Calgary folk fest: Cymande may have one of the best comeback stories of all time, but founders say the band never really broke up
While the band was gaining traction in the U.S., it was virtually ignored after returning home to England. Scipio and Patterson left the United Kingdom and both became lawyers. Scipio even became the Attorney General of Anguilla for seven years.
Article content
'The success and the recognition, we had reached a certain level (in America) and felt we could not fall below a certain standard,' Scipio says. 'We were not prepared to do that. I should also say family interests had an impact on our decision. So we decided to call it a day, take a break and then revisit sometime down the road.'
Article content
'We described it (as) being a question of dignity and properly representing those who had found something worthwhile in the music,' Patterson adds. 'With those two things in mind, you can't go back to something that didn't match those achievements. We had to stand for something, having done what we did, being accepted by American audiences in the way we had been. You can keep going, going, going if you want to play the pub or some small clubs, but that said nothing to us. That did not represent what audiences had done in recognizing our music as valuable to them, as meaningful to them. Having another place to go or a desire (for) another place made it easy to stop for the length of time that we eventually did.'
Article content
Article content
'I myself have probably always been a lawyer in my head,' Patterson adds with a laugh. 'But that's quite a different thing from being a lawyer in real time. But it was good to have that, if you like, failsafe.'
Article content
Music has returned to the forefront now. Cymande released Renascence in January, its first new album in a decade. Scipio and Patterson have always resisted characterizing Cymande as a funk band, and the new album showcases a hybrid of genres. That includes the dark funk and deep-soul grooves that open Chasing an Empty Dream, the soft R&B of Road to Zion and jazz beats of Coltrane, a tribute to one of the band's earliest influences.
Article content
The piano-led ballad Only One Way features a stunning vocal by British neo-soul artist Celeste, who asked to collaborate with the band. British DJ Jazzie B joins the group for the soaring, shape-shifting, sing-along How We Roll.
Article content
Article content
'Over the years, we have never stopped writing,' Scipio says. 'But this new project has been a real pleasure because we have managed to find an avenue that connected our past with our present and our future as we saw it.'
Article content
As for the hip-hop artists that helped bring Cymande back to the spotlight, the two musicians are appreciative.
Article content
'The young guys who use bits of our music to make their own creations have done a wonderful job,' says Scipio.
Article content
'To have your work recognized in that way by peer musicians is a fantastic thing,' Patterson says. 'Especially after the period of time and the struggles that we had experienced in the '70s. To find a younger generation having that connectedness with something you had created all that time ago makes you feel that it had value for it to sustain itself… The thing you created has value that transcends generations. I'm certainly very proud of what we did in the 1970s.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
'I can't wait to go': Chappell Roan promises to perform in Saskatchewan one day
A pop culture moment has Saskatchewan in the spotlight, and now Chappell Roan has promised to perform in the province. I've never been there, but I promise I will perform there one day, Roan said in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music (new window) Tuesday. It's about time Saskatchewan get recognized globally, she added while on tour in Vienna, Austria. In her latest single, The Subway , the American singer-songwriter curses in post-breakup frustration that she's had enough and is moving to Saskatchewan. The song premiered at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Since the song came out, the Prairie province has seen a wave of attention. Tourism Saskatchewan highlighted the song on their social media. "If @chappellroan (new window) is moving to @tourismsask (new window) , so are we," said the caption on a video made in partnership with Destination Canada. Tourism Saskatchewan CEO Jonathan Potts said it would take the better part of our budget and probably then some to buy this kind of publicity. U.S. media like Good Morning America have called for interviews and almost one million people engaged with Tourism Saskatchewan's social media posts about the song as of Wednesday morning, he said, adding that much interest is coming from outside the province. Some people think that, 'oh, Saskatchewan's getting excited because we're getting mentioned', Potts said. We've been getting media from across the U.S. want to learn more about Saskatchewan. But does all this attention translate into tourism? Potts thinks it will. This is sort of setting the foundation for people to go further to contact us to find out whether they want to travel here, move here and so on, he said. So the economic impact side will be a little further down the road, but the foundation for that is being established right now. 