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“Sweet Butterfly ... Then she flew away.”

Click to enlarge ... The Rock Singer "Café Des Artistes" The Jazz Singer "Pelican Pub" The Band "Equator" The Gigs "Moon Over Bourbon" "Café Des Artistes" Bagshot House The "Boys" Shane, Roger and Allan The "Writers" take in the other bands "Words of a Song" 11 Songs, PDF 658 Kb

The Singer/Writer

During the Oak Tavern years in Surbiton, Surrey, England 1976-1980, Veronica wrote poetry and songs. There was plenty of opportunity to jam with the some of the many bands that regularly frequented the "sound-proof" rehearsal room in the cellar as well as the bars on "deck".

It was not until the early Nineties in Trinidad that any of hers songs were performed live. Eleven of her titles have been saved and the words published below as poetry/prose. To describe her style would be best as "laid-back", searching for the note, reaching the pitch and phrasing the words as if she was thinking aloud. This gave a Jazz cross-over flavour to the hardened "Rockers" she had to deal with behind her.

The Band

In 1995 "Equator" was formed and hit the road. Whilst fronted by Veronica's soft jazz style, the band had "Rock" at its core and performed covers to set the the scene from the late seventy's as in "Cream" and "Hendrix". Equator performed in historic venues no longer in existence such as the "Pelican Pub" in St Anns, "Moon over Bourbon" at West Mall and "Café des Artistes" under Bagshot House in Maraval.

The "Bands" of '95 numbered no less than sixteen in Trinidad when we all met for a rock festival in Chaguanas. "Equator" was the veteran whilst our son Kirk was the drummer of "Brown Fox", the new wave, the new kids on the block. Apart from our family having the distinction of supplying performers to both the "youngest" and "oldest" bands on the circuit, the two bands had something else in common - they were the only two bands to have female lead vocalists.

"Equator"

Veronica Collens (vocals), Allan Jaruwan (guitar), Roger Simpson (drums), Shane Collens (bass).

The Songs

Sadly, there are no digital recordings of Equator's performances or of Veronica's work as a singer and songwriter. In time, early audio tapes will be re-mastered and the music score published with her words on this site. For now we will just have to "see" what she had to "say"...

"The Words of a Song"

A collection of songs written and performed by Veronica Collens between 1979 and 1995. Music by Shane Collens except "Our Place", by Simon Copeland ©1979.

Meeting	Jazz-Blues
You and Me	Funk-Rock
Rush Hour	Latin-Rock
Surbiton (Out of Order)	Jazz-Rock
Happening Like Before (War)	Heavy Metal
Our Place*	Jazz-Blues
Run For Your Lives	Rock Opera
Love You All Over	Rock'n'Roll
Confidence	Pop-Rock
Tears	Funk-Rock
Bus Roots	Calypso-Reggae

"Our Place"

Last Sunday

Saw our place

It's loved now

By someone new

 

Hasn't changed

Grass is soft

And the flowers

Are just as blue

 

He reminded me of you

So warm so right

She wanted to hold him, so tight

Oh so very tightly

Sweet Butterfly

Loved that Bumble Bee

 

This morning

Saw our place

The new people

Have problems too

 

They quarrelled

Like we did

Her tears fell

Just like the dew

 

It reminded me of us

And I felt so sad

She wanted her freedom, so bad

Oh so very badly

Cruel Butterfly

Hurt that Bumble Bee

 

Then she flew away

 

Veronica Collens ©1979