Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Rashaan Rori Allwood and Kathryn Patricia Cobbler - three city tour in February KATHRYN PATRICIA COBBLER In a celebration of Black History Month, two exceptional Canadian musicians of Caribbean descent, Rashaan Rori Allwood and Kathryn Patricia Cobbler, are set to dazzle audiences with their multi-media performance titled "Unyielding Roots." This powerful presentation of original compositions aims to reflect upon the complex experiences of the Caribbean immigrant and African diaspora within the context of North American colonial landscapes. Joy Bullen, the long-time creator behind Black History Month Music, designed this event to showcase young Black Canadian musicians breaking stereotypes and making history. Since 2015, the initiative has been a platform for artists excelling in areas where Black voices have often been silenced. "Unyielding Roots" will be performed in Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto, in collaboration with cultural and not-for-profit organizations acro...

  THEA JACKSON TAKES CARNIVAL COSTUMES TO ATLANTA Yesterday, it was a sunny 17 degrees Celsius in Atlanta, Georgia, while Toronto experienced wet and snowy conditions with a temperature of minus 4 degrees. No wonder Toronto’s international costume designer, Thea Jackson, has Georgia on her mind these days. Jackson has recently returned from the Atlanta “Bandlaunch,” where she showcased her latest mas costume designs to revelers planning to participate in this spring’s Atlanta Caribbean Carnival. The annual event is scheduled during the city’s Memorial Day May 27th Weekend. In front of a full house in Atlanta, her designs were displayed to an enthusiastic crowd. Her show reflected pure Toronto style, featuring beautiful costumes, models, and Soca music. Jackson designs for the city’s Madd Colors Carnival Mas Band. “2024 is a special year for the band,” she shared with The Caribbean Camera. “Madd Colors Carnival is celebrating 15 years with their theme ‘Chrysalis,’ and the section I...

That Look Of Love Has Ice-Cubes Does Brandon Randolph know something we don’t? In an interview this week with me, prior to his upcoming performance with the famed Mark Morris Dance Group this Friday night at the downtown Meridian Theatre, he expressed a slight concern about our weather! Brandon Randolph ( ABOVE ) has a place on St. Croix Island in the Virgin Islands that he just visited, and after reading the weather reports on what is happening in New York State and Toronto, he is wishing he might have stayed a little longer! "You are getting us fresh and eager to dance. Toronto is the first performance of our new tour," Randolph told the Camera. "We have been in Toronto twice before, and we are looking forward to this visit, except for one thing — what is happening with your freezing weather?" He says he likes the Caribbean feel to the city (when it is warm) and fans should give him a wave and a clap when they see him on stage – “you won’t have trouble picking me ...

TOP CARNIVAL AND SOCA SONGS IN 2023 The 10 Best Songs of 2023: We ask the paper’s FRIENDS to Picks 'Em It is a tradition that almost all newspapers follow when one year ends and another begins. What were the best songs of the year just ended? Some list the 10 best, others shoot for 100. With hip-hop no longer dominating the music world, drawing up the list isn’t as easy as it looks. Of course, there are big names that continue to churn out the road marches, but it is the 'where did they come from' that makes it all fun. This tone-deaf writer is the last person who should put together anything related to new music. So for this year's article, I have done it differently. I have looked at the songs that I heard on the Lakeshore and at the launches and the fetes, and what was happening at carnival events in the Caribbean and the UK. Then, I went to the experts to see what they thought of 2023, and of course, we went with them." It is a tradition that almost all newspa...

The Prince of Soca Takes Over Flow 98.7 ( my article in this week's Caribbean Camera ) In a blockbuster announcement, Dr. Jay, Canada's renowned Soca DJ, has revealed his return to live radio with his signature show, SocaTherapy airing on Flow 98.7 FM. Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 14th, from 6-9 pm, as Dr. Jay brings back the beats and vibes that make him the Prince of Soca. While his radio roots trace back to 2001 when he started at Flow FM, Dr. Jay is returning to a different Flow this time. The radio landscape in the city has evolved, and he will now be on what was formerly known as G-98.7, a station founded by the late Fitzroy Gordon. The new owners acquired the naming rights to Flow, the first Black radio station launched by Denham Jolly back in 2001. This Flow from Flow to the new Flow marking a unique twist in Dr. Jay's radio journey. Having spent a decade at the original FLOW, Dr. Jay reminisces about his radio experiences, including stints at G-98.7 and...

 New Good Luck tradition  from  Toronto's Demi-Monde Always thought that if you can get a TTC transfer at 1 second after midnight on January 1st you will be blessed with good luck in the new year. Put it to the test. Bundled up at 11.45 on the last night of 2023 and walked down to the Eglinton subway station at Yonge St. Got there with a coupla minutes to spare. Just me, a female busker playing an electric piano and any song I wanted to hear and a couple of TTC employees. I stood by the transfer machine and took this picture of me pressing the transfer machine at year's end, and here is the lucky transfer I got a second later a second into 2024. One TTC employee clapped and banged fists with me. Got home and checked a lottery ticket my wife had got me for Xmas. Won $50 so obviously I was right about the first transfer luck power. Still have two unused transfers on my desk. Don't ask, they aren't for sale.

