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| Peppy Entertainment & Promotions Weekly E-Newsletter...
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April 15, 2010
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Family, Last week's email which focused on the very "touchy-feely" subject of child abuse certainly caught the attention of many. I was bombarded with responses, which included kudos and personal stories of child abuse. Because this issue is so difficult to deal with on so many levels, it is not uncommon for folks to sweep child abuse under rugs or take personal experiences to the grave. I was humbled that many of you trusted me enough to confide in me, and I know that sometimes we cannot share things of this nature with those closest to us.  It is hard to forgive and even harder to forget abusers, but I still believe that sharing your story with others help you in the healing process. Do not be afraid to seek professional help, or join support groups, and pay closer attention to your children. Remember that child abuse is much more than just physical abuse. Emotional abuse tend to leave lifelong psychological scars. As you keep repeating this year's slogan "No Excuse For Child Abuse," know that I am chanting "MORE FYAH!"for child abusers. On a shakier note, many of you may have heard the news that the Western part of China experienced a 6.9 earthquake on April 14. Estimated deaths are about 400 and thousands more are injured. China is much more than Beijing and Shanghai so don't get too comfy because most folks you know reside in those parts...What is really happening to our Earth's crust to cause earthquakes left, right and center? With April 22 being Earth Day, we have to ensure that we do more than just eat organic and claim we are living "green" going forward. On a lighter note -- it was so good to get out this weekend and be
rejuvenated with some sweet reggae music! Now that the weather is
getting nicer, I anticipate that most people of African descent who
were hibernating will come out to play! If you are not into clubbing;
consider live music of any genre, festivals, parks, lakes, cruises, and
more. Stock up on water, allergy meds, sunshades, and other spring accessories and just get out
and DO something. Spring is beautiful even if you are sneezing and sniffling like me. For my reviews of the past weekend events I attended, scroll down to the "Out and About" section and get the juice on Tessanne Chin, Baby Cham, De Wedding and more! Feel free to live vicariously
through me if you are a homebody and remember that if I feature someone YOU find
particularly interesting, be sure to link them up and show them some love! Happy birthday to Kojo Johnson, April Sims, and Ichelle Cole of Strykers Posse who is celebrating this week. Join Ichelle and the crew at the 13th Floor in Baltimore on Friday for an Earthday celebration. Happy 20th anniversary to Sandy Watson and her husband. All the best to you if you are celebrating a birthday or an anniversary this week. Continue to protect our children, and have a great week! Rosie "Peppy" ParkeCreative DirectorPeppy Entertainment & Promotions, LLC |
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CELEBRATE D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY: FRIDAY APRIL 16
The enslaved people in Washington, DC were freed nine months
before President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation,
telegraphing the eventual end of slavery to the rest of the nation. On
April 16, 1862 President Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, For
the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of
Columbia, making DC residents the "First Freed" by the federal
government. 
Emancipation Day celebrations were held annually from 1866 through 1901, and resumed in 2002.
In 2005, Emancipation Day was made an official public holiday in DC. Each year, a series of educational and commemorative activities is held that celebrates the end of slavery in DC.
If you work in DC or have a child who attends DC Public Schools, chances are you/they will get the day off tomorrow, Friday, April 16.
For Full Listing of Events
View the D.C. Government Calendar:
http://www.os.dc.gov/os/cwp/view,a,1207,q,645466.asp
Film shown on DCTV throughout month of April.
See viewing schedule: http://www.dctvonline.tv
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Air Jamaica is preparing to turn over their operations to Caribbean Airlines on April 30, 2010. The airline is assuring all that the transition will result in a stronger Caribbean airline. During the transition period (which can take up to a year), Air Jamaica will be honoring all reservations made and tickets purchased, so please continue to book with confidence on www.airjamaica.com. The Reservation numbers are the same: 1-888-523-5585
in North America and 1-888-FLY-AIRJ (359-2475) in Jamaica.
You can expect the same schedule, the same lovebird hospitality, low fares, and various specials!
