Redbones is back, and looking good.  It’s pretty much a new updated version of the old Redbones.

The new Redbones features a bigger outdoor stage, dancefloor, art gallery and the cool bar vibes we’ve come to know and love.

Welcome back. We missed you.

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Treasure Beach Triathlon

Here’s a list of some of the more interesting and some just plain big events coming up later this year.

MARCH

Moving Mountains Music Festival, Strawberry Hill (March 19-21)

First of its kind Electronic Music Festival, a weekend long of electronic music.

More info here

Pgymalion, Kingston (March 19 – 28)

School of Drama presents George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion”, directed by Robert “Bobby” Clarke, featuring Leonie Forbes, Peter Haley and the cast from the School of Drama.

More info

Carnival in Jamaica, Kingston (Feb. 6 – April 11)

Carnival 2010 will feature 28 soca related events culminating with the Road March.

Check out Beach Jouvert 09 James Bond Beach

Jamaica Kiteboard World Cup, Long Bay, Port Antonio (March 25 – April 3)

Ten days of  kite surfing, an extreme sport with riders from around the world participating in a number of events such as speed races, stunts and free style.

APRIL

Inaugural Jamaica Cricket Festival (April 3 -18)

Events at Sabina Park in Kingston, Chedwin Park in Spanish Town, Port Rhoades Sports Club in St. Ann and the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium. Canada, Ireland and the West Indies will battle in Twenty20 and 50-over matches, as well as a three-day test.

Strawberry Hill “High Stakes” Backgammon Weekend-2010, Irish Town (April 16-18)

For more info

The Treasure Beach Off Road Triathlon, Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth (April 27)

Triathlon hosted at Jake’s features off-road racers and enthusiasts from Jamaica and around the world. The event features a 500 meter ocean swim, a 25K (13.7M) mountain bike and a 7K (4.3M) country run.

More about the Jakes Triathalon

Montego Bay Yacht Club’s Easter Regatta (April 2-5)

The first leg of the event is a race to Mosquito Cove, marking the start of a series of races in various classes, held over the Easter weekend.

MAY

6th annual StyleWeek Jamaica, Kingston (May 28-31)

Held in the streets of New Kingston, international designers such as Ed Hardy, Abaete and Julia Clancey have showcased their designs at this prestigious event. The three-day event features cocktail receptions, seminars, and runway shows.

10th Annual Calabash International Literary Festival, Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth (May 28-30)

This year Calabash features over 30 authors and musicians from across the world during the three-day event free of cost to the public.

More about Calabash 2009

JUNE

10th Anniversary of Caribbean Fashion Week, Kingston (June 9-14)

This year Fashion Week will feature renowned Caribbean and international designers, supermodels and celebrities.

Kingston On The Edge Urban Art Festival (KOTE), Kingston (June 18-26)

KOTE 2010 will continue to be a platform for contemporary artists to showcase their work and will feature art shows, plays, concerts, an art auction, open houses, digital/multimedia shows and other events.

For more about KOTE 2009 (lots more about KOTE in the archives too).

Epicurean Escape, Negril  (June 20-27).

Taking place at Breezes (Negril), the event is a celebration of great cuisine and fine wines, offering interactive culinary seminars, wine and champagne tasting, and pastry making classes.

JULY

The Portland Jerk Festival (July 4)

Showcases Jamaica’s Jerk with the menu including just about anything jerk: lobster, conch, sausage, pork and chicken along with the traditional dishes (rice and peas, festival, breadfruit and yam). Other highlights to include local artistes, dance groups, and art and craft on displays.

Little Ochi Seafood Carnival, Alligator Pond (July 11)

Everything seafood plus local reggae musicians and vintage artistes provide entertainment.

Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay (July 18-24)

Jamaica’s biggest “reggae festival” showcasing top local and international artistes.

AUGUST

The Absolute Temptation Isle, Negril (August 5-8)

11 parties across Negril

The Red Stripe Dream Weekend, Negril (August 5-8)

More parties in Negril.

The National Independence Float Parade and Grand Gala, Kingston (August 6)

Held in the streets of Kingston,  this event features colorful floats, costumed groups, music trucks, classic cars and marching bands.

I’m sure we’re missing a lot of great events so we’ll be updating this post constantly.

Please email us if you have anything to add at karin@kwjamaica.com. THANKS!

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Moving Mountains is a revolutionary 3 day electronic musical showcase being held this weekend at Strawberry Hill.

