It has only been four months since Carnival 2010 closed its doors and already band launches have begun. Bandleader Peter Samuel's Woi! Mas presented Skullduggery–the beginning of the New Age, at the Anchorage in Chaguaramas on the evening of July 4. The new entity showed a merger between traditional mas and all the amenities of a successful contemporary mas band. Also merging were their committee members, which comprised five carnival interest groups.
The venue reeked a retro feeling. Skulls and skeleton decorations draped the walls, while teaser models paraded in costumes. Live entertainment was provided by Charlie's Roots and a host of other DJs. Although it was a carnival band launch, somehow Kerwin Trotman and Nathalie York, who started the vocals for the band, saw it fit to start with Neo's Closer, but later, brought back memories of the band's former lead singer Chris "Tambu" Herbert.
The duo also performed the 2010 Road March, Palance. When rapso giants 3Canal took to the stage they performed selections from their extensive repertoire, and as they ended their stint on stage, blue devils came out spitting fire. The presentation of over 16 sections showed not only the bandleader's dedication to immortalise traditional mas, but the designer's diversity.
Designer Sonya Sanchez Arias said, "What I love about Trinidad is the variety; the variety of faces, the variety of food and the variety of the culture. So why is the variety in the mas lacking? "I think that I have an idea and a vision that is different. It is so different and unlike everything else that has gone before, it makes me a little nervous at how different it is," she admitted.
