Just played at a wedding this evening. The groom was in a wheelchair. It was a lovely group and we got them singing and dancing and it was a wonderful, special time with the bride and groom's blended family all there, in addition to all of their friends. Only after did I find out the groom has ALS and probably has a short time to live. The bride said her husband really loves steel drums and marimba, both of which we had there, and he loves music and loved our performance and was trying to be as close to the music as possible. Ooof. What an honor to be part of a wedding like that. Very poignant. It is certainly a privilege to perform music in situations such as this. Even though I'm not quite sure how I'll find the energy to make it through all the performances and travel this summer, experiences like this sure do make it seem worth while.
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I faced down an angry mob of 4 to 7 year old girls today. It was terrifying! I was playing for an elementary school carnival and it was time for my break and I was STARVING and eager to get to the BBQ. That's when angry girl mob descended. There were maybe 15 to 20 of them. First they told me I was going to be grounded for 2 weeks for stopping the music. Then they decided that wasn't enough so they changed it and informed me I would be grounded for a million weeks. Then they began to chant! I think it was "play more music"...
Suffice it to say that I didn't get my break, no sir, not on tonight's gig. I was SO hungry by the end of the gig.
I'll definitely need years of therapy to process this experience.
Erin Havlik started with an empty butter tub and ended up with a drum at the “Recalypso” workshop at Saturday’s Earth Day celebration.
The 9-year-old from Hillsboro added beads to the plastic container and then decided adding some rice would create a nice additional sound.
Havlik was one of hundreds of children who made instruments out of recycled materials while steel drum musician Ian Dobson played to the crowd. Poor residents of Trinidad and Tobago invented steel drums when all they had was cast off metal, Dobson said, so the “Recalypso” made a perfect Earth Day event.
“It’s important to encourage young people’s creativity and show them how they can be resourceful and innovative,” he said. “And it’s especially important on days like this.”
Havlik said she liked creating something out of nothing.
“It’s fun that you get to make instruments out of regular stuff you didn’t know could make music,” the 9-year-old said. “It’s awesome.”
Longview’s Mara Bridges agreed, proudly showing off the “Rattlesnake” drum she made with a metal can, beads and beans.
“We thought we’d check out the whole thing, but so far we haven’t left this spot because they’re enjoying it so much,” dad Michael Bridges said of Mara and her brother 6-year-old Mason, who had a whole pile of newly crafted instruments.
When they did venture out they had plenty of company. More than a thousand area residents visited Saturday’s event at the Cowlitz County Expo Center, soaking up songs, information and occasional sunshine.
Booths ran the gamut of topics and even included a 48-foot “wildlife response and rehabilitation unit” trailer used to wash and treat birds contaminated with oil. While the climbing wall and inflatable tunnels were a draw for children, many were also seen proudly clutching seedlings given out to take home and plant.
Kelso’s Mattalyn Axtell learned which plastics can and can’t be recycled at the Longview Recycles table, saying she likes sorting recyclables at home as well.
“It’s good because it helps the environment,” the 10-year-old said while showing off the sunflower seed she planted at another booth. “It’s pretty cool.”
TDN Online Editor; email: sheisel@tdn.com
After a lovely little vacation East of the mountains I am thrilled to be playing again tonight at Salty’s on Redondo Beach in Des Moines, WA. for their Monday Music Series!
Last Monday was loads of fun and the weather was gorgeous! I was so happy to see some of your familiar faces there. Today should be beautiful as well. There’s nothing like sitting out on Salty’s deck on a sunny evening watching the sun move towards the horizon and listening to some island music.
Here is the winning Recycalypso instrument from the Buzz Inn last weekend. It’s called the “Bamboo Bongo” and was made from bamboo from the winner’s yard. It is quite beautiful, don't you think! Not to mention that it can create lots of interesting sounds.
