Messengers bust new beats in “It’s Party Time”
The plethora of parties may be on hiatus for a while, but thanks to one local band, the soundtrack to your next shindig is already available. Santino’s Messengers spent the past year in the studio working on their latest compilation called “It’s Party Time”. Jacqueline Woods has the beats.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
It took Santino’s Messengers twelve months to produce the band’s fifth CD “It’s Party Time.” The album consists of fourteen songs including ten original soundtracks. According to the band’s owner, Santiago Castillo Junior, the production is designed to promote the musicians.
Santiago Castillo Jr., Owner, Santino’s Messengers
“We do this as something to have out there on the market, to have the band recognised, for our children and grandchildren, but none of these CDs have sold with the exception of “Getting on Bad” and “Suave with Love: Vol. 1″, which sold like ten thousand copies. And basically, you have to sell that amount of CDs just to break even. It’s not a big market in Belize, the Belizean community is not that large, I think to support it, and all we got for the ones that sold a lot, was ten, twelve thousand copies after three years more or less.”
Given that Belizeans respond slowly to the band’s original music, Castillo says it may be some time before another CD is released.
Santiago Castillo Jr.
“The radio stations would really have to help us out by playing them a lot for the tunes to become constant in people’s head, and then for them to go out and buy them. And as you know, a lot of people will just dub the CD now, with the new computers all coming with equipment that can copy the CDs, CD writers. It’s even harder now to convince people to go out and buy that original package.”
It’s Party Time is available at most record stores for twenty-five dollars each. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
The C.D. is dedicated to the memory of Lionel Alexander “Pelon” Gilharry, the owner of the Gilharry Seven band, who died late last year after suffering a stroke.
