Tiki Opening will be on Friday, April 19th of this year and we hope you're ready to get your tiki pants back on for another annual opening party that's always a blast! There will be warm weather, tropical drinks, live entertainment, and the best crowd around. No one should miss the party, so get the date on your calendars and start planning with all your friends.
Check out this clip from Caiso SteelBand's performance at Tiki Bar Solomons Island:
This year Caiso SteelBand will be one of the featured performers at Kinderfest 2012. Families from all around the Washington metropolitan area are invited to participate in Kinderfest – a day focused on children featuring festivities, programs, and entertainment for the whole family. This annual fall festival for children is held at Watkins Regional Park on the first Sunday in October.
First held in 1981 as an "Octoberfest" for youth and their families and friends, Kinderfest has grown bigger and better every year. The population of Prince George's County was just over 665,000 in 1981. Nearly 3,000 residents and guests came to Watkins Regional Park that year to enjoy roving clowns, costumed characters, a magician, dancers, singers, carnival games, the Watkins Park carousel and miniature train, pony rides, scarecrow workshops, hay rides, and lots of sweets and savory refreshments. Department of Parks and Recreation employees and more than 50 community volunteers planned and conducted the first Kinderfest.
family at kinderfestThese traditions continue today. As we continue to celebrate this signature M-NCPPC event, there are plans to add new games, exhibits, activities, and programs with support from local businesses and corporate partners.
We are proud to be apart of this years Kinderfest. Hope to see you there.
The members of the Band that traveled to Kosovo have returned! It was an honor to perform for US Military and Internation Peace Stabilization troops at Camp Bondsteel & Film City. We want to thank Pro Sports MVP and the MWR for sponsoring our trip. The video also contains a tribute to Michael King Sr., former member of BWIA West Side Steel Orchestra & my Dad. We miss you, Pops!
Giving back is something that CAISO, the world famous steeldrum band based in the DC area, is well known for in their community. Now they are going to be able to extend their reach of giving as they are traveling to Kosovo on a Goodwill Tour organized and made possible by Nicole Burdett of Pro Sports MVP and the USO. It is an opportunity that the band is looking forward to both as a group and individually.
Michael King, Jr., a steelpannist with the group, is especially excited about the opportunity as his father is a veteran having served our country in the Vietnam War. He said, “It is an honor to be asked to be a part of the Goodwill Tour for US troops in Kosovo. My dad, Michael King Sr., is a Vietnam Veteran and former steelpannist. We would like to thank Nicole Burdett of Pro Sports MVP as well as the USO for allowing us to give back to the troops that dedicate their lives to service and defending our civil liberties”.
CAISO’s current group traveling to Kosovo are Orin Richards (Keyboardist/Vocals), Michael King, Jr. (Triple Cello, Percussion), David Zephrine (Tenor Pan),Michael George (Triple Cello), respectively. CAISO brings sound to life by arranging melodies, harmonies, vocals and rhythm into festive music.
The Goodwill tour will keep the band busy from September 1st through the 5th. They will then return back to the area and begin to work busily on the many bookings filling their calendar.
They will be performing throughout the end of summer every Thursday, including tonight, at Clyde’s of Chevy Chase from 5PM to 9PM.
To learn more about private or public booking events for CAISO visit their booking page at: Booking Info CAISO
CAISO was honored to be a part of the Gum Springs Community Day a few weeks ago. The celebration was held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Park. Those that attended were entertained with our music and enjoyed the pool, food, children’s activities, a vendor fair, and educational and entertainment demonstrations. Fun was had by all and there was a great turn out of people keen to take advantage of the event and to socialize and build bonds in their community. We want to thank Ms. Queenie Cox for being an awesome host and we look forward to celebrating with the Gum Springs Community again and thank everyone for their hospitality and warm welcome to CAISO.
