Source – Sunday Express
Date Published – Sunday 27th february 2013
Writer – Nigel Telesford
In the midst of all the feteing, the alcohol, the revelry, the power and the groovy songs, the various competitions and the joy and sorrow that they invoke, there are a few specially-chosen musical soldiers who bring forth important messages each and every Carnival. If you’re careless enough to not understand the value that 3Canal brings to the festival, then you need only examine the positive energy surrounding the ‘return’ of Austin “SuperBlue” Lyons to the arena. Unknown to most, 3Canal members, Wendell Manwarren, Stanton Kewley and Roger Roberts supplied background vocals and creative energies to the recording of Lyons’ monster hit, “Fantastic Friday” and agreed in advance to support the eight-time Soca Monarch at certain live performances.
“We’re overjoyed that people are happy that he is back,” said Manwarren, “but we can’t claim any responsibility for that and as far as we’re concerned, he never went anywhere… We’ve been recording with SuperBlue off and on over the years and we did a bunch of songs when he was at Rituals, so our relationship with him is longstanding. Some of those songs have never seen the light of day for whatever reasons, but still… Every time he felt a certain vibe he would call us to do backgrounds or whatever and we would answer the call.”
“This time he called us up on Christmas Eve and wanted us to come to the studio at the same time,” explained Roger Roberts. “We couldn’t all make it on that day, but it worked out because we ended up recording the song on Friday December 28, which was the last Friday of the year and of course, the song is “Fantastic Friday”. So, we’ve been hearing talk from people who saw us perform at the semis, but for us coming on stage with him to perform it is a natural extension of the recording process.
“What made it even more special for us,” added Kewley, “is that it was our first time returning to the home of our dear deceased friend, Mairoon Ali—which is where the producer, Juelio Nelson and Olatunji are set up and operating from. It felt blessed and magical to make a song in Mairoon’s house and from the time the bell rang, we just felt the power of it and we laid down the vocals and the suggestion to put the ‘Super’ at the top and put the bouncing over it, it just made perfect sense and it wasn’t just a matter of come and sing this, it was a real collaboration. From the time we recorded the song, they asked us if we would support him in certain settings and we agreed, so it was our first time back out at Fire Fete and Soca Monarch and being around those energies in several years.”
Unlike many acts which thrive on the energy of the various Carnival competitions, or those who depend on the fete promoters for their incomes and showcase opportunities at this time, 3Canal has carved their own niche in the festival and take a greater responsibility in their existence, as part of the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. They produce and promote their own show annually, as well as a Jouvert band and a weekly series of mini concerts called “The BackYard Jam”, which is used to mentor young acts. Read full article here.
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