Launch of Ecoislands Anthem
Posted 19/11/2012
Derek Sandy started his singing career in Trinidad and Tobago where he was born. He started singing his local church in 1970’s Tobago at the age of 5 and later joined the “Trinidad Troubadors” a band which supported Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lionel Richie, the Commodores and Billy Ocean during their Caribbean tours.
Derek was particularly inspired when supporting Bob Marley the year before he died which has clearly inspired his music and the Bob Marley covers he now performs.
Derek arrived on the Isle of Wight in 2003 only planning to stay for a few months. During these few months Derek needed to work so started singing. This was the start of things to come and Derek now sings at all of the big Isle of Wight events such as Cowes Week, The Garlic Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival.
Having a very giving nature, Derek wanted to give something back to the Island and had a flash of inspiration coming up with the lyrics ‘welcome to the Isle of Wight, I hope you’ll stay a while’ his partner Katy took these lyrics and used them to form the song ‘Welcome to the Isle of Wight’ which has earnt Derek huge renown and popularity throughout the Isle of Wight where he is know as the most famous man on the Isle of Wight and the Islands very own Bob Marley.
More recently Derek began to get involved with the Ecoisland project and become an ambassador. His growing interest in sustainability and wish to preserve the Isle of Wight led him and his partner Katy to write the song ‘Ecoisland’ as an anthem for sustainability around the world. The initial melody for the song came one Sunday morning and Katy scribbled the first lyrics on the back of a brown envelope. Its incredibly catchy lyrics have led some people to ask where they can get “help” as they simply “cannot get the song out of my head”. In Derek’s own words he says “this song will make a DENT” by which it means it will make an impact on the world and carry the message of sustainability on the Island to a wider audience.
The recording of the track took place in Jonathan Parkman’s Garage studio and features a small cameo piece from Ecoisland CEO with a strong message about Mother Nature and how our actions here are placing her in jeopardy. Nearly all of the voices in the anthem come from Derek including some of the female ones 
and much of the musicality comes from his interpretation of the sound. There is “no fancy production” here or any massive budget – the initial investment came from Ecoisland with no guarantee of any return. Derek signed over 50% of the rights to the copyright of the song to Ecoisland and the surplus funds will be placed into the Ecoisland Trust ( a registered charitable fund managed by the Hampshire and IOW Trust ). The Charity will make awards to worthy Ecoisland Projects which might include community growing spaces and / or supporting young green business start-ups through a GREEN dragons den. Our hope is that it may also help to launch some new IOW musical talent where Derek can act as a kind of mentor to new unsigned bands.
To help to cope with the commercial aspects of the project Ecoisland Records was formed which in the spirit of Chris Blackwell and the original Island Records which published Bob Marley’s first Gold disk, Exodus, and went on to be a UK household name has a funky, caribbean style image which sits well with Derek’s back-story and roots. The Ecoisland Records Logo has been developed by Neil McCall of OrangePeel Creative ( who has done all of the Ecoisland graphic work ) and has a cool Jamaican tint further strengthening the Marley roots. Bob is often referred to as a musical poet and Derek with his sustainability message is following in his footsteps. We’re not sure if he will ever achieve quite the same “status” but he is certainly on the Marley Bus
You can see a trailer for the Anthem on our local IOW website www.eco-island.org
The studio time was funny and cool and since then there have been a number of “showings” of the video and “renditions” of the track the most important of which was a live video link from Derek in Tobago to the live audience at the Ecoislands Global Summit 2012 in the yacht haven in Cowes which even had Andy Stanford-Clark of IBM dancing in his seat
The Album cover was the next thing on the list and OrangePeel came up with a truly inspirational rendition of the “IOW Festival” logo which has an amazing story of the IOW embedded within its graphics. The cover will form the basis of the “image” on iTunes when the track goes live and will form the basis of the CD jewel case when it goes live later this month.
The plan is to get Derek some Radio interviews and perhaps even a TV appearance or two. If you are interested in getting Derek to speak on your show just call 01983 822385 and we will see if he is free.
We are using the full range of social media to promote the Anthem from @ecoislandrecord and @dereksandyIOW twitter feed to Eek O’Islands facebook page. We will be posting the Video of the anthem on the Ecoislands EcoTv Vimeo Channel. We also hope to get Derek a number of plays on our YouTube Channel and there may even be some Google+ and LinkedIn appearances.
We are looking forward to the time when Derek will perform the Anthem Live for the first time and there is HOPE that we may be able to secure a slot for Derek on the stage at the IOW Festival next year. He played this year to a massive crowd at the Life’s a Beach outdoor stage wearing the Ecoisland T-shirt and thrilling the crowds. Derek’s passion for the environment and energy for the IOW is sure to be a winner if he takes to the stage next year.
There are plans for an Album next year. With a number of new tracks panned and a massive opportunity to give more profile to some of the other tracks that Derek has released like Mother Nature is dying, which has some very strong lyrics and a potential for carrying the message of sustainability to an even wider audience. There is a vibe around the possibilities of a track named “Keepin it Green” and one already near completion called IOW Festival For Me … in anticipation of a gig on the main stage next year.
Ecoisland’s CEO, David Green, said “we are delighted that Derek has chosen to be an Ecoisland Ambassador. As one of the most famous people on the IOW Derek has always led from the front on the sustainability issues. He has done a number of live events for us including the Re-Cycle event in St James Square in Newport where he drew a massive crowd. We hope that Derek will be able to support us with Live renditions of the Ecoisland Anthem at a number of other events next year.”
Derek has spoken very favourably about the Anthem saying he thinks it is “one of the strongest tunes I have written”. It has certainly made an impact on all those that have heard it. It’s reach so far has included kids in a school in Tobago where a whole class turned out to sing along with Derek. There will be a “big version” of the Video in due course that will follow Derek like a pied piper to a number of parts of the Planet in crisis – further illustrating the plight of Mother Nature and the need to do something to change the way we live our lives.
LIGHTHEARTED though the track might be it still packs a punch as it is talking about HOW and WHY we must mend our ways and we hope Derek is right, that it will make a DENT in peoples attitudes and the way we care for our Planet.
