Downtown Rockers - A New Album from Tom Tom Club

Tom Tom Club will be performing LIVE this Friday at our twelfth annual H'Art & Soul of Haiti Gala fundraiser! For more information and to purchase tickets for this year's event, click here!

On September 11th, Tom Tom Club released Downtown Rockers, their first new material in more than decade.  The EP features 6 new songs, and will be released digitally and on vinyl.

Downtown Rockers features Tom Tom Club’s characteristic upbeat fusion of electro and funk.  Chris Frantz explains, "We recorded the basic tracks soon after Tom Tom Club toured with the Psychedelic Furs in October of 2011 at our home studio. These tracks were built from improvised jam sessions with Bruce Martin on keyboards and Pablo Martin on guitar, Tina Weymouth on bass and Chris Frantz on drums. This is the same way we began "Remain In Light" with Talking Heads. This time our only instruction to the other players was to keep the parts simple with lots of space like Booker T. and the MGs would do."

The title track from the new album pays tribute to the many bands that created the downtown music scene in New York City in the 70's from The Velvet Underground to the Talking Heads. The song was mixed by Ed Stasium, who also recorded and mixed Talking Heads '77 and umpteen Ramones classics.

Tom Tom Club was originally formed by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth in 1981. Graduates from the Rhode Island School of Design, they moved to New York City where they founded Talking Heads as a trio with David Byrne. Chris played drums, Tina played bass and David sang and played guitar. In early 1981, Talking Heads took a hiatus after five years of touring internationally and four studio albums, and Chris and Tina began the Tom Tom Club.

When legendary reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry failed to show up for the scheduled recording sessions in the Bahamas, Blackwell allowed Chris and Tina to produce the album themselves with Jamaican engineer Steven Stanley. Tom Tom Club's first single was “Wordy Rappinghood,” an unusually original mix of schoolyard rap over a funky groove that went into the top of the charts in 17 countries. “Wordy Rappinghood” turned out to be seminal in bringing mainstream attention to the new spirit of hip-hop.

The group’s second single was the remarkable “Genius of Love.” Released in the UK before North America, the track was bubbling up in the underground with dozens of unsolicited remixes and versions--most notably, Grandmaster Flash’s "It's Nasty/Genius of Love" in 1982—a massive hit in the clubs and on the R&B and dance charts, soon earning the Tom Tom Club debut a Gold sales award. In 1995, Mariah Carey hit #1 with “Fantasy,” her version of “Genius of Love” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard rapping over the original instrumental track. “Genius of Love” continues to be frequently sampled by various artists, from Tupac Shakur to most recently, T.I. feat. Fergie and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

Tom Tom Club continues to celebrate more than thirty years as a band. Last year, they performed their timeless classic “Genius of Love” on NBC’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.” It was a flashback to one of the group’s earliest career highlights - playing the hit song on the highly popular TV show “Soul Train” back in 1983 – at a time when it was in heavy rotation on urban radio stations.

Last fall, Tom Tom Club rocked their first U.S. tour in 10 years and released ‘Genius of Live.’ The album featured select tracks from classic album ‘Live At The Club House’ as well as a various remixes by artists like Ozomatli, Kinky, Money Mark and The Pinker Tones.

In 2002, Frantz and Weymouth were inducted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

HTRIP July Highlights

Dear Supporters,

Technician Ironce Pharèlus gives the first lesson
to a new group of participants in the
community of Didye (participant since 2009).

The farmers we work with all seem to agree this is the worst drought they can remember. We can still rejoice a little in that July brought more rain than June and tree and crop mortality is not as high as feared.  As for HTRIP, we returned to our normal routine of monthly education sessions in old and new communities alike.  The first session, entitled “Enpotans Pyebwa Yo” or “The Importance of Trees,” discusses the many uses of trees and their importance to the soil, water, and people.  It was also a mix of emotion for all parties when HTRIP bid adieu to two incredibly beloved interns, Jack Devine and Angel Hertslet.

Jack Devine with Mathurin Dorcéus
reflecting on the future of bee
production within HTRIP.

These two incredible individuals integrated themselves seamlessly into Haitian life and left behind no small group of friends who will await their inevitable return. Angel will return in March 2013 and will likely be the teaching assistant for the next round of Yale students and no one will be surprised if Jack comes down his next break from school.  Although we recognize it will take some time and organization, technician Mathurin Dorceus is eager to help lead the trial of bee management to the HTRIP repertoire.  Angel Hertslet operated more independently of the HTRIP staff conducting individual and group interviews along with tree measurements in six HTRIP communities to compare management ideas with tree growth.  She plans to synthesize the data into a thesis project which will hopefully shed new light on HTRIP community participation.

