I-Octane Set to Release EP 'Straight from the Heart"‏

There is a steadily increasing buzz as Reggae artiste I-Octane prepares to release his EP "Straight from the Heart". "Straight from the Heart" features seven carefully chosen tracks that will undoubtedly resonate with people despite their class, color or creed.

Commenting on his upcoming EP, which is a labor of love for him I-Octane says,

"You can always meet somebody and talk to them about your experiences but very often there isn't the time to really get into it and really let them know the situation. That's why I always say music is a tool. There is no greater way for me to really touch the souls of my fans, except through my music."

That is exactly what this EP is about words coming - "Straight From The Heart". According to the reggae crooner, people will be able to relate to each track as they are taken from life experiences and will certainly offer something to meditate on.

"Straight from the Heart" will also be offering a few surprises for fans of the artiste as not only will they be experiencing the 'old I-Octane that they know and love, but they will be introduced to a different more mature artiste.

"I have been in the business for a little while now," he says adding "I've been introduced to different sounds and different producers so for me it's all about growth. I have also matured as a person so you will be able to see and feel some of those things in some of the songs."

Four of the songs on the EP were voiced outside of Jamaica. Three of them were done in the US (a first for I-Octane) and the other in St.Kitts. The other three songs were produced by some of the most promising young talents in Jamaica. It provides a mixture of the authentic reggae beats infused with a more modern neo-reggae vibe. The EP is a refreshing production that sets the stage for I-Octanes upcoming debut album, but I-Octane says it best.

"These songs are definitely straight from my heart to my fans. I feel good about them and I am excited for my fans to hear them. "Straight from the Heart" is slated to be released digitally on December 6, 2011. For more information, visit www.ioctanemusic.com

Cherine Makes Travel Chanel Feature‏

Dancehall Soul Queen Cherine appeared on the exciting final episode of The Travel Channel's documentary series titled "It's a Woman's World". Jamaica was one of four featured countries throughout the 2011 season, where the "It's a Woman's World" team journeyed to explore the island, its culture and delve into the lives of some of the country's most interesting and inspiring women. The episode on Jamaica premiered on October 31, 2011.

Cherine was handpicked by the producers of "It's a Woman's World" and was highlighted as one of Jamaica's inspirational, intriguing and empowering young female talents. Her life as a musician on and off stage was featured and the crew got a first hand look into her family life and rapped with her friends.

"There were definitely many aspects of the interview that involved Cherine the person, not just Cherine the musician. Overall, the interview was broader than just my music", Cherine shared.

Taking them back to her roots, Cherine took the crew to her childhood home in Rockfort, a tough community in East Kingston Jamaica. The "It's a Woman's World" crew got a rare interview with Cherine's mother and sister and even a tour of sections of the community. The team including host Camilla and producer Julia Cornes spent an exciting and eventful day with the multi talented Jamaican singer, songwriter and actress Cherine, getting an inside peek into some of her daily activities. Additionally, the crew caught up with Cherine at a studio session with the legendary drummer Sly Dunbar from the duo Sly and Robbie as well as a band rehearsal at Grafton studio. After a long day it was time to unwind, the crew met up with Cherine at her 1st in a series of unplugged shows called Rockfort Live featuring her band the Rockfort Rebels. The Queen of Dancehall Soul delivered a great performance belting out her hits such as "Make up sex", "We Don't Stop" and "Coming over tonight".

"It was very important to me that the Travel Channel was interested in filming the 'real' Jamaica, the way a lot of us young people live, where we eat and hang out on a day-to-day basis. There was nothing pretentious for the camera; even them drinking bag juice," Cherine said with a wide smile.

This episode was filmed in Jamaica and featured other influential women such as reggae icon Marcia Griffiths, journalist Janet Silvera, veteran policewoman Ionie Ramsay-Nelson and even Jamaica's successful netballers, The Sunshine Girls. "It was an unbelievable honor to be a part of this program alongside such greats and for me, Marcia Griffiths being featured made it even more special," stated Cherine.

The Travel Channel is the leading international travel broadcaster, transmitting 24 hours a day in 20 languages to an audience of over 60 million worldwide viewers.

Catch the repeat of the episode on The Travel Channel International

Saturday 05 November 2011 at 01:00 (UK Time)

Sunday 06 November 2011 at 21:00

Tuesday 08 November 2011 at 13:30

Check your local cable listings or visit http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/ (for more details.

