Kevin was invited to give a TEDx talk for TEDx Chester River. He spoke on the topic of the birth of the steel drum and the challenges of working in an art form that originates in a different culture. Kevin's talk was part of the Turning the Tide event held on March 1 at Washington College that sought to address the question, can one person or a handful of people truly make a difference in the world?
Rockcreek Archives: Kevin tours Trinidad and The World
In 2002, Kevin was invited to be an artist-in-residence aboard The World, a luxury cruise ship, as it toured the Caribbean. For two weeks, Kevin gave lectures and hands-on demonstrations on the history of the steel drums and how they are constructed. He also performed and gave lessons. The trip took him to St. Martin, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados and Trinidad.
Wow, look how young Kevin looks.
Once in Trinidad, we were lucky enough to find tour guides Bagac and Curtis who showed us around the city and also took us up into the hills. We toured several panyards and visited where Trinidad's annual steel drum competition, Panarama, is held. We also saw some local music and sampled foods from Bagac and Curtis' favorite restaurants, food stands, and pubs. There was plenty of Stag beer had by all.
Our Debt to Pete Seeger
There's a good chance that Rockcreek Steel Drums would not exist without the influence of Pete Seeger. While Kevin had fallen in love with the steel drums as a teenager after attending a concert at the Ocean Pines beach community near Ocean City, Maryland, it wasn't until years later when his brother Sean showed him a film he had checked out of the Ithaca, New York, Public Library that the idea of building a steel drum popped into his mind.
That film was Music from Oil Drums, made in 1956 by musician, activist, and ethnomusicologist Pete Seeger and his wife, Toshi Seeger. It chronicles the Seegers' trip to Trinidad's panyards and their efforts to build steel drums back home in New York. Click the button below and enjoy.
Kevin built his first steel drum with his brother Sean using Seeger's book Steel Drums - How To Play Them and Make Them. Their first drum was built in the invader style seen in the video above and is similar to the one hanging above the original shop doors.