I’ve had so many great shows the past few weeks! And while summer is winding to a close, the bookings just keep coming. I’m happy to report two public performances in the next few days:
Today, Sunday August 26th, I’ll be back at the Buzz Inn in Lake Stevens FOR ONE FINAL PERFORMANCE THIS SUMMER. If you haven’t come down yet, please come today. I will likely perform out there again, but at the moment I am not scheduled and there’ll surely be a bit of a break after the summer season before my next show there. As always, we are hoping to have special guests (various Lake Stevens residents showing off their original Recycalypso instruments). Everyone is welcome to participate in the Recycalypso fun! You can try your Recycalypso hand at winning a t-shirt (it’s the hippest fashion accessory in Lake Stevens this summer) and possibly a gift certificate for the Buzz Inn. If you don’t win a t-shirt I believe the Buzz will have them for sale.
August 26th, 2012
4pm to 6pm
The Buzz Inn
1801 Main St.
Lake Stevens, WA 98258
21+ only
On Monday I’ll be playing for the first time at the fabulous beach destination restaurant in Des Moines, Salty’s at Redondo, for their Monday Music Series! I’ll be playing there this coming Monday and then every Monday in September. Salty’s staff is very excited to have me there and I am so excited to be there! Come at 5pm and catch the last hour of happy hour and the first hour of Ian's intoxicating Caribbean music and you'll end up staying for the whole evening!
Currently you can enjoy Salty’s Select Cadillac Margarita on the rocks, accompanied by Ceviche made with bay scallops and bay shrimp, marinated in lime and lemon juice for $8. During August they'll featured Redondo fave dishes from the 1980s:
*Valley Girl Cajun Calamari with Salty’s Blackening Seasonings, Garlic Aioli
*Bodacious Bruschetta & Tomato-Basil Salsa
*Wicked “Mad Mac” Seafood Caesar Salad with Parmesan, Chilean Crab Meat, Bay Shrimp, Tomato, Black Olives, Red Pepper Wheels, Bleu Cheese Crumbles
*Rad Escargot Royal, Baked in Curry Butter, Sour Cream-Parmesan Melt, Chives, Parsley
*Garlic Cheese Bread Milano to the Max with Toasted French Loaf, Roasted Garlic, Oven-baked Aged Cheeses
August 27th, 2012
5pm to 7pm
Salty's at Redondo Beach
23201 Redondo Beach Dr S
Des Moines, WA 98193
Please call restaurant at (253) 946-0636 for age restrictions
A Few Fun Moments from the Past Several Weeks:
At our Recycalypso competitions at the Buzz Inn on August 12th the winning entry was the "Bilophone". This was an original musical instrument that an audience member created by repurposing an old bicycle, overgrown with blackberry bushes in their yard, to be an innovative, creative musical instrument.
This guy can really play the bilophone! Click here to watch the video!!
Last week Christian and I played for a company party for Razorfish, a great high-tech marketing company, at the woodland park zoo. We performed on the Zoo Tunes stage. Some of the incredible performers who have been on that stage in the past few weeks were Los Lobos, Melissa Etheridge, Pink Martini, and Ziggy Marley. There were lots of guitar picks laying around the stage so I collected some hoping they were maybe Ziggy Marleys. I’m doing a major overhaul of my setup and it looks really cool. It looks even cooler on the Zoo Tunes stage!
Here are the Eastside Catholic Cheerleaders staffing the Recycalypso booth at our show in Sammamish for Sammamish Days. Notice they are all proudly wearing "Recycalypso" pins. The part of Waldo is played by Lynne H who does an incredible job organizing this event every year.
I hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
So I write music but really haven't done any lyric writing ever. I know I want a song called Recycalypso though. I would love to get ideas from folks!