We would like to extend an invitation to everyone to come down to Clyde’s of Chevy Chase on Thursday evening. Every Thursday (weather permitting) CAISO adds to the ambiance at Clyde’s with some sweet tunes from 5PM to 9PM. Please make sure to say “Hi”. Mark your calendars – if not for this Thursday, then we hope to see you there the next week! It truly is a great time. You should make it a weekly summer habit – why wait till Friday to begin joining the weekend? Come and join us at Clyde’s!
On Friday we have a private event we are looking forward to – we are honored to be a part of a young man’s bar mitzvah at the Congressional Country Club. On Monday we have another private booking to play at the Greater Washington Aviation Open (GWAO) Golf Tournament at Lansdowne Resort. We are truly proud to be a part of an event that does so much good for others. The event last year raised over $100,000 for the GWAO Charities.
While Friday and Monday are private events, on Saturday we will be playing at a public venue. We’ll be at the Kentmorr Restaurant in Stevensville. Hope you will make plans to be with us there – it’s sure to be the best place to be on Saturday night – after all what could better than sitting back and enjoying award winning crab cakes and listening to us LIVE? We’ll help you shed the stress from the week and feel relaxed and renewed as we transport your soul to the beaches of the Caribbean. Ahhhh, nice. Hope to see you there!
There were some very important events in Music this past week that you don’t want to have missed and there are some important events coming up that you need to make sure to not miss. From the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Queen Elizabeth to live performances by CAISO - we've got all the information for you. Here are the highlights:
CAISO will be again perform live on Thursdays at Clyde’s Chevy Chase from 5 till 9PM (weather permitting) throughout the summer. We would love to see you there – make sure you say “Hello” to us! For more information go here: Clyde’s
June is National Caribbean-American Heritage Month and there will be many events being celebrated throughout the country including special events in the DC area June 9-16, for more information go here: CAHM
Saturday, June 16th, CAISO will perform live at the Gum Springs Community Day at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Park, 8115 Fordson Road, Gum Springs, VA. CAISO will be playing from 1 till 5PM. The day's activities take place from 10AM till 6PM and will be a great way to spend a summer day! For more information go here: Download Community_Day_Flyer
June 23rd will mark the celebration of a Washington, DC area group of being awarded a fruit orchard! The event will involve the planting of the orchard as well as an overall celebration that will include live music. Edy’s Fruit Bar brand awarded three fruit orchards to under-served areas that were deserving of the donation through the Communities Take Root program. ECO City Farms in Edmonton, MD will be the site of the ceremonial planting and celebration. For more information go here: ECO City Farms Orchard Planting
The Strathmore Backyard Theatre for Children has a great lineup through June and on into the summer. You don’t want to miss out on the music programs they have planned for young children in June. The events include local African percussion and dance group Farafina Kan to Moona Luna, the group that won a Parent's Choice Award as well as CD of the Year Award for a foreign language album from Creative Child Magazine. The events take place outside under a tent and you are suggested to bring a blanket along with you. For more information go here: Strathmore Backyard Theatre for Children
July 20-22 will mark the FIRST Annual 3 Day music festival called “Firefly”. The music festival will have 48 top bands to headline the event as well as others which will be held at the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. There are volunteer spots available and the promoters. Red Frog, offer Internships at their Chicago office which could turn into a full time job in music promotion since they are indeed hiring and only hire from their Internship pool. This will be a fantastic event and tickets are already on sale. For more information go here: Firefly Music Festival
What You May Have Missed:
We were all shocked and saddened to hear the news that Sheryl Crow has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is thankfully a benign tumor and she is expected to be just fine. For more information go here: Sheryl Crow
Students at a grade school in Albany, NY were awarded a gift of $20,000 worth of musical instruments from Fidelity Investments. Philip J. Schuyler Achievement Academy received 18 instruments: six violins, three flutes, three clarinets, two trombones, two alto saxophones, a string bass and a cello. Needless to say, the children were elated to have these new instruments in their hands. Who knows what gifts of music will be awarded to the world through the gift offered these young minds by Fidelity Investments! The gift was coordinated through the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, a non-profit group that provides musical instruments to financially disadvantaged schools. For more information go here: Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
If you were completely absent from any news information you may not have realized that a very important event in history occurred “across the pond” in England. The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee which marks her service to the country of 60 years. This is the first Diamond Jubilee since that of her great grandmother, Queen Victoria, celebrated such an event. The Queen, who is now 86, took the throne at age 25 when her father passed away at age 56. Her father was King George VI and was the subject of the movie The King’s Speech. A major concert helped celebrate the 4 day event and highlights can be seen here: Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert
We hope to see you at the Mason District Park tonight, Clyde’s tomorrow or at one of our other events. You can keep up with our public performance schedule by visiting here: CAISO upcoming events or by following us on Twitter.
