important charities also, The Family Centre.
“Bermuda’s young people are Bermuda’s future. They must each be enabled to understand the opportunities that Bermuda offers them to serve Bermuda, and to have the advice and means they need for pursuing their choice of those opportunities”.
The night begins with a tour of the Bermuda National Gallery from 7.00pm – 7.45pm and the recital is scheduled for 8.00pm in the Earl Cameron Theatre, City Hall. Admission is $65 and tickets will be available through Premier Tickets from April 1.
Yaun Lee has released his latest music video “Cut the Lights,” which delivers a musical message about physical and emotional abuse.
Born and raised in Bermuda, Lee now lives in London, UK and the video was filmed in South London. The song [writing, production, performance] and video were all done by Lee, and the song is available for download here on Amazon.
Bermuda’s Gilbert & Sullivan Society wants you to spend a night at the opera with them on Saturday [Mar. 23] when they will be hosting a screening of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute’s Tradewinds Auditorium.
Director Michael Mayer has placed his new New York Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi’s towering tragedy in Las Vegas in 1960—an ideal setting for this eternal conflict of depravity and innocence.
In this production, inspired by the antics of Frank Sinatra’s legendary Rat Pack, Piotr Beczala is the womanising Duke of Mantua, with Željko Lucic as his tragic sidekick, Rigoletto. Diana Damrau is Rigoletto’s daughter—and their victim.
Michele Mariotti conducts.
The screening begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $35/$30 for students and can be purchased at the door or on-line at www.premierticketsglobal.com
Bermuda’s alternative rock star Heather Nova will be celebrating the coming of spring with a live on-line request show for her Facebook fans on Memorial Day [May 27].
To help her build a fan-created set list for the event, she is asking members of the Facebook community to vote for their favorite songs, per album, per week, during a special “Friday Nights With Nova” segment on her official page between now and the show.
The series kicked off last night [Mar.22] at “Heather Nova: The official page for the singer/songwriter Heather Nova” with her 2011 album “300 Days” — recorded in her home studio in Bermuda — and featured this acoustic version of that album’s single “Save A Little Piece of Tomorrow.”
Heather Nova’s “Save A Little Piece of Tomorrow” shot in Bermuda
Over the years the Bermudian recording artist — born Heather Frith — has released 12 albums and more than 20 singles.
The musician and poet has toured internationally and her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of movies including John Cusack’s “Serendipity” and Sean Penn’s “I Am Sam.”
Her 2005 release “Together As One” was an EP supporting the Bermuda Sloop Foundation which operates the Bermuda sloop Spirit of Bermuda.
Call them Bermuda’s teen recording titans — production company DemBiez was officially launched last December when Shomari Warner, Cahlii Smith, Jumar Hayward and Coshaun Evans discovered they had a talent for creating and writing music together.
Mr. Warner — who is currently studying sound engineering at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario — said DemBiez is signing local talent from ages 14 to 20 under and assisting them with song writing, singing, music videos and photo shoots.
The founders of Bermuda’s DemBiez production company
“We are opening up a new studio this summer which would be our headquarters for the artist under us to record albums and singles,” he said. “We have been working and studying for three years in preparation of starting our own production company/label.
“You shall be seeing a lot from us and all our talented artists this summer. We are helping them reach their dreams of being the artists they play on their Ipods and see on MTV.
“These are the most talented young people I have ever seen!”
A few of the talented young Bermudians working with DemBiez include 14-year-old Dellwood student; 18-year-old Rosie Mae; Caroline Araujo, who is 18 as well; and 19-year-old Coshaun Evans.
CoShaun Evans and Cahlii Smith performing “Everything”
A DemBiez spokesman said the new label is ready to help guide the next generation of entertainment “not just in Bermuda but outside of their comfort zones, too.!
He added: “There are some who tell us we won’t be able to do it but that just makes us strive harder! Don’t underestimate us!
“We are young Bermudian males who are ready to make a difference.”
DemBiez describe themselves as being community-oriented, saying: “We just love spreading smiles, music and joy in times of pain, agony, and depression.
“We love going out into the community, walking into random businesses and performing, going to different schools to see the talent and do our part to better that talent.”
It’s That Typa Party skit group’s “Gangsta Skool” video featuring DemBiez
Among the artists they cite as influences are Ed Sheeran, Kimbra, Ryan Leslie, Ludacris, Logic, Eminem, 30 Seconds To Mars, Shinedown, NeverShoutNever, Sammie, Paramore, Taylor Swift and Lonely Island.
They can be contacted through their official Facebook page, DemBiez.
Last year Cahlii Smith, Zichari Young and the fledgling DemBiez production team released a well-received Bermudianised version of the 2006 John Mayer hit “Waiting On The World To Change” in response to ongoing serious crime and gun violence on the island.
