Ever since joining forces in January to tackle the local musical scene, dynamic duo ‘Gavin and Chucky’ have created quite a storm around the country.
Gavin Mendonca and Marlon ‘Chuck’ Adams met in 2015 at the second Rupununi Music and Arts Festival, which was held in Region Nine. Amid many differences, the duo had one thing in common: their love for folk songs. For both of them, folk music plays a significant role in their lives. They have described it as the natural sound of Guyana passed down from generation to generation.
Why folk music? Mendonca said that growing up, they both were and still remain passionate about folk music and as they got older, they began to understand how important it is for young people to preserve local folk songs.
“Folk music is way more than just songs our forefathers sang. Folk music is about community and togetherness along with love and appreciation for ourselves and each other,” he said, before adding that he believes those elements are lacking in modern society. The musician said that folk music is the key to teaching society how to, or at least, relearn how to treat each other.
Since their first meeting, Mendonca and Adams performed together a few times but never once dreamed that once their talents were combined, they would not only be performing in major events in Guyana but also around the world.
Nevertheless, after years of separately trying to make an impact on the Guyanese stage, the duo decided to form their ‘Gavin and Chucky’ band. They did this because “we truly love what we do and want to make a difference in society.” In addition, Mendonca said, he hopes their music would encourage young people to follow their dreams. “No one else is doing it so we stepped up to do just that,” he added.
The duo saw the importance of protecting and preserving folk songs, especially in modern day society, which, according to Mendonca, seems to be more pop oriented with media outlets being flooded with foreign content. He said that he and ‘Chucky’ see that as a threat to the Guyanese identity and they believe that people, especially the youths, need opportunities to not just hear folk songs but to appreciate and respect them for what they mean as Guyanese.
So they decided to combine their talents.
Their mission? To ‘folk up de place,’ which basically means performing in as many public spaces as possible. While the partnership was formed in January, it all began in February. The start of their successful year began when they started ‘Folk up yuh lunch’ at the Courtyard Mall on Robb Street every Friday from 12-2 pm, as long as they were in the country.
The same month, they were featured at ‘Banks on the Avenue’ and at the ‘Folk Night’ during the Mashramani season.
In March, they made their debut at the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Link Show 34, where they had the audience rolling in stitches with their fusion of folk music with witty comedy, according to Mendonca. He said at that show, they were presented with a book filled with 100 folk songs and they have decided that they would record all 100 folk songs in the coming years, in an effort to contribute to their preservation.
Meanwhile, in April, Mendonca travelled to Trinidad to perform at the New Fire Festival and later at Skyy Rock Festival. He returned to the country in May and the duo immediately started their debut album called ‘Folk it Up Vol. 1.’
The album, which was produced by Burchmore Simon of Kross Kolor Records, features 11 folk songs. The album was partly funded by a grant, which they received from the Department of Culture for the development of the creative industries. From May to August, Gavin and Chucky did gigs at places like MovieTowne, Hard Rock Cafe, Umana Yana, Theatre Guild, Linden Riverfront Festival, and at the National Park for Emancipation Day celebrations.
In August, the album was finished and the two were ready to release it to the world. Mendonca made a trip to the United States, where he launched the album at the annual Guyana Folk Festival in New York, which was hosted by the Guyana Cultural Association of New York. The album, according to Mendonca, was well-received and praised by the diaspora. While there, he performed at many free ‘open-mic nights’ – playing Guyanese folk music for hundreds of young people, who all appreciated and even joined in the singing and dancing. One of the songs, ‘Gangamani,’ which featured local rapper A-Tayjah, was one of the biggest hits.
While Mendonca was in New York, the ambassador of China reached out to him and Jackie Jaxx and asked them to perform at the annual Horticultural Expo in Beijing as cultural ambassadors and so he traveled across the ocean to perform Guyanese folk songs. He even went over to ‘folk up the place’ at the Great Wall of China after which he made his way back to Guyana.
But before that, he made a quick stop in Trinidad, where he performed at the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine campus. He reached out to the Guyanese Students Association which whole-heartedly committed to helping him organise an impromptu performance on campus. It was attended by over 60 young people, half of whom were non-Guyanese. This was a proud moment for Mendonca as he felt his mission was being accomplished. It was there that he realised that there is a link between Guyana and the Caribbean through their similarities in folk music.
Upon returning to Guyana, ‘Gavin and Chucky’ continued their ‘Folk up Yuh Lunch’ at the Courtyard Mall. They launched the album locally at the ‘Rupununi Music and Arts Festival: GT Connection 2’ in November.
After their partnership was formed, Mendonca said, there has been nothing but success for the duo.