Here is a recent stream-of-consciousness rambling about what the song should be about:
The Recycalypso song IS a childrens' song for the most part. It would tell a bit about how people in trinidad had to make use of the junk they had around them and used their creativity and resourcefulness to come up with this amazing instrument the steel drum which you can play anything on. Then it might talk about little Johny not having money for a musical instrument and using his creativity and resourcefulness like people in Trinidad to create a drum out of a bucket or something. Then maybe a story about another kid making a different junk instrument. Then there would be a break where the lyric names (or describes) the instrument first, then break where that instrument plays (the steel drum, the bucket, the shaker made out of a detergent bottle, whatever). The idea being that if I play it live I can work the instrument name/description into the song and then give the creator of the instrument a solo break to play it. They could also make their own version of the song by recording their instrument using basic audio software and tracking it onto my song, so they could have an actual recorded version of the song with their instrument playing on it.
Maybe one chorus told from the perspective of a trinidadian musician in the 1940s creating some of the original pans, one from the perspective of a modern trinidadian pan player playing in Panorama competition, one from the perspective of little johny who creates his own instrument out of a bucket, and one where I could fill in someone's name depending on whomever I had on stage with me who had created their own instrument and fill in the name/description of the instrument.
Here is a source for some beginning background on steel drum:
Ideas?
I’ve just returned from the Caribbean and Panama Canal on Holland America’s Statendam where I was performing and teaching steel drums to passengers. I met so many great people and they were so excited to learn about the music of the region. For a number of them studying steel drums was on their bucket list. What an honor to help them achieve an item on their list! Below is a video with a few sights and sounds from this musical adventure…
I’m happy to be back and headed into (potentially) the good weather season in the Northwest. We have a number of great events in the next few weeks, and several are open to the public.
Many Voices, One Land 2012 program
Sponsored by the King County Library System
I’ll be performing 4 shows as part of the King County Library System’s “Many Voices, One Land” 2012 program. Translated from Caribbean English, Pan Leggo means “steel drum party.” In the show I share the joy of exploring other cultures through music by recounting my quirky musical journey from Seattle grunge kid to Steel Drum musician. In the process audiences learn some music and cultural history and gain insight into being resourceful and creative. My interactive web site provides learning opportunities before and after the show.
More information is at:
http://www.kcls.org/manyvoicesoneland/
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES FOR MANY VOICES:
Today, Fri, March 23, 5pm – 6pm
Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center, 15600 NE 8th St. Bellevue, Washington
If you haven’t been to Crossroads it is probably the coolest “mall” around. They have a great stage in the middle of the building and have many live music and cultural events there. The performance features Ian Dobson's Pan Leggo trio with me, Christian Krehbiel, and special guest Ernesto Pediangco on percussion. This is an all-ages show and is great for kids!
Sat, March 31, 2pm – 3pm
Vashon Library, 17210 Vashon Hwy. S.W., Vashon Island, Washington 98070
This is an all-ages show and is great for kids!
SCHOOL AND OTHER PERFORMANCES:
Wed, March 28, 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Sammamish Teen Center
If you know a teen who is a member of the Teen Center tell'em to come on down to the show.
Thu, March 29, 12:45pm – 1:45pm
Cedarcrest High School, 29000 NE 150th St., Duvall, WA 98019
If you know a student at Cedarcrest tell'em not to miss this show.
It would be great to see you at one of these shows!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
I’m out on the Holland America ship the Statendam performing and teaching steel drums. I am especially enjoying the teaching part! The passengers are so eager to get a chance to learn about and play a bit of Caribbean music, and I love to share that adventure with them. I feel like I’m in my element! It is a great chance for me also to develop a curriculum for a short, relatively informal steel drum class.