CAISO is about to mark an anniversary and with one as monumental as a 32nd year anniversary it is fitting to visit the history of the band. In a brief interview with different band members, both past and present, what follows is an interesting glimpse into the history and much of what makes this band an exceptional asset to the DMV area.
CAISO has been around for 31 years now, who were the founding members of the band and were they located in the DC area as the band is now? Our original members respectfully include Sam Brown, Godfrey Clark, Oswin Finley, Michael George, Carlyle Oliver, Broderick Robinson, and David Zephrine. The group first gained its fan base by performing at the Pier One Club in Annapolis and the Ocean Club in Ocean City, MD.
From CAISO Archives: Some of the original members of CAISO
Why did the band establish itself as a live steelband? The founding members arrived to the DC area from Trinidad. When the members arrived they brought with them and continued the music culture from Trinidad which is music centered on the steel pan. It was a way to continue the music they knew and bring it to others.
Are there different types of steeldrums? Yes. There are several types of steelpans that are classified by the pitch or range of tones: Soprano pitch-tenor pan, Alto-double Seconds, Baritone-Cello, Double guitar, Triple Guitar, Bass-6 Bass, 9 Bass
How many members play the steeldrum? Three of our current members play the steeldrum aka steelpan. David plays tenor, double seconds, cello, and bass. Mike George plays cello, double seconds, Michael King plays cello.
What brought you to find interest in the steeldrum and how long have you been playing? David Zephrine - I grew up around the instrument and developed an interest naturally. Everybody at that time was interested in playing the instrument. Ijoined BWIA Sunjet Steel Orchestra (BWIA national airline of the Trinidad & Tobago) at first. BWIA Sunjet was formerly known as WestSide Symphony SteelOrchestra. WestSide Steel Orchestra was an offspring of PanAm NorthStars. While with BWIA Sunjets we traveled all over the world to perform and we proudly represented Trinidad & Tobago. The band performed at Radio City Music Hall with the Rockettes in 1965, Canada, and Sweden. (David has played the steelpans for 50 years and migrated to the US in 1969 to attend school and pursue music career.)
From CAISO archives: The BWIA Sunjet Steel Orchestra
What other instruments make up the CAISO band? Franklin Harding plays percussion and drums, Ted Allen plays Bass guitar
The music of a steeldrum band has a distinct sound and is a very "happy and joyful" type sound, do you find it easy to get your audience feeling your music? Yes. People like the music so much because it is relaxing and it is for people to envision themselves on the beach and transport themselves there in mind and heart. It can be relaxing and even theraputic for some people.
Do you see a continued interest in the steeldrum by youth within the US? People in US and in the world are getting more exposed to the instrument. The steeldrum/steelpan is being taught in music school, high school, colleges, and universities in US and abroad. People have begun to accept the steeldrum as a new instrument in the music world.
Sherwin & Shawn Thwaites were the first students to graduate from Berkelee College of Music with the steelpan as their primary instrument.
Locally in the DC area there are several high schools that have a steelpan band and they are Northwestern and Old Mill. There is also the group CAFE and they are a youth organization that promotes steelpan instrument and academic enrichment in Prince George's County, Maryland.
How would one go about learning the steeldrum and buying one? There are local music schools that teach the instrument. Best bet is to search out schools in your area.
Being in a band requires quite a commitment, you are often performing on weekends and holidays, what makes you want to commit to the schedule experienced by a live band? The love of performing andplaying the instrument. The reaction you get from playing the instrument in public and bringing something special to their event. In addition we are sharing the culture of Trinidad, so it feels good to educate and entertain people.
