Local artistes take 'new calypso' to SXSW in Texas

New calypso artiste Christian “Kalpee” is taking his peers to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival to perform on its first Caribbean stage. Nailah Blackman, Jimmy October and three members of Freetown Collective – Muhammad Muwakil, Lou Lyons and DJ Jayron Remy (Rawkus) – are among the musicians from TT who will perform on the Island Wave stage on March 18.

Jamaican artistes the Emmy-nominated Tessellated and Jaz Elise will also perform.

The annual ten-day festival runs from March 11-20 and will feature conferences and stakeholders from the entertainment and tech industries. The hybrid event will be held at the Flamingo Cantina nightclub in Austin.

Kalpee, who co-founded the Island Wave stage with his manager, who goes by the name Miss Vivianna, said, “We want to treat the stage as a way to bridge the gap between Caribbean music and the international industry,” in a phone interview with Newsday last Friday.

Reggae DJ Ras Kwame will host the Island Wave stage during SXSW. Highlights from the performances will be posted on Island Wave’s YouTube page.

The Island Wave Stage is a digital platform created to showcase Caribbean music on international stages. Its mission is to “secure performance opportunities and funding to power the stage to help bridge the gap between the international music markets and the Caribbean diaspora.”

Creating SXSW history as the first of its kind and the official home to Caribbean music, it first featured as Island Stage in the festival last year. In the virtual event, Island Stage performances were captured in Kingston, Jamaica, and ranked as one of the top-watched shows of the festival.

This will be Kalpee’s third performance at the festival. Freetown Collective, Blackman and October will perform there for the first time.

What is "new calypso?"

In an interview with Newsday, some artistes shared their definitions of the phrase.

Kalpee said: “New calypso is a way for TT artistes to brand themselves internationally, and it can be a fusion between Trinbagonian roots and other genres like pop and rock music. We may have different genres, but to the outside world, it can be confusing. 'New calypso' was a way to identify with TT’s culture and show listeners that there’s something new and different. “

Lyons of Freetown Collective said: “Calypso is any musical expression that is indigenous to TT, regardless of its sound. New calypso is us reflecting our contemporary musical influences while still being ourselves as Trinbagonians.”

Blackman described new calypso as "storytelling and the basis of calypso has always been storytelling. It's unlike the vibe that soca brings to the table. New calypso brings a new flair to whatever the story may be while maintaining the rhythmic structure of calypso.”

The artistes, left for Texas on March 16, and are looking forward to performing their favourite songs, networking opportunities and bonding with their peers. Kalpee said the artistes will be hard to ignore and he expects a lot of opportunities to arise after the performances.

Blackman wants to connect with industry stakeholders and create a blissful euphoria moment on stage. She said, “I have myself in a lot of behind-the-scene music pockets and sometimes you just need to meet that one link that connects the dots.” “The more we bring good music to festivals like this, the more people will look towards TT for music of quality.”

Muwakil and Lyons know an appetite for their band exists abroad and plan to take advantage of touring opportunities. The band is also excited to form a bond with their peers. They believe in collaboration and said it's important for artists to think collectively about how they can help each other advance their dreams.

“This is an opportunity for me to get to know them as individuals to get a more three-dimensional appreciation for who they are,” said Lyons.

The travel expenses are being shared between the artistes and Island Wave sponsors.