Well now that the team is back in Toronto it is time to get business in order. Band Launch season is quickly approaching us and I'm feeling a hot foot starting. They say there is a strategy behind when you launch and who you are launching close to. Many people don't know the make up of mas bands in the recent Caribana parades. There is a Category for A bands and a Category for B bands. An A band typically consists of higher number in masqueraders and has secured it's spot in A by meeting more the criteria of the judges based on a point system. One of the most coveted perks of being in an A band is the security of going down the road between numbers 1 and 8 for the parade.
It's interesting to see how this category placement also affects the time of year that bands choose to launch. The trend this year is that the B bands are launching early, almost all in April and the most of the A bands are launching the last weekend of April or in May. This is of course with the exception of one A band that is bold enough to launch before all of the bands.
My question to you: Are successful Band Launches based on strategy or promotions? Who's band launch do you look out for every year? And do you go because you want to see first dibs on the costumes or because it's always been a great party?
Follow us on Twitter @mas_players to find out when our Band Launch is!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Signing Off...
Here I sit in a beautiful beach house on my last day in Tobago and write what will likely be my last Carnival Blog Post.
I'm not sure exactly where I last left off but I will sum up what yesterday and today looked like.
Yesterday we woke up extremely late from a heavy party night at the Shade. The original goal was to go up in the North of Tobago and see the country side, along with the Waterfall. After one hour too many of girl talk between the 3 three sisters we realized that is was too late to head to the waterfall so we went and picked up mixers and snacks and hit our friends beach house to have a lime by the pool. Drinks were flowing from our good friends that we like to call the Cabana Boys! With Pelau on the menu we were in for a treat. After some table tennis and some more drinks we got lazy and ate the neighbors callaloo, fried snapper and coocoo. It was sooo delicious!
We followed the meal with a late night swim in a salt water pool. The night was set so well with the sweet sounds of cool rock reggae and Trini accents around the pool. We then got our second wind and got the Pelau started,...thanks to the top Cabana boy! It was BESSSSS! lol After our second dinner of the night we went home showered and dressed and headed out for the Shade at 2am. Got to love TnT timing. We partied till 5 am yet again, hit our beds and woke up about 30 minutes before check out time. Mel did the mad dash to shower and dress and head to the airport while Tiff and I went back to the beach house and took a nap/got ready and now here we are typing away before we head back to Trinidad...then Barbados...then Toronto. Work should be very interesting on Tuesday morning.
Can't wait to get to Trinidad and have another home cooked meal by some of the best people in Trinidad :)
Carnival Love.
I'm not sure exactly where I last left off but I will sum up what yesterday and today looked like.
Yesterday we woke up extremely late from a heavy party night at the Shade. The original goal was to go up in the North of Tobago and see the country side, along with the Waterfall. After one hour too many of girl talk between the 3 three sisters we realized that is was too late to head to the waterfall so we went and picked up mixers and snacks and hit our friends beach house to have a lime by the pool. Drinks were flowing from our good friends that we like to call the Cabana Boys! With Pelau on the menu we were in for a treat. After some table tennis and some more drinks we got lazy and ate the neighbors callaloo, fried snapper and coocoo. It was sooo delicious!
We followed the meal with a late night swim in a salt water pool. The night was set so well with the sweet sounds of cool rock reggae and Trini accents around the pool. We then got our second wind and got the Pelau started,...thanks to the top Cabana boy! It was BESSSSS! lol After our second dinner of the night we went home showered and dressed and headed out for the Shade at 2am. Got to love TnT timing. We partied till 5 am yet again, hit our beds and woke up about 30 minutes before check out time. Mel did the mad dash to shower and dress and head to the airport while Tiff and I went back to the beach house and took a nap/got ready and now here we are typing away before we head back to Trinidad...then Barbados...then Toronto. Work should be very interesting on Tuesday morning.
Can't wait to get to Trinidad and have another home cooked meal by some of the best people in Trinidad :)
Carnival Love.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The drama that lies between the twin islands....
