'NO SHOWS' - Fingers pointed at promoter for cancellation of Desperadoes & Starlift New York Concerts

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Date: 08.17.06

'NO SHOWS'
Fingers pointed at promoter for cancellation of Desperadoes & Starlift New York Concerts

New York- More details continue to emerge concerning the circumstances surrounding the impromptu cancellation of the much-anticipated concerts featuring Desperadoes and Starlift Steel Orchestras. The two musical legends were scheduled first to perform August 19 & 20, 2006 at KC's Hideaway in Brooklyn, New York. Then the shows' promoter Kenneth Charles aka KC (pictured), revised the dates to August 18 & 19, citing another event on August 20. Curiously enough, this weekend would have actually been the third date-change for Desperadoes, as KC originally publicized the orchestra for July 2006 performances.

To get a better sense of where key players concerned stood on this issue, When Steel Talks (WST) reached out to the New York Daily News, part-sponsors of the entire series of steel orchestra concerts entitled Band Meets Band; Pan Trinbago, and the management of both Starlift and Desperadoes Steel Orchestras. KC himself has already told WST of his decision.

Daily News Vice President/Promotion & Community Affairs, John G. Campi (pictured right) told WST that Daily News had no part in bringing up the steel orchestras - either Trinidad All Stars, who have already been here, or Desperadoes and Starlift - who were supposed to have been in New York this weekend for their two performances. He also made it clear that the major New York daily newspaper played no role in the cancellation of the Desperadoes/Starlift steel orchestra concerts. Campi explained that responsibility for such matters lay with KC, the promoter of the shows. Campi further said that the arrangement was one where the New York Daily News agreed to promote the events [within their print media], and in turn, they got to use the bands for one performance.

According to the vice president/promotion & community affairs, KC originally approached them, and said he wanted to bring the bands [to New York], and that if the Daily News promoted the bands in New York, "he would make them available for a performance." Campi cited the Trinidad All Stars performance in the Bronx on June 19, 2006 as a specific result of that cooperative arrangement. In fact, Campi says he was about to make contact to set up what could have been an August 21, 2006 steel orchestra performance, probably with Desperadoes, Starlift and CASYM, in the same vein as Trinidad All Stars and CASYM steel orchestras' Bronx appearance, but he learned on August 14 that "evidently Desperadoes and Starlift were not coming up." In closing John Campi reiterated that the Daily News had never been official sponsors of the event, but had merely provided KC with promotion of the Band Meets Band New York Series Tour.

President of Pan Trinbago, Patrick Arnold (left) also told WST a similar story, that he too had only heard a couple days prior that the concerts were off, and that Desperadoes and Starlift would not be coming to New York. WST also spoke to Arnold about information received that the bands' instruments had being in Miami for some time, and if unclaimed, with the storage not paid up, they would be put up for sale. However Arnold countered that it was his understanding the instruments for both orchestras were on their way back to Trinidad, and were expected to arrive 'sometime next week.'

Pan Trinbago's Secretary Richard Forteau had accompanied Trinidad All Stars to New York for their performances promoted by KC back in June, with the show promoter himself articulating then and after, that he "could not have done it [the shows] without Pan Trinbago." With this in mind, WST sought to find out from Patrick Arnold, exactly what his organization's understanding was for the cancellation of this particular segment of the series of shows. Arnold said he found out that KC "had called Starlift and said that the 'thing' [shows] was off." He went on to say that Pan Trinbago "'found it very regrettable, because you're dealing with a lot of pan men whose hopes [to be in New York for the steel orchestra performances] have been dashed; and there are those who had taken time off from their jobs" to fulfill the engagement. "It is really regrettable KC called last minute to say that. I don't know how...that should have been done a few weeks before." Asked what reason had been given to Starlift, Arnold said he could not understand what reason KC could really have, but he himself "understood that KC had a show that night."

At this juncture, Keith Diaz (pictured right), former manager and former captain of Starlift Steel Orchestra, and also chairman of Pan Trinbago's Northern Region, came to the phone with more detailed information. He told WST that the event promoter, KC, had called him late on the night of Saturday 12 August, a bit annoyed, and said that he was going to call off the shows, because of a similar 'show' that KC claimed Desperadoes was performing at, also in New York, 'later that same night,' with Radoes Steel Orchestra.

