The Caribbean Muzik Festival (CMF) is not just a concert. It's a festival of Caribbean art, food and music, and ultimately unification as it brings together the superstars of Caribbean music across the genres -- soca, calypso, dancehall, Junkanoo, rake and scrape and street dancing -- at one event.
"This will be an awesome event with the collaboration between our brothers and sisters, and I'm excited to be a part of it, to do my best to represent, and to socialize with my Caribbean brothers and sisters," said Bahamian rake and scrape artist Dillon "D-Mac" McKenzie.
D-Mac will be one of approximately 15 Bahamian acts that will be featured in the approximate 30-act festival that will offer all live bands during the October 28-31 event. He is among nine local acts that have been announced to date -- Funky D., K.B., Elon Moxey, Ancient Man, Geno D., Visage Band, Ting Em Dem Band and the Long Island Connection; along with six international acts -- Barbados calypso and soca star John King; Jamaican dancehall deejay Admiral Bailey; Barbados calypsonian Ras Iley who is known as "Mr. Energy"; and Third World, a Jamaican reggae band whose sound was influenced by soul, funk and disco; along with Perugia, an Afro-jazz pianist and band out of Cuba and Boukman Eksperyans out of Haiti.
The CMF will be a fusion of Caribbean musicians performing together.
""You will see Bahamian artists at their best, performing on the world stage," said Earl Thompson, marketing and promotions manager with CMF. "[But] this festival is not just about Bahamian artists, or Jamaican artists or Barbadian artists -- this is about Caribbean artists, so you're going to get the opportunity to watch Bahamians play with Jamaicans, and Bahamians with Barbadians ... almost like a collaboration of musicians, and it's going to be awesome".
"We will bring something very special -- a collaboration of a Bahamian and a Jamaican making rake and scrape -- and it's going to be something so exciting," said Thompson. "We know we have something good".
Think King collaborating with the Soweto Gospel Choir out of South Africa, to perform his song "How Many More"; and a dancehall king Admiral Bailey remixing a Tony "Obeah Man/Exuma" McKay song and delivering it in rake and scrape. Both songs carry a message that call for peace and that are relevant today.
"I want the people of The Bahamas to listen to ['How Many More'] and listen to the words," said Thompson. "One of the messages that we're trying to send to the young people of this country and to the Caribbean is put the guns down, put the knives down, and let's come together as a people and try to understand conflict resolution isn't through hitting each other -- it's through dialogue, it's through talking it out and trying to come to a peaceful resolution. Too many lives are being lost in our good country. Too many lives are being lost in the Caribbean and we feel at the Caribbean Muzik Festival it's the music of the Caribbean that's going to help us get peace in our countries," said Thompson.
"A few months before 'Exuma' passed, he was sitting in Miami, and he and director Mike Tomlinson were sitting around talking and said let's redo this [song], and he went into the studio, did the lyrics, played all of the instruments for it, and it's been sitting there for 20 years. Mike and the guys were talking the other day and said we still have this thing that 'Exuma' did in the 90s, pulled it out, started listening to it, and said this is something special. We got back into the studio, re-mastered it ... re-mixed it." It will be played onstage at CMF.
The song is said to be really "fantastic" and is as if "Exuma" who died in 1997 is calling out to young people from the grave so-to-speak to stop the violence. That through the song recorded two decades ago, it's as if he prophetically saw what The Bahamas would morph into -- what it is now, and is trying to roll the country back to the good old days. And through the song that has been locked away for 20 years is calling for people to do so.
"It's a strong message," said Thompson. "And you're going to hear that from every single artist that is coming to the Caribbean Muzik Festival -- put down the guns, put down the knives, stop the violence, let's share the love of what the Caribbean is all about. It was like he was prophesying this and saying we have to behave."
With a Jamaican performing rake and scrape, Thompson said it's a genre that needs to be carried down south throughout the Caribbean to Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados, and not just The Bahamas and taken north.
"You should have seen the excitement on this song. We know we have something good and that rake and scrape can go to the world and rock the world," he said.
On Wednesday, October 28 CMF organizers will host a welcome party, with a street party scheduled for Thursday, October 29. During that evening, the CMF will also commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Nassau Accord in which the country's first Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Pindling got 45 Commonwealth Nations to sign off to dismantle apartheid in South Africa, and to release Nelson Mandela from jail. Sir Lynden's accomplishments will be honored with a free concert in Rawson Square on Bay Street at which the Soweto Gospel Choir will perform.
On Friday, October 30 at Arawak Cay which is being recognized as dancehall night, will be the opportunity for young people to understand what rake and scrape is about with Admiral Bailey singing rake and scrape to Bahamians through his collaboration on the Tony McKay song.
The festival climaxes on the Saturday, October 31, at the Carnival site at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre when the superstars of the Caribbean all take center stage with all nationalities singing alongside each other.
Tickets for the concert at $30, and if purchased by October 26 can be paid for with filled Quality Stamps. Each filled card will save $1 off a ticket. Tickets go on sale this weekend at the box office at the Thomas A. Robinson National Track and Field Stadium.
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