This is a first of its kind event for Jamaica and hopefully the first of many more treats for ELECTRONICA lovers…

See facebook page for more info

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The Culture Yard, Trench Town

This past Saturday, a friend and I visited the Trench Town Culture Yard in west Kingston to learn more about the area that Bob Marley called home.

Upon arrival we met our tour guide Stone Man, aka Willing & Able, who gave us a full tour not only of the Culture Yard but also of the Trench Town community (be sure to ask for the community tour too as this is an important part of the whole experience).

The Trench Town Culture Yard was opened on February 6, 2000, as a tribute to Bob Marley’s early home and to the community where he wrote many of his world famous songs including “Trench Town Rock”, “No Woman No Cry” (co-written with Vincent “Tata” Ford), “Concrete Jungle” and “Natty Dread”. Bob’s room and the remains of his Volkswagen van are there, as well as other photos, artifacts, and documents giving an account of the Culture Yard’s history. Trench Town produced not only The Wailers but many other seminal reggae bands including The Heptones and The Abyssinians.

According to Christopher Whyms-Stone, the architect who led the effort to restore the Culture Yard, there are further plans to develop the area, including the renovation of Marley’s mother’s nearby house, also in the Trench Town community.

The Culture Yard is a “must visit” for anyone wanting to get a better understanding of Jamaica’s global icon, Bob Marley, and his legacy.

Another post to come on the community…

A tribute to Bob

The courtyard

The museum with our tour guide Stone Man

Explaining the history of Trench Town

Stone Man explaining the mysteries of stones

The kids of the Culture Yard

The entertainment & sports venue across the street from the Culture Yard

Our guide, Stone Man

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Newton Marshall

Newton Marshall, the resident dogsled tour guide and trainer at Chukka Caribbean Adventures has become the first Jamaican to compete in Canada’s biggest dog sleigh race.

Congrats to Newton!

The annual 1000-mile “Iditarod” competition is a gruelling trek across the Canadian Yukon from Anchorage to Nome.

Photos of Newton at Iditarod

Read more at the Sun and at Chukka.travelscream.com

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Local young and aspiring film makers will have an opportunity to show their work at the Jamaica World Cinema Showcase from April 1 to 3.

Local films to be featured are Kimala Bennett’s “Hair”, Mykal Cushnie’s documentary “WAR Stories”, Omaall Wright’s “Real Ghetto Youth” and the Rickards Brothers’ “The Last Don”.

The event will also showcase nine feature-length films from around the world, including the United States, Italy, Singapore, Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom and France.

Read more at the Jamaica Gleaner

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OFC Chicken Stop, Junction Road, St. Mary

Friendship Gap, St. Mary is more commonly known as the OFC chicken stop on the Junction Road.  This “rest stop” is on the main Junction road from Kingston to the north coast and is complete with a few choice restaurants, bars and a decent bathroom for women (at OFC). The men’s bathroom apparently is “standing room only” if you know what I mean. What exactly is “oriental fried chicken”? Don’t know but it taste good.

This is pretty much the only “rest stop” on this road so best to know it well…

Our breakfast stop

The menu for the day

The bar decor (Jamaica is "Backside" country)

The chefs

Yam, dumpling, stew chicken...yes, not exactly "breakfast" food

Another food stop - cow skin soup anyone?

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Chef Thomas Buckley, Executive Chef of Nobu Restaurants, along with his team will fly to Jamaica to craft an authentic re-creation from the restaurant’s popular menu this March 29, 30 and 31 at Strawberry Hill.

A select few gourmet enthusiasts will be treated to Nobu’s Omakase (9 course chef tasting menu) to include Nobu’s signature dishes with a few surprises. Guests will be greeted with Nobu’s signature cocktail lychee martini and a surprise Nobu special made of Jamaica’s Appleton Rum.

Later in the evening, Chef Buckley will be available for a book signing of his popular cookbook co-written with the owner of Nobu restaurants, Celebrity Chef, Nobu Matsuhisa, “The Party Cookbook.” Books will be presigned by Nobu.

Reservations are available by calling Strawberry Hill at 944-8400.

The cost is U$160 per person. This includes a nine course meal with wine pairings. It also includes pre-dinner cocktails.

