Artistry is about creativity. Burton Toney’s got a lot of it in him. He possesses a natural knack for stage performance and when he visits Tobago in a few weeks for Tobago Carnival, he’ll give ‘dem’ performance at any opportunity. The entertainer who performed in the 90’s with big names in the Soca music industry like Ronnie McIntosh, Kurt Allen, Knycky Cordner and Destra Garcia, recently unleashed a brand new single called, ‘Leave’ and just like that, he’s back in the mix.

Toney’s taking it slow as he assesses the music scene, but with tremendous experience on his side, he’s using his talent and wisdom to help others. “I returned to Tobago and realized that a lot of the younger artistes were looking up to me. I’ve invested in two female artistes in Tobago. I’ve executive produced for them because I felt the need to give back – to be like a mentor to them,” he said.

He was born and grew up in Signal Hill, attended Signal Hill Secondary School and understands music well. He was first exposed to performance art when John Arnold introduced him to performing with the Illuminate Choir in Tobago. “In Trinidad, some time later, I was a part of a band called, Eclipse. As luck would have it, the big band, Atlantik with Knycky Cordner and Kurt Allen, was looking for extra vocals for Carnival Monday and Tuesday on the road.” That was the beginning of a career turning point for Toney, as he would become a part of Atlantik, touring the Caribbean with the band and working with several artistes over time.

In 2005, Burton Toney left Trinidad and Tobago for Nantucket, Massachusetts. He was expecting his first child. “My son is now 21- years- old,” he told Ebuzztt, noting that when he migrated, music remained a big part of his life. “I continued doing music for a bit. I started with family. Meghan Trainor is my neice-in-law and I worked with her on building her confidence. She was extremely talented and I told folks, she could really sing,” he recalled. Trainor is now an internationally recognized superstar. The family moved to California in 2016 and life happened. “Between family and work life, I was completely distracted from music, but then three years ago, a couple of my friends said to me, ‘Burton it’s time to get off the shelf and get back to music.”

Back in Business

Songwriter Jason ‘Shaft ‘ Bishop was the man who’d initially work alongside Burton as he made his moves to get back onto the Soca scene. “Shaft and I worked on two songs, ‘Someday and ‘ Lockdown.’ That’s when I returned to Tobago after so many years and experienced Tobago Carnival. I knew I had to get involved in it,” he said. Since that time, Burton has been working on new material, reigniting his spark and pushing into a niche market, as he sees it. “I have two songs completed so far this year – ‘ Leave’ and ‘Only One.’ When I re-emerged three years ago, I reminded those who remembered me of my performance style and the women loved it. I made a decision then and there to focus on that demographic – mature women and couples – giving women the music and performance they can move to and enjoy, and giving men the lyrics and melody they can sing into their lady’s ear,” said the entertainer.

Burton Tony’s music is groovy but includes a certain attitude that calls out to the audience, reaching deep into the fire that burns in them. “I want to concentrate on doing music that the audience can truly connect with. I want people to dance more – hold on to each other. That’s my specialty I think.”

Turning to Tobago

No matter what, this man of great experience will always give his audience a show. “Destra used to tell me, the yard could be empty, you still run out like there are thousands of people and that’s the mentality I have. Everybody has a smartphone and you’re being seen more than ever now. You always have to give it full 100 per cent,” said Toney.

As the focus turns to Tobago in the month ahead, Burton says he hopes the organization will do what it needs to, to ensure Tobago’s artistes benefit from the island’s showcase over the next few weeks. “The Carnival market is very saturated and the organizers will always bring big artistes from around the Caribbean, but one of the things I would love for Tobago is exposure and visibility for the artistes of Tobago – offering them a chance to be seen and heard; That would be respectful of the people of Tobago.”

Excited to once again come back home, Burton says his family will be with him this year and with his new singles in hand, he’s ready to bring good energy and pure vibes to Tobago. ” ‘Leave’ is one of those songs that speaks to the women. It was produced by Andy Davis – an incredible Tobagonian producer and written by Guyana’s Dickisha Mpilla, who’s based in California,” he said.

‘Only You’ is Burtons second release for Tobago and wherever else the road takes him. “I don’t ever think about how difficult the journey might be. I concentrate on doing music that the audience can truly connect with. I want people to dance more – hold on to each other, and that is ultimately my goal. It’s not about competing with anyone else. I’m just about great music, stage presence and big energy.”