Some of the other crew members and I had a little adventure in Costa Rica today. We had rehearsals and such and weren’t able to do any of the excellent organized excursions that Holland America offers. So we tried to do it ourselves. However, this particular stop is a container port in the middle of the jungle. There is almost nothing there. A group of us started walking and since I speak Spanish I sort of became the leader. The port officials were discouraging us from walking, but they let us walk out of the port but said we had to take a taxi back in. We walked some distance in the hot, sticky, tropical heat with the rain forest all around and big loud semi trucks zooming past. We went to a restaurant and had some wonderful fresh juices and watched the iguanas and listened to the wonderful tropical birds. Then we started back but realized the taxis weren’t coming by and my roommate (a piano player) and I had to play a set in like 40 minutes. I told everyone else that Simon and I were just going to go ahead and run back. So I’m sprinting through the tropical heat and figuring I’ll just tell the port officials that they have to let us in. Just before I get to the port entrance I see a taxi coming the other way. I flag him down and we go back and pick everyone up and go into the port in the Taxi. Simon and I rush into our rooms to change and get ready only to find a note that our set has been moved an hour later.
So, I figure I’ll hop off the ship again and use the internet in the terminal right next to the ship. I do that and arrive back at the gangway about 5 to 7 minutes before crew all aboard. Unfortunately I arrive just after a tour bus filled with hundreds of passengers disgorges itself, so there is a huge line/group of passengers waiting to get on the ship. I figure it is important that I get on so I sort of merge with the line and think nothing of it. Then at dinner my boss’s boss tells me I’m in the doghouse. I had no idea what she was talking about. Apparently the captain or one of his security guys was watching me and decided I cut in the line. I have unwittingly gotten very much on the radar of the captain unfortunately. I think he is a very good captain, but it’s rough when I feel like I am working hard at my job and really knocking it out of the ballpark (and uniquely qualified for what Holland America is looking for) but you still unwittingly get in trouble. Ship life is definitely unique. Anyway, the passengers and great people I work with and especially my steel drum students make it all worthwhile.
Hello Caribbean Music Lovers,
We have a last minute show that should be a lot of fun at Crossroads Shopping Center. If you haven’t been there it is probably the coolest “mall” around. They have a great stage in the middle of the building and have many live music and cultural events there. We will be the opening act for their 21st Annual Cultural Crossroads Festival!
Friday, November 4th, 4pm to 4:50pm, Market Music Stage, Crossroads Shopping Center.
A big thank you to our sponsors: King County Library System & Bellevue Friends of the Library.
More information is at:
Our showcase at the big booking conference went fabulously, as did our awesome pirate-themed show in Longview. We performed at a benefit for the Columbia Theater in Longview. I drove by the theater the next day. It’s a real classy old place! We had some wonderful musicians from the Longview area sitting in with the band for most of our set. It must be something in the water this fall... the pirate parties are elaborate, have impeccably-costumed guests, and are just generally over the top!
Click here for excerpts from the showcase of our theater show Ian Dobson’s Caribbean Escape.
Click here for some excerpts from our showcase of my school show Ian Dobson’s Pan Leggo.
I hope to see you at Crossroads!
Keep dancin’
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Hello Everyone,
I have many more private events this month but only two more public ones… so I’d love to see you at one of them! Both of these events are all ages and fun family environments.
I want to invite everyone out to what is truly one of the best happy hours in the Seattle area. Plus it seems to be the most economical, which we can all appreciate these days. I’m playing tomorrow (Wednesday, August 10th from 5pm to 7pm) at the Sorrento. When I did this last month it was a really fabulous event. The hotel closes off the courtyard in front of the hotel to traffic and puts out tables. Did I mention how tasty the food was? Wow! I’m playing as a solo but will probably have a guest or two sitting in with me.
Click here for more information.
Here’s a picture from last month at the Sorrento:
On Saturday I’ll have my duo in Sammamish from 2:15pm to 3pm. This should be a very interactive show with lots of kids participating. Fun!
Click here for more information.
Last night I went down to a new club in Ballard and sat in on steel drum, percussion, and vocals. It was a great session and I’m planning to be back next Monday, August 15th. Music starts around 9:30pm and I’ll be sitting in with some of the hottest local jazz/Latin/Brazilian musicians in town. The bar is called Paratii.