“It’s been a real emotional time for my group and music can ease a troubled mind and even produce a glimmer of hope,” said Mr. Smith at the time. “… We had to put everything on hold to express our feelings about what’s happening in Bermuda after being on Facebook seeing, day after day, people’s emotions pouring out and how they want change.”
“Waiting On My Island To Change (Proud To Be Bermudian)” John Mayer Cover
JROC — producers of Power 95′s “Tha Underground Radio Show” — are looking for Bermuda’s next radio star.
“If you got the skills behind the mic and got the knowledge of the music biz, JROC is looking for the next radio show host for “Tha Underground Radio” show,” said a spokesman for the multi-media company.
Broadcast on Sunday’s beginning at 5 pm, the episode of the show being aired today [Mar. 24] features guest host Cami Cam.
“Tha Underground Radio Show” is also livestreamed here.
The show and its sister website bill themselves as Bermuda’s number one source for local artists and Bermuda music videos.
“Tha Underground Radio Show” spotlights music from a variety of genres including hip hop, R&B, grunge, pop, rock and reggae.
The West End Development Corporation [WEDCO], in partnership with EPM Management, will be hosting Destination Dockyard each Monday evening from 7pm to 10pm for 18 weeks.
A WEDCO spokesperson said, :This will be an evening of diverse local talent, combined with the element of competition, exciting prizes, family and youth engagement and unique shopping opportunities. The atmosphere promises to be lively, inviting, friendly and memorable for both our visitors and locals.
“It will be an evening of competition with the opportunity to vote for your favourite band, dance troupe, Gombey troupe, choir, songwriter, Majorette, etc. The proposed start date for this event is May 6th from 7pm to 10pm and the event will run for 18 weeks until September 2nd.
“We will have local bar operators, food vendors and other vendors with Bermudian items for sale over the evening which will be staged on the North Lawn and around the Clocktower Mall.”
There will also be an additional evening in the Dockyard event calendar, with WEDCO — in partnership with TFD productions — hosting the Lennon Dockyard evening every Thursday night from 6.45pm to 9.45pm.
Commencing on 16th May, the Lennon Dockyard evenings will run for 16 weeks until through August 29th. Held in the Victualling Yard, the night will see a free evening of music, songs by John Lennon and other party favorites.
Seattle-based American reggae/world/folk artist Shimshai will be performing at the Spirit House in Devonshire on Saturday [Mar. 30].
Doors open at 7.30 pm and the show gets underway at 8pm.
Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at Sankofa in Chancery Lane or from the Yoga Centre on Victoria Street.
For further information, please call 505-5073 or email spirithouse@northrock.bm.
Whether singing the ancient Sanskrit mantras of India, age-old Hebrew prayers, traditional folklore of South America, or performing his original works of divine inspiration, Shimshai’s music invokes a sentiment of ancestral devotion and a dedication to higher consciousness.
A self-proclaimed seeker of truth, described by many as possessing the voice of an angel, Shimshai is gifted with the innate ability to deliver his message flawlessly in several languages; most profoundly the universal language of Love and Oneness.
Shimshai’s fans range from young children to great grandparents, it seems as though people representing all walks of life, races, and religions are drawn to Shimshai’s recorded music and live performances.
International performances in couintries including like Colombia, Holland, Switzerland, England, France, Israel, Finland, Canada, and Germany have been helping to make Shimshai a household name in the worldwide reggae/world music/spiritual community. Shimshai with Sangita Devi, “Be Here Now”
The title track of Bermuda singer/songwriter Mishka’s new EP, “Ocean Is My Potion” – featuring legendary American performer Jimmy Buffett — recently topped the Billboard reggae charts.
Mr. Buffett, whose songs have made him synonomous with a laid-back island lifestyle, first met Mishka when he was only four years old.
Mishka and his sisters — one of them future alternative rock star Heather Nova – were selling croissants in the French West Indies when he came upon the “Margaritaville” man himself.
The acoustic-leaning songwriter even wrote a song about that encounter with Mishka called “Chanson Pour Les Petis Enfants.”
Now the musicians’ relationship has come full circle on Mishka’s on “Ocean Is My Potion” which features a combination of their velvety vocals.
Born in Bermuda and raised in the Caribbean, Mishka Frith is a traveller and a sailor at heart. A free spirit, whose lyrics melodies and grooves, are reflections of the roots and culture in which he grew, Mishka’s music is Caribbean at the core, and yet it’s an eclectic sound that contains many elements and genres.
From bass heavy roots reggae, to mellow acoustic ballads, songs of love, songs of social justice and consciousness, you have to hear for yourself and experience the music.
Bermuda reggae star Mishka sings “Ocean Is My Potion” with Jimmy Buffet
Mishka’s journey has taken him full circle, from an independent singer songwriter, then signed to big record labels like Creation and Sony, through the bright lights of Hollywood working with Matthew McConaughey and his jk livin label and finally to Mr. Buffett’s Mailboat Records.
Established in 1999, the Key West-based label’s first release was “Buffett’s Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays.”
