When most people think about the SteelDrum (aka SteelPan or Pan) Music, they probably think about Caribbean beaches, Bob Marley, and the song "Hot, Hot, Hot". For people more familiar with the SteelPan, they recognize the unique sound and contributions the instrument is making in the Music World. It is an honor to promote and perform SteelBand Music in the Maryland, DC, Virginia area; we are grateful to work with great people and meet innovative musicians such as Jon Scales.
In a Q&A interview with Mike King Jr, Jonathan Scales, is living proof that there is gold in them hills of North Carolina. Mr. Scales breaks down how he was introduced to the SteelPan, describes his "Fourchestra", and talks about making the 1st Music Video featuring a SteelPannist.
Mike King Jr:
How did you become interested in the SteelPans & how long have you been playing?
Jon Scales:
I started playing pan my freshman year of college (August 2002). I went to Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. There is a great steel pan program there, ran by Dr. Scott Meister, called the Steely Pan Steel Band. No one expects that in the mountains of North Carolina! I entered the school to study music composition & theory and played saxophone as my main instrument. The steel band at the school has an open audition every year and I made the cut! From there, I was hooked. I spent a lot more time in the panyard than practicing for my saxophone lessons.
MKJ:
What was the inspiration in making the video for "Muddy Vishnu"? Is this the 1st high quality video featuring a SteelPan Musician? Who directed the video?
JS:
Well, first, the title "Muddy Vishnu" comes from a stylistic mix between the blues legend Muddy Waters and the '70s jazz/rock fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was fun to write. As far as the inspiration for MAKING the video...I'll have to say i'm influence equally from pop culture as well as jazz & classical composition; the video is definitely my pop culture influence showing up! I have this crazy idea that I can somehow be a SteelPan Jazz Rock Star! I thought the video would also be a good way to expose people to my work in the same way that major label artists release videos when they come out with a new album. As far as the 1st...man I don't know about that! I'm not trying to make any bold claims.
The video was directed by Daniel Judson. (See his work at danieljudson.com) Check out "Muddy Vishnu" here:
MKJ:
What is the inspriration for your latest project, "Character Farm & other Short Stories"?
JS:
My friend Roy "Futureman" Wooten (Grammy-award winning percussionist for Bela Fleck) had some long talks to me about "Long Form"...which is just the idea of making one grand musical statement as opposed to just throwing together a collection of songs. Now i'm not saying that "Character Farm" is the perfect example of what he meant, but it was my attempt to get closer to that concept. The 9 original tunes are packaged together as a group of short stories that each have an illustration in the liner notes to help the audience get a better idea of what i'm thinking in my mind about each piece. So it kinda comes together like a comic book...but instead of reading words with each picture, there is music. Digital downloads won't do it justice! The packaging helps bring the music to life.
MKJ:
How would describe a Fourchestra?
JS:
It's a play on the words "Four" and "Orchestra". I decided to call my band "Jonathan Scales Fourchestra" because I felt like "quartet" was too overused and didn't fit what I wanted to convey to my audience. I think other people have also come up with the term "fourchestra" but I hadn't heard it before I decided to use it...so it's still original to me! The fourchestra is really what brings my writing together, just like an arranger has a steel band. Duane Simpson brings a blues-y, soulful guitar sound. Phill Bronson is a solid hip-hop/jazz drummer. Cody Wright, the new bass player, nails whatever crazy parts I want to write for the bass. I feel lucky to have a group of guys that want to learn and perform my work....and trust me, they have some hard parts!
MKJ:
Do you see a continued interest in the SteelPan by youth or could it be a skill that is rare in the US?
JS:
I think young people will continue to take interest in pan as long as school and community programs are still pushing it. It seems like kids get hooked once they start playing, and I think that's a good thing for them. It might be a while before it's as popular as the trumpet or the saxophone in the US. But who knows...maybe it's ok that pan is seen as a special, 'exotic' instrument to the average American.
MKJ:
MKJ:
Do you have a funny story that you would like to share about an event in which you performed?
JS:
At one of the steel band shows I played when I was in college, the older students played a trick on me and another freshman. They switched our double seconds around so that one of us had 2 left pans and the other had 2 right pans! The drumset started off the show and all of the players ran in from the back of the auditorium to get to their pans. We were playing the soca tune "Stranger" and my friend and I quickly discovered that something was not right with our pans! But the crazy thing is, we figured it out on the fly....I played half the notes and he played the other half! It was tricky but we out-smarted them. Luckily it wasn't a hard arrangement.
MKJ:
How would you describe your music arrangement style?
JS:
That's a tough one! Well...a lot of people find my music to be complicated or complex. I think I use a lot of "advanced" rhythmic ideas that people don't hear on a daily basis. I mess around a lot with different time signatures and polyrhythmic phrasing. Also I steer slightly away from traditional harmonic and melodic ideas. So I guess you could say I try to take opposing and contrasting harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic ideas, mix 'em together and really focus on how to make that work on the SteelPans with my band backing me up. My writing background is heavily influenced by 20th century modern classical composers like John Cage, Igor Stravinsky and Charles Ives; who were all known for writing some crazy "out there" types of music! I use a lot of their techniques, but writing on top of groove-based drums really ties it together and makes it assessable.
CAISO SteelBand presents: Q&A: Meet Jonathan Scales, SteelPan Jazz Rock Star. For more information on Jon Scales Fourchestra: Music, Tour and CD's visit his official site at: Jon Scales
For more great information about the Steelpan instrument you can visit http://www.CaisoSteelBand.com
I'm not sure if steel pans will ever make it to the mainstream, but it does already have a following... but who knows?
Posted by: Angela Han | 04/18/2011 at 06:53 AM
Muddy Vishnu is a great piece! Are there any plans for adding vocals in the future?
Posted by: Ben | 04/23/2011 at 10:57 PM
Houses can be musical...
Posted by: CRUZ33Abigail | 10/24/2011 at 07:58 AM