TNT Boys Unveils “Species: Life of the Caribbean” for New York Carnival 2014
Fresh off a successful 2013 Carnival season, TNT Boys Mas Band returned on Sunday, May 18, 2014, unveiling its new presentation for New York Carnival: “Species: Life of the Caribbean.”
Julianspromos was there as the Brooklyn-based mas band introduced its 2014 costumes ahead of the annual West Indian American Day Carnival on Eastern Parkway. Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs hosted the coverage, while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the video.
Watch TNT Boys “Species: Life of the Caribbean”
The Julianspromos highlights were uploaded on May 20, 2014, two days after the launch.
A New Presentation After a Strong 2013 Season
TNT Boys entered the 2014 season with momentum.
The previous year, the band had presented “The Future Is Now,” giving TNT Boys a strong foundation as it prepared another concept for the streets of Brooklyn.
For 2014, the band shifted its focus toward the Caribbean’s natural beauty and diversity with “Species: Life of the Caribbean.”
The presentation gave designers a broad canvas to work with, drawing inspiration from the region’s wildlife, tropical environment, marine life, vegetation and vibrant colors.
Bringing Caribbean Life Into Mas
Carnival costumes have long transformed themes into movement, color and spectacle, and “Species: Life of the Caribbean” offered plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
Through feathers, gems, elaborate headpieces and colorful section designs, TNT Boys used the launch to begin revealing how its Caribbean-inspired concept would eventually come alive on Eastern Parkway.
A band launch is also one of the first opportunities for masqueraders to decide where they want to play mas.
Before the music trucks, crowds and road experience arrive, the costumes have to capture people’s imagination.
That process was on display as TNT Boys introduced its 2014 presentation to New York.
Inside the TNT Boys Launch
The May 18 showcase gave supporters their first full look at the band’s new direction for the season.
Models brought the individual costumes to life while potential masqueraders got a closer look at the designs that would later move from the launch stage to the Carnival road.
For viewers today, the Julianspromos footage offers a look at an important part of Carnival that happens well before Labor Day: the months of preparation, creativity and promotion that build toward the parade itself.
Chandy Returns With TNT Boys
The 2014 coverage also continued Julianspromos’ documentation of TNT Boys from the previous Carnival season.
Chandy hosted the launch for Julianspromos, helping introduce viewers to the presentation and the atmosphere around the event, while Julian C. Hackett handled the filming and editing.
That continuity gives the archive an added dimension. Viewers can move from TNT Boys’ “The Future Is Now” in 2013 into “Species: Life of the Caribbean” in 2014 and see how the band’s creative direction changed from one Carnival season to the next.
From the Julianspromos Archives
The TNT Boys launch represents another part of Julianspromos’ growing commitment to documenting the full New York Carnival season, not only what happened on Eastern Parkway.
By 2014, Julianspromos coverage increasingly followed Carnival from its earliest stages — mas-band launches and costume presentations — through fetes, artist appearances and eventually the road itself.
With Chandy hosting and Julian C. Hackett shooting and editing, the TNT Boys coverage preserved a moment that would otherwise have existed mainly for the people who attended the launch.
The continuation from TNT Boys’ 2013 presentation into its 2014 season also reflects the growing depth of the Julianspromos archive. Rather than capturing only isolated events, the platform was beginning to build a year-to-year record of the bands, artists and organizations shaping Caribbean culture in New York.
More than a decade later, “Species: Life of the Caribbean” remains another piece of that larger Carnival story.
Event Details
Mas Band: TNT Boys
Presentation: Species: Life of the Caribbean
Launch Date: Sunday, May 18, 2014
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Julianspromos Host: Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs
Video: Shot and edited by Julian C. Hackett
Video Upload Date: May 20, 2014