Ok here I am again. It has been hard to get time to post because these Doldron sisters are having way too much fun! We landed in Tobago on Ash Wednesday and headed to our wonderful hotel (Store Bay Holiday Resorts) had to give them a little plug. After we relaxed and made contact with the rest of the traveling crew we all linked up and hit the local bar, Cruz. Ran into some old friends...some good and some bad. All of which made for an interesting evening to say the least. Part of what I love about Tobago so much is that when my sisters and I arrive we really feel as though we have come home. It's nice to have familiar faces around with people that you just keep creating new memories with. To quote one man he said "oh the sisters are back, well this will be a good weekend".
After we went to Cruz and got caught up with old friends we all hit the Shade...Tobago's signature and only hotspot lol. The place was pretty empty but lets be real it was a Wednesday and yet even for that there was time for a little drama. Care to know? Ask and you shall receive :)
The next day we went out for breakfast with some good friends from Trinidad, hit Pigeon point and then went to Grafton Beach, which odly enough was provided by the Government of Canada. Then we hit the grocery store to get our supplies! We did the usual mad dash at home were 3 sisters share one shower, one phone, and luckily this time 3 mirrors. One of us got ready to head out on a date...(can you guess which one?), the other two got ready to head to a friends and cook up some tasty caribbean pasta and chicken! Dinner was served at 11:30pm lol that is island life right there. We hit up Cruz to meet the rest of the crew and then parted ways. Some went to the Shade, others stayed at the bar, and some went home to bed. Can you guess which sister went home to bed???
Now we are on to the next day. hit up the internet for a bit, heading to Store Bay for some Bake and Shark then Pigeon Point for a nice lime...might hit up the Waterfall if I am feeling energetic.
Stay tuned for the Tiff, Mel and Whit take Tobago!
CarnivalLOVE!
After we went to Cruz and got caught up with old friends we all hit the Shade...Tobago's signature and only hotspot lol. The place was pretty empty but lets be real it was a Wednesday and yet even for that there was time for a little drama. Care to know? Ask and you shall receive :)
The next day we went out for breakfast with some good friends from Trinidad, hit Pigeon point and then went to Grafton Beach, which odly enough was provided by the Government of Canada. Then we hit the grocery store to get our supplies! We did the usual mad dash at home were 3 sisters share one shower, one phone, and luckily this time 3 mirrors. One of us got ready to head out on a date...(can you guess which one?), the other two got ready to head to a friends and cook up some tasty caribbean pasta and chicken! Dinner was served at 11:30pm lol that is island life right there. We hit up Cruz to meet the rest of the crew and then parted ways. Some went to the Shade, others stayed at the bar, and some went home to bed. Can you guess which sister went home to bed???
Now we are on to the next day. hit up the internet for a bit, heading to Store Bay for some Bake and Shark then Pigeon Point for a nice lime...might hit up the Waterfall if I am feeling energetic.
Stay tuned for the Tiff, Mel and Whit take Tobago!
CarnivalLOVE!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Already Ash Wednesday :(
Well we officially will not see Carnival again for another whole year and that is a very sad thought. Jouvert was beyond amazing and Mas Players International as well as the Doldron sisters are happy to support the band Insomniacs as our top J'ouvert band! Their customer service is wonderful and they ensure that even people signing up at the last minute feel as though they were along for the whole journey. An all inclusive bar with celebrities jumping up in the band like Alison Hinds and Kes (can you guess which Doldron sister had Kes mesmerized???). Feeling like we had a little piece of home by having the one and only Dr. Jay playing the sweet sounds of soca into the early hours or the morning made this night all that more better. Big shout out to James and Mikey who not only ran everything for the band from start to finish but also who made an effort to jump up in the band and get to know their masqueraders.
Carnival Monday we hit POS and as usually didn't find our band but also didn't really care. Mel and I ended up walking to the most unnecessary places for an extremely long amount of time....thanks to some boys from the West that were afraid of Town lol. While I felt sick for most of the day it was great to see Tribe go by and bring up our mood. The downfall is that I ended up getting food poisoning. Can you imagine that? On Carnival Monday!