Angel Hertslet posing with a group
of young people in the community
of Anje (participant since 2006).

Petit-Noel "Gérard" Alvarèz
showing off his final product
of dried mangoes.

A solar mango drier introduced by the Yale School of Forestry really sparked the interest of Nursery Technician Petit-Joel “Gerard” Alvarez.  The abundant yet short mango season makes preservation seem an obvious response, but there is little knowledge of drying mangoes in our area.  Without any firsthand knowledge myself, I was clear with Gerard that we could proceed by trial and error.  After working together on the first dozen mangoes, Gerard’s interest carried him to cut and dry at least 100 more.  He was invited by a friend to a regional meeting of pastors sponsoring agricultural products from around the Artibonite.  We worked together to put them in bags with a simple label.  After the meeting, he happily remarked there were not enough mangoes to meet demand.  Hopefully next year we will be able to take even greater advantage of the short and sweet mango season.

Ironce Pharèlus with the leader of 

Savonet, Pharissaint Pharius in the 

community tree nursery.

The rains have finally been consistent enough that tree distribution and planting is well underway.  More than 45,000 trees have already left the central Deschapelles nursery.  While this is a substantial amount in its own right, the HTRIP model focuses on local production within the communities where we work.  The most recent count of community tree nurseries found the number of trees produced around 245,000.

Aside from the drought which could prove more painful a few months down the road for the rain-dependent HTRIP farmers, we are happy that 2012 has been very kind to us thus far.  As always I would like to thank each and every HTRIP supporter for making this work possible.

Sincerely,

The HTRIP Staff

Meet 2012 H'Art & Soul of Haiti Honorees!

Presenting Dr. Bill and Cindy Swartz

Each year the Friends of HAS Haiti honors an individual or individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to our cause in the United States and in Haiti. This year we are thrilled to salute Pittsburghers and long-time friends of the Friends, Dr. Bill and Cindy Swartz. 

Bill and Cindy Swartz became Pittsburghers in 1979. The same year that Pittsburgh became known as The City of Champions, Bill joined the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine as a young plastic surgical faculty member. They raised two daughters, Barbara and Katy who graduated from Shadyside Academy and Ellis School, respectfully. Over the past 33 years, they have been involved in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association, the Frick Historical and Art Museum as a trustee and the Pittsburgh Opera Association Board.

Through Bill's hospital activities, both Cindy and Bill became aware of Ian & Lucy Rawson's involvement with HAS and supported the hospital financially. After the 2010 earthquake, however, Bill made his first trip and saw first-hand the incredible need for surgical support, both in personnel and supplies. Over the past three years, he has brought teams of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and operating assistants to Haiti. Twice a year they perform 50 or more surgeries, addressing a wide variety of plastic, orthopedic, and general surgical problems. To facilitate this effort, an organization of physicians was formed: the Physician Friends of HAS, which, while still in the formative stage, promises to expand the medical and surgical support of HAS physicians. To that end, one of the young Haitian surgeons will spend six weeks in Pittsburgh observing a wide variety of surgical cases and bring that increased knowledge back to HAS.

The Tom Tom Club is Coming!

H'Art & Soul of Haiti is one of the major fundraisers of our year, but it is also our way of both sharing and celebrating all that we do with our community of friends. This year, we are thrilled to welcome back the Tom Tom Club, who have been long-time friends of the Friends, and to HAS Haiti. 

For more event details, CLICK HERE!

To reserve your tickets now, CLICK HERE!

About the Tom Tom Club

Last year was a celebratory year for The Tom Tom Club - it marked their 30th year as a band.  Conceived during downtime from Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth’s other band, Talking Heads, the group celebrates their anniversary by playing shows around the world, reinforcing why their funky musical style has been a staple of the dance music world since the early eighties. 

The Tom Tom Club was formed by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth in 1981. Graduates from the Rhode Island School of Design, they moved to New York City where they founded the Talking Heads as a trio with David Byrne in 1975. Chris played drums, Tina played bass and David sang and played guitar. In early 1981, the Talking Heads took a hiatus after five years of touring internationally and four studio albums. Chris and Tina began the Tom Tom Club and signed with Chris Blackwell and Island Records.

When legendary reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry failed to show up for the scheduled recording sessions in the Bahamas, Blackwell allowed Chris and Tina to produce the album themselves with Jamaican engineer Steven Stanley. The Tom Tom Club's first single was “Wordy Rappinghood,” an unusually original mix of schoolyard rap over a funky groove that went into the top of the charts in 17 countries. “Wordy Rappinghood” turned out to be seminal in bringing mainstream attention to the new spirit of hip-hop.