Click here to listen to a little sampling of some of my musical adventures in the past few weeks with my band. Enjoy!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
CLICK HERE for full schedule
Howdy,
Yeee haw, summer seems finally to have arrived! I’ve done a ton of really fun events in the rain so far this summer, but it was nice yesterday to perform in an all out glorious, sunny day. The show was complete with my 6-piece band and the specially-requested 10-minute rendition of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.”
I just wanted to send a quick note to let you all know that I’ll be playing a kids’ show today at the Everett Public Library. I’m really looking forward to this one!
I’ll be bringing my innovative "Recycalypso" participatory concert to Everett. This show will be geared towards kids, especially teens. Steel drums are the heartbeat of Caribbean music. Learn about the history and culture of the steel drum while exploring creative ways to recycle discarded materials into easy-to-play musical instruments. Join the party to the beat of a different drum. Suggested for tweens and teens, grades 5 to 12.
More information at: http://www.epls.org/calendar/
After that my next public performance is back at the Sorrento hotel on August 10th. Our show there this month was really fun! They have a truly awesome happy hour menu during our shows there, with super yummy burgers for $5. You can’t beat that!
Why not bring the kids down tomorrow to the Everett Public Library and say hello and listen to them create beautiful music.
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
CLICK HERE for full schedule
Summer seems to be mostly taking the year off. That’s why it’s more important than ever to get out and hear some great, sunny Caribbean music.
I’ve got three public events this week for you to do just that!
I’m performing tonight at the Sorrento Hotel in downtown Seattle for their weekly block party. I’ll be there again in August and September. I’ll play a solo show from 5pm to 7pm, but today I’ll also be joined by Brianna, my talented new backup singer. You’ll definitely want to come out and see what it sounds like with her there. She adds a lot! I believe if it is raining we will be indoors in the Fireside room. Hopefully though we’ll be partying outside!
Have you ever been to Hat Island (officially known as Guedne Island I believe)? Have you ever heard of Hat Island? It is a lovely little place situated between Everett and my home island of Whidbey. I’ll be performing a free public concert there on Saturday, July 16th. They’ll also be doing lots of cleanup of the island that day and I’ll be doing my Recycalypso-themed show to tie in with that. I can’t wait to see what sort of interesting recycled instruments, made from garbage picked up around the island, that the residents of Hat Island can come up with. More information is at
Finally, Centralia is having their first annual jazz festival and I will be there with my duo partner and long-time band member Christian Krehbiel! Other acts at the festival include Karrin Allyson. More information is at http://www.jazzartique.com/ and on my calendar.
For your enjoyment, click here to listen to a few excerpts from a rehearsal dinner where my band and I performed last Friday at the very elegant Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. The incomparable Stacy Kvam was the wedding coordinator. The recording microphone was on stage so the drums overpower everything, but you get some idea of what things sound like with our new backup singer.
If you are planning an event this summer please click here to check out my web site for event planning tips and ideas. I have performed at countless different events and would like to begin sharing what I have learned!
I still hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
CLICK HERE for full schedule
Summer is almost here officially and warm breezes are finally (and I do mean FINALLY) blowing in, just in time for Solstice. The calendar is filling up with a variety of public events for all age groups.
I will be performing tomorrow at Clark Community College in Vancouver, WA for their Spring Luau with Christian Krehbiel and a great young steel drummer on break from his Masters program in Steel Pan.
July is full of diverse events, including July 13th at the Sorrento Hotel for their weekly outdoor block party. Stop by for this free, all ages event! I’ll also be there in August and September.
If you can get to Hat Island on July 16th (private boat only) I’ll be performing for their summer concert series. They will have activities to clean up the island all day and I'll be focusing my show on the "Recycalypso" theme, getting people to innovate and be musically creative with the "garbage" they have picked up from the island.
July 17th my steel drum/marimba duo will be performing at the Centralia Jazz festival. This will be an event close to my heart, fusing Jazz and steel drum. Donʼt miss this 1st annual all ages festival, also featuring internationally renowned jazz singer Karrin Allyson!
