Jouvay.com: Andy Armstrong Interview

I was lying in my bed and I heard Gabby count 1, 2, 3, 4 and then he started singing Jack and I decided then and there that I wanted to enter calypso. I approached him and voila here I am. He had a first timers tent and I joined that tent and then the following year I joined the Untouchables tent with Red Plastic Bag. From there I just kept doing my thing.

Andy Armstrong, 12/26/2003.
Waterfront Cafe,
Bridgetown , Barbados.

"Young Blood" aka Andy Armstrong is no stranger to the stage, having ruled it for close to twenty years, most of the time as Square One's frontline singer alongside Alison Hinds and Cecil Riley. When he's not turning out cropover hits like Bandanas and Turn It Up, or classics like Kitty Cat for the band, he's either working on his solo albums or producing for other singers in his up and coming studio. At times he feels like the "daddy" of the band, but as their leader he sure gave us some insight into their history.

Jouvay.com: We are here with Andy, the Kitty Cat Man and we are going to learn a bit more about him, Square One, Barbados and the whole music industry. So Andy, why do they call you the Kitty Cat man?

Andy Armstrong: Well, I did sing the song Somebody Kitty Cat Got Away and I just got dubbed the Kitty Cat Man.

J: How long have you been in Square One and how long have you been in the music business?

A: Well, next year it will be twenty years for me and for Square One it will be seventeen.

J: Twenty years is good. Congratulations. So, how did you start?

A: Thank You.

J: It’s like one of the only bands in Barbados that has been together for so long.

A: That’s right. All of the original members. How did I start? From very young I was always active with music in school, the church choir and that kind of stuff. In 1982 I was lying in my bed and I heard Gabby count 1, 2, 3, 4 and then he started singing Jack and I decided then and there that I wanted to enter calypso. I approached him and voila here I am. He had a first timers tent and I joined that tent and then the following year I joined the Untouchables tent with Red Plastic Bag. From there I just kept doing my thing.

J: Which song is Jack?

A: You know, "Jack, Jack..."

J: “Don’t want me to bathe on my beach.” That’s such a big issue here because they wanted to privatize the beach and it says, “the beach is mine and we could bathe anytime. Despite what they say we gone bathe anywhere.”

A: Well that was eons ago.

J: But it’s still applicable.

A: I think so because some people still want to bar off what they think is their private property.

J: And have all inclusive hotels here. Big issues. So, how did you start with Square One?

A: Well, I was traveling as a solo artiste and George, the guy who plays keyboards, we went to school together and were in the school band…

J: This was high school, primary school? We’re trying to get his age here.

A: High school. You’ll never get that. I am nineteen. He called me and said that Patrick, who is our manager now and who was managing a dance group, Country theater workshop at the time, he was having a Christmas concert and he was wondering if we could get some guys together to play some music in between the dance selections and stuff. So he called me and I went to the Richard Stoute teen talent and there I saw and met Paul and I knew Cecil from primary school and he was singing and I had entered Alison in the talent competition a couple years before, so I just asked everybody.

J: You had entered her?

A: Yeah yeah cause she was a friend of mine. And I told her to sing to me over the telephone.

J: Were you macking?

A: No. She kind of blew me away with her voice and I told her she should enter and she did and came third. We just all got together and started rehearsing for that Christmas concert. The vibe we had together then we decided that we had to go on. It was not going to be a one time thing. We were all serious guys. Some even quit their jobs to do it fulltime.

J: That’s commitment. What’s the talent show?

A: The Richard Stoute teen talent competition, that’s been going on for eons. This guy Richard Stoute, for a long time he has been doing a talent competition. It runs for about 8 weeks. He has a couple of preliminaries and then a semi final and a final. I was actually a contestant. I won my preliminary and went to the finals. That year actually TC, Edwin, myself, Classic, I don't know if you're familiar with William Wade Classic, a lot of the guys were in that competition. That was 1983. Edwin Yearwood won the competition that year. I think TC came third. I came about fifth or so. I was the only person doing original stuff and calypso. I did an original ballad as well. They used to call me the young Lionel Richie.

J: Let’s hear it.

A: No, of course not.

J: A lot of big singers come out of that.

A: Oh yeah definitely and then they graduate into the small bands in the hotel and then they move onto the cruise ships and nightclub circuits.

J: And then they get big. Is that how Square One went?

A: Well, the band itself was never in the competition. I was in it as a singer, Paul the bassman as a singer, Alison as a singer, Cecil as a singer, George did an impromptu competition on the Sunday show, the drummer, he guest appeared with a rock band he was in at the time. So, we all went through the teen talent competition. Square One as a band we never did that.

J: How about Terry?

A: He was in the school band with George and me. Terry left school and was traveling on the cruise liners playing steel pan.

J: Then, what happened? You guys played the hotel, night club circuit.

A: Yeah, when we started our first gig was the dance show with our manager. From there a guy, his name was Robert Weeks, he saw us and he hired us to do a similar thing for another dance performace at Combermere. And we did that. After that we then guest appeared. The same guy Robert got us a spot at the Miss Barbados competition at the Globe. We did the same thing, intermission music and stuff.

J: And you all stealing all the shows by now.

A: Of course. Slowly and surely we got in there. We then got our first hotel job at Glitter Bay and then Royal Pavillion and from there Sam Lord’s castle. We were doing like 5 nights a week in the hotels. This was after school, full time.

J: Were you with a label by now?

A: Not as yet. We then graduated to the nightclub circuit. We played Ship Inn, Harbor lights, the Warehouse, Pier 29…

J: Warehouse before it burnt down. Warehouse used to be right over where we are sitting.

A: Before and after it burnt down. We started to become more popular.

J: And you became more popular with the ladies?

A: Aye aye aye, became more popular with the group.

J: You were already together with your wife then.

A: Yes, I was with her one year before the band started. Next year we will be together for eighteen years.

J: That's cool. So, after the clubs you were telling me how you got your first gig.

A: Yes, we started recording at the Merrymen’s studio. It was Macfingall at the time, Red Plastic Bag’s manager who recorded us. We did an album called Eat Drink and Be Merry which was a big road contender. The album was done in 1989. The song was recorded before for the 1988 cropover. A man who does mas bands had a band called Happy For Days. Red Plastic bag wrote that song and I performed it. That was our first album.

J: Is it still available now?

A: Not really, you’d hardly find it in the record stores. You’ll probably find it on cassette.

J: At the No 1 record store in Independent Square, Bridgetown Barbados.

A: Yes. In 1991 we then hooked up with ICE records with Eddy Grant.

J: Who is Guyanese.

A: Yes. Then we broke loose and we did our own thing in 1996. Started our own label. That was the same year we got a really big hit, Ragamuffin, that won the road march. Then we started touring.

J: That’s when I started to hear about Square One. Big time. Did I tell you I found your first recording with Ice Records in Rasputins in Berkeley.

A: Really, which one was that?

J: Square Roots.

A: Really, actually that was not our first album. Our first album was called Special that had six songs on it, but it's not on CD. From that album we had a nomination at the Caribbean music awards for the top Caribbean group.

J: Was that the one that talks about Black leaders?

A: That's Black History and it's on 4 Size, the same CD with Ragamuffin, Danse Lentment, El Ring Bang..

J: Danse Lentment. How did you guys start doing a lot of songs not in English?

A: Basically we wanted to cater not only to the Barbadian audience. We wanted to make sure and spread our wings as much as possible. Not only in the languages , but in the type of music they listen to. To crossover with zouk and cadence and stuff.

J: You need to come to Guyana and hear a folk song.

A: Guyana. Well of course. We probably will do it in our own style and make it a big hit like we did with Famula.

J: How did that happen?