'Whirlwind' of teaser video In the lead-up to the song's release, Saskatchewan's own Captive Media was hired to film a special teaser video right here at home (new window) . It all started with a phone call from Universal Music Group Canada asking if Captive Media would be interested in helping out one of their artists. Content creator Jill Dukart described making the teaser video as a whirlwind and a dream experience. She said having this huge star sing about us, pronounce it properly is great to see. WATCH | More on how Roan's viral Sask.-focused teaser was produced: Apple interviewer Lowe joked Saskatchewan is going off and that a statue will be erected in her honour. He suggested an open air concert in Regina and said it would epic. I can't wait to go, Roan said, adding I also just love that the capital is called Regina. As to why she selected Saskatchewan for the song, the Grammy-winning singer revealed it rhymed with her other lyrics. Social media is already buzzing with people sharing memes and funny videos singing the song, saying they're also moving to Saskatchewan. Aishwarya Dudha (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Aishwarya Dudha is a reporter for CBC Saskatchewan based in Saskatoon. She specializes in immigration, justice and cultural issues and elevating voices of vulnerable people. She has previously worked for CBC News Network and Global News. You can email her at With files from Jeremy Warren
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘It's legendary' – AP All-America honor resonates for some of college football's all-time greats
Desmond Howard walked up a ramp in Schembechler Hall, looking at black-and-white pictures hanging on a white wall where Michigan honors its All-America football players. The 1991 Heisman Trophy winner stopped to point out the image of two-time AP All-America receiver Anthony Carter, who starred for the program several seasons before Howard crossed the Ohio border to become a Wolverine. Howard grinned after taking a few more steps and seeing his high-top fade hairstyle captured in a photo that cemented his legacy for the college football program with the most wins. 'You're remembered as one of the greats, that's for sure,' Howard told the AP. 'You put on the V-neck sweater with the maize block 'M,' and you take your picture and you know that you're in a special group.' With the 2025 season here, the AP named an all-time All-America team to mark the 100th anniversary of the first team from the early days of the sport. Many outlets have named All-America teams over the decades, but only a few such as AP have stuck around. A number of player sspoke with AP about what the honor meant: Hugh Green, Pittsburgh When the three-time All-America defensive end is asked who was the most influential people in his life, he says Bob Hope. Hope's annual Christmas specials featured AP All-Americanss from 1971 to 1994 and Green recalled the late comedian pulling him aside during commercial breaks to rave about his play in games that were not on TV. 'Kids today might take it a bit different, but we should always have a person that has his credentials do the AP All-American show every year,' Green said. 'That was something very special and unique.' Herschel Walker, Georgia Walker won a national championship as a freshman with the Bulldogs and said he got too much credit over teammates like the offensive linemen who paved the way for his success. The three-time All-America running back is proud, though, to have shown that someone from Wrightsville, Georiga, with a population of about 3,000 people, could make it big. 'I wanted to inspire people from my little hometown — or kids from small towns around this country — to let them know you can do it too,' he said. Anthony Carter, Michigan The late Bo Schembechler was known for a run-heavy offense at Michigan, but that didn't stop a 155-pound freshman from becoming a big-play threat right away and eventually a two-time AP All-America. 'No one thought I would last in the Big Ten,' Carter said. 'To be an All-American means a lot, coming out of Michigan because we didn't throw the ball a lot. I wouldn't have achieved what I did without a lot of great teammates.' Orlando Pace, Ohio State Buckeye Grove is a small patch of land with a sea of trees a few steps south of Ohio Stadium, a place where Ohio State honors its All-America football players with a buckeye tree and a plaque. 'When you get older, you kind of appreciate those things,' said Pace, a two-time All-America offensive tackle. 