In addition to Mr. Buffett and Mishka, the label’s roster includes Dan Fogelberg, Bret Michaels, Boz Scaggs, Def Leppard and Walter Becker.
American singer/songwriter Jonathan Richman still includes a mononlogue in his live shows about how the Bermuda Strollers saved his musical soul when his band the Modern Lovers was playing at the old Inverurie Hotel during College Weeks in 1973.
Now a video featuring vintage Bermuda footage has been uploaded to accompany a performance of the cult star’s “Down In Bermuda” — an extended riff on a track originally included on his 1985 “Rockin’ and Romance” album.
A one-time disciple of the nihilistic, hard-driving Velvet Undergound and considered a founding father of the emerging punk sound, the future looked bright for Mr. Richman as a mainstream star until the Modern Lovers took up residency as a house band at the Bermuda resort.
Mr. Richman fell hard for the joyful sounds of the island’s music scene — particularly the Bermuda Strollers and their leader Ted Ming [pictured above] — and this inspired him to pursue a more whimsical songwriting style.
Also wanting to wash his hands of the music industry’s sleaze, the Massachusetts-born musician left the Modern Lovers shortly after the Bermuda engagement was over.
Mr. Richman subsequently re-emerged as a solo star — although sometimes using a second incarnation of the Modern Lovers as a backing band — and still draws standing room only crowds to concerts characterised by his wide-eyed, unaffected music that, while rooted in rock and roll, still draws on Bermuda-flavoured calypso and other influences from around the world.
Working from the North Shore restaurant her father founded, Olive Anne Trott brought an array of talent to Bermuda that would have done a seasoned Las Vegas booking agent proud.
Mrs. Trott began promoting shows featuring major international acts a few years prior to launching the Miss Bermuda Pageant in 1965.
“She was the first person I knew to bring overseas promoters to Bermuda,” former associate Wentworth Christopher told a newspaper after her death in 2011 at the age of 88. “She brought in people like Stevie Wonder [pictured], when he was 13 or 14 years old, James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie and Frankie Lymon.
“If I could remember all of it, I still couldn’t do her justice.”
Aside from promoting concerts, Mrs. Trott also persuaded Olympic gold medallist Cassius Clay to take part in a boxing exhibition staged at the National Tennis Stadium in 1965. Her doctor — former Premier Ewart Brown — has said of Mrs. Trott: “It was Olive who introduced me to Muhammad Ali [then Cassius Clay] outside my dad’s bar in Flatts. My friendship with Ali has continued over the years.”
Dr. Brown called her “a special lady with a magnetic personality and a contagious smile.”
Scoring Stevie Wonder for a Bermuda engagement when his star was on the rise in 1964 was one of her earliest coups.
Olive Anne Trott greets “Little” Stevie Wonder as he arrives in Bermuda in March, 1964
One of the most significant and enduring figures in popular music history, Stevie Wonder has been recording music for Motown Records since the age of 12.
Blind since infancy, he developed a fascination and love for instruments at an early age.
Introduced to Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy in 1962, the record label boss was so impressed with the young musician he immediately signed him under the name Little Stevie Wonder.
Stevie Wonder released “Fingertips in 1963, with the musician covering vocals, bongos, and the harmonica.
Featuring a young Marvin Gaye on drums, the song rose to number one on the US charts and put Stevie Wonder on the American music map.
“Little Stevie, the 13-year-old Wonder-boy of the recording and entertaining fields attracted two full houses at the Rosebank Theatre last Friday night,” said a front page report in the “Bermuda Recorder” newspaper. “Stevie was very popular with thousands of local teen agers before he came here and now he has won the hearts of everyone who turned out to see the ‘genius’ as he is often called.
“His popular recording of ‘Fingertips that catapulted him into the top-star bracket was by far his best received item along with another of his special sing-along tunes ‘La La La La La’ …”
“Little” Stevie Wonder performing “Fingertips” in 1964
“The show on the whole was a major success and fans came away highly delighted and semi-delirious from Stevie’s highly captivating stage personality. They were either frozen out of sheer amazement or trapped into the hand-clapping, feet-stamping rhythm that accompanies most of the blind-singers numbers.
“Stevie mastered his various instruments and simply aston ished his audiences as he moved from the microphone with his mouth organ to the organ where lie then to his sparking set of drums where he put over a ballad ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ …”
The newspaper report continued: “It was difficult to tell which of the two [hits — ‘Fingertips’ or ‘La La La La La’ -= brought the most screams and raves from his highly responsive audiences …”
Bermudian acts appearing on the bill with the rising young American star included the Aldanno Sextette, husband-and-wife team Gene and Pinky Steede, the Keynotes the Dancing High Hats, Elva Simmons and pop band the Appegios.
Stevie Wonder returned to Bermuda a number of times in the ’60s and ’70s to perform and in 1970 spent his honeymoon on the island after marrying Motown singer/songwriter and frequent collaborator Syreeta Wright.
