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Detroit - The
weather in Detroit on June 17th was absolutely tropical, with
cloudless skies, high humidity and temperatures reaching into the
90s - the perfect setting for the first annual Michigan Steel Drum
Festival. High atop the roof of Hockeytown Café on Woodward Avenue,
history was made as pannist Hugh Borde and many others heated up an
already broiling rooftop with 14 fantastic hours of steel pan music.
Although the steel drum has been played in Michigan since Hugh Borde
first performed at a Mackinac Island conference in 1964, the 2006
Michigan Steel Drum Festival was the first time that an entire
festival of steel drum music had ever taken place in Michigan.
According to Michael Kernahan, one of the other early pioneers of
steel drum music, "The festival was the greatest thing to ever
happen to pan in Michigan."
Over 600 people braved the city heat to see eight different
Michigan-based steelbands perform. While the bartenders kept
everyone well hydrated, Hockeytown chef Matt Thompson served up a
tantalizing array of Caribbean-inspired dishes, including a
mango-infused "Calypso Burrito" and mouth-watering barbeque jerk
chicken.
 The
Gratitude Steel Band kicked off the festival with a pleasing array
of familiar tunes, including several gospel pieces such as "Lord,
You Are Good" and "The Glory of The Lord Rise." The family group,
led by Charles Russell, is well known throughout the Metro-Detroit
area for their high-energy and engaging performances.
As the festival volunteers were taking one band's equipment off the
stage and moving in another's, DJ Billy the Kidd kept everyone in a
Caribbean frame of mind with a mix of soca, reggae, and calypso
songs pumping through the speakers. With festival co-director Tony
Wilson behind both the sound and the soundboard, even guests taking
refuge from the heat in the air-conditioned building could hear the
bands playing.
 But
even the blazing sun couldn't keep pan fans from the exposed rooftop
as Michigan State's Hard Bargain Steelband and the Oakland
University Pan-Jumbies took to the stage. Hard Bargain, directed by
Marie Kujenga, is part of Michigan State's Community Music Program.
The group performed a featured arrangement of Louis Bonfi's "Black
Orpheus" from the film of the same name, and several Ray Holman
compositions including "Keep it Nice."
As the mercury continued to rise, Oakland University's Pan-Jumbies
opened their set with a sizzling performance of Andy Narell's "The
Passage."
 The
20-member strong group, directed by Mark Stone, is comprised mostly
of music education students from Oakland. Pan man Michael Kernahan
made a guest appearance with the Pan-Jumbies as they switched to
playing old-style pan-round-de-neck drums that he had built for the
group. Kernahan, a masterful tuner, arranger, and performer, was one
of the original members of the Trinidad Tripoli Steel Orchestra that
toured with Liberace and received a Grammy Award in the late 1960's.
The group eventually settled in Michigan in the early 1970's and
began popularizing the art form in the state.
The Steelheads Steelband continued the marathon festival and was the
only group to incorporate the vibraphone and marimba into their set.
This Flint-based group, led by James Coviak, was made up of
performers from Mott Middle College High School, Mott Community
College, and the University of Michigan-Flint. The Steelheads played
"Sea of Stories," the second Andy Narell tune of the day, along
with a virtuosic arrangement of Mike Mainieri's "Beirut."
 With
the sun going but the heat of the day still hanging on, Southpaw
Isle Steelband managed to make it hotter still with their opener "Capivara,"
a 7/8 samba by Hermento Pasqual, featuring a solo by drummer Matt
Lemons. Kernahan also joined Southpaw as a guest artist on a number
of pieces, including the Kitchener classic "Steel Band Music" and Ray
Holman's "Mariella's Dance." Southpaw's soloing prowess was the
highlight of the set, with expressive solos by Kernahan as well as
leader Mark Stone, who improvised over an original tune, aptly
titled "Red Hot."
 Things
got joyful as dusk settled in. With the day's fierce heat merely a
memory, the air was still thick with humidity as Ralph Taylor's
Caribbean Pans of Joy hit the stage. The group played "All
Inclusive" by the Calypsonian "Explainer," along with "Soca Train"
by Bungi Garlin. Caribbean Pans of Joy, a community group based in
Detroit, is an extension of Taylor's award-winning company Caribbean
Mardi Gras Productions.
 The
festival's peak was a moving tribute to Hugh Borde, Michael Kernahan,
and Ralph Taylor, the pioneers of steel pan and Trinidadian culture
in Michigan. The tribute began as Hugh Borde reminisced about
touring with Liberace, performing on the Ed Sullivan show, and the
bacchanal of life on the road. As if on cue, fireworks from the
baseball stadium across the street lit up the night sky as festival
co-directors Mark Stone, Ian Ferguson and Lyndon Sorzano presented
lifetime achievement awards to Borde, Kernahan, and Taylor.
"Presenting the awards was the highlight of the festival for me,"
said Stone. "The festival committee had kept the awards ceremony a
secret and it was great to see the surprised looks on their faces.
They were the pioneers of this art form in Michigan and they deserve
to be honored."
By then the sun was long gone, but things were plenty hot on the
dance floor as people wined the night away to the sounds of Lyndon
Sorzano's group Uprizin. The group wrapped up the festival with a
set of jazz and popular tunes including "You Don't Know My Name" by
Alicia Keys, with Lauren Alexis' vivacious vocals leading the way.
Uprizin also performed an original piece by Michael Kernahan called
"Mess Around," and showcased Sorzano's skillful soloing on the
double seconds.
With Michigan being one of the first states in North America to
embrace the steel drum, it makes sense to have a festival in
Michigan dedicated to pan.
"It was great to see the way the festival brought the steel drum
community together. From the '60's to today, our festival really
brought things full-circle," Tony Wilson commented.
 "It
was a great beginning and we hope to continue to develop the event
and develop the art form to a high standard," said Kernahan of the
festival's success. The plans for next year include bringing in more
bands to perform, as well as utilizing Hockeytown's patio area in
addition to the rooftop to allow for more people to gain access to
the festival. With so many incredibly talented steel drummers living
in Michigan, a steel drum enthusiast's odds of finding their own
piece of paradise just got a lot better.
Contact
organizer
Mark
Stone for additional event
information. Email:
mark@jumbierecords.com
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-From The News Desk of When Steel Talks
©2006 When Steel Talks - All Rights Reserved
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