Mention says: “Sugar Band music in no shape or form represents violence”
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – OVER the years, as many in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis are aware, the Nu Vybes Band International’s (De Sugar Band) image has been stigmatised with acts of violence, particularly during the annual Sugar Mas (National Carnival) street jamming activities.
A most recent negative finger pointing at the band took place on the night (Jan. 2) of Las Lap with a shooting incident, which had left a young man of St. Johnston’s Village hospitalised.
In an effort to dismiss the stigma, members of the band, including the lead vocalist Gregory 'Mention’ Hobson, held a press conference yesterday afternoon (Jan. 8) at De House Nitery in Soho, Basseterre and spoke out against the issue while appealing for peace among revellers and party goers.
The members also talked about the music politics and openly called for public suggestions in helping to reduce the occurrence of violence.
Jason ‘KT’ Jacobs (vocalist) and Daron ‘Miller’ Thomas (keyboardist) also made statements pertaining to the issue.
Addressing the incidents that occurred during Carnival road activities which have caused the stigma to be attached to the band, Mention said: “As you know, over the past years, we’ve had some unfortunate situations that happened in De Sugar Band. My whole view on the situation is that, in looking at the whole scenario, I think that these things fall not under the music but it has a lot of other things which impact what is going on, especially within the youths as we all in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“In my view, a lot of people say things happen in Sugar Band and Sugar Band music. Let me just say this...Sugar Band music in no shape or form represents violence. As a matter of fact, it is an empowerment for the youths.”
In his explanation of the creative spelling of Vybes with a ‘Y’ instead of an ‘I’ by the youth band’s members, Mention said: “We were youths when we basically started. The whole thing about the music, the whole concept of the band started 25 years ago and was always to impact the youths, we as youths, through the music. So that has not changed over the generations and we don’t think that we changing the band members...the concept what we are trying to do through the music has changed. I just wanted to shed some light on that.”
Notably, Nu Vybes Band International turned 25 in December last year and Mention has been a member for 23 years.
Mention continued: “My whole view on the issue at hand...Sugar Band, one of the leading bands that they say has a capacity of 10 000 people; I think that is the easier way for a man to escape to do something that wouldn’t be as visible in a band that has let’s say 5 000 people. So I think this has a lot to do with why a lot of incidents happen in Sugar Band per se, not through the music.
“This year we spoke about One Order. So in no way, shape or form we go down that violent road, because that does not do anything for us. We never did it in the past and definitely not in the future. Like I said, the focus of our music is the empowerment of the youths and that is why Sugar Band is still roaring like a lion.”
‘One Order’ is the name of the NU Vybes Band International’s 2012/2013 album and its title track addresses togetherness and love among people.
Miller, too, stated his position on the issue.
“People keep on attaching this stigma to the group like they trying to bring down the band or something; but the music that we put out is ‘one order’, peace love and unity. It can’t get any clearer than that. It’s just unfortunate that these situation keep happening in we jams, but we keep preaching ‘one order’ and we going stay preaching love to the youths, because that’s who we care about...the young generation coming up.”
“In anything you do, anywhere you go, whatever mass of people, you must find one or two bad apples between everybody. So I don’t really think that it is so much the music or the lyrics,” said KT while agreeing with Mention’s statement about ill-doers using the band’s large crowd to carry out violent acts.
Mention opined that “it’s not a good feeling when you walk in the streets and you hear that (you all) are responsible”.
“We had a lot of unfortunate incidents in the past when trailer truck ran over people, and people want to use that against us. Like why we would want to see a trailer run over somebody. I have kids that play mas, so why would I incite violence and there are kids playing mas? It doesn’t make any sense,” he added.
Mention also talked about band politics.
“Nu Vybes is being attacked in a kind of way and we all know that there is politics within music. But for all the other bands out there, we just appealing to you to don’t try put anything on Sugar Band. It’s not a competition! We are talking about people’s lives involved. You don’t go that far to say, ‘It’s because Nu Vybes hype’.
“The whole thing about Carnival is hype. Carnival without hype or festival without hype is just something without hype and we all know how that be. So, it’s all about hype and it’s also about self-control. So people have to be responsible, not only the bands. It takes a collective effort and if in anyway anyone could make suggestions in terms of how we could go about, well, we can’t offset, but in limiting the situation and anything that could cut it down, we are open to this,” Mention said.
Mention spoke about instances when fights occurred while the band played Reggae music and laid the blame on excessive alcohol consumption for some of the violence.
“As I said, I don’t think it is the music, because there are times when we playing Reggae people are fighting. Alcohol has a big thing to do with it too when people get merry...over-merry, and it’s not everyone who could hold their liquor as we know.”
“We don’t really like it”, Mention further said about the band politics.
“It could happen to you and it could be an even worse situation, and it wouldn’t be fair for us now in that situation,” he lamented as it pertains to casting blame on a specific band or bands.
“We are just appealing to the people (that) when they come out to jam or to any other session, try to establish some sort of self-control because it’s not one, or two, or three people affected in this type of situation. So we just appealing to everybody at the same time”, Mention pleaded.
