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Oberlin Steel is a steel band based at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Formed in 1981 and known as the Oberlin Can Consortium until 2001, the group plays in the tradition of the great steel bands of Trinidad, but also performs arrangements of salsa, calypso, and jazz as well as original compositions and arrangements by band members.
History
Oberlin Steel began as an Oberlin College winter term project in 1983. After receiving a grant to purchase drums, a group of about 15 students(including jayama) spent the month of January rehearsing for the first ever Can Consortium Concert. This concert, held on February 12th, 1981 was a huge success and led to the formation of a steel drum class in Oberlin's experimental college program. Development continued and one year later, a second concert was held, which featured a performance by Andy Narell and a presentation by Ellie Mannette.
Since its origin, the band has grown in size to become an ensemble of twenty musicians. A dance band in the truest sense, Oberlin Steel performs at campus events and in the Oberlin area. After months of rehearsing and performing, the band tours for the week of spring break in late march. Past destinations include Chicago, Boston, New York (the band has played at Avery-Fisher hall of New York’s Lincoln Center), Atlanta, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Miami, Montreal, Ithaca, and Washington DC, among others. Oberlin Steel performs for college and university audiences, nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, train stations, hotels, high schools, elementary schools, airplanes, weddings, stadiums, outdoor festivals and public spaces such as central park in New York City and the Lincoln memorial in DC. The band usually has twelve to sixteen members, including tenor, double-tenor, seconds, cello, quads, and bass pan players, as well as auxiliary percussionists and a set drummer.
Oberlin Steel is well connected with the broader steelband community. A handful of its members have played with Trinidadian steel orchestras including Clico Sforzata, Bp Renegades, and the Trinidad All-Stars. Many of the Oberlin Steel pannists also play with the band Pan Sonatas in the New York Panorama competition, which takes place over Labor Day weekend.
Oberlin Steel plays at the Champagne Brunch at Oberlin College's 175th Commencement. 5/25/2008.
Instrumentation
Although the instrumentation changes from year to year, this is the typical configuration:
5 Tenor pans
2 Double-Tenor pans
3 Double-Second pans
2 Cellos
1 Quadrophonic
1 Tenor-Bass pan
1 6-Bass pan
1 Drum set
Auxiliary percussion (including iron, timbale, scratcher, congas)
Discography
Oberlin Steel has released seven albums to date:
Press Releases
Other External links
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