A: What we usually like to do is when we go to someplace new is find out from the promoter what is the most popular sound around and they’d send the recording and we’d learn the song. We did that for Suriname. When we performed the song in Suriname it went down extremely well. We brought the live recording back to Barbados and started to play it on the radio. And it became extremely popular. And we decided to re-record it. That crowd response you hear at the beginning of the song is actually from the show in Suriname. It was phenomenal.

J: That was 1998 cropover. That was my first Bajan cropover.

A: Really, and that might have been a good one.

J: It was excellent. That song would make you go crazy. So, where else have you guys played?

A: All over man. We’ve been as far as Helsinki near the North pole.

J: How you guys land up there?

A: The Barbados Tourism Authority at the time was having an expo there. Lucky for us we did not have to travel all around. The first day we went outside I don’t think we got farther than a hundred yards. That is way too cold for us. I’m telling you I stayed in the hotel for two entire weeks..

J: A trip like that you need to travel with your wife. So you guys work a lot with the tourist board here. You were in LA with the tourist board.

A: Yes, quite alot. Two of the shows were for the tourist board and they were quite successful.

J: How does that work? They help sponsor it?

A: Yes, basically they do. Or sometimes we don’t charge much or not at all and we just do it as a tourism thing.

J: And you get the publicity and sometimes another promoter would put you on their show as well.

A: Yes.

J: That’s great. Maybe that’s how we’ll bring you to San Francisco.

A: Yeah, maybe.

J: That’s how you all went to LA this October for the first time. That show was excellent.

A: Well, we had a fantastic time. Did I mention to you that the band is sponsored by the School of Hard Knocks?

J: I see you're sporting their pants with the Jouvay.com shirt. What's the website?

A: www.schoolofhardknocksonline.com.

J: Based in NY? A Trinidadian family?

A: And part Barbadian. They’ve decided to sponsor the band. We go on stage and perform in the Hard Knocks gear. I did not realize it was so popular until I started seeing so many people wearing the clothes.

J: How about Alison, does she wear Hard Knocks stuff also?

A: Well she started, but most of the stuff is men’s and casual.

J: She too sexy for that. They'll have to mould something just for her. How did that happen?

A: Basically through a family tie. One of my cousins does the promotion and publicity for them as well.

J: So, you guys do Miami, NY, Trinidad..let’s hear a bit about Trinidad.

A: Trinidad is huge. We normally go there for about an entire month every year. The first week we do about 3 shows, and by the third weekend it goes up to about five shows.

J: Who are you playing with this year?

A: This year I am not sure. We are just going for the final week. The reason being that this year, we tried it last year just before carnival where we went to Guatemala..

J: Gautemala!! New market.

A: Faluma was on the charts for 49 weeks at number 1 there.

J: That’s amazing.

A: Yeah. This year we will be doing Guadeloupe and Martinique. We have not gone to Martinique in almost 10 years.

J: That should be great. You do stuff for charity here right?

A: Yes.

J: What kinds of stuff?

A: All sorts of stuff. When we did our 10th anniversary party some of the proceeds went to the UNDP fund. We do stuff for disabled children, lots of Christmas parties for children, and if we can't make it we try to send something.

J: If there was a cause that you were really passionate about what would you donate to?

A: If it has to do with feeding people I would donate to that.

J: Is there a big problem with hunger here?

A: Not here, but in the world.

J: What parts of the world you've not gone to as yet?

A: We have not been to Africa, Asia or Australia.

J: So, you have a kid right?

A: Yes I have a kid who is 4 years old.

J: Does he travel when you perform?

A: No, but every two years I take him up along with my wife to New York, because we normally perform there for 2 weeks, and we spend some time until I take vacation.

J: How much vacation you guys get?

A: 4 weeks. That's all.

J: That's more than a regular person.

A: In this business, it's not enough. This is a 24 hour a day business.

J: Cause the creative mind is always going.

