Songshine to feature Onilu and Bagoo

The sounds of nature and a juicy storytime await at the next edition of Songshine. Organic percussionist and innovator of musical instruments Baba Ayinde Onilu will make his amazing sound-making creations sing at Songshine on September 8 at Kafe Blue on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain.

Onilu has been a part of the cultural landscape for over 20 years and plays a variety of traditional and contemporary percussion, stringed and wind instruments for his band Dayo Bejide. He sees his work as a continuation of the legacy of his father, the late master drummer, Jah Jah Oga Onilu, a media release said.

“I'm embarking on an organic music awareness campaign and on the night I will be demonstrating a few of our instruments, along with our musical presentation,” Onilu said in the release.

He will be joined by Mark Brewster on keys and flute, and Patrice Inglesbirth on vocals.

Also in the show is award-winning writer, poet and essayist Andre Bagoo. Bagoo’s books include the acclaimed essay collection, The Undiscovered Country (Peepal Tree Press, 2020), winner of the 2021 OCM Bocas Prize for non-fiction, as well as several full-length poetry collections, Pitch Lake (Peepal Tree Press, 2017), and Narcissus (Broken Sleep Books, forthcoming).

Bagoo will read from his fiction debut, The Dreaming (Peepal Tree Press). In the new book, a collection of short stories, gay characters experience the highs and lows of life in Trinidad: “Written with a highly enjoyable sharpness of perception and an engaging personal voice these stories find room for humour, Bagoo's stories offer a witty and acutely drawn portrait of contemporary Trinidad in all its intersections of race, class, and gender politics.” (Google Books)

It will also be his first time appearing on the Songshine stage.

“I’m looking forward to finally being able to share it with in-person audiences,” Bagoo said in the release.

Songshine is an open-mic concert, so audience members are invited to perform their written or musical works onstage.

“We made this stage so everyone can have a place to shine,” says Gillian Moor, musician and Songshine producer and host. “All are invited!”

Open mic registration takes place from 6 pm, when doors open.

Admission is $50.