As a matter of fact, Air Jamaica's one day SPECIAL starts today and ends tomorrow, April 16 at 11:59pm. Be sure to get fares for as low as $59 one way between Kingston/Mobay and Baltimore, Philly, New York, Ft. Lauderdale and Toronto!
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OUT AND ABOUT
Kudos to Moreen Wallace and the
I LOVE REGGAE team for a spectacular reggae jazz event at Zanzibar on
Friday evening. The enclosed terrace venue would have been perfect had it not
been for the smoking of cigars and cigarettes. The last memo I got stated in no
uncertain terms that smoking is banned in clubs, so what happened
there? When the smoked cleared, the program was excellent! I
enjoyed Enside Out with Sister Pat and Walter immensely, and highly recommend them for any reggae/jazz event. Image Band
did a great job as usual, belting out many of our favorite reggae tunes. The most memorable performance for me was from Justin Matthews of the I-ternals. He has a super-sweet voice that seems to have been made for reggae and sings effortlessly. I had heard a couple songs from Kehv aka "The Prince of Reggae Soul" before but it was my first time seeing him perform. He gave a solid performance -- good voice, good lyrical content and good stage presence. If you do not have Kehv's CD, you should definitely get it ASAP as it is a really nice project. Hats off to Benjy Myaz for
putting the icing on the cake and closing out the show in fine
form. Apart from singing his hits such as "Time," "Show Your Love" and "Higher," he
showed his prowess on the guitar and was requested for an encore! His tag line "Chasing the Creativity, not the Competition" is very appropriate and I cannot seem to put down his CD! If there is anyone out there who does not appreciate good reggae music, let me be the first to say "YUH HEAD LICK!"
Bigs ups to all the radio personalities who were in the house including Tony Carr, Papa Wabe and Dermott Hussey. It was great to see so many mature folks out and having a great time and supporting ILR's mission of uplifting lives through music education.
 On Saturday, it was all about "De
Wedding"-- a play straight from Grenada, about...a wedding. The acting
and cast were great. As a Jamaican watching Grenadians, it was surprisingly very easy to understand the accent and follow the story. Yes, all of us Caribbean people speak in a different dialect so we sometimes misunderstand each other. I especially enjoyed lead actor, Wayne Bubb's role as Mannie. His use of the English language was so colorful it was more than comical, and he lived up to his role of providing his betrothed, Josephine (played by Deborah Gilchrist) with "de wuk she wanted." The play itself actually had a story -- unlike
so many I have seen of late, and I can see it doing very well in other markets. Crampton Auditorium was not as
packed as I would have liked, but it was good to see so many Caribbeans
out having a wholesome evening! Big ups to Sidrach, Finiana, Papa Wabe, Moye, Keisha, Von Martin Ms. Bev, Mike Malcolm, Herman Hall, the LIME Crew, the gentleman who charged my phone, and the
Everybodys Magazine crew!
 The Aries Birthday Bash at Crossroads
was NICE! The thing that I really love about Crossroads Club is that they
are consistent with bringing solid artists to their establishment and they continue to re-invent themselves. Each time I go there, there is some
subtle but noticeable change that makes the place look and feel almost
new. The music is always good; the selectors are always great; and the
usual suspects are always there dancing up a storm and creating another
"show" for patrons to see, before the MAIN act(s). Saturday was no
different -- there was the Brazilian, Fabio; the dude who I call
"Adrian"; the ladies who were brukking out; and folks like me and my
crew who were dancing as if we had been incarcerated. The selector was
insanely funny and raised many eyebrows with his suggestions and
forwards. "If yuh know sey yuh a wear yuh own clothes, put up yuh liiiiiightaaaaa!" CLASSIC.