The group’s second single was the remarkable “Genius of Love.” Released in the UK before North America, the track became a huge hit, going to #1 on the charts and inspiring dozens of unsolicited remixes and versions--most notably, Grandmaster Flash’s "It's Nasty/Genius of Love" in 1982—a massive hit in the clubs and on the R&B and dance charts, soon earning the Tom Tom Club debut a Gold sales award. In 1995, Mariah Carey hit  #1 with “Fantasy,” her version of “Genius of Love” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard rapping over the original instrumental track. “Genius of Love” continues to be frequently sampled by various artists, from Tupac Shakur to most recently, T.I. feat. Fergie and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

Tina and Chris were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and have continued to play and tour the Tom Tom Club ever since.  In 2010, Nacional Records released a new, live double-album that featured select tracks from classic album ‘Live At The Club House’ as well as a Latin alternative remix tribute to the smash hit, “Genius Of Love” by such artists as Ozomatli and Money Mark. 

HTRIP May Highlights!

Dear Supporters,

For those of you who read the Highlights Graduation Special edition earlier this month, you already know that May is surely the most exciting month of the year for us here in Deschappelles.  The first day of the month began with a graduation ceremony honoring 738 graduates with a second ceremony less than one week later honoring 281 more. All program participants, even those not eligible to graduate were invited to the ceremonies representing more than 1,400 guests.

Program participants accompanied by a marching 

band head into the HAS dispensary at Bastien for 

the second of two HTRIP graduation ceremonies.

May also brings the first rains of the wet season which means it’s time to start planting trees in addition to our shade tolerant crops.  The shade crop trials are taking place in the demonstration plots of 15 HTRIP communities that have been with us since at least 2008.  The shade crop trials are important for working with farmers to discover high value crops that can be grown under the shade of their older trees that prohibit the continued cultivation of the traditional corn and millet. Yams worked well in last year’s pilot shade demonstration trial and are being accompanied this year by an additional range of shade tolerant contenders including passion fruit, taro, pumpkin, and various beans.

Technicians Mathurin Dorceus and Antione Frantz 

pose in the shade at Didye’s shade crop konbit.

February through April HTRIP communities install rock walls and earthen canals to prevent soil erosion and hold water in place.  Experienced communities are capable of doing this work on their own with small quantities of food to support konbits, but in new communities HTRIP technicians teach the new techniques.  Then we wait for the rain.  This month we planted trees in the demonstration plot of two new communities; Remanse and Ores, where we were greeted with lots of enthusiasm.

            Unfortunately, May was not universally joyful.  The entire HTRIP staff was forced to say goodbye to not one, but two wonderful interns who embedded themselves in the HTRIP team.  Uma Bhandaram completed 10 weeks with us down here in Haiti before returning to her job at an environmental consulting firm in Southern California.  She greatly enjoyed her time working in the field with the staff and helping the program manager prepare for the large graduation ceremonies.

Angel Hertslet, Shellon Mondesir, Albertini Alexandre, 

and Fenel Plaisel enjoy the pleasant shade of the 

Dwen community tree nursery.

Technician Shellon Mondesir and Jack Devine 

collect the tools after planting trees in the Ores 

Demonstration plot with a community member.

Jack Devine left in the middle of his fourth month with HTRIP.  His last several weeks saw an incredible drive to bring a honey producing bee box to the HTRIP repertoire. Jack contacted a local carpenter familiar with bee boxes to construct one for us.  On his search for people willing to get bees into the box, he found someone willing to sell a box with bees already producing honey inside.  It is not very helpful to get us the box and then leave us without direction, but luckily Jack is already planning his return trip for another month with us before he starts at CMU in the Fall.

We lost two incredible interns, but gained one equally enthusiastic. Angel Hertslet, who met all three power interns (Ruth Portnoff, Jack Devine, and Uma Bhandaram) in her March visit with the Yale School of Forestry, has returned for a 10 week internship.  She is working out the details of a research project for her Master’s thesis in Environmental Science. 

Technician Albertini Alexandre (top left) observes 

school children at the community of Dris as they 

help arrange tree in the community nursery.

Visiting the small community tree nurseries is one of the greatest pleasures for the Project Manager. Each nursery has its own unique feel and presence in a community. Some are at the heart of the community near the church or school, whereas others are further removed.  Some communities have better access to water and a correspondingly greater number of healthy trees. At the modest subsidy of 1 gourde ($.025) per tree produced, it is hard to think of a more effective way HTRIP spends money.

It is during the rainy season when the hillsides transform from brown to green and we are doing our part by putting the trees in the ground that the HTRIP staff is working at its best.  We would like to thank the generous support of our donors who allow this rewarding and important work to continue.