For the record, WST also contacted Junior 'Mann' Samuel (pictured below), president of Radoes, who clearly stated that they had made no arrangements whatsoever to have Desperadoes perform. What Radoes had planned was an "After Party" with no pan performance from Desperadoes Steel Orchestra as part of the content. To prove his point, Samuel said this 'After Party" was scheduled for August 20, because the event had been planned when KC still had the shows carded for August 19 & 20. The idea behind the "After Party" was simple: most of the musicians from Radoes Steel Orchestra in Brooklyn, New York, and Desperadoes Steel Orchestra are originally from the same village in Trinidad: Laventille. (The other band in New York with that distinction is Despers USA. For the pan history buffs - a faction of musicians from Despers USA seceded from the band in 2002, formed their own orchestra under Samuel's leadership and called themselves D'Radoes aka Radoes).

Not only do many of the musicians of Radoes and Desperadoes share a common home base, but many are related: brothers, sisters, fathers, sons, cousins, uncles, aunts and more - all could be found interspersed between both orchestras (the same is true of Despers USA). Members of Radoes Steel Orchestra even return home annually to Trinidad and Tobago for the Panorama season to perform with Desperadoes. As Radoes' president puts it "we are all one family; it was a simple reunion." Some of the Desperadoes musicians who would have performed this weekend have never traveled to New York or met some of their relatives here - and for Radoes this was the perfect opportunity to welcome them all.

Going back to Starlift's Keith Diaz: the band's former manager said he himself was quite clear on the nature of what Radoes Steel Orchestra had intended, adding that KC also spoke about 'the amount of money he [KC] had put out for the shows, etc.' Diaz said he told KC that what the promoter believed about Desperadoes had nothing to do with Starlift's coming to New York to perform, and that the band was simply looking to honor it's professional commitments. After essentially reiterating his own position, Diaz says KC abruptly hung up. Later attempts to speak with KC met with no response, according to Diaz - who went on to say that additional outreach concerning the matter, to KC's liaison in Trinidad and Tobago, met with a similar explanation.

Many of Starlift's musicians took time off from their places of employment, and were now "in a terrible position" Diaz told WST. "People's time was valuable, especially those employed," and Diaz viewed KC's stance as 'unethical', and found that the promoter lacked professionalism. Diaz' parting words were that KC was "a little bit less than honest in his remarks as to why he cancelled the shows - he's a little less than honest!" Diaz was anxious to have Starlift's professional position and commitment to the New York project made clear.

WST spoke next with Desperadoes Steel Orchestra's assistant manager, Anthony McQuilkin (pictured right). Along with their legions of admirers (including music professionals from around the USA who had made plans to be in New York just to catch the legendary band from Laventille in action), McQuilkin said that the band was "equally and very disappointed in not being able to perform for fans in the USA." The performances would have been especially poignant, having been billed as a 'Tribute to [Clive] Bradley' - Desperadoes' late master arranger. McQuilkin first learnt of the cancellation last Saturday night as well, not from KC, but from Starlift's Keith Diaz who called him immediately after the latter's own phone interaction with the promoter.

When KC was requested to put his cancellation and reasoning for same officially in writing, McQuilkin says that Desperadoes was sent documentation claiming that bands, including Desperadoes from Trinidad, and Radoes from New York were "having reunions on the 18, 19 & 20 of August." The assistant manager said that they had "since learnt that KC was having a 'Wet Fete' on the 20 [of August]." He further pointed out that the original flier that KC had brought down to Trinidad promoting the Band Meet Band series, bore performance dates of August 19 & 20, not the 18 & 19. He questioned how KC could have a 'Wet Fete' on the same date [20], while his promotional fliers featured Desperadoes and Starlift performances for the same day. He also says that KC never even informed Desperadoes about the date change.

McQuilkin told WST that about one month ago, he "had heard from reliable sources that when Desperadoes instruments left Trinidad, and they were in the air [aboard the plane], KC called the person who was seeing to the transportation of the instruments and told them 'not to ship the instruments;' but the pans had already left [on their way to the USA]." This has caused the Desperadoes assistant band manager to speculate that "KC had already changed his mind [about the shows] a long time ago." Neither had the band received solid confirmation on flight arrangements for their supposed trip to New York; they were not clear if they had been scheduled to leave on the 17 or 18 of August.

McQuilkin confirmed that Desperadoes had not planned to perform at any other event in New York not organized by KC himself. "Be honest with us; If he [KC] can't make it [the shows], tell us he can't make it because he is having problems or whatever - don't be lying to us," declared McQuilkin.

Desperadoes Steel Orchestra will be putting up a release on their web site concerning this issue, according to McQuilkin, who once again expressed his regret that the band would not be in New York to perform for their fans as publicized.