Boom Mas 2015: Immortal Gods and Goddesses Take Over Brooklyn
Gods, goddesses, Titans and mythical rulers came to life in Brooklyn as Boom Mas unveiled its 2015 presentation for New York Carnival:
Immortal Gods and Goddesses.
The band launch introduced a huge mythology-inspired collection of costumes, pulling ideas from Greek, Egyptian, Persian and African traditions rather than limiting the presentation to one mythology.
With Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs hosting the Julianspromos coverage and Julian C. Hackett filming and editing, the original video gives a close look at the sections Boom Mas planned to bring to Eastern Parkway for Labor Day 2015.
Welcome to the World of the Immortals
At first glance, the name sounds like a trip straight to Mount Olympus.
And there was plenty of Greek mythology.
Poseidon. Aphrodite. Hera. Rhea. The Titans.
But Boom Mas went much wider than Greece.
The presentation moved between the sea, the Nile, the sun, beauty, victory, earth and ancient divine figures from several cultures.
That gave every new section a chance to completely change the look and mood of the launch.
Fourteen Different Visions
The original information accompanying the Julianspromos coverage identifies 14 presentations:
Gussy — Guardians of the Sea: Poseidon’s Reign
Vicky — Athenians
Despres — Colors of the Nile
Cheryl — Rise of Phoenix
Sonia — Seduction of Aphrodite
Kim & Yves — Goddess of Victory
Patiann — Anahita: The Immaculate One
Shotter — The Evolution of Hera
Kousin — To Isis A Throne
Jay — Mithra (Sun Gods)
Kandii — Guardians of Looseness
Alisha & August — Rise of the Titans: The Resurrection of Rhea
Face & Fresh — Agalea: Gods of Beauty
Meli — Ala: African Goddess of Earth
That lineup alone shows how ambitious the theme was.
This was not one costume copied into different colors.
Each section had its own identity.
Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hera & the Titans
Several sections leaned heavily into familiar Greek imagery.
Guardians of the Sea: Poseidon’s Reign opened the door to ocean-inspired designs.
Seduction of Aphrodite naturally moved toward beauty and glamour.
The Evolution of Hera brought another major goddess into the presentation.
And Rise of the Titans: The Resurrection of Rhea pushed the concept into the older generation of Greek mythology.
On a band-launch stage, that variety matters.
One section could feel completely different from the one before it while still belonging to the same larger story.
The Theme Goes Beyond Greece
Some of the most interesting sections took the presentation outside the Greek world altogether.
Colors of the Nile and To Isis A Throne drew from Egyptian imagery.
Anahita: The Immaculate One and Mithra (Sun Gods) introduced figures associated with ancient Persian tradition.
Ala: African Goddess of Earth carried the theme into African mythology.
That makes Immortal Gods and Goddesses a much broader concept than simply “Greek gods and goddesses.”
Boom Mas was really creating a Carnival world based around divinity, immortality and mythology across cultures.
Boom Mas Was Still a Young Band
What makes the size of the 2015 presentation even more interesting is how young Boom Mas still was.
The band had only made its Eastern Parkway debut in 2014, presenting “Je Taime Karnival — I Love Carnival.”
Later reporting records Boom Mas finishing third in the Adult Large Band category in 2014.
By 2015, the band was already returning with a much larger mythological concept.
Official Carnival records listed Gregory Pelerin as band leader and 3816 Church Avenue in Brooklyn as the Boom Mas camp for the season.
From the Launch Stage to Eastern Parkway
A band launch is where the road starts becoming real.
Before hundreds of masqueraders ever reach Eastern Parkway, potential players have to see the costumes, compare sections and decide which look they want to wear.
That is what this night was about.
Models brought each concept off the sketch page and onto the stage.
Designers got to see their work in motion.
And masqueraders could start imagining what Immortal Gods and Goddesses would look like once all of those individual sections came together on Labor Day.
Watch Boom Mas 2015: Immortal Gods and Goddesses
The original Julianspromos video captures the costume presentations and sections from Boom Mas’ 2015 New York Carnival launch.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Boom Mas had already become part of the Julianspromos New York Carnival story before the 2015 launch.
One year earlier, Julianspromos covered the band’s “Je Taime Karnival — I Love Carnival” launch at Café Omar in Brooklyn.
For that 2014 event, Chandy hosted the Julianspromos coverage while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited, with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson also in attendance.
The 2015 assignment continued that relationship.
Once again, Chandy was in front of the camera and Julian was behind it, but Boom Mas itself had moved into a very different creative world.
2014 had been about celebrating Carnival.
2015 brought gods, goddesses, Titans and ancient mythology into the mix.
That continuity is part of what makes the archive useful today: the coverage does not show Boom Mas at only one moment.
It shows the band developing from one New York Carnival season into the next.
And before Immortal Gods and Goddesses ever reached Eastern Parkway, Julianspromos was there in Brooklyn for the reveal.
Event Details
Event: Boom Mas 2015 Band Launch
Presentation: Immortal Gods and Goddesses
Event Period: June 2015
Exact Launch Date: Not yet independently confirmed
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Carnival: New York / West Indian American Day Carnival 2015
Band Leader: Gregory Pelerin
2015 Mas Camp: 3816 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
Costume Sections: 14 documented
Julianspromos Host: Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs
Camera: Julian C. Hackett
Editor: Julian C. Hackett