If you have never seen Tessane Chin perform
live, I advise you to check out her videos and keep your eye on her. I
cannot believe that she actually sang "Hideaway" better live than on
the studio version. I am no singer but I still recognize that song is a hard one to sing. When the crowd could not help her with the chorus for fear of sounding awful, she did it all on her own and then encouraged them to join in! She also recognized that she had to do more than just sing, and so connected very well with the audience -- educating them about her heritage and the inspiration for some of her songs. It was obvious that many who had not heard of her before had some resistance to her performance (at first), but as soon as she took the mic, and started singing, things changed. On sight, you expect
to hear something kind of Chinese-ish because on sight she looks like
she stepped right out of China. Tessanne Chin is a proud Jamaican and she has the patois down pat to prove it if you had any doubts! Overall, her performance
was very engaging; her vocals are amazing; and she used the stage well despite the absence of a backing band. Her new song "Are We Gonna (Control)" is really catchy, and shows her sing-jay skills -- check it out. Stay tuned for my "10 Minutes with Tessanne" next week!
 Babycham is a well oiled machine! He had the ladies and many of the men in a
frenzy and sang all of his hits, including the anthem "Ghetto Story," "Vitamin S," plus hits from Buju and many
others. He danced, he made gimmicks, and he performed his skinny ass
off. I always liked Baby Cham and have been a fan of his since he first came on the scene, but each time I see him on stage, I have more respect for him! Even though he has no real recent hits, his songs are so catch and well written that they still have folks dancing, singing and feeling the vibes even after years after their release. Besides, those songs have much better lyrical content that some of the mess I am hearing nowadays, anyway. Cham had me remain at Crossroads more than an half hour after I was
ready to leave, and on one occasion, the group of us just looked at
each other and KNEW that we had to stay a little bit longer when he
started carrying on (again). Tune after tune after tune, which were hits after hit after hit. I have two words for Cham -- "WA WOW!"
Also in the
house was Serani,
who was not a part of the advertised promotion. Serani and his crew spent most of the time backstage promoting his new mixed tape and supporting Baby Cham. In fact, Serani was enjoying Cham's performance so much, he could NOT stop dancing. It was no surprise to me when Cham called Serani on stage
for a "surprise" performance. Serani did more dancing than singing and pretty much uttered a few lines from 2 of his hit songs. It could have been because his voice was not in top form, because he did sound scratchy...I was one of the recipients of his new
mixed tapes and must admit that I like the first one better. This new
project has not yet grown on me, but it seems to go over well with my son and younger folks. Go figure.
Big ups to Lisa of Crossroads, Serani, Tessanne Chin and her mom Christine Chin, Stan Smith, Keisha Largie (all photos courtesy of Keisha), Stephany, Latoya, Ben Ash, Tony Carr, and everyone who were out enjoying Crossroads this past Saturday.
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  Connie
Campbell is one of Jamaica's most used backup singers for studio
recordings and live performances. She has worked with countless artists
including Tarrus Riley, Sizzla, Shaggy, Luciano, and Diana King.
On August 23, 2009 Conradine 'Connie' Campbell, had a seizure minutes
before hitting the stage (while on tour) at the Crossroads
Entertainment Complex in Maryland .
Connie suffered a "Brainstem
Stroke" and now has "locked in syndrome." The prognosis is guarded due
to quadriplegia from brainstem cva. Favorable factors are her young
age, good family and friends support and possible ability to comprehend
and follow directions for rehabilitation.
She is NOT in a coma
and is able to open her eyes when her name is called and many times is
able to follow commands to move her eyes in tracking objects as
directed by physician.
She will need extensive and prolonged therapy over 6-9 months. Therapy has not yet been started.
Please visit the Facebook Page, "Help Connie Campbell Get Therapy" and do your part in helping Connie Campbell. You may also email conn.camp@gmail.com or contact Ace at 404-933-4864.
I am appealing to you to attend the CONNIE CAMPBELL FOUNDATION CONCERT this Sunday, April 18 at Crossroads Club.
  VISIT WWW.MJTRAVELGROUP.EVENTBRITE.COM, EMAIL MJTRAVELGROUP@VERIZON.NET OR CALL 301-793-4123 TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION!!! |
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www.peppypromotions.com
info@peppypromotions.com
301-395-1013 |
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