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Next weekend the annual "Steel-Pan-Phobia" will take place
Once a year steelpan pannists from all over the Caribbean gather for the St.Tosia Steel-Pan-Phobia in Puerto Olvidar. The festival's casual
atmosphere appeals to music lovers from all over who like to sway on soothing sounds of the steel drum music. What started several years ago
with a spontaneous steel pan shootout has grown into a major music festival event that is well known in the Caribbean and beyond. It celebrates
the region's best musical performers in steel drum music.
In the meantime, artists from different genres like zouk, reggae, calypso and soca have joined the annual concerts. For instance, the well-known
Jambo Jacco and the Reggae Rousers and Soca Sam and the Sucka Punchers are regulars at the festival. The private mega yachts of some celebrities
and producers in the music industry are moored in the docks of Puerto Olvidar's Imperial Yacht Club during the festival week. The islanders and
all visitors to the island are intrigued by the unique sounds and styles of tropical flavored music that you can feel in the pit of your stomach.
St. Tosia's own Ronnie Labobo's Steel Drum Band is widely acclaimed as the most exciting steel drum band on this side of the Lesser Antilles.
Ronnie himself plays the double tenor steelpan. Many pannists have similar styles, but when it comes to runs and syncopation Ronnie is boss.
"Dis guy kook's da pan, man; I loven' dis guy! Ain't no music sweetah dan from Labobo's steel pan!" according to Old Man Bubba Bum Bum Bokuffo,
the authority on steel drum music, and considered to be the 'Panning Pope of the Caribbean'. Bubba Bum Bum is one of the three judges of the
'St.Tosian Steel-Pan-Phobia'.
Winston Loveface another judge disagrees: "Lehme tell yo sumthing, me like de bomboclaat riddims of Kaka better," referring to Kaka Roach and
the Kritters. Kaka is one of the Grand Masters of the Beating Pan and famous for his special technique using six mallets. He is often called
the 'six stick acrobat'; it gives the shivers watching him. He is one of the rare performers who simultaneously sings and accompanies himself
on steel drums. Especially his arrangement of the song "Take Yah Hands Off Mah Eggs" played on Easter weekends is beloved throughout the Caribbean.
Yet, Floyd "Lord" Spencer, the third member of the Jury sees things from a different perspective. He is the only one of the three judges who
had some formal music education in a summer course at a conservatorium in England and the rumor goes that he can play Rachmininoff's 3rd Piano
Concerto in Db Minor on a double tenor steelpan set. "I can still recall the 80's when the arrangements were much faster, sweeter, and the pans
sounded like glittering swords laying waste to anyone who dared challenge," he says. "Today they're like Trinidad pan beaters trying to play
Florida style football."
St.Tosia's marketing guru Nandan Mahasundaram has recently submitted a proposal to the Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism, the
Honorable Rosetta Lovelin-Roche, to establish a "Steel Band Hall of Fame" on the island. "It is such a blessing to experience this event
and witness the greats of our art form of performing liquid metal melodies. We should have a special pan-yard to honor those who bring the
soul harmonically spectra of our Steel Drum Bands to the peak of international fame," Nandan suggested and continued, "Not only do they play
well, but they also give us a damn good time as well, while enjoying the exotic melody arrangements."
The media have been informed by the event organizer that the surprise of this year's music festival will be a new song introduced by the
Barefoot Friars, who traditionally come down from their Catharsis monastery on Kalinago Hill after the Sunday morning service to make a
guest appearance during the Yea Yea Jam Session on Radio 78.1 FM. The song is written by Friar Sunshine, who is in charge of cultivation
of herbs and spices in the cloister gardens. It will be sung Acapella and is expected to be an absolute showstopper.
The well-known Billboard Magazine of the popular music industry has commented that if you let the Friars-on-bare-feet lose on stage, they are
wild crowd pleasers. The funds earned from royalties and group appearance fees are another form of financial support of the Monastery. After
all, it was founded on the principles of self-sufficiency. It should not come as a surprise that the Catharsian Friars have their own float
in the St.Tosia Carnival Parade and the amplified Gregorian Reggae Chants appeal to the cheering crowds who are hard-driving uncontrollably
off the beat.
The Catharsian monks of St.Tosia have rereleased several CDs of Gregorian Reggae Chants that evangelize Caribbean Reggae. Their songs are
well sold worldwide on Spotify under their group artist name of "The Barefoot Friars". The custom of chanting unshod was introduced by Prior
Petrus several years ago since he believed that Pope Gregory the Great, who gave his name to Gregorian music in the early Middle Ages, would
be proud if he could hear the Friars from St.Tosia sing their Gregorian Reggae interpretations.
The album "Rocksteady Gregorian Reggae" by the "The Barefoot Friars" made it to the Billboard 100 for seven consecutive weeks and the solo
song "Cantus Calypso Gregoriani" by the white-bearded Friar Eucredo became an instant smash in the Caribbean as soon as it hit the airwaves.
Cdr. Bud Slabbaert
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