PATCH heads for Chutney Soca Monarch with 'Head Nice' Saturday, January 29 2011
TRINIDAD NEWSDAY - By SEETA PERSAD - As local performers gear up for Carnival 2011, there comes another hit song from the versatile song writer/singer Roger ‘Patch’ Joseph, 36. Full of excitement he belts out his song “Head Nice” with ease.
“Ah drinkin black and ah drinkin white, when I drink I doh look for fight; Ah come to have fun so give meh a bottle ah rum; Ah doctor try to mess with meh head: he tell meh doh drink ah go dead: Ah say doc I kyar do that cause in meh vein ah have puncheon and vat.” Without any music, just listening to the words of this song can put you in the soca mood. Patch has now established himself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to soca and chutney soca for Carnival. In 2009 he made it all the way to the finals of the Chutney Soca Monarch with his song “Rum and Roti.” Last year, he missed the preliminary round of competition by one hour. His song then was “Pipe” which was a comical soca that received a lot of air play. This year he is back in the groove and has registered for all the competitions available for Carnival, as he sets out to prove he has a song that can make people move. So far he has produced three songs, including, “Ah Mash Up de Phone” and “All Song Same Song,” which is a collaborated effort with Blackie.
Patch started singing in 1999 with a song called “Comess.” His other hits include “That Looking Bad”, “She Name is Macoomeh”, and a few soca-parang songs, “Passing by You” and “Monica”. He followed up with “Misbehavin,”, “De Tail Gone,” “Calling Me Name” and “Rum and Roti.” He is a prolific writer, penning songs for artistes such as Byron Lee (“Love How You Wining”), Singing Sandra (“Keep the Faith”), Kurt Allen (“Bumper Sticker”), Oscar B and Leon Coldero to name a few.
He has been experimenting with several new songs which he wrote and he thought “Head Nice” was ideal for this year. “Anyhow you take it people still look for alcohol to mellow their vibes and have them dancing,” Patch explains. He stressed that drinking and driving is wrong and too much alcohol is not good, but said there are many people who can control themselves and enjoy a good fete with moderate alcohol intake. This talented artiste, who resides in Brooklyn, New York grew up in Fullerton, Cedros for nine years before moving to Port-of-Spain where his love for music grew. “My family is very musical and I was always around that with my uncle, singing and playing his music but I was more into writing before I started singing,” he said.
According to Patch, inspiration comes from his mother Linda Joseph who is his number one fan. “While my mother was never into music she is always happy to see me performing on stage,” he said.
His experiences growing up in South, Patch said, have taught him to appreciate all kinds of music as he was exposed to East Indian beats as well as calypso and pop songs that were played on the radio.
Patch works in the construction field in Brooklyn and takes time off for Carnival each year to get into soca and enjoy time in his homeland before getting back to work in the month of March. He has been performing throughout the Caribbean and various states in the US, and Canada. Patch is on a musical mission to breakthrough into the international markets as he strives to promote the art and culture of Trinidad and Tobago. Joseph, who got the name Patch from a birthmark on the back of his head, advises young and upcoming artistes to know that the industry is a tough one. “The music industry is big in this country and in the world. It is about having a good song that every can groove to and being able to deliver it on stage, “ he said, adding that everybody wants to get in the industry and in order to make a name for yourself you need to come hard. “You need to have proper production and proper lyrics and you need to stay focused,” he said.
