Ebuzz News
Iwer George Did No Wrong- Contract States Promoters To Provide Permits, Says Anson George.
Claims from co-promoters of a Mother’s Day event in Brooklyn New York, this past May that soca artiste Iwer George failed to appear, despite receiving a 50% downpayment, are today being disputed by George’s management. Anson George, Iwer’s manager today told ETCETERABUZZ that the allegations are simply, not true.
In our chat with George, it was revealed that Iwer’s appearance at the event was being done as more or less a favour to their friend, Edwin from VP records. The gig, dubbed a “dying show” by Anson George was being done for less than the normal figure usually presented to promoters, for the act. “We don’t even know who the promoters are, we were merely doing a favour for Edwin who asked us to do the show because the show was dying. We were trying to help out the situation,” said Anson.
Iwer ‘The Boss’ George
Explaining that it was the sole responsibility of the show’s promotional outfit to attain work permits for the artiste and his team, something that is indicated in their contract, Anson told us that the work permits were not ready on time and as such, they were unable to attend. He also disclosed that contractually, all down payments made to Iwer George are non-refundable. “We did change the flight dates for the tickets but this was only because Iwer had another event to perform at, here in Trinidad. We re-scheduled to a date that would still allow us enough time to get to New York in time for the show.”
Anson George told ETCETERABUZZ exclusively that they have since told the promoters they are willing to do another show for them on a future date, even agreeing to fly there at their own cost, however, judging by yesterday’s issuance of a press release on the issue by co-promoters, ‘Everybody’s Caribbean magazine’, we can safely assume that they will not be accepting this option.
Anson said he is disappointed that the situation has come to this and in light of threats of a lawsuit he says they have a contract that clearly states deposits are non refundable and work permits are to be organised by show promoters. He said often time artistes bear the pain of not being paid by promoters and it is never made a public scandal, explaining that this has in fact happened before. Asked of Iwer’s reaction to the situation, Anson told us Iwer is busy dealing with a situation that arose a couple weekends ago on his boat- the Coral Vision. “Right now, Iwer isn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with this particular issue. He’s busy with the boat,” said Anson.
Iwer George will perform across the Caribbean in the weeks ahead.
Now, here’s a look at the media release issued by Everybody’s Caribbean
[box color=”black” icon=”world”]
IS SOCA ARTIST IWER GEORGE A THIEF?
Greetings!
There is reason why we did not thank everyone earlier who attended our Mother’s Day Concert at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY especially fans who came from as far as MA, CT, MD and Washington, DC.
We thank you wholeheartedly for coming to the concert. We apologize for the delay acknowledgement. Here is the explanation.
We were trying to find out the reason why Iwer George did not appear at the concert after we paid him almost 50% deposit fee, sent him the two roundtrip airline tickets from Trinidad & Tobago to NY and reserved two hotel rooms he requested in his contract and then forward you, the fan, his excuse.
Iwer George, Anson George, his manager and Larry Williams, his agent, gave us George’s travelling dates before the airline tickets were purchased. Iwer George and Anson George were booked to arrive in NY on May 9, 2013; then their agent Williams said they changed the airline tickets to May 10 and then to May 11.
Almost a month later, we have not heard from Iwer George who cashed the two checks and Anson George who created the contract on behalf of Neil Iwer George. A few days after the concert, we heard from their agent, Larry Williams, who signed the contract on Iwer Neil George and Anson George behalf stating that he was unable to contact Iwer George.
We gave them enough time to contact us. By not contacting us, we conclude that Iwer Neil George, manager Anson George and agent Larry Williams conspired to defraud us by entering into a contract, deliberately taking and cashing our checks, have us pay for two airline tickets knowing that the artist did not intend to appear.
Both checks were payable to Neil George and Neil George, better known as Iwer George, cashed them.
We had no other recourse but to take legal actions against Neil Iwer George, Anson George and Larry Williams; amongst the penalties we are requesting of the court is an injunction barring Neil Iwer George from performing in the U.S. and the USVI.
We hoped to settle the matter privately so that one artist’s thievery will not be a reflection of honest and decent calypso and soca artists. Unfortunately, Neil Iwer George, Anson George and Larry Williams have ignored us.