The HTRIP Staff,

including Starry Sprenkle, Ross Bernet, Jack Devine, Uma Bhandaram, and Angel Hertslet

HTRIP Graduation Ceremony 2012

Dear Supporters,

The marching band "Fanfa" followed by a long
line of HTRIP project participants marching down
 the National Route 1 towards Le Palace.

May must be the most exciting month of the year for HTRIP. The rains bring a verdant vibrancy to the Artibonite Valley, tree plantings are beginning, and all 1,225 program participants rejoiced in one of two large graduation ceremonies. May 1st is a Haitian national holiday that recognizes agricultural work, so it seems fitting that HTRIP hosts its first celebration this day each year.  We have grown too large for just one ceremony to host all our communities, so the 32 communities closest to the valley were invited to Le Palace in Desarmes to participate in the first ceremony May 1st, while the following Sunday’s ceremony at the HAS dispensary in Bastien hosted the remaining 14 mountain communities.

The festivities continue the following Sunday, May 6th. HTRIP's mountain
communities follow the marching band and parade into the Bastien Dispensary.
Can you spot HTRIP co-founder Starry Sprenkle?

April is the final round of monthly education sessions that started the preceding year in July. If HTRIP participants attend seven or more of the ten education sessions, they will graduate our program.  Although we invite all program participants to the graduation ceremonies, it is only those who will graduate who receive a certificate with their name on it in addition to a germinated coconut tree ready to be planted.  The certificates are prized by many program participants who might not have had the opportunity to receive something similar in school.

Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Managing Director,
Ian Rawson   addresses the crowd to congratulate
them on their dedicated work.

The weather could not have been better and there was no shortage of food or drink at either ceremony. Planning the events poses quite the logistical challenge and was started a month in advance. Luckily for the HTRIP Program Manager, HTRIP technician Marielle Pharelus has several years of experience purchasing food for such events and HTRIP coordinator Antione Frantz handled the transportation superbly. Additionally, the entire HTRIP staff worked together seamlessly to allow the events to run smoothly during each ceremony.

HTRIP graduates make music for the singing
and dancing that marks the end of the ceremony.

As always, the HTRIP staff appreciates and is grateful for the support of our donors, we only wish that next year we will see some of your faces at our graduation ceremonies.

The HTRIP Staff,

including Starry Sprenkle, Ross Bernet, Jack Devine, and Uma Bhandara

April HTRIP Highlights!

Dear Supporters,

April has been an exciting month on many accounts.  We have completed our monthly education cycle for program participants, started planting shade crops that will carry us into the next phase of our program, watched our community nurseries grow up before our very eyes, and seen the start of the rains that mark our busiest and most joyful time of year – the time to start planting trees! But April was not without a touch of sadness as we were forced to say goodbye to the much appreciated and incredibly hardworking intern Ruth Portnoff.

Ruth Portnoff working with Shellon Mondesir
and Marielle Pharelus planting yams in
2008 community Dibit.

Our education cycle runs July through April. At the end of those ten months, program participants who missed no more than three lessons will graduate in our annual graduation ceremony the first week of May and receive a graduation certificate and a germinated coconut tree to take home to plant.  This month’s lesson continued last month’s discussion of agroforestry in addition to a review of the previous nine month’s lessons.

Ruth Portnoff was invited down in large part to help provide the organization and knowledge necessary to start HTRIP’s next phase of introducing shade tolerant crops that will thrive beneath our closing canopies. She worked with each technician to identify 16 demonstration parcels from our early communities with sufficient shade to support a different set of crops beyond the traditional sun-hungry corn and millet.  We worked with the idea to give the technicians as much control over this new experiment as possible, giving them the responsibility to choose and purchase the seeds.  According to the rains and the lunar cycle, yams were the first crop to be planted and five successful konbits have already taken place.

Adieff Jean-Charles, Jack Devine, Uma Bhandaram,
 Marielle Pharelus and the leader of Savonawoch
admire the community tree nursery of over 5,000 trees.

No one was happy to see Ruth depart just as her plans were turning into plantings, but life calls and it called Ruth to Uganada where she will continue working with ECHO on agricultural assessment in rural areas. We wish you luck and that you will return to HTRIP again someday.  Although sad to see Ruth go, Uma Bhandaram and Jack Devine carry on the role of HTRIP interns dutifully.  They both picked up creole with incredible rapidity and have really enjoyed working with the HTRIP technicians in all their tasks.  They have also been essential in helping prepare for the imminent May 1^st graduation ceremony.

All of us here in Deschappelles are ever thankful to the support of our donors that make this work possible. We are also ever grateful for this year’s good fortune. We look forward to the coming months of tree planting with much excitement.

The HTRIP Staff,
including Starry Sprenkle, Ross Bernet, Jack Devine, and Uma Bhandaram