SACHA ALEXANDER AND SWEET PEPPA BAND SPREAD CULTURAL CHEER at the TGISUNDAY Concert in the Park Series held on Emancipation Day, July 3, 2016, at Limpricht Park in Christiansted.
A youthful Quelbe band descended on Christiansted's Limpricht Park on Emancipation Day to spread Crucian culture and the spirit of freedom at the second event of the TGISUNDAY Concert in the Park Series held on July 3. Guided by leader Sacha Alexander, music department chairperson at Elena Christian Jr. High School, the Sweet Peppa Band entertained the crowd with renditions of Quelbe music made popular by the iconic Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights (TSK), plus with a little reggae music added to the mix.
Sandra Bailey, a resident of a nearby residential community, said she heard the distinctive music from her home and ventured out to enjoy it close up--expecting TSK. “The band was great,” she said as Sweet Peppa wrapped up its final number. “I thought it was Stanley.”
While fans have compared its sound to TSK--an accolade Sweet Peppa is proud to receive--the band is carving out a niche of its own. With a unique ability to move effortlessly between traditional Quelbe music and reggae tunes, the group is making waves with both the young and the young at heart. It's young adult members bring a fresh energy to Quelbe music, captivating a new generation of music lovers with the message and artistry of a centries-old musical art form.
TGISUNDAY concerts launched on June 26, 2016 at the Verne I. Richards Memorial Park on Strand Street in Frederiksted. The Eddie Russell Quelbe Band entertained the audience that day. The concerts are held Sundays, alternating between the Frederiksted and Christiansted sites, through August 14. On July 10, Daddy Jones and the Crew will perform at the Verne I. Richards Park in Frederiksted; and in Christiansted on July 17, the Renaissance Quelbe Band, under the direction of Dimitri "Pikey" Copeman, will entertain the public.
TGISUNDAY Concert in the Park Series is a joint effort between the Department of Education's Division of Cultural Education and the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation. Concerts begin at 4 p.m. on Sundays and are free and open to the public. The concerts are sponsored in part by the Economic Development Authority (EDA), the Department of Agriculture, Innovative and the Virgin Islands National Guard.
For more information, contact the Division of the V. I. Cultural Education at (340) 773-1095.
MUSICIAN DARREL “MICKEY” LYNCH, red shirt, joins Sweet Peppa band on stage at the TGISUNDAY concert held July 3 at Limpricht Park in Christiansted.
FRIENDS PLEASED WITH SWEET PEPPA PERFORMANCE at Limpricht Park at the TGISUNDAY Concert in the Park Series on Sunday, July 3, 2016.