Photo courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/silenceofdagger/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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In the Land of Dreams

Fiona Godfrey has been commissioned to do a huge 75ft mural for the Montego Bay airport. YardEdge talks to Fiona about what it takes to accomplish this mammoth task and about being an artist in Jamaica…

Mural in progress

YE: Why are you an artist?

Fiona: I am an artist because it’s something that comes naturally to me. As a child I enjoyed drawing or doing anything creative, and as I realized how expansive the world of creativity was, I wanted to explore in it more than anything else. This world is still compelling to me, and the combination of the aesthetics of interesting marks and lines, the subtleties of palette, the tension of composition and the opportunities of communication and expression through images is always present in my thinking.

YE: When did you first realize that you were an artist or wanted to become one?

Fiona: I’m not sure that I had an ambition to ‘become’ an artist; it was the natural option as I left school as it was relatively effortless for me. Art College seemed to offer the promise of exciting projects, technical expertise, and a range of possibilities with no limitations. I often wondered what the greater meaning of it was, though, and that search for meaning was not answered within the structure of College.

Although I worked in Design and painted for many years, it was not until later in life and I had lived through maturing experiences on a personal level that I found my ‘voice’. It was only when I began to express my own inner journey through paint, a blending of my aesthetic sensibility with my personal story, that I felt I had ‘become’ an artist. My profession, my skill, became integrated into my ‘sense of being’ as a person.

YE: How would you describe your work?

Fiona: My work is always figurative, but it works better when there’s an abstract quality to the paint application. When the marks are looser and I exert less control, and the paint begins to lead the way, the piece in general becomes more pleasing; this is a constant challenge! I enjoy working with line and glazes these days, and am moving away from the more traditional mixing of colours and the painting with flat strokes that I’ve used for years. I work in oils and acrylics mostly. In my subject matter I try to capture a feeling of humanity, of sensitivity, of inner space. The human spirit is my muse.

YE: What other artists have influenced you and how?

Fiona: Matisse for his fluidity and use of colour; Frida Kahlo for her soul; Van Gogh for his passion; Botticelli for perfection; Fra Angelico for his quiet palette; El Greco for line, madness and insane composition. Of Jamaican artists I love Albert Huie for adept paint application, Carl Abrahams for his visions and sure lines and shapes, Eugene Hyde for his luscious paintwork, and Roberta Stoddart for her sensitivity. All the early Russian and Greek icon paintings are a source of awe, as are many of the Renaissance portraits and Madonnas. I always go to galleries and museums when I travel and will often be struck by a piece by a relatively unknown artist, and am equally open to flaking paint on an old door or sign, or light on a landscape, or the crashing of waves. There is beauty everywhere.

YE: What other interests do you have outside of creating art?

Fiona: I suppose my main interest is what it is to be human… and all expressions of that, so I love good music, good film and good literature, good food, dancing, interesting conversation ….and most of all I like being outdoors, by the sea or in the mountains, and walking. I have a regular yoga practice which has led me to explore life in a more metaphysical way, and to this end I read extensively the writings of spiritual teachers and try to incorporate their teachings into my life.

YE: Where are you from originally?

Fiona: Ireland.

YE: Where did you study art?

Fiona: In Cork and Dublin in Ireland.

YE: What inspires you?

Fiona: Life. Living is a constant unfolding of miracles – in all the ‘ordinary’ encounters. The perfect natural harmony throughout nature, the magnificent perfection of the interwoven fabric of this physical world; the dignity and humor and lovingness of people one meets from day to day; the infinity of the world of discovery; the synchronicity of events that unfold to lead us on our journeys of growth. Life is a laboratory, and if we can witness what is without projecting our personalities onto everything, it is a constant source of inspiration.

YE: What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

Fiona: Probably what I’m working on now, a 75’ x 8’ mural for the Montego Bay airport. It’s big…

I’ve never before worked on anything so big, and the scale of it is demanding a whole new approach, so I’m currently on a big learning curve ( a favourite place to be!). I can no longer stay up close to the piece and share a small space with it: I’m having to step back 30 feet every time I make any marks to see if the impact is what I want, and then to see if it’s working in relation to the other forms on a 75’ stretch. Because of this I’m taking a long time to establish the composition…and the palette is changing too, having started with bright colours that looked gaudy because there was SO much!