A: Yes and you get calls at 3, 4, 5 am..

J: 4 am, what kinds of calls are those?

A: People from the other end of the globe who forget that there's a time difference.

J: Why do they call you Blood?

A: Young Blood was a name I got from the Mighty Gabby ....by accident....He could not remember my name when I first met with him and he wrote it on a cassette. At first I thought he had given me the wrong one but then I realised what he had done. I liked it and I used the name. Over time people would just call me Blood and so today that is what I use on stage.

J: You also have solo albums, when did you do Maniac and Conscience call?

A: I recorded the Album Conscience Call in 1998 and in 2000 I did Maniac.

J: Who's label are they on?

A: They are both on my own label that I started also in 1998....REDDHEAD RECORDS.

J: You're coming out with a 20 anniversary CD..when's it dropping?

A: My 20th Anniversary CD will most likely drop for CROP OVER 2003....early June.

J: Do you perform without Square One?

A: Yes at times when the opportunity arises I do perform without Square One. I have done so during Trinidad carnival, in Barbados, and my last performance was Labor Day weekend in NY.

J: Do you play an instrument?

A: Yes I play several instruments. I once played the guitar in the band, so I guess you can call that my first instrument, then I can also play a bit of keyboards and I fumble around the drums if you want to call it that.

J: Apart from the soca we hear at shows in the States, do you do other stuff..more political songs, more social commentary?

A: Yes I do actually. I have for the last couple of years been also competing in our national calypso monarch competition. In 2001 I made it to the Semifinals.....that was also the same year I won the PARTY MONARCH with Bandanas. Last year I did a song called Never Give Up The Faith.

J: When Square One started, you were the lead singer and then Alison was given a try with Ragamuffin which
won a road march. Was it all love or did you feel a way back then?

A: Feel a way? No, in fact we were all elated that we as a group had finally achieved one of our goals, and that song is the one that opened many a door for us. That year we were all in the Party Monarch finals as well, Alison, Oshaka and myself.

J: Would you say you're like the big brother of the band?

A: Sometimes I feel that way. In most cases they would call me for whatever...sometimes I feel more like a Daddy. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but as leader of the band I do have my duties to take care of and I believe that one of them is to make sure that they are always informed of developing issues....and keeping them "happy".

J: So you produce stuff also?

A: Yes, this year I produced. Turn..

J: “Turn it Up, Turn It Up, Mistah Deejayy pump de music louder de gyals dem wan de preshha”....Big tune.

A: Yes. They are working on a remix of it. I produced that in my own up and coming studio, Tone Deaf studios by the way. So, if you know any artistes…..it’s in Harmony Lodge in St. Philips. You don’t have to have a lot of money.

J: Who has come through there?

A: I have worked with Star Perez.

J: Oh, I like Star. I’ll see her perform tomorrow night.

A: Natalie Burke. A guy called Air Flick. Raggaman as well, that's Leslie Patterson. He's produced work for Adrian Clarke and TC.

J: Adrian Clarke was with Coalishun. I saw them perform at the boatyard last Tuesday.

A: Then there's this lady A. Marshall who works with Love FM, we recently did a Christmas song together.

J: Oh really, how does it go?

A: No.

J: Is there anything else?

A: Ahmmm

J: Come to Beautiful Barbados.

A: Yes

J: Cropover 2003. When is it?

A: July to August.

J: The first weekend in August. And we will jump with the Kitty Cat man, coming out with his Kitty Cat shorts for Jouvay.com.

No, she did not say that on tape and yes she did wear them around Barbados explaining to everyone that stared that they were signed by Andy Armstrong, Sean Paul and Rusty from Double Xplojun. Pre order yours now because they’ll be hotter than pepper to borrow words from Peter Ram’s song Move!!

“Somebody Kitty Cat get away and you know where it gone? It gone to Jouvay.com….LOG ON.” Blood.

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Thanks to Alesia Ferguson for technical assistance whilst recording.