For the tweens and teens in the family, the Everett Public Library will be featuring me and my Recycalypso program on July 25th. This will be an interactive event, offering an educational opportunity for young folk to learn about the history and culture of the steel drum while also giving them a chance to display their creativity by building their own instruments from recycled materials and then “joining the band” and playing them along with me.
Go to the calendar page at www.iandobson.com (or paste this link to your browse https://iandobson.ning.com/page/2520568:Page:2206 for times and locations.
As usual, I have prizes to give away!
Bring your recycled instruments down to a show to play and you could win. I always get people involved and give them lots of other opportunities to win stuff.
Even if you can’t make it to a show, I’m giving away a $10 Starbucks card every month to winners of the Recycalypso Challenge! All you need to do is apply your creativity to recycled materials around you to create your own musical instrument and then post a video or picture of your instrument. Full details are at www.recycalypso.com. This is new, so there aren’t many people involved yet and you have an EXCELLENT chance of winning.
I had a marvelous musical adventure last weekend at the Ould Triangle in Greenwood. We were celebrating one of my longest-running musical collaborators, Miho Takekawa, because she finished her Doctorate degree… in PERCUSSION (here’s where you gasp in disbelief that such a doctorate is even available… : ). I sometimes go down there for the regular weekly jam session and surprise the audience by playing steel steel drum in bluegrass, European jazz, and Cuban Son jams. I am certainly the only steel drum player that has ever been to that jam session. This week however was a huge musicians reunion since it was a party for our friend Miho, and 3 other steel drum players showed up! Could this be the first steel drum jam session in an Irish bar ever? The video/sound are terrible, but it proves that it happened! Maybe big foot and the Loch Ness Monster also exist…
http://youtu.be/TDTsuiR7Fgw
To inspire you with the Recycalypso Challenge, I’d like to share this great clip of Frank Zappa playing several bicycles. Now this is creative use of sounds found all around! I think this may have been Zappa’s first television appearance. Again, terrible audio and video quality, but it is a classic appearance. He studied at Pomona College where I earned a BA.
http://youtu.be/y9P2V0_p6vE
I hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
CLICK HERE for full schedule
The sun has come out in Seattle just in time for our Caribbean concert down at Green River Community College tomorrow for their International Week. It starts at 12 noon. Please come out and join us!
I have a number of public events this summer already, with two more great ones coming up at the beginning of June. The first will be in Wenatchee and the second will be at the FREE 2nd Annual Marysville Healthy Communities Challenge Day, a fun-filled community fitness and health event. Check out my new calendar by clicking here for complete details.
I’m giving away a $10 Starbucks card (lots of coffee comes from the Caribbean) every month to winners of the Recycalypso Challenge! All you need to do is apply your creativity to recycled materials around you to create your own musical instrument and then post a video or picture of your instrument. Full details are atwww.recycalypso.com. This is new, so there aren’t many people involved yet and you have an EXCELLENT chance of winning.
Here are some snippets from our awesome visit to Omak for Earth Day. Click below to enjoy this short video!
Finally, the new web site is coming along nicely with lots of new content. Please stop by and take a look: www.iandobson.com.
I hope to see you this summer!
IanI just returned from some great musical adventures in Merida, Mexico this winter. I hope to have the chance to blog about them soon. At the moment though I am too busy with the summer season ramping up. I’ve already had a bunch of great events in April.
At the end of April I took the entire 5-piece band out to Omak to present my Recycalypso lecture/workshop and then do a participatory show for Earth Day. What a beautiful part of Washington! We had a great time and made connections with a wonderful community out there. A big special thanks to Ebony Patterson for all her energy and enthusiasm setting up this event. Omak is lucky to have her!
I’m presenting another Recycalypso workshop/performance in Lacey tomorrow. Please come down and join in the fun! With the steel drum as your inspiration, you will explore creative ways to turn items typically thought to be garbage into musical instruments. Gain a new appreciation for resourcefulness and repurposing and see how innovative you can be with creating recycled sounds while the electric car engineers innovate with transportation. I’ll be handing out prizes for the coolest recycled instruments. Of course you’ll also enjoy a Caribbean party with me complete with my steel drums and all your favorite Caribbean tunes.
