Born Ricardo Stevon Mendoza in Belmont during the 70s, eyebrows are raised when r'kardo st.Von mounts the stage, especially for his unique stage name. He explained: "It's a deliberate misspelling of my first and middle names when, upon moving to New York, I had to explain I was not fully Latino, but Trinidadian. My stage name is also a good conversation piece and folks remember me by it."
The eldest of four children, st.Von attended Belmont Boys' RC Primary School and Fatima College. Among his early music teachers were Relator's sister, Barbara Harris; Myrtle Cumberbatch and Maurice Brash. Studying Theatre Arts, he minored in Musical Theatre at New York's Marymount College and also did vocal workshops and some training with Trinidad's Sterling Gittens and America's Kurt Elling.
While st.Von describes his childhood as "fun," he said he didn't have an illumined secondary school career as he was somewhat introverted as a child: "It took a while to get out of my head but music and stage pulled my personality out."
It was around the age of 15 that st.Von began his journey into the arts, getting involved in school theatrical productions and entering the biennial music festival. "That segued into meeting Sterling Gittens after being introduced by a mutual friend at Amar Studios," he recalled. "I joined his vocal workshop and gospel choir. Sterling was the catalyst who pushed me to embrace a solo singing effort."
Outside of music and theatre, st.Von also enjoyed playing football and table tennis, fine art (mostly portraiture), and cooking. He said: "I still follow soccer and draw from time to time. I also cook non-stop. I really enjoy doing these things."
Continuing on his youth, st.Von said: "Outside of school, I had a fun teen life growing up in Belmont and a solid group of friends, most of whom I am still close to, to this day.
"I loved conversations with my Belmont elders who became performance icons to me, like mas designers Jason Griffith and Roger Myers; actress Mairoon Ali, Auntie Mairoon to me; and King David Rudder my neighbour. Musician Ralph Davies encouraged me to enter Scouting for Talent back in the 90s.
"I really love the music of the 80s–pop and hip hop–and the whole 90s R&B movement. Prince, Michael Jackson and especially Janet Jackson were my three faves. My mom also influenced my love for the Motown era, and she also loved local talent like Carol Addison and Nadie La Fond."
Describing himself as "a Trini to the bone," st.Von said, "I definitely have a curry mout'."
He added: "A buss-up shot boneless chicken or shrimp roti with plenty channa and mango is my favourite. I must also have pelau and coleslaw, as well as doubles, my latest attraction being Sallys on the Square. At Christmas time, I must have my black cake and ponche de creme."
Many locals would remember st.Von from his performance in Party Time. He said: "Party Time was one of the definitive stage moments of my life. Entering Party Time was the result of dare and it allowed me to showcase my admiration for the genius that was Prince. I even called my group The Imitation Revolution. I am still reeling from his passing. I did pretty well in Party Time and made it to the finals of the Lip Synch/Dance competition and placed fourth as The Boyz won the competition that year.
"I left that show, however, with the most amazing experience under my belt: the memory of energy from the crowd and the strong encouragement of people, like Robert Young and Camille Selvon (The Cloth), Lisa Wickham and Tony Chow Lin On encouraging me. To this day I credit the Party Time experience with making me a better singer and performer."
Gaining work experience at a city bank (his first job after leaving school and after his Party Time experience), a more confident st.Von ventured into the world of songwriting, entering the National Song Festival a couple times. He said: "This was great fun but no success. However, it was at calypso I really excelled. I won the Republic Bank Calypso Monarch title three times, the Inter-Company Monarch title twice, and eventually made it to the Young Kings finals. Lady Wonder won those finals but it was an amazing experience.
"I also continued my thespian efforts, working with Baggasse Company and the awesome Christine Johnson on three of their productions. These included As Is, where I met the late and outstanding John Isaacs, still one of my acting mentors and the standard to which I aspire, to this day. I worked with the very talented Errol Fabien in The Murder Room, during which I worked with incredible ensembles. The cast included Devindra Dookie, Debra Maillard, Peter Kelly, Zo-Mari Tanker. And I worked on A Brighter Day, a musical written by Christine's sister Judy Agard.
"I also started work on Derek Walcott's Beef, no Chicken, under the direction of John Isaacs, but that production never made it to public performance due to issues at Trinidad Theatre Workshop. It was an unforgettable session, however, when Mr Walcott met with the cast."
It was at this point in his career that st.Von began looking further afield to improve his performing skills. He said: "Those eclectic, diverse experiences really made me believe I could have a future on the stage, and I took the plunge to start applying to, and auditioning for US colleges. I was eventually accepted by New York's Marymount Mahattan College in the spring semester of 2000 and completed the Theatre Arts BA programme there, with a minor in Musical Theatre.
