Shurwayne ready for the road

WITH most of the winners in Carnival known, emphasis will now be placed on two more important titles — Band of the Year and Road March. Shurwayne Winchester is seeking back-to-back wins with his ‘‘Dead or Alive.’’ Last year, he captured the Road march tittle with “Look the Band Coming.”  Winchester has had a great season so far and coming down the home stretch, he has a slim lead over his rivals. A Road March title gets a hint from the Junior Parade of Bands on Carnival Saturday and it was no different this year. If anyone is to judge by last Saturday, Winchester is nearing the finish line. Trini Revellers , the 2004 Large Band of the Year, is coming even stronger this year with “Conquest of the Indies.” This band, by virtue of its success last year, has increased. But there are other bands waiting in the wings for honours.

They include Masquerade with the “Lion Kingdom,” Brian Mc Farlane’s “The washing by fire, by water,” Genesis with “The Beginning,” Harts’ “Colosion,” newcomer Island Events’ “Moulin Rouge,” Mike Antoine with “The Legacy Continues,” Poison - “Cherchez La Femme,” Skandal-Us with “Wicked,” and Tribe with “Tribal Fantasy.” Bands will also compete in the Medium and Small categories. There will also be a toss-up for Individual of the Year (Male and Female). This normally goes to the persons who walk away with the King and Queen of Carnival titles at Dimanche Gras. The two-day Carnival will be officially launched at two o’clock this morning by Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown at the Downtown venue on South Quay. That kicks off Jouvert celebrations through the twin-island Republic.

Last night, the big winners were announced at the Dimanche Gras Show. It was left to be seen if anyone would dethrone Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust) as the Calypso Monarch. Chalkdust did not perform in the tent this season, as he was teaching in the US Virgin Islands. But there were contenders lining up to take his title. King of Carnival Curtis Eustace headed the semi-finals going into last night’s finals. But there will be a new Queen of Carnival as the 2004 winner Alana Ward did not compete this year. Early yesterday morning, Phase II Pan Groove won the National Panorama title, beating the defending champion Exodus by a whopping 20 points and going home with the $400,000 prize.

Playing “Trini gone wild,” the Woodbrook-based steelband won the title for yet another year under the guidance of Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and Ray Holman. Bunji Garlin won the International Soca Monarch title for the second straight year early on Saturday night. But he had to pull out all stops with “Blaze the Fire” as he just beat Shurwayne Winchester by one point. Michelle Sylvester singing “Sleeping in Your Bed” won the Groovy Monarch title at Fantastic Friday showdown at the Queen’s Park Oval.