Do you have a funny story that you would like to share about an event in which you played? At one gig we had a dog dancing on its hind legs to our music. At another a gentlemen stated to our percussionist that he had never heard someone playing the cowbell and have the ability to make it talk.
With a band that has been in existence for 30 years, some have surely retired and new members have come into the band. Who are your newest members and how long have they been with the band and what do they contribute to the CAISO brand? Orin Richards is our newest member, he is a keyboardist, bassit, and vocalist. Orin has been with the band for less than a year. So when clients want a vocalist we can provide that along with our steeldrum sounds.
From CAISO Archives: Early days of CAISO as the Trinidad & Tobago Steel Orchestra of Washington, DC
CAISO has been a high profile band in the DC area, it is unique that you have so many members that you can entertain in different types of venues such as political dinners for dignitaries, weddings, public events, and product branding for restaurants. How does CAISO handle such a wide range of entertainment needs and do so successfully? Very carefully. David Zephrine is the manager and Michael King assists him with booking coordination and customer service. CAISO works with several booking agents, event/wedding planners, copywriters, and networks within the SteelPan Community to develop new gigs, and talent. There is never a shortage of interest for our band and lately we opened up more dates in our calendar to enable CAISO to accommodate more clients and events.
What public events do you have planned that people could mark on their calendars in the months ahead to see CAISO perform live? Every sunday our soloist performs at Mango Mikes in Alexandria, VA and in the Summer CAISO has a long standing gig playing at Clyde's of Chevy Chase Restaurant. Of course as in years past there will be many public events in and around the DMV area in which we will perform and the best way to find out where we will be is to check our Web site: http://caisosteelband.com.
For more great information about the Steelpan visit
Thank you for visiting the cyber home of C.A.I.S.O. - the hottest steeldrum band in the surrounding DC and Baltimore area. C.A.I.S.O. music draws from Calypso, Soca, Reggae, and Latin Jazz influences. This combination brings the right variety in a band that can certainly make an event special.
The Famous C.A.I.S.O. Steeldrum Band brings their easy going music of the Caribbean to your event along with the Professionalism of a Band that has been performing and entertaining for over 30 years. From headlining concert events, opening for nationally known touring bands, turning a wedding into a true celebration, to branding and promoting a product or company - C.A.I.S.O. is the right choice for your celebration!
Just as the right background music makes a movie that much better, it also makes a party a success. We bring the sunny feeling of the Caribbean as a background to your event. For a festive musical atmosphere that will provide the right background music for your celebration, you have to choose a Band that knows how to not only perform but entertain as well. Booking C.A.I.S.O. shows that you care about your event and your guests. They may not remember the decorations, or the variety of the menu, but they WILL remember how your party made them feel. C.A.I.S.O. brings the steel drum music of the Caribbean to your event to punctuate that this is a special one, a celebration, one to be remembered. There will be smiles, swaying shoulders, a carefree mood, and a festive atmosphere brought together by the professional vibes of a Band that wants your event to be as successful as you do!
Hit the play button, stay awhile, and cruise around our site. Here you can find a portal to easily book us for your event or request a free quote. Read comments from a few of our MANY satisfied customers and learn more about the history of C.A.I.S.O. You can join us on facebook, follow us on Twitter, check out our upcoming performances, buy our latest CD, find a cool shirt to sport about town (YES! It will make you COOL!), and keep up with our latest news through our blog posts.
To bring a bit of C.A.I.S.O. to your everyday, which is sure to make you have a better one, you can download a few ring-tones for your mobile phone. So, cruise around our site, and then go ahead and contact us - we'd love to make your event special. We are happy to entertain at events in the DC-Baltimore area, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and surrounding West Virginia territory. Let C.A.I.S.O. be a part of your plans and send your guests home with the feeling that it truly was everything you wanted it to be - a wondrous, joyful, and happy celebration!
Please stay awhile and read through our blog posts below:
