‘Everything plenty’ for Wee Pow’s birthday bash

Despite the constant pressure by the lawmakers at his weekly Weddy Weddy sessions, Stone Love CEO, Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell, remains upbeat and resilient.

"Everything plenty. This is the most exciting year we are experiencing so far. This is no 'one stop driver'; this is express, Knutsford style," the legendary sound system operator, producer and promoter told THE STAR.

Powell, who is celebrating another birthday on March 17, will host his annual birthday bash this Saturday, March 14, at the Stone Love HQ, and he anticipates that it will be huge.

He is expecting all his supporters, many of whom have become part of the Stone Love family, to turn out in their numbers, and lock down Burlington Avenue.

As a matter of fact, the party starts from in the afternoon, when they will be treating his 'family'.

"It's my birthday, but everybody gets the presents. If it's even a cup of soup, we must can give that to the people who have made us," said the man who has been playing sound for more than 40 years, and has collected every sound system award ever made.

DJs Welton Irie, Boom Boom, Krazy Kris, Mikey Barnett, Harry Hype and Alanzo Hawke, along with the Stone Love crew, will keep the musical juggling afloat at Saturday's birthday bash, and Powell says that it will be 'first class'. He also emphasised that the show must go on.

"It will be a weekend, so we have until 2 a.m. to play some great music, enjoy ourselves to the fullest, and make great memories," he said, while lamenting that early lock-offs are "killing the dance".

"Weddy is experiencing the full force of the law, without compassion. There are others (parties) that enjoy a little extended play, but not Weddy. But all we can do is hope for the best and pray that the minister (of entertainment) will look into the matter and give us the extension we are asking for," he said.

Stone Love, which started life as an 'uptown' sound, soon bridged the gap between uptown and downtown and has maintained its clean sound and creativity which has distinguished it from other sounds.

In October 2014, Powell received the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Government in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the music industry.