Creole Fever Takes Over ‘Nature Island’ – Soca Star Machel Montano Top Performer at event

by Howard Turner

DOMINICA – Days before Barack Obama created history by becoming the first African American to be be elected President of the United States, Creole music fever took over the Caribbean nature island of Dominica for the 12th staging of the Creole Music Festival and what a soiree it was.

The sizzling festival, often described as one of very few indigenous music events in the Caribbean took place at the newly built Windsor Park Sports Complex in downtown Roseau. The impressive facility attracted thousands of music lovers from St Vincent, St Kitts and Antigua who poured in over the weekend to see performances by some of the hottest bands from across the Caribbean and beyond.

The featured acts included Machel Montano, Nasio Fontaine, Sean Paul, Grammacks International, Triple Kay, Kassav, Midnight Groovers and other top acts. Nearly all the bands sizzled to a captive and appreciative audience over the 3-night jam, a significant accomplishment considering the wide range of musical styles that the festival attempted to showcase.

Opening night showcased a litany of acts but it was Dominica’s own international reggae sensation Nasio Fontaine – performing on the island for the first time in years – who delivered the first spark of the festival. Taking a page from the book of reggae King Robert Nesta Marley, the knee length dread-locked Fontaine romped on stage and immediately commanded the massive, delivering a barrage of songs from his catalogue much to the delight of the packed house. Working the stage for a marathon 2-hour set, Nasio had the entire park glued to his every move as he delivered hits like ‘Babylon Is Falling,’ ‘Jah Glory,’ ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Rainbow Generation.’

Machel Montano
Reigning soca king Machel Montano proved once again that he is indeed the entertainment ambassador of the Caribbean with another spirited performance that was arguably the best of the 3-day festival. The T&T born Machel engaged fans with ‘Unconditional Love,’ “Rollin’ featuring Patrice Roberts, ‘Higher Than High,’ ‘One More,’ “Down The Road’ and ‘Make Love.’ His high energy, 90-minute set was well received by patrons who came prepared to jam till the break of dawn.

Kassav, a well-established band out of Guadeloupe whose sounds incorporate elements of Kompa, Salsa and Calypso threw down a glittering, high energy performance that rocked the stage. Their energy ricocheted throughout the jam-packed venue as the audience howled for more. With 30 albums to their credit, delivering the goods was easy for Kassav while local Dominican band, Grammacks International could do no wrong as they drove the audience to evangelical frenzy with a spine-chilling performance.

Dancehall’s hit machine Sean Paul, the only Jamaican act invited to the festival worked an extended set, delivering a performance that featured a mix of new and old staples. Other exciting performances included immortal favorites such as Grammacks, WCK, Tabou Combo, Triple Kay International, Midnight Groovers and Djakout Misik, a popular Haitian band.

Tourism authorities in Dominica wanted to make this year’s festival the biggest ever, and they promoted the event heavily in North America as well as in targeted Caribbean islands. The efforts paid off handsomely as all flights into the island were booked solid and hundreds of music lovers coming in from the USA had to be booked on charter flights originating in Antigua and San Juan.

Apart from the wonderful assortment of music that the festival brings, Dominica is a beautifully lush island of many rivers and mountains loaded with natural attractions. Members of the US media team – special guests of the Festival Commission – had the opportunity to visit a local spa, while on the final day they got the chance to enjoy the unusual scenery of the jet black volcanic sands at Mero Beach, which is unusual but not uncommon throughout the region. The contingent also had the opportunity to savor the very tasty local cuisine and explored the rich cultural heritage of the island of Dominica.

Daily reports from the festival were broadcast to enthusiastic music lovers in Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, Toronto and Florida thanks to 1430 AM, WVIP, WPSC, CHRY and WAVS radio stations respectively.

On our layover in Antigua the day before the festival and the 4-day stay in Dominica, one thing that was evident is that the Caribbean was up on the happenings in the USA Presidential elections and most were solidly behind Barack Obama. In fact in Antigua, we saw at least two billboards proclaiming Antigua’s support for Barack. Celebrations were planned in Dominica to celebrate Obama’s anticipated victory.

A special thanks to Mr Val Cuffy and Sobers Esprit of the Dominica Festival Commission for putting together a well organized event and kudos to the hardworking Lexy Brooks of VIP Connected Entertainment for coordinating a fabulous media trip. The annual Creole festival is a part of the island’s Creole Day and Independence celebrations, this year marking the 30th anniversary of the island’s independence.