My Story in Thursday's first print edition in 2024 ( my first story in the Caribbean Camera this year ) New Ontario Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont got it right the first time. On New Year's Day, she announced 25 new appointments to the Order of Ontario for 2023. In her first list since taking the job in early November, she has shone a spotlight on people who have made exceptional contributions to help build a stronger province, nation, and world. Four members of Toronto’s Black and Caribbean communities are among the 25 new appointments to the Order of Ontario, the province's highest honour. Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont recognized Geran Fearon, Dwayne Morgan, Hazelle Palmer, and Florence Ngenzebuhoro, who have earned the province's highest civilian honour for their extraordinary contributions. Gervan Fearon Members are invested with the Order’s insignia. Appointees are given the post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials or post-nominal titles (lette...

  Going With The Flow. Neeti Ray's CINA Radio Group Eyes Acquisition of Bell Media's AM Stations in Windsor and Hamilton In a significant development for the Canadian radio landscape, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced a pending application by Neeti P. Ray's CINA Radio Group to acquire three AM stations from Bell Media. The stations in question are CHAM and CKOC in Hamilton and CKWW in Windsor, for the bargain basement total price of $445,000. The CRTC disclosed the application on November 16, 2023, stating that CINA Radio Group, led by Neeti P. Ray, aims to continue operating the stations under the same terms and conditions as the existing licenses. CINA Radio Group already owns several stations across central Canada, including FLOW in Toronto. The application is scheduled for final consideration in early 2024. Bell Media had previously expressed its intention to sell the three AM stations in Hamilton and Windsor back in Ju...

 TORONTO TAKES SPICER, COLORADO GRABS FREDERICK Trinidad and Tobago delivered a shocking one two punch to Major League Soccer, when two local players, Tyrese Spicer and Wayne Frederick were named the top two players chosen in this week’s Super Draft. It was a sporting earthquake that sent shockwaves through Toronto, Port of Spain and the world of Major League Soccer (MLS), the Toronto FC announced Trinidad and Tobago’s forward ç as the Number One overall pick in the highly anticipated 2024 MLS Super Draft. Spicer, a 23-year-old native of Trinidad and Tobago, emerged as a standout talent after an impressive 2023 season at Lipscomb University, where he notched 14 goals and 3 assists in just 16 games. Spicer's stellar performance in the 2023 season earned him accolades such as First Team All-American, Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Player of the Year, and MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist honors. With a total of 29 goals and 18 assists in 57 appearances for Lipscomb, Spicer's goal-s...

The Book That Had To Be Written And Now Has To Be Read Just in time for Christmas, the autobiography of Dr. Howard D. McCurdy has arrived at Canadian bookstores. Published some five years after the death of the founder of the National Black Coalition of Canada, "Black Activist, Black Scientist, Black Icon: The Autobiography of Dr. Howard D. McCurdy" is a book that had to be published and now must be read. Dr. McCurdy, the first Black tenured professor, a founder of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the person who named the New Democratic Party, and the second Black elected to Parliament, was working on the book when he passed away in 2018. Not ready for print, Toronto author and poet George Elliott Clarke stepped in to complete the story. I’m working with Toronto author George Elliott Clarke on his latest book, "Black Activist, Black Scientist, Black Icon: The Autobiography of Dr. Howard D. McCurdy" by Dr. McCurdy – George was Dr. McCurdy’s House of Commons ...

BIG ACE HAS A NEW E-BOOK Acie Earl, also known as Big Ace, has just delivered his latest literary slam dunk in Toronto, perfectly timed for the 50th anniversary celebration of the art of Hip Hop. Co-authored with his good friend Hans Haks, "135 Of The Most Influential Hip Hop & Rap Songs Of All Time And Why" is trending well on Amazon and other e-book sites.. A former professional basketball player with an impressive career of eight years overseas and four years in the NBA, including stints with the Celtics, the Toronto Raptors, and the Bucks, Acie Earl played in 12 countries, earning three MVP awards in places such as Turkey, China, and Kosovo. While this marks his eighth book, this particular one has been co-written by Hans Schmitter, also known as Hans Solo and Haks 180. The Caribbean Camera obtained an advanced copy of the book late last week, revealing a captivating journey into Acie's personal connection with Hip Hop. Beyond exploring the music, the former NBA R...

  November 1969 STEPHEN WEIR HAD A WEEKLY COLUMN BACK IN 1968, Probably missed a lot of deadlines. Thrust of the column was to report on the entertainment that appeared at the  THE MILL, a 100 year old former Mill that had been turned into a coffee house, just off Raglan St ( the main drag). June 1973 Norm Wilson, the editor/publisher of the Mercury wrote this letter to the Journalism department at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.  June 1973 Bruce Paton, the administrator of the History of Renfrew Opportunities for Youth project this letter of support for the Journalism department at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.  October  1 974    Chapter of my OFY project - History of Renfrew. The Ryerson Eyeopener used it! Full page feature 1979 My first issue of Intercom. Circulation 3,500 2015 After 3 months, Yoko Ono's promised chapter introduction had shrunk to a free form one page poem 1969 - Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal. Ritchie Yorke sits on th...