Each panel measures 8’ x 4’, so I found the muted palette allowed for more impact when colour is introduced… and then of course there’s the quality of the line – it’s had to become a lot more dramatic and definite. So, not only is the size of the mural challenging, but my whole approach to it has demanded that I grow and develop and rise to all the challenges presented. It’s one huge problem-solving experience, but every now and then I have breakthrough and I love it! For example, I’ve painted so many scenes that just don’t ‘read’ with everything else and have had to be painted out with a big house brush loaded with white paint – and after a few such white-outs, a surface of texture is created which is just lovely to glaze over. So I am developing a new style that excites me, and that’s the biggest challenge of all.

YE: Do you enjoy doing art as a “business”?

Fiona: I am very undeveloped business-wise. I teach a course, Young at Art, to many adults and children, and this is the only way I know how to be business-like, as I’m paid once a term and don’t have to think about money again. When it comes to my own work, I just paint. There’s no guarantee it’ll sell, and chances are if I really like it I won’t want to sell, so that’s not very business-like….

YE:  How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

Fiona:  If it’s commissioned illustration work for magazines or products, it’s straightforward.

Same with classes. Personal work is something I do without thinking about money. My intention from now is to be more focused on this aspect of things as I’d like to always have work, and that will involve a determined effort on my part regarding the business-side of things…

YE: Where do you get your ideas from? How do you begin?

Fiona: If it’s commissioned I work with a loose spec. and develop with the client. If it’s personal it usually comes to me and it gets developed somewhat as I paint. I begin with sketching, always.

YE: Has your style changed at all through the years?

Fiona: Yes. I hope it’s getting looser, and less colourful, and hopefully a little more confident.

YE:  How would people who know you describe you?

Fiona: I just asked my daughter and she wants to know if it’s a multiple choice answer….

Then she said , ‘Free’. Others have described me as joyous, spiritual, fun-loving, compassionate.

YE: If you could be doing anything you wanted, what would that be?

Fiona: Swimming in the deep blue sea.

YE:  Do you have a favorite artist?

Fiona: Kids – all kids’ work.

YE: What makes you happy?

Fiona: Being with good friends, and being in nature, and with my family, and listening to great musicians play. And when kids – either my own or others – are happy. And laughter! And seeing my students enjoying their potential, developing their gifts, and discovering their own limitness. And dancing, and yoga, and funny conversations!

YE: What makes you sad?

Fiona: Poverty, violence, injustice, corruption. Man’s inhumanity to man.

YE: What really irritates you?

Fiona: Deception. Power-tripping. Hidden agendas.

YE: What are you working on now? Tell us about your upcoming show…

Fiona: The Montego Bay Airport Immigration Hall mural. A very big painting of a beach scene with cameos of Jamaican life throughout. In the background are Jamaican towns and countryside, hills and mountains, and typically Jamaican sights, such as goats, coconut sellers, boys fishing and so on.

YE: Anything else you want to add?

Fiona: Jamaica has given me so many gifts.

It is here that I raised my two beautiful daughters, homeschooling them in Mandeville in a gracious old house situated in a sunny garden. From that foundation of joy they are growing into strong young women and are great companions to me.

I have met marvelous people here and have developed life-long friendships.

The beauty and the variety of the land is awesome, from Treasure Beach to Portland to the North Coast.

And the people! I have learnt so much about the Art of Living from the Jamaican people; their humor and resilience, their gentleness and strength, their faith and humility, their creativity and expression and style. I came to Jamaica to teach in a Place of Safety for Boys At Risk (street kids, abandoned and abused young boys), and I give thanks that this was my entry to Jamaica as I learnt from them the gift it is to be alive, even without all the things we take for granted, like loving parents, a home, an education, and opportunities. Their vitality and openness will always remain with me.

You can contact Fiona at fionamg1@hotmail.com.

The Witness Tree

Of Birth and Butterflies

Mural

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Please support these events this weekend for the Rotary Race to Literacy

FRIDAY

Rotary First Friday at the Deck – March is Literacy Month

6pm-10pm

March 5th

The Deck, Trafalgar Rd

Admission Free

Join Rotarians and members of the Rotary Family for regular first Friday of the month social.

SATURDAY

Breathe For Books

A magical yoga practice with Sharon McConnell-Feanny of Shakti

March 6th

East Lawn, Devon House

Register at 10 am. Class at 10:30-12

Bring a towel and a mat

Cost $1,000

Book donations welcome

Event made possible by: Devon House, Shakti, Elite Events, Everyting Clean, Andre’s Auto Supplies and Wata (Wisynco)

For more info on the Rotary Race to Literacy Project

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