Road March is already people’s choice

THE Road March is determined by the people.

This was the opinion Newsday received when it reached out to Carnival bandleaders and players in the music industry.

In a statement on Instagram on Thursday, Kes the Band asked the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) how the Road March is tallied and determined. Kees Dieffenthaller’s Savannah Grass placed second to Machel Montano’s Famalay for this year’s Road March title. The statement suggested the title should go to the song most played on the road in general, not just on stage and at mas judging points.

An online petition was subsequently launched for a people’s choice to be added to the Carnival titles, in light of what happened with Savannah Grass, which was widely expected to win. The petition, which has a deadline of March 22, was shared by Shelley Persad on Kes the Band’s official Facebook page.

Ronnie and Caro bandleader Ronnie McIntosh said the Road March is already the people’s choice. McIntosh explained his band determines which songs to play on the road for Carnival Monday and Tuesday from the energy of the masqueraders, and while different people have different song preferences, bands have to go with what their masqueraders want.

Himself a former soca monarch, McIntosh said things worked out well for the band this year because they played both Savannah Grass and Famalay. Some individual masqueraders enjoyed jumping up to Savannah Grass, he said, and Famalay was played when different sections of the band were crossing various venues

Antourage Productions designer Varma Lakhan said the Road March “is the song that plays most on the road.” Research is done on the most popular songs over the Carnival period, Lakhan said, and this results in a selection of songs to be played on the road. He said Antourage also asks its masqueraders which songs they prefer to hear on the road.

“They are the ones moving to the song.”

He said Antourage played Savannah Grass, Famalay and a song from Patrice Roberts.

A music industry source said the notion of a “soca mafia” determining who wins the road march is absolute nonsense. The source said for the last 30 years, DJs have gone with the song they believe the crowd will respond to. The source also said no DJ would risk ruining his or her professional reputation by playing a song people do not want to hear.

The source said talk about a soca mafia is nothing but “idle speculation” and road march is essentially the people’s choice.

In a statement on Twitter, Kes the Band said the online petition happened independently. “We did not ask TUCO to look at that.”

The band respects all its peers, it said, declaring,”We love Famalay and its powerful message and the many amazing songs of this year.”

As Carnival evolves, the band said, “Sometimes there comes a time to take a look at things and start a conversation.”