Did I mention there will be electric car races?
You can get ready for the workshop in advance by going to www.recycalypso.com and taking the Recycalypso Challenge… you can even win a prize by posting pictures video on line!
Last but not least, I’ve finally gotten around to creating my main www.iandobson.com web site. It is still under construction but there is already a lot there to check out. Please take a look and give me feedback.
I hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
The sun came out in Seattle just in time for our Caribbean concert down at Green River Community College today to cap off their international week. What a great group of students!
I have a number of public events this summer already, with two more great ones coming up at the beginning of June. The first will be in Wenatchee and the second will be at the FREE 2nd Annual Marysville Healthy Communities Challenge Day, a fun-filled community fitness and health event. Check out my new calendar by clicking here for complete details.
I’m giving away a $10 Starbucks card (lots of coffee comes from the Caribbean) every month to those who are most creative in the Recycalypso Challenge! All you need to do is apply your creativity to recycled materials around you to create your own musical instrument and then post a video or picture of your instrument. Full details are at www.recycalypso.com. This is new, so there aren’t many people involved yet and you have an EXCELLENT chance of getting the Starbucks card.
Here are some snippets from our awesome visit to Omak for Earth Day. Enjoy this short video!
Finally, the new web site is coming along nicely with lots of new content. Please stop by and take a look: www.iandobson.com.
I hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
Good, chili spring to everyone!
I just returned from some great musical adventures in Merida, Mexico this winter. I hope to have the chance to blog about them soon. At the moment though I am too busy with the summer season ramping up. I’ve already had a bunch of great events in April.
At the end of April I took the entire 5-piece band out to Omak to present my Recycalypso lecture/workshop and then do a participatory show for Earth Day. What a beautiful part of Washington! We had a great time and made connections with a wonderful community out there. A big special thanks to Ebony Patterson for all her energy and enthusiasm setting up this event. Omak is lucky to have her!
I’m presenting another Recycalypso workshop/performance in Lacey tomorrow. Please come down and join in the fun! With the steel drum as your inspiration, you will explore creative ways to turn items typically thought to be garbage into musical instruments. Gain a new appreciation for resourcefulness and repurposing and see how innovative you can be with creating recycled sounds while the electric car engineers innovate with transportation. I’ll be handing out prizes for the coolest recycled instruments. Of course you’ll also enjoy a Caribbean party with me complete with my steel drums and all your favorite Caribbean tunes.
Did I mention there will be electric car races?
You can get ready for the workshop in advance by going to www.recycalypso.com and taking the Recycalypso Challenge… you can even win a prize by posting pictures video on line!
Last but not least, I’ve finally gotten around to creating my main www.iandobson.comweb site. It is still under construction but there is already a lot there to check out. Please take a look and give me feedback.
I hope to see you this summer!
Keep dancin’
Ian Dobson
CLICK HERE for full schedule
6/29/10
Island Time Oasis Begins
There hasn’t been a ton of sun this summer in the Northwest… so far…
But I am trying to provide the perfect solution!
Tomorrow we start “Island Time Oasis” at the sophisticated and elegant Willows Lodge, just across the street from Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville, WA.
Our goal is to take our listeners away on a mid-week Caribbean escape. We’ll do this every week through August and we’re hoping that people will come out enjoy the elegance and beauty of Seattle’s wine country with fine wine, great food, and the lovely earthy sounds of the wooden marimba mixed with the tropical, ethereal sounds of the steel drum. I will be playing steel pan and other percussion and lending my vocal stylings to the music. The multi-talented Christian Krehbiel will be featured on marimba, steel pan, and percussion. The East Side’s very own well-known drummer, marimba player, and drum teacher, Frank Heye will round out the trio. Some very special musical guests will also join us throughout the summer.