'I have kids that go to Ohio State, and I always tell them to go by and check out my tree.' Greg Jones, Michigan State He played in 20 games, including the playoffs, as a rookie linebacker for the New York Giants when they won the Super Bowl in 2012. His NFL career ended after a six-game stint the next season in Jacksonville. His back-to-back All-America honors, however, still shine as accomplishments. 'It's etched in history,' Jones said, holding one of the plaques with his All-America certificate. 'Obviously, you can get cut from an NFL team, you can lose your job, but that can stay forever.' Braylon Edwards, Michigan The Wolverines' all-time leader in receptions, yards receiving and touchdown catches was aware two decades ago that there were a lot of college football All-America teams, but recalled one being the most coveted. 'The AP was the one I that cared about,' Edwards said. 'The writers telling me that I was the player that deserved to be All-American, that was the one that I was waiting for.' James Laurinaitis, Ohio State When the three-time All-America linebacker takes recruits on tours as an assistant coach, Buckeye Grove is always a stop on the visit. 'It's pretty cool to kind of honor that tradition,' he said. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska He is the only Associated Press College Football Player of the Year to exclusively play defense, but still laments that he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. He was an AP All-America in 2009. 'The Associated Press saw something special in me that the Heisman didn't,' Suh said. 'I am all 10 toes down with The Associated Press.' Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan As the son of second-team AP All-America defensive tackle Chris Hutchinson, earning a spot on the All-America wall alongside his father was a goal for Aidan Hutchinson during his senior year four years ago. 'There's a lot of All-American teams, but AP is different,' he said. 'It's legendary.' Terrion Arnold, Alabama The Crimson Tide recognizes its All-America players on a wall in their training facility, intentionally putting the displays in a room recruits visit on campus, and at various locations at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 'Just walking in there and being a little kid and just thinking, one day that would be me, and then just going out there and fulfilling that dream,' Arnold said. 'It's also one of those things when I take my future family to Alabama, and look at it, `Son, this is what your dad was like.'' ___ Follow Larry Lage on X. ___ AP college football: and
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Karol G to headline halftime show during YouTube's first exclusive NFL broadcast, live from Brazil
NEW YORK (AP) — Bringing football fans, Brazil and Karol G together for a one-night experience? That's a winning formula. The Grammy award-winning musician will headline a halftime show during YouTube's first exclusive NFL broadcast next month, which will stream live from Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 5. That's the NFL week 1 matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the reigning AFC-winning Kansas City Chiefs. 'This year has been truly rewarding, and the timing of this opportunity — to be part of such an important moment like YouTube's first-ever NFL live broadcast — is perfect,' the singer shared in an exclusive written statement. 'With my latest album 'Tropicoqueta,' I set out to represent the many facets of my Latin culture, something I'm incredibly passionate about in everything I do. I'm excited to bring that same energy and pride to this global stage and honored to continue elevating Latin culture on such a monumental platform.' It's a natural pairing. Karol G is a global superstar, American football is growing in popularity worldwide, and many of the world's most ardent music fans call Brazil home — it's one of the many reasons 'Come to Brazil' has become a stalwart meme, a three-word stand-in for the ultimate expression of fandom. 'Our goal is to highlight the excitement and Americana of the NFL, but do this thoughtfully in a way that plays to local cultures, practices and traditions,' said Tim Tubito, senior director of global game presentation and entertainment at the NFL. Booking Karol G 'not only excites our fans and pays homage to their culture in South America, but has an impact on a global scale,' he added. 'We hope all of our fans are ready for a historic celebration.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The game is free to stream for fans across the globe, exclusively through YouTube and YouTube TV. It begins at 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Eastern / 9 p.m. BRT (local time). A pre-show kicks off an hour earlier. 'To celebrate this moment, we are thrilled that global superstar Karol G will perform during our halftime show,' said Angela Courtin, VP of sports and entertainment marketing at YouTube in a statement. 'The game and performance will be broadcast worldwide for free on YouTube, blending the fandom of sports and music together for one epic cultural moment.'
