The countdown is on and you want to play mas but you haven’t found a mas band? The T&T Guardian has got you covered. Starting this week, we will be going to different new mas camps, getting the stories behind presentations and giving you information on cost, what kind of bang you are getting for your buck and what, if anything, makes each band unique. We are also soliciting a little advice on how to make things less stressful for masqueraders on the road. This week, we begin with Petlemas, a new band which began as a section in the now defunct mas band, Poison.
Who are they?
Petlemas is a creation of Petle Claverie, a former section designer with Poison and Dream Team who has ten years on-the-road Carnival experience. Claverie decided to strike out on his own last year when he brought out his mas band Petlemas. The band is a medium-sized band which caters for 600 people and has as its tag line: Sexy, Intimate, Fun.
The Presentation
Petlemas’ 2014 presentation is called Safari and it certainly is sexy. The costumes stick to a wild and sexy African theme and keeps it current with wire bras that seem to offer a lot of coverage and support. There are ten sections in all, and with 60 masqueraders per section more or less, the intimacy becomes apparent. Claverie said the intimacy also comes with the personal connection masqueraders have with the designers and bandleaders. Imagine a bandleader checking you while on the road to make sure your wire bra is comfortable? He said he wants his masqueraders to feel like they are playing with someone they know, a situation he said used to be common, but isn’t anymore.
Competition or party band?
Claverie wants to win in the medium band category of the Band of the Year competition this year and he thinks his presentation can do it. While he wasn’t paying attention to the competition last year, this year will be different. He is committed to delivering a great product for his masqueraders and a great presentation on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
Value for money?
In terms of cost, Petlemas isn’t trying to bust your pocket. The female back-line costumes start at $2,995, although the frontline is a lot pricier at $4,995. Male costumes start at $2,495. It’s an all-inclusive band, which means your costume price includes a full range mixed bar on both days and breakfast on Carnival Tuesday, lunch on both days and cutters while playing mas on the road. One possibility is instead of having food waiting at a rest stop, caterers deliver food directly to masqueraders on the road, and those who bought frontline costumes get a waiter service.
Tips for the NCC
How can the National Carnival Commission (NCC) make our road experience the best one possible? Well, Claverie’s main concern is the long waiting time for bands to get to the Savannah stage. “The flow on the road was great but when we got to the Savannah last year it was chaos.” He said the NCC needed to enforce the rule that non-masqueraders were not allowed on the track. “Last year police were checking the entrance but it is very easy to access the track from other parts of the Savannah. That needs to be monitored.”
Play Now with Petlemas?
Mas camp: 15 Warner Street, Newtown,
Port-of-Spain
Phone: 342-4314
Wanna play with Petlemas masqueraders
The countdown is on and you want to play mas but you haven’t found a mas band? The T&T Guardian has got you covered. Starting this week, we will be going to different new mas camps, getting the stories behind presentations and giving you information on cost, what kind of bang you are getting for your buck and what, if anything, makes each band unique. We are also soliciting a little advice on how to make things less stressful for masqueraders on the road. This week, we begin with Petlemas, a new band which began as a section in the now defunct mas band, Poison.
Who are they?
Petlemas is a creation of Petle Claverie, a former section designer with Poison and Dream Team who has ten years on-the-road Carnival experience. Claverie decided to strike out on his own last year when he brought out his mas band Petlemas. The band is a medium-sized band which caters for 600 people and has as its tag line: Sexy, Intimate, Fun.
The Presentation
Petlemas’ 2014 presentation is called Safari and it certainly is sexy. The costumes stick to a wild and sexy African theme and keeps it current with wire bras that seem to offer a lot of coverage and support. There are ten sections in all, and with 60 masqueraders per section more or less, the intimacy becomes apparent. Claverie said the intimacy also comes with the personal connection masqueraders have with the designers and bandleaders. Imagine a bandleader checking you while on the road to make sure your wire bra is comfortable? He said he wants his masqueraders to feel like they are playing with someone they know, a situation he said used to be common, but isn’t anymore.
Competition or party band?
Claverie wants to win in the medium band category of the Band of the Year competition this year and he thinks his presentation can do it. While he wasn’t paying attention to the competition last year, this year will be different. He is committed to delivering a great product for his masqueraders and a great presentation on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
Value for money?
In terms of cost, Petlemas isn’t trying to bust your pocket. The female back-line costumes start at $2,995, although the frontline is a lot pricier at $4,995. Male costumes start at $2,495. It’s an all-inclusive band, which means your costume price includes a full range mixed bar on both days and breakfast on Carnival Tuesday, lunch on both days and cutters while playing mas on the road. One possibility is instead of having food waiting at a rest stop, caterers deliver food directly to masqueraders on the road, and those who bought frontline costumes get a waiter service.
Tips for the NCC
How can the National Carnival Commission (NCC) make our road experience the best one possible? Well, Claverie’s main concern is the long waiting time for bands to get to the Savannah stage. “The flow on the road was great but when we got to the Savannah last year it was chaos.” He said the NCC needed to enforce the rule that non-masqueraders were not allowed on the track. “Last year police were checking the entrance but it is very easy to access the track from other parts of the Savannah. That needs to be monitored.”
Wanna play with Petlemas?
Mas camp: 15 Warner Street, Newtown,
Port-of-Spain
Phone: 342-4314
E-mail: info@petlemas.com
Web site: www.petlemas.com
Follow them on Twitter @Petlemas
https://www.facebook.com/petlemas
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