IzWe concert for Valentine's day

Kes The Band will hold its 2023 Carnival concert and cultural extravaganza titled IzWe on Valentine's Day, February 14.

The band, led by Kees Dieffenthaller, made the announcement following its successful Liki Tiki Tour in Miami. Its next appearances will be at the Tobago Music Arts and Culture (TOMAC) Festival, and the World Creole Festival in Dominica.

Grammy-award winning Jamaican superstar Shaggy made a special guest appearance and brought out soca star Dieffenthaller to premiere their new collaboration during the first-ever Tipsy Music Festival on October 7 at the Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida, said a release from Overtime Media.

Headlined by Afrobeats megastar, Burna Boy, the Tipsy Music Festival attracted thousands to downtown Miami and included performances by Trinidad and Tobago's Machael Montano, Skinny Fabulous from St Vincent, and Hypasounds from Barbados. Montano’s high-energy, nostalgic set included many of his soca classics as well as appearances from Voice, Farmer Nappy and Vincentian singer/songwriter, Problem Child, the release said.

In the midst of the action, Kes The Band's hit collaboration with Haitian producer, Michael Brun and singer/songwriter, Jonathan "JPerry" Perry, Liki Tiki, received Grammy consideration from the Recording Academy in the category of Best Global Music Performance.

Still on a high from its Grammy consideration the band issued the following statement:

"We are very grateful to share this moment with everyone. This is a positive step in the direction that we all want to see for the genre. We will continue to push the boundaries furthering our mission to spread soca to every corner of the world. Big love and respect to JPerry, Micheal Brun, Neel Dwala, Maya Cozier and her team; Ineffable Records, our management Evan Vogel and Damon DeGraff, as well as our whole musical family for all making this important milestone a reality. Of course, we cannot forget all the supporters, fans, lovers of the band and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica, Haiti, Belize and the entire Caribbean region for always giving us that support and that energy to move forward. "

Kes will perform on October 24 at TOMAC’s Lord Nelson Tribute Concert. TOMAC is a five-day experience in music, performance, parades, food, exhibits, seminars and shops, which begins with a ceremonial opening on October 23 and runs till October 27. Staged on the picturesque Plymouth Park grounds, the festival will pay homage to living, calypso legend Lord Nelson. On October 27, Burna Boy will close out the festival with an Afrobeats musical celebration.

The World Creole Music Festival in Dominica is where Kes heads next to perform. The festival features the creole culture of creole-speaking countries in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. It seeks to augment the creole month festivities and Independence celebrations held in October and boost visitor arrivals to the island. It features various musical genres, including reggae, zouk, kompa, cadence, bouyon, salsa, dancehall, meringue and soukous zydeco, the release said.

The three nights of rhythms runs from October 28-30 and include a diverse cast of entertainers, including, from Dominica, Colton T, The Original WCK, First Serenade, Reo, Carlyn XP, Signal Band, Asa Bantan, Triple Kay International, Midnight Groovers and Extacy. From the French-speaking Caribbean: Chire Lakay, Enposib, Admiral T and Kadilac, and Bedjine. Bringing reggae and dancehall music from Jamaica are Christopher Martin, Shenseea, Sizzla and Dexta Daps, whilst Patrice Roberts (with the ATeam band) and Kes the Band will be bringing soca from TT.

For more info: kestheband.com