April 15, 2002 – Band-O-Rama has replaced Brass-O-Rama as a V.I. Carnival competition event, but the brass was there for all to hear Saturday night on the Lionel Roberts Stadium stage as six competitors struck up the music and the judges named the Starlites the best of show.
When the event went by the Brass-O-Rama name — something that changed a few years ago — each competitor was required to feature a horn section. Like the Starlites, the second- and third-place finishers this year still do so. Imaginations Brass won first runner up, and Cool Sessions Brass of St. John took the second runner-up honors.
Each band in turn performed its rendition of a pre-selected test tune and then a second number of its choosing. This year's test tune was "London Bridge is Falling Down" by Trinidad's calypso superstar Mighty Sparrow.
Also in the tradition of Brass-O-Rama, the free event drew a modest crowd of spectators. "The folks had a wonderful time. We had a moderate-sized crowd, very enthusiastic," Lorraine Gumbs-Morton, V.I. Carnival Committee public relations person, said.
The other bands competing in the four-hour musical event were Phranchize Band of St. Croix, Showdown and The Shark and the Blaze.
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