We’re also offering something called the Pan Leggo Passport (get 5 stamps on your passport by going to 5 Pan Leggo shows and get a free CD, a steel drum lesson, a dance lesson, or other prizes). It’s the same concept as your stamp card at the local coffee shop, only better!
Seattle to the Caribbean Show-Beginnings
As I’ve discussed in previous posts, I am working on a new show for cruise ship theaters, performing arts centers, and other venues. Click here to see a very short video of me trying out some very rough show ideas and making lots of mistakes in Nassau, Bahamas aboard the MS Statendam (a Holland America Line cruise ship). Enjoy this little glimpse into the messy process of a new show being born. Someday soon you'll be able to come out and see the completed show!
Keep dancin'!
Ian
7/5/10
I’ve had some interesting gigs so far this summer, as usual. For one thing, the weather was not cooperating well in May and June! I had two events on my birthday. Both were outdoors, the first outdoor events of the season in the Northwest. Well, it poured rain. This makes my life quite a bit more difficult as I have to work very hard to keep the equipment dry and dry off what gets wet as soon as possible. That part was a challenge, not to mention some unbelievable traffic in Bellevue that made it challenging getting from the first gig to the second. Nevertheless, we had people at both events out dancing in the rain, conga-lining in the rain, etc. etc. At one point I really wanted to do one of my trademark parades, but it had just started pouring rain. I looked at my band and they were gung ho to get out and have a shower-what a great band! We paraded around in the rain and my pan filled up with water. These are very delicate instruments and I normally try to keep them away from water, but I decided to go for it. However, as it started to get enough water to cover a few of the notes it radically changed the pitch on those notes (made them horribly flat). I thought “I’ve done it now, I’ve ruined my drum.” Luckily when I emptied the water out the drum was back to normal.
I had a very funny experience in downtown Seattle at the end of June. I had a gig scheduled at a private bachalorette party. I called the day before to check on logistics to find that there were man potential issues. I recommended having me set up in one spot near where the bulk of the guests would be. The client thought I should be up above their heads though on a small balcony. There were many potential problems with this idea, one being that she might get a noise complaint. Nevertheless I said I’d play up there if she really wanted. So, I did end up playing on this small balcony. Basically what this meant was that I was playing perched on the side of a 6 story building in downtown Seattle. The sound was echoing throughout the high-rises. The sunset was georgious. People began coming out of their high-rise condos all around and dancing on the roofs and balconies. On the street people were stopping on the street corners and gathering in little bunches and applauding and yelling up to me between the songs. It was perfect! She came up at the end of my set and asked me to play for another hour. I then strapped on my steel pan to do a little parading around as I often do, even in small parties. As I came down the stairs playing my pan (not an easy task) I saw some guys dressed as police men entering the apartment. I kept thinking, “hey, you should stop playing now in case they are here because of a noise complaint.” Finally I did stop. All the ladies at the bachelorette party though were thrilled. You see, the lady throwing the party had planned only good clean fun and had assured me that there would be no male strippers there. But now, much to her guests’ relief, here were the strippers… “oh wait, you really are police men?” This was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. The police trying to speak to the apartment owner and explain to her about the noise complaint and all of her guests crowded around the police snapping pictures and hooting. At the end they asked the 2 police to at least pose for a picture with everyone. The police said that too much was probably going to end up on Facebook as it is and they politely took their leave. Several of the ladies commented to me about how cute the police were after the police left. Too funny to make this up.
Here are a few more funny anecdotes from last summer:
One-We had an Archbishop playing the shaker with my duo at one event.
Two-I had a show at 3rd place books the other day. I was trying to explain to the audience what my band name means: Pan=steel drum, Leggo=in Trinidad means have a good time, party. One kid kept standing right up front next to the stage though. Finally he asked in front of the entire audience when we were going to be playing with the Legos? I had to disappoint him... I fear that Leggo has a hard time competing with Lego in childrens' minds.
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