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We are days away from another much anticipated event by Dr. Garfield Alexander and his Team GMS. Dr Alexander who may very well be the only Doctor/Promoter Extrodinaire in the region, along with his Team GMS has been staging some of the federation;s most anticipated events over the last 6 years. Starting wit the Jouvert Chill in 2010 the group has organized a plethora of events that have drawn fans from a wide cross section of the public. Generally seen as events catered to mainly young professionals and the mature crowd the events by GMS have grown beyond those perceived bounds. We sat down with the Gurus, Maniacs and Sages behind this upcoming weekends’ Rockaway R.E.D for an interview to get a little insight into the genesis of the group and the personalities within the group.

What is Rockaway R.E.D all about?
Garfield: Well, r.e.d as the acronym chronicles, is all about rewinding the musical clocks and playing all the hits of the past. The songs you would not typical hear at fetes and parties. The e stands for elevating the standard. Now this is not a throwing shade on other promoters, BUT we here at GMS go all in when it comes to marketing, to our venues, to our entertainment and to our brand of parties. The d stands for dancing the night away. Rockaway R.E.D is an experience that occurs every february. For our patrons it is more than just a party.
You said you guys do things differently. How?
Garfield: When we started this brand of events it was targeting a those individuals over 30 who loved to have a great time but were turned off by the security issues at events. That weren’t hearing music from their era. Persons who wanted to lime and have a great time but needed the setting to be right. We catered to them.
Juella: We also market very differently. This is something that attracted me to the GMS team, they…we only use local faces on our posters. Our marketing and graphics are top notch and all done locally. That alone differentiates us from all others.
Who or what is GMS?
Juella: Gurus, Maniacs & Sages. Gurus because we have a great network of gurus or persons who are well versed in many areas who we rely on for advice. Maniacs because we think very much out of the box. And Sages because we rely on our experience and the wisdom of others. I joined the team in 2014 but I have been a fan since before How long have you guys been around?
Garfield: We started in 2010 with our first event J’ouvert Beach Chill which was a post-J’overt event located behind the Old Treasury Building in Port Zante. The idea for the event was a fusion of 3 minds. The 3 founding members were Sherlaan Roland, Mikal Manners and myself

What do you guys have planned for 2016?
Kamilah: This year’s Rockaway R.E.D is our fifth edition. We want to celebrate it in an amazing way. We think our event has aged to perfection. We have done most of the premier venues in the federation and have showcased the best bands and talents. Each year it gets better and better so this year we will be hosting our event at the Sky Ultra Lounge at the Marriott. The venue has been recently renovated with state of the art dj equipment and our DJs cannot wait to get the music blasting to get everyone in the mood for dancing. Correspondingly, this year we have DJ Sugarbowl who will bring his Express Train filled with hits from his old school musical library. We also have DJ Wett Dutt who needs no introduction. He has been with us from the very beginning. Then, we have Dejour, who has also aged to perfection and is ready to rock our mature guests. Nicha B Fresh is the next guest artist then we have the unmistakable Green House Band.
What are your roles? Who does what on the GMS team?
Kamilah: Practicality Police
Juella: Media Architect
Garfield: Opportunity Doctor