Once we came home I was glued to the couch feeling beyond weak....ended up vomiting 3 times throughout the night and I still made it to Carnival Tuesday! I think that is an obsession. We reached on Tuesday morning extremely early and had to wait way too long for our band to get going. (I will give them the disclaimer that I now here they were waiting on their ice which was contracted for a certain time and didn't arrive therefore we could not leave until the drink trucks were available.) This year was a totally different vibe from last year. We really only stayed with our band past Judging on the first round and then we explored the other bands. This was great because we got to run into friends in other bands as well as check out the other costumes. It's so great to just walk the streets of Trinidad and hear the best music known to mankind on every street corner.
It's now Ash Wednesday and while it would have been nice to go to Maracas we are too so burnt, too tired, and too ready for Tobago! Heading out the door now to catch my flight...see you in paradise ;)
Mas Players International and the Doldron Sisters
Love Life. Love Carnival. Love Family!
Carnival Monday we hit POS and as usually didn't find our band but also didn't really care. Mel and I ended up walking to the most unnecessary places for an extremely long amount of time....thanks to some boys from the West that were afraid of Town lol. While I felt sick for most of the day it was great to see Tribe go by and bring up our mood. The downfall is that I ended up getting food poisoning. Can you imagine that? On Carnival Monday!
Once we came home I was glued to the couch feeling beyond weak....ended up vomiting 3 times throughout the night and I still made it to Carnival Tuesday! I think that is an obsession. We reached on Tuesday morning extremely early and had to wait way too long for our band to get going. (I will give them the disclaimer that I now here they were waiting on their ice which was contracted for a certain time and didn't arrive therefore we could not leave until the drink trucks were available.) This year was a totally different vibe from last year. We really only stayed with our band past Judging on the first round and then we explored the other bands. This was great because we got to run into friends in other bands as well as check out the other costumes. It's so great to just walk the streets of Trinidad and hear the best music known to mankind on every street corner.
It's now Ash Wednesday and while it would have been nice to go to Maracas we are too so burnt, too tired, and too ready for Tobago! Heading out the door now to catch my flight...see you in paradise ;)
Mas Players International and the Doldron Sisters
Love Life. Love Carnival. Love Family!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bottom in de road!
Oh Gosh we fettin again!
Ok so here is how Saturday went for the Doldron sisters. We woke up crazy late...maybe1pm or after due to some intoxication from Soca Monarchs. Dealt with a million and one phone calls from family and friends about what went on last night and who is reachin what fete and all. Finally made a plan and went Trincity Mall to source out tickets for Trini Posse....all were sold out, went into town for tickets at All Out and they were sold out but we lucked out by getting tickets at 96.1 radio. Rushed back to Chaguanas in time for one sister, Tiffany, to shower before our ride came to the airport to go and pick up another sister, Melissa. We jumped in the car, dropped a random man somewhere in town and went for the airport. Running beyond late for the time we were getting another ride to the fete but this is how we do so it had to happen. I call Mel tell her to order 3 orders of 3 piece chicken combos, spicy from KFC cause we on are way.
Run through to look for her, take out some money, find her by the bar ....chatting us some man named Horace (yes Trini has an outdoor bar at the airport). Grab her get in the car and speed bad to Chaguanas for us to get ready. Picture this, 3 sisters...one mirror, one cell phone and about 30 minutes to style, call and pre-drink. Well we managed and we all looked cute as ever!
We jump in the car head, for Trini Posse, with a minor stop for ice and enjoy the night away! Let me tell you KES killed that performance. Mas Players International is backing KES to the fullest! Stay tuned for our video upload or his crew on stage and how the crowd was gettin on bad bad bad!!!!!
You can't tell me you don't love up Trinidad and Tobago after a night like that! I wont lie it made me miss the good times with Jasmin, Natalia and Tara here but there will be more to come with all of them and the rest of the crew.
