Last night was sweet and bitter all at the same time. Standing under the tenor of Michelle Huggins-Watts as she and the rest of the Phase family jazzed their way down Ariapita, I was in a good place. I and the other over 50’s came out in our numbers and we danced.
But Ariapita was deemed off limits for the younger tribe. Or so it seemed. We have hit on a new way to keep young people off the streets and out of an area. Tell them that there is going to be lots of steelband music and apparently you are guaranteed that they will go in the opposite direction or maybe even stay home. The usual Ariapita demographic and pavement pub crew chose not just to abstain but to vote no. Definitely not.
The steel drum and the movement needs another revolution. If it were a Nestle or P&G brand they would be considering options like; just milking it to its grave, revitalizing it, re-launching it with a “new and improved” additive or, if they could find a buyer, selling it. What’s our plan for our steel brand?
I will let Western have the last say. Wey Pan Reach? And where is it going?