It’s about time one takes legal actions against corrupt calypso and soca performers and their agents who rob promoters and the public.
We do not plan to issue any more public statements.
We apologize for not presenting Iwer George as advertised and hope fans will attend next year’s concert when we will make every attempt NOT to hire dishonest, unprofessional, scrupulous and unethical performers such as Iwer George.
Sincerely,
The co-promoters
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Ebuzz News
Patrice Roberts Pulls 10K Plus Crowd At Flava Village in Port-of-Spain.
The national Carnival Commission says more than 10,000 patrons came out to Flava Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday night to see female Soca artiste, Patrice Roberts.
An event dubbed, ‘Always Us,’ held as a free showcase for Carnival lovers, delivered a number of truly entertaining soca stars, among them, Shal Marshall, Shurwayne Winchester, Nadia Batson, Farmer Nappy and Mical Teja. The NCC, in a media statement said, “an estimated 8,000 people filled the popular Carnival venue, with an additional 2,000patrons enjoying the show from viewing screens along The Drag, creating an electric Carnival atmosphere despite heavy rainfall earlier in the day.”
With her usual high energy performances, Patrice held the attention of fans throughout the night.The concert was described by the artiste as a heartfelt “thank you” to her fans and
supporters. NCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Keiba Jacob-Mottley, said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to partner with Roberts. “We commend Patrice for her decision to give back in this meaningful way and applaud her commitment to ensuring that high-quality local entertainment remains accessible to everyone during the Carnival season, Mottley said, adding, “Our collaboration reinforces the NCC’s focus on creating memorable Carnival experiences that celebrate our artistes while removing financial barriers for the public,” she added.
The NCC CEO noted that the Flava Food Village, one of two signature Carnival villages at the
Savannah, alongside the John Cupid Carnival Village, is offered as a vibrant, inclusive space
where patrons can enjoy food, culture, and nightly performances free of charge. She added
that other NCC events, such as “Welcome to the Gayelle” represent the continuing work at
delivering a successful Carnival 2026.
David Baptiste, President of the Carnival Entrepreneurs Association, described the night as a milestone for vendors at the Savannah. “Last night was truly beautiful and something I have never seen before – an event of this magnitude in terms of crowd size, and people supporting the vendors. Many vendors sold out last night. We need more of this, and I am looking forward to the next event. Events like these boost business for our vendors at the Savannah and make them truly feel like they are a part of the Carnival festival,” Baptiste said.
Ebuzz News
Squeezy Rankin’s Pivot. Artiste Goes Hard into Calypso to Change Mindsets.
From dancehall music with rough lyrical content to social commentary that aims at changing mindsets, East Trinidad native, Squeezy Rankin says he has found his true calling in Calypso music. The entertainer is on the road to the preliminary round of the Calypso Monarch Competition later this month, with a single called ‘Rat Race’ – this, one year after ‘Justice’ influenced younger audiences to take a stronger look at the Calypso genre, something that he hopes he can continue to do as his journey in music continues.
In a recent radio interview, the reigning Young King, whose real name is Anthony La Fleur, said prior to 2025, he had not done music professionally in 13 years. Jumping back into the spotlight, he said, was a bit intimidating, but the exposure last year has prepared him for 2026 and the artiste is expected to confidently claim his space in the Calypso Monarch competition this year.
As real as it gets, Squeezy Rankin- a man on the ground, has always fought for his place in the music industry locally. Now, as Calypso music embraces him even more, he says he believes he’s found his place. “I plan on releasing two songs during the year because I want to change the narrative that Calypso music is old people music,” he said, adding that his hope is that urban radio stations see the value in sharing topics of social commentary, such as ‘Justice’ and ‘Rat Race’- songs deep in meaning and valuable beyond measure, in the greater scheme of things.
Determined to change mindsets one song at a time, Squeezy Rankin says his strong suit is certainly social commentary and he will not, at any time, delve into political commentary. “I was advised by someone who is deep in politics to stay out of it and I literally listened. You know sometimes we hear people, but we aren’t listening. I thought about what he said, and it made sense. I literally listened, even though they say I don’t listen,” he said with a laugh.
‘Rat Race’ was written by Squeezy and Angelo Pantin with production by Q-Ban Production.
NEW MUSIC
