Radio in Trinidad and Tobago has traditionally had a love-hate relationship
with all forms of indigenous music. The further away a musician gets from
accepted or mainstream sound, the slimmer his or her chances of making it
to a radio playlist.
Skid”nevely lead guitarist Shane de Silva (left) and frontman Andrew McIntosh (right) rock to their own beat
David Wears
Calypso, soca, ragga soca, chutney, and parang fare just as well as Trini-mutations of R&B, dub, conscious reggae, or rock. Whether or not your song gets played on the radio depends on many factors — the time of year, who is in the programmer’s chair, the way you look, the way your product looks, who you know, and who knows you. American mainstream sounds dominate radio throughout the year. But while other genres have managed at least to squeeze through some space on FM radio, local rock music can be heard regularly (i.e. a few songs a week) on only one of the 17 stations.
Some programmers say it simply does not fit into the format. But the bands continue to perform at small clubs and car parks, they find the money to fund albums, they happily open for aging 80s rock bands from North America on tour, and, despite the fact that the cards are stacked heavily against them, Trini rock fans and musicians are united by their love for the music. Chances are you’ll catch the same faces at gigs all over the country. They go wherever the music takes them.
The four young men of Skid”nevely are bold, impulsive, and might get asked for their IDs by club bouncers. They’re all under 25, only two of them have jobs, and they all still live with their parents.
They laugh easily.
The band’s 16-year-old drummer, Anthony Abraham, has been playing drums since he was 12. Nineteen-year-old bass player Mark Wallace previously handled bass for local metal band Kryptic. The old man of the quartet, Shane de Silva, is 22, and plays guitar. He’s been plucking the strings since he was 15, and prides himself on the fact that he’s taught himself everything he knows about the instrument. Lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and pannist Andrew McIntosh rounds off the set. McIntosh has played the steel pan for 13 of his 20 years of life, and it was his idea to incorporate the instrument into the band’s rock sound.
Skid”nevely became the toast of Trinidad’s rock community when the band won the Anchorage Pop Rock Awards competition in 2004. This annual “best of bands” competition, which celebrates its ninth anniversary this year, usually draws amateur and professional bands and thousands of rock enthusiasts to the popular Chaguaramas nightspot during the months of July and August. Competing bands are required to play from a list provided by the Anchorage judges, which includes cover versions of alternative, hard rock, reggae, and pop music. In recent years, bands have also been encouraged to play original rock or pop pieces.
. . .
Skid”nevely lead guitarist Shane de Silva (left) and frontman Andrew McIntosh (right) rock to their own beat
David Wears
Calypso, soca, ragga soca, chutney, and parang fare just as well as Trini-mutations of R&B, dub, conscious reggae, or rock. Whether or not your song gets played on the radio depends on many factors — the time of year, who is in the programmer’s chair, the way you look, the way your product looks, who you know, and who knows you. American mainstream sounds dominate radio throughout the year. But while other genres have managed at least to squeeze through some space on FM radio, local rock music can be heard regularly (i.e. a few songs a week) on only one of the 17 stations.
Some programmers say it simply does not fit into the format. But the bands continue to perform at small clubs and car parks, they find the money to fund albums, they happily open for aging 80s rock bands from North America on tour, and, despite the fact that the cards are stacked heavily against them, Trini rock fans and musicians are united by their love for the music. Chances are you’ll catch the same faces at gigs all over the country. They go wherever the music takes them.
The four young men of Skid”nevely are bold, impulsive, and might get asked for their IDs by club bouncers. They’re all under 25, only two of them have jobs, and they all still live with their parents.
They laugh easily.
The band’s 16-year-old drummer, Anthony Abraham, has been playing drums since he was 12. Nineteen-year-old bass player Mark Wallace previously handled bass for local metal band Kryptic. The old man of the quartet, Shane de Silva, is 22, and plays guitar. He’s been plucking the strings since he was 15, and prides himself on the fact that he’s taught himself everything he knows about the instrument. Lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and pannist Andrew McIntosh rounds off the set. McIntosh has played the steel pan for 13 of his 20 years of life, and it was his idea to incorporate the instrument into the band’s rock sound.
Skid”nevely became the toast of Trinidad’s rock community when the band won the Anchorage Pop Rock Awards competition in 2004. This annual “best of bands” competition, which celebrates its ninth anniversary this year, usually draws amateur and professional bands and thousands of rock enthusiasts to the popular Chaguaramas nightspot during the months of July and August. Competing bands are required to play from a list provided by the Anchorage judges, which includes cover versions of alternative, hard rock, reggae, and pop music. In recent years, bands have also been encouraged to play original rock or pop pieces.
. . .
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