The main advert vid on the Panorama site has a couples kites right front and centre at the beginning. Nice.

http://www.carnivaltv.net/

While you're there check out the Live Feed and see what Panorama is all about (BIG steel band competition - biggest in the world and it's on RIGHT NOW!......we hope to make it there one day - the steel band I play in up here that is.)

Wow, macboy, you play a steel drum? Did you make it yourself? I just watched about 10 min. of the carnivaltv livestream, and all I can say is WOW! I just saw about 100 drummers(?) beating out quite a tune, and it was great! I bookmarked the page, will probably watch more later. Thanks!

Been glued to it all afternoon and for the next couple hours before it's over. The BIG bands just started so if you think the 100 member bands were something......well.

The biggest we ever got was 23. Need 25 to go down and compete in the small band competition. We were SOOOOOOO close. It woulda been amazing. The band's now down to nine or so but it fluctuates regularly.

It's amazing. I gotta see this live one day.

Didn't make my own pan - they come right from Trinidad (and a Trini living in Toronto). I bought one a few years into my playing career. Waited three years for it. Over $3000. Nice drum but wow......I almost forgot about it when it arrived! The one I play in the band is called the Guitar Pan - it's a dual drum, about 1/3 to 1/2 of a full drum. And yup - these things are seriously made outta old oil drums. Even the new ones - still made from used oil drums.

That's awesome macboy !!! How did you get into this...?

Im not sure if you are aware of the LARGE carribean community here in NYC (particularly Brooklyn). Well there is a big parade on labor day yadda yadda yadda, but the night before the parade is Jube(Joo-bay) where all the bands jam and compete. Boy you wanna talk about some serious jammin. This goes on aaalllll night. If you can ever be in NY around labor day that is the place to be.

Ah.....J'ouvert - fond memories of our own little J'ouvert here and yes.....nicely insane but nothing like in T&T right now. Basically this party is just starting in Trinidad right now and will go ON for what seems like forever. ANd as soon as it's over they all start

I think New York has a world Pan Comp too, don't they? I think all the West Indians went either to NY or Toronto. Lucky for me one of the players/arrangers made his way to Fort McMurray and then Edmonton where he started the band....I think 30 years ago? My old boss took me to a summer arts fest here way back when, got me hammered and then gave me the rest of the day off....but I couldn't drive anywhere 'cuz I was hammered. I wandered around and saw a few players busking, asked how I could learn and the response was "Join the band". I said "no, I just wanna learn how". They said "Join the band".

I joined.

Took a few years off but am now getting right back into it. Love it too much to not have it be part of my life....I just have to find balance because it was actually kiting in part that took me away from the steelband (We practiced EVERY Friday and Sunday and I just couldn't commit my weekends when the wind may be blowing).

Funny enough - I first fell in love with it when I was a kid and saw a steelband on Super Dave. Who knew some white boy from Canada would have a bit of "rhyddim". Took me a while to get it but I did.



(To this day I haven't learned to play "Copacabana")