My Bio: Drew Gonsalves is a singer and songwriter whose music blends traditional calypso, dub and reggae. Born and raised in Diego Martin, Trinidad, Gonsalves was keenly interested in music from an early age. As a child he joined the folk choir of his school, which performed Afro-Trinidadian Creole songs and dances such as the jhuba and the belay. Gonsalves’ later songs would draw much of their influence from the folkloric music of the West Indies.
As a teenager, Drew emigrated to Canada, and began studying the classical and flamenco guitar, as well as the cuatro, a small four stringed guitar native to Venezuela and Trinidad. While in school, Gonsalves began to write songs dealing with many of the political and social struggles facing the Caribbean. In 1992, he formed a reggae/calypso/funk fusion group called Outcry along with bassist Stuart Watkins and drummer Robert Milicevic. Drawing inspiration from reggae artists such as Steel Pulse, Lintown Kwesi Johnson, Mutabaruka, Yellowman and Peter Tosh,as well as from traditional Calypsonians such as the Roaring Lion, Lord Beginner and the Mighty Terror, Outcry sought to achieve a sound that expressed both the deep roots and vibrant innovations of West Indian protest music.
In 1999, Outcry released the album New World Raging which was received with great enthusiasm in both his native Trinidad and among world music fans throughout Canada. During the same year, Outcry performed at the Blue Skies Folk Festival. Other festival appearances include the Ottawa Urban Music Festival (1998) and the National Capital Tulip Festival (2001). With Outcry, Drew had the privilege of sharing the stage with many distinguished artists including Jamaican reggae giants Third World, Toronto-born soul diva Ivana Santilli,Sudanese Afro- Beat ambassadors Tarik Abubakr and the Afro- Nubians,Cabo Verdese morna singer Fantcha,Cuban rhumberos Klave y Kongo, and Brazilian samba troubadours Cascabulho.
When Outcry disbanded in August 2000, Drew returned to Trinidad to write,perform,and study with virtuoso cuatrista Robert Munro and Caribbean Indo- Jazz pioneer Mungal Patasar. In 2004,he founded the group Kobo Town in order to perform new songs rooted in the rhythmic and lyrical forms of early Trinidadian music. He is currently recording an album in Canada and Trinidad for release in early 2006.
http://www.kobotown.comMy Quote: "Guitarist and singer-songwriter Drew Gonsalves has crafted cutting messages through thoughtful lyrics that beg to be absorbed."
Chris Page, Ottawa XPress |
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