GT Taylor Happy with Jagra‏

Stage show promoter GT Taylor is happy to have Jagra on board once again as the title sponsor for his annual Christmas night stage show. The event which will be held at its usual venue, Independence Park in black River St. Elizabeth, will be promoted as the Jagra GT Taylor Christmas Extravaganza for the third straight year.

“Putting on an event of this magnitude is no easy task as one can imagine and sponsorship plays a very vital role, therefore I am very appreciative of Jagra’s support, as all the support I get from other sponsors,” said GT Taylor.

The veteran broadcaster also said that this year will mark the 12th staging of the event and he and his production team plans to make it even bigger and better this year.

“It has been twelve years since I have been doing this event and every year we strive for greater levels of excellence in every area of production. This year will be a very significant one; therefore we are going to improve the show in many ways.

Some of the improvements that Mr. Taylor has promised include new patron entrances, tighter security and a better stage that will give patrons a greater view of the show.

“Last year we had a great staging and I will be pulling out all the stops to make this year even greater, we are gonna upgrade all the facilities at the venue including the stage, the car parks, entrances and the sound and lighting. I also want patrons to know that we are going to have some of the biggest acts in the biz on the event so Jagra GT Taylor Christmas Extravaganza 2011 is going to be a wonderful event.

The artiste line-up for Jagra Gt Taylor Christmas Extravaganza 2011 includes the likes of Mavado, Bounty Killer, I-Octane, Coco Tea, John Holt, Spice, Romain Virgo, Junior X, Hezron, Chuck Fenda, Twin of Twins, Macka Diamond, Wayne Marshall, Iley Dread, D’Angel, Lutan Fyah, Professor Nuts, Warrior King, Toya, Villa Dutch, Tiana, Specialist and a host of others.

Jagra Gt Taylor Christmas Extravaganza takes place on December 25 at Independence Park, Black River, St Elizabeth. Confirmed sponsors of the event include Jagra, Irie FM, CVM, Onstage, Outaroad.com and one876entertainment.com.

Bob Andy and Friends Thank Supporters

The producers of Bob Andy Unplugged: Tribute to the Songwriter thank the large body of enthusiastic fans who attended Friday night's concert; by extension the many musicians, artistes, technicians, companies and sponsors who collaborated to produce an exceptional event.

Junior Lincoln, producer of the tribute series which was staged at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium, Jamaica College, says, "We are gratified by the response which the event garnered. Not only were the audience members treated to outstanding performances under the arrangements of Ibo Cooper, Peter Ashbourne and Sean Michael Harris, but they also enjoyed some of the songs from Bob's extensive catalogue which spans more than 50 years of his career - some of which they had never heard before, or had not attributed as penned by Keith 'Bob Andy" Anderson. This was the concert's success."

The three-hour concert which featured over 30 Bob Andy-penned songs, opened with the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and ended with the audience on their feet, with Andy leading all the performers and backing orchestra in I've Got to Go Back Home.
In addition, to everyone's surprise, Andy closed the programme's first segment backed by Desi Jones' band. The introductory segment also featured the likes of: the first lady of Jazz, Myrna Hague, Cezar, Della Manley, Kathy Brown, Mutabaruka, Kai Wakeling, Maurice Gordon, Georgia Henry, Sean Michael Harris, Soul 4 Soul and Dwight Richards with a remarkable rendition of My Time.
The second half featured Lloyd Parkes and We the People with a 32-piece orchestra accompanying Marcia Griffiths, Pam Hall, Tony Rebel, AJ Brown, Ken Boothe and Ibo Cooper on the harmonica.
Dean Fraser's Band took the third and final segment, which opened with Nambo Robinson presentation of Ska Music, followed by Nadine Sutherland and Chevaughn who had the auditorium singing along to Fire Burning while Big Youth had the audience entranced with Zion. Marcia Griffiths also made her second appearance in the final segment with It's Impossible - a classic Andy love ballad. Others in the set also included: Natel, Denyque, Protoje, Luciano and Freddie McGregor.
Bob Andy in giving thanks to all on Friday night said, "All the love I missed as a child, is here in this auditorium tonight. Thank you."
"Once again, we thank everyone for their labour of love on this project and not only helping to make it a success, but also helping to re-cement Bob as one of the industry's consummate songwriters of our time," says Lincoln.

The tribute concert was the collaborative effort of the Friends of Bob Andy and the Bob Andy Song Foundation. The Bob Andy Song Foundation was established to handle Bob’s current and future medical expenses as well as other charitable endeavours. All proceeds from the Bob Andy Unplugged concert benefit Bob Andy’s medical care and recovery and the Foundation’s work to nurture and inspire young songwriters.