Another kind of less traditional cultural expression is being made by a young duo from down south.
The pair who have been working together as musicians for more than a decade, stopped by our studios yesterday to give us a taste of one of their first artistic collaboration, an 11 track CD album titled "Good Ova Evil."
In an impromptu performance at our studios, the Dangriga natives John "Agua"Bernardez and Elroy Martinez, the brother of Supa G, belted out one of their favorite music tracks for Jim McFadzean.
Jim McFadzean Reporting
That's a taste of one out of 11 tracks, titled Abusive Relationship, that Elroy and Agua are hoping will make a big hit from their just released CD titled Good Ova Evil. The two seasoned musicians have worked together for the past 15 years, Agua as a Garifuna drummer and Elroy as a vocalist and pianist. Good Ova Evil though is their first actual collaboration as a duo.
John "Agua" Bernardez, Good Ova Evil
"Well we are working over 15 years now. We are working from young. Elroy and I get together for so long and I tell him that we should do an album, so he say that it's about time for us to do an album and for the people to know what is going on with us."
Good Ova Evil features a healthy mix of Paranda and Punta with a splash of Dancehall and mixed African rhythms.
Elroy Martinez, Good Ova Evil
"The reason why we decide to have a different variety of music is because we realize that we are in this society whereby we have multi culture that means that we have to satisfy everybody in terms of the music and that's the reason why we come up with this variety. It's not because we want to stray away from the culture which is the real Punta, paranda Garifuna kind of music but it's just that we want to satisfy everybody."
Jim McFadzean
"Out of the 11 tracks out of Good Ova Evil which will sort of define you both as musicians?"
Elroy Martinez, Good Ova Evil
"Basically it will be the paranda or the punta because that is our origin, that's our roots but then it all depends on the society and the people which one they would prefer more because of the variety that we are trying to bring out so it all depend on what the people say."
Except for one of the eleven tracks, the duo say they bucked heads and wrote the remaining ten.
Elroy Martinez, Good Ova Evil
"We sat down and we wrote our music, only one track there which is "Wuyumaha" which is done by my brother Bert "Madness" Martinez and hats off to him so he just decide that he can put that on the album so I went ahead and did it."
The duo who worked together with the group Griga Boys also shared the same stage with Supa G performing in his backup band, Danger Zone.
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