"The Theatre Arts programme was a well rounded course of study that really helped to solidify not just my performance skills, but also the production process, directing and writing for the stage.
"I have since performed in a few New York City-based stage productions, including one regional tour of the Broadway smash hit Rent, and also a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
"In the last few years, however, I definitely am much more embedded in the music world as a jazz fusion artiste, performing with my four-piece band at various gigs in and around New York City, at venues such as the Brooklyn Acdemy of Music, CAMI Hall, Harlem's Riverside Theatre, The Village Underground and most recently, twice at the world renowned Blue Note Jazz Club where I shared the stage with the legendary Carol Addison and Trini pannists Earl Brooks Jnr and Dane Gulston."
st.Von reentered the local music scene in 2008 with a self-produced concert titled Who is r'kardo st.Von, staged at 51 Degrees Club in Port-of-Spain. Since then, almost annually he has performed in his homeland, at the acclaimed Jazz Artists on the Greens, the 2013 Tobago Jazz Experience with Jamaican diva Tessane Chin, Fiesta Plaza's Saturday Jazz Night and Little Carib Theatre.
He said: "I have been fortunate and blessed to work with some incredible Trini musicians and vocalists, including Elan Parle's Michael Low Chew Tung, Janice Xavier, Theron Shaw, Vaughnette Bigford, Glenda Collens, Brenda Butler, Mikhail Salcedo, 2ntrigue's Charlene and Kelli Griffith and Dane (Gulston).
"Most recently, however, this past April, it was an absolute honour to perform at a sold out audience at Carl and Carol Jacobs' wonderful space, Kaiso Blues Cafe on Woodford Street, and share the stage with the very versatile Dane Williams Quartet and violinist Inge Schuler."
"Jazz Fusion" is the brand of music st.Von performs, although he admitted to loving all music genres. He said: "This is a broad platform that allows me to embrace a multitude of genres, including calypso, which personally is what I truly love, and also select pieces, covers and original stuff, which I can then present and perform in an improvisional, harmonic setting.
"I have a very eclectic outlook on music and I really equally love and listen to a variety of genres that provide inspiration and creative movement."
Like his love of all music, st.Von has no favourite artistes. "Locally and internationally, I am a fan of my elders for they are the root of the massive, cosmopolitan nature of today's music; and I learn from them every day. I have to say, though, that Lord Kitchener, David Rudder, Relator and Ella Abdall remain my Trini icons and favourites to this day, along with the incomparable original work of local musicians like Low Chew Tung, Clifford Charles, Dean Williams and Etienne Charles.
"Within the classic jazz genre specifically, I adore the work and vocals of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba and more recently Kurt Elling, Harry Connick Jnr, Rachelle Ferrell, Natalie Cole and Al Jarreau; contemporary artistes Ledisi, Somi and Maxwell; and of course, there are many other present day artistes as well I admire greatly."
st.Von believes that local music can eventually flourish to match the best in the world. He said: "For the most part, the artistes and their works are incredible. In the past few years, even though there will always be 'commercial crazy', especially in the soca world, I have seen such an undercurrent, and in the mainstream, of some fantastic work being performed, or recorded, that can and should be pushed worldwide. Quite frankly, I do not understand why that is not happening.
"On the jazz and alternative music stage, the standard of performance especially is so high, and I would love to see more opportunities for recorded projects to happen. I am a huge fan and friend of Vaughnette Bigford, such a sublime vocalist and style icon. Her self-produced concert is a tour de force product that could be taken anywhere in the world, if she gets the opportunity.
"Dane Gulston and Mikhail Salcedo are solo pannists of extraordinary skill. Colliss Duranty is a songwriter and vocalist of extraordinary skills. I am yet to hear a percussionist with the skillset of Modupe Onilu in the United States. The Xavier sisters are absolutely fabulous, and they stay true to their look and standard of work. Llettesha Sylvester and her vocal group–good God, they are mind-blowing. Llettesha has got to be one of the most incredible female vocalists, technique- and range-wise."
So, how high is sky for st.Von?
"High on my list is to complete a full recorded product with a solid distribution deal," said st.Von. "I would love to collaborate and record with some of the Trini musicians and vocalists I have mentioned and others here in the US, but with a solid distribution and multimedia plan in place.
"I would love to provide for my family in the way I would like to. My bucket list also includes owning a talent agency where I can scout and mentor young artistes who have big dreams and, more often than not, little hope.
"Finally I intend to leave a legacy of love."