Ready for Tobago Carnival – a calendar staple now, which climaxes between October 29th and October31st, Burton Toney is returning with an open mind and great aspirations. “My son told me he’s proud of me after he saw one of my performances in Tobago last year. He had never seen my performance and he was totally surprised. He says he likes the music and that’s real success, to me.”

Pleased with the feedback he’s been receiving since releasing the music, the artiste promises nothing less that his 100 per cent on any stage. He’s the type of guy to leave it all on stage, and in a saturated market, that attitude could be the difference between Burton Toney and every other artiste on the scene.

A major effort to recant what is now the norm in entertainment, is here.

One team, one mission – to recalibrate the energy and bring the real party vibe back to what it once was. Radio personality and well known DJ in Trinidad and Tobago, Jus Jase is part of the Timeless Entertainment team. His brothers in the music industry, Jon Boi, Beats By Robin, Franco, Ken Simmons and Kevin Baker collectively agree that the time has come to regenerate interest in the the party scene. They’re the team that’s behind an upcoming event that’s guaranteed to leaving a long lasting impression.

On September 23rd – the night before the Republic Day holiday in Trinidad and Tobago, party people are set to enjoy great music coupled with the perfect ambience, at The Gathering. This highly anticipated event that’s marketed to the grown and sexy, is being held at Sideline Sips- a venue adjacent to the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya. “We’re not new to this. In fact, we’ve been down this road before and we know what’s needed,” said Jase in an interview with Ebuzztt. He said from the days of hosting events at Ambassador Hotel and other venues across the country in the 2000’s to hosting more intimate house parties when venues became a challenge, the Timelesss team of DJs have seen it unfold in real time. Now, they’re prepared to use their knowledge of music, business and promotion to give real music lovers a product they’ll have no problem buying into. “We still have the appetite to deliver that vibe people once experienced at those events back then, today and we’ll be doing that at The Gathering,” said Jase.

Partnering with Abslut Vodka for welcome cocktails and Hookah & Chill to ensure Hookah lovers are catered to, the team is going all out to provide the very essence that makes a grown and sexy party what it should look and feel like. “We’re coming as one army of top tier DJs, powered by a quality sound system in QCW Sounds from East, Trinidad, and as tastemakers in the game, we can say with every bit of confidence, that we will leave every patron thoroughly satisfied,” Jase affirmed.

The event is not a Back in Times party. Music from every period will be juggled with the level of refined expertise that only these seasoned selectors, can deliver. “Early bird $200 tickets are now sold out and $250 tickets are still available, but we encourage everyone to secure them soon. We have a special that offers three ladies on one ticket for the price of just $400,” said Jase, highlighting that a cash bar will be available for patrons’ convenience. “This event is everything people have been asking us for, over the years. We’re catering to the thriving cigar culture with a cigar station as one of our features, along with flavored Hookah, and even a Paparazzi area for the selfie lovers. It will be an overall sexy, mature experience and we want our patrons to come out looking their best and feeling their best to truly enjoy the kind of experience they’ve been yearning for.”

Ready to welcome folks from all walks of life and certainly the young and mature alike, the Timeless Entertainment team is promising music that’ll invoke emotion on September 23rd- music that will be played to make everybody move. “Our team isn’t a team of DJs that are in competition with each other. In fact, we hang out a lot together and we’re a family. This is the energy that will show itself in the way this party feels from beginning to end,” he assured. Jus Jase, like the rest of his crew, understands that music holds immense power and how music is played is essential to how the event is enjoyed. “We formed this alliance after meeting at a party that we were all at in Chaguaramas. We were standing there together and we all had the same facial expression in observing the way the DJs were playing the same old school music. They just were not doing justice to the music. We started laughing about it and that’s how the conversation to create a proper option for party lovers, started.”

From a simple desire to do things the right way for patrons who truly want to get out and have a good time, to now preparing for the first of what they guarantee will be many more to come, Timeless Entertainment is bringing back the heat. “We’ve lost the art of people meeting people at events because of the phone culture over time. People are not going to experience the true authenticity of an event through a phone screen. Over time, there has been a divide in what people do when they come out to party nowadays. Even carnival has suffered from that. We don’t want to encourage that,” said Jus Jase. He says The Gathering will show music lovers just what it means to chase all inhibition away.

The team plans on delivering club-style events across the country. Together, they’re embarking on something that many have been calling for, for quite some time. “We won’t be at this particular venue all the time. We may bring back some clubs again and we’ll eventually do a Boat Ride and other types of events. Timeless Entertainment is bent on showing everyone, everywhere exactly how the party vibe should be.