It's 7am...I just reached home and I am heading out at 9am to pick up my costume for Carnival and for Jouvert. Going to be a rough day but believe me it is all worth it in the end.
I love MAS. I love Carnival. I love TnT. and most of all I love Mas Players International!
~We sell memories, the costumes is our gift to you~
Ok so here is how Saturday went for the Doldron sisters. We woke up crazy late...maybe1pm or after due to some intoxication from Soca Monarchs. Dealt with a million and one phone calls from family and friends about what went on last night and who is reachin what fete and all. Finally made a plan and went Trincity Mall to source out tickets for Trini Posse....all were sold out, went into town for tickets at All Out and they were sold out but we lucked out by getting tickets at 96.1 radio. Rushed back to Chaguanas in time for one sister, Tiffany, to shower before our ride came to the airport to go and pick up another sister, Melissa. We jumped in the car, dropped a random man somewhere in town and went for the airport. Running beyond late for the time we were getting another ride to the fete but this is how we do so it had to happen. I call Mel tell her to order 3 orders of 3 piece chicken combos, spicy from KFC cause we on are way.
Run through to look for her, take out some money, find her by the bar ....chatting us some man named Horace (yes Trini has an outdoor bar at the airport). Grab her get in the car and speed bad to Chaguanas for us to get ready. Picture this, 3 sisters...one mirror, one cell phone and about 30 minutes to style, call and pre-drink. Well we managed and we all looked cute as ever!
You can't tell me you don't love up Trinidad and Tobago after a night like that! I wont lie it made me miss the good times with Jasmin, Natalia and Tara here but there will be more to come with all of them and the rest of the crew.
It's 7am...I just reached home and I am heading out at 9am to pick up my costume for Carnival and for Jouvert. Going to be a rough day but believe me it is all worth it in the end.
I love MAS. I love Carnival. I love TnT. and most of all I love Mas Players International!
~We sell memories, the costumes is our gift to you~
Saturday, March 5, 2011
From Soca Monarch to Trini Posse
Last night we hit the Soca Monarch finals and let me tell you there was some serious bachanal going on there. It had a bit of a slow start but ended up being a night worth while. Between what Machel had to say about Destra, Bunji and Fay Ann, and with Destra just walking off the stage on multiple occasions it was all some Trini Drama taken in with serious entertainment. In the End Machel placed first then, Iwer. Kes took the groovy spot for $500,000.
We are now heading to the airport to pick up the 3rd Doldron sister and head out to Trini Posse tonight. Tomorrow morning we head by the mas camp to pick up our costumes then to the other camp to get jouvert costumes.
WE READY!!!!
Stay Tuned
We are now heading to the airport to pick up the 3rd Doldron sister and head out to Trini Posse tonight. Tomorrow morning we head by the mas camp to pick up our costumes then to the other camp to get jouvert costumes.
WE READY!!!!
Stay Tuned
Friday, March 4, 2011
We Reach!
Alright I know all of you are waiting on the posts so here we go. After a nice pre lime in Barbados my sister and I reached Trinidad and went straight by my granny. Like I said our band is family first so that's how we get on. We caught up and made some connections between friends and their grandchildren. My sister and I finally got our day started, went by the house we are staying at. Unpacked and we rushed to get ready for Beach House. Now when we talk about a fete we really talk about Beach House. This was a great way to start off Carnival Season. Non stop food and drinks with some great dj's. The people that we limed with made the night all the more better. And what kind of a night is it if you don't finish with some fresh doubles on the side of the road in Chaguanas.
Tonight we head to Soca Monarchs for some real Trini vibes. Right now as Mas stands it's between Dream Team or YUMA. What do you all think we should do??? Voice you opinions.
Till next time.
CarnivalLove
Tonight we head to Soca Monarchs for some real Trini vibes. Right now as Mas stands it's between Dream Team or YUMA. What do you all think we should do??? Voice you opinions.
Till next time.
CarnivalLove
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