LOCAL rock/folk musician Gavin Mendonca is all set to release his new punk rock album Monday (April 27) on his website for free.

Over the years, Gavin has been on a mission to “folk up de place” – to inject Guyanese folk songs into society by performing them at several locations, most notably, at The Courtyard Mall on Robb Street every Friday at lunchtime.

“That is until the lockdown situation put a stop to it a few weeks ago,” Gavin told the Buzz this week, adding, “So now my drummer Chucky and I cannot perform, or even meet up to practice at the moment.”

Gavin and Chucky were supposed to be in Trinidad at the beginning of April to perform at New Fire Festival, but that was cancelled. They were also supposed to have completed the recording of their second album together.

Their debut album, Folk It Up Vol. 1, is the first of a series that will feature all of Guyana’s traditional/folk songs, being produced by cultural music producer in Guyana Burchmore Simon of Kross Kolor Records. Volume 1 was released last year at the Guyana Folk Festival in New York and is currently available for sale and streaming from all major digital platforms.

Gavin even recently attended the 32nd annual conference put on by Folk Alliance International, representing Guyana for the very first time in New Orleans in January, opening many new doorways. “My tour momentum has since been halted and I’m stuck at home with no shows to play at, but I see this new situation as an opportunity; an opportunity to create,” he expressed.

Gavin said with so much free time on hand, he sees no excuse to procrastinate. “Although conditions are not ideal, it’s the perfect time to just create content and release it.

Although we must physically distance ourselves from each other, technology has evolved now that the world is at our fingertips, and it’s never been easier to communicate and connect with audiences around the world, in real-time.”

Gavin has decided to finish up an original ‘Creole Rock’ album for release, the title of which is ‘Punks and Pirates’ that will explore the roots of his history as starting off as a punk rock musician back in 2011.

The album features songs written by Gavin over the years, most being written since 2012, but never released.

In a true Punk Rock, DIY (Do It Yourself) fashion – Gavin has recorded all of the songs in his bedroom and has even produced the album himself, having no formal knowledge or skills in Mixing and Mastering.

“Being able to produce music is such a thrill – to be able to manipulate and combine sounds and frequencies to engineer a song that someone else could enjoy are truly magic. I know that the album won’t sound like it was produced in a big rock studio by big-time producers, but this album, and Punk Rock, is not necessarily about how good something sounds. No. It’s about passion, it’s about love, it’s Art.”

‘Punks and Pirates’ can be downloaded for free on Gavin’s website www.creolerock.com, starting Monday. He’ll also be releasing lyric videos for each song on his YouTube channel, youtube.com/creolerock.

Also in the pipeline for his Creole Rock Facebook page are special homemade music videos and short films called the ‘LackDungSessions.’