Female members of New York Steel Bands
were invited to attend a photo shoot in Soho on January 19, 2003, with the
objective of featuring New York's "women of steel" in leading magazines.
Important times in the calendar year - Black History Month and Women's Month,
February and March respectively, are in the spotlight. Steelband was
once male-dominated, and this photo shoot provided a great opportunity for
these women of steel to express their opinions on the importance of
their roles in the steelband.
WHAT THE PAN WOMEN SAY:
DEM STARS
By SABRINA HUNTER -
Basement Press
DEM STARS steel orchestra I
spoke to three women, Roxanne, Kenyba and Michelle.
The band was formed three years ago.
How long have you been
playing for the band?
Roxanne:
One year
Kenyba:
Two years
Michelle:
Two years
What pans do you
play?
Roxanne:
Bass
Kenyba:
Tenor
Michelle: Tenor
Who inspired you to
play?
Roxanne:
I’m from Trinidad so it's part of the heritage
Kenyba:
Sneaked down into the pan section of school with my teacher. Plus my
relatives can play.
Michelle: Walked past a band practicing and enjoyed the sound.
What is great about
your band?
All:
We all get the same treatment
How many members are there in your band?
All:
Forty members
What is the balance
of age and gender in the band?
Kenyba:
Equal balance of boys and girls
Michelle: Generally adults with more children joining.
Where do you perform?
All:
Churches, school, hospitals, clubs, jail.
Wow in a jail, what
is the feedback like?
Positive feedback, they love it.
What music do you
play?
Roxanne:
Collected repertoire.
Are their any issues
or experiences you would like to share?
All:
We have a great husband and wife called Gene and Rosanna from Trinidad.
They come over in the summer and perform with us. Gene is a reggae singer
and plays the tenor. Roseanna is a drummer and organizes a team of dancers
to dance alongside our band.
Kathleen Wellington is the mother of the band, supporter and always of
help with supplying us with good food.
Are there any plans
for the future?
All:
Next plan is to produce a CD
How does it feel to
be here at the photo shoot?
All:
Great
