Sergio & Marcus can leave you breathless

One more mention about the Spanish golfer who bears his name and the Trinidadian, up and coming singer of the two-man show “Breathless,” Sergio Garcia, will add it to his list of pet peeves. Sergio has never seen the international star but is often reminded of him, much to his amazement when he makes an acquaintance. When Sergio and his right-hand-man Marcus Braveboy came over to the office last Friday, they were in high spirits because their first single ever released for a listening public was gaining ground on the airwaves. It is called the “The Breathless Show” which has nothing to do with a probability that the duo may “run out of steam” during a stage performance or midway through a song. It is about “a feel-good vibe, about the partying, the liming and having fun.”

“The song is an introduction to ourselves,” Sergio explained. And the theme, patterned after their sobriquet, gets its meaning from the street-wise. It seems that one of the newest words on the street is “breathless” which signifies “pulling out all the stops” and “letting nothing get in the way of reaching your goal.” But what is unique about the duo, other than the fact that Marcus is Afro-Trini and Sergio can identify with a mixture of various ethnicities including Spanish — hence the association with the golfer save for the jet black curls streaming down his forehead and his Trini accent — is the music they carry. There is no where in the world you would hear the combination of a j’ouvert “took-a-tung-tok, took-a-tung-tok” sound according to Marcus, hip-hop, rock and dancehall. “We’re trying to show people that there is other local music besides soca out there,” said Marcus. The recording of “The Breathless Show” was completed at Ken Gordon studios in mid-September just in time to make some headway for the Carnival 2004 season. Marcus and Sergio penned the words to their debut track, after much practice from previous songs they have composed, recorded and filed away. The 18-year-olds are former neighbours from Apple Blossom Drive, Petit Valley. They found creative means to occupy spare time after school by “joking around on the computer, making up parodies of hip-hop and dub songs and talking about roti, doubles and bread and stuff,” Marcus told People. “We started off writing songs on hip-hop beats and after a while we started making serious songs. I always wanted to be a producer so that was like practising and making music at the same time, and involving my partners in it.” Their first recordings, which are played for friends, were compiled on the album Roti Gold.

The teens are also members of the party promotions outfit “Cutterz.” Marcus, past student of St Mary’s College, remembered when Sergio, past student of St Anthony’s College, move into the neighbourhood. “We had to show him how to be cool,” he said. On the other hand, Sergio’s first impression of Marcus was that of “a goody-two-shoes.” But it is ironic that the two, who resided in Santa Rosa Heights, Arima in their childhood, would end up in the same neighbourhood years later and become fast friends. While Marcus was conjuring up visions of making it musically, Sergio’s thoughts were elsewhere until some inspiration from his cousin and singer Aelika. “She drove music into me and it grew on me after a while,” said Sergio. They are, indeed happy “and fortunate enough to get decent airplay,” Sergio confided. “Ken gave us the confidence. When we first went to him he said the creativity and the confidence was there, but keep on practising... and we did.”