Folk / rock musician Gavin Mendonca has emerged from a revived hiatus of more than six months and is currently working on his special Christmas program, ‘Folk Up Yuh Christmas with Gavin and Chucky ‘.
A special Christmas slate is to be broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN) and creolerock.com throughout this Christmas season. Gavin, who released the band last year, Chucky, volume one of Guyana’s folk songs, will also be working on volume two of ‘Folk It Up’, released in 2021. Volume one was released last year at the Cultural Society’s annual Folk Guyana. A festival in New York.
The duo who had been playing folk music together for the most part last year also spent some of their time writing some original songs that will be made into an album. The songs are said to be a blend of Guyanese culture and sound with some good old Rock and Roll.
As much as the pandemic forced the singer to delay most plans this year, he refuses to wait any longer. The pandemic really took a toll on his career, but he shared, with little to do, he turned to gardening that provided the much-needed comfort.
“Since March, I’ve started spending hours in the garden [and] some disciplines have been reintroduced, such as patience and dedication, punctuality and care, ”said Gavin. “Instead of sinking and wasting time, I reconnected with myself all the time spent in the garden – every morning as the sun rose, and every night like the old sunset. It has allowed me time to think about what my next move will be as the pandemic has had a significant impact on the live entertainment industry. But, after careful consideration and close calls to quit, my mission remains the same – to contribute to the preservation of folk music, and now more than ever to make a positive contribution [vibes] to a seemingly spiraling society. ”
In early November, Gavin sat down with a local podcast ‘Balancing the BARS’ where he talked about artists flourishing in Guyana. The musician spoke of feeling useless at the start of the pandemic in March and April and went on to add that while many artists measure their success by money or fame, success for him is rewarding in what he chooses to do. To him he protects the Guyanese culture through folk music.
Since trying to find a new passion in his journey, Gavin has chosen not to be boxed or constrained by the pandemic and as such continues to seek new meanings. He is currently studying through Coursera and mentioned that one of his courses is copyright.
He and Chucky also returned live to the Almond Tree Farmers Market several Saturdays ago. Their Rock N ‘Rock Radio program returns to national radio broadcast this month.