The Rich, Glorious Sound Of Humboldt’s Steel Band
The first time I heard a steelpan orchestra up close and personal, I was struck by the physicality of the music. The players have to move around to get to the notes, especially the bass players.
They’re surrounded by six fullsize oil barrels and, as they move back and forth amid the drums to the rhythm, it’s like a dance. I found it quite mesmerizing.
A friend who was in the Pan Dulce Steelpan Orchestra at the time encouraged me to try it. Thanks to his gentle nudging, I’ve now been in the band for over 13 years, dancing in the middle of those big, booming bass instruments.
Humboldt County has a surprising number of steelpan players and that is in no small part thanks to the passion of Dr. Eugene Novotney, professor of music at Cal Poly Humboldt. His interest in steelpan led to the creation of the Humboldt Calypso Band, and many of his students stayed in the area and started their own groups — such as Pan Dulce.
John Salazar, Mike Skweir and Kate Lang Salazar were all friends in the HSU Calypso band who wanted a way to take the music out into the community. The three started teaching and decided to form a band in the early 2000s. Pan Dulce is led by Lang, whose musical skill and knack for bringing out the best in people have created a group that not only plays beautiful music together, but is practically family for those involved.
The Pan Yard, as we call it, is our second home. Aside from playing gigs at the farmers’ market or Arts Alive, we sometimes open up the Pan Yard for friends and family. The band will play a few songs, and then we let everybody who’s interested hop on a drum. It’s amazing to watch Lang lead a group of people who may have never touched an instrument and get them making music, everyone clearly excited to be playing those gorgeous instruments with their cheerful sound.
My 90-something dad came for a visit a few years ago, and one of my fondest memories is watching him learn a song at one of these events. I’m very grateful that he was able to do that before he died, and I’m grateful for the family and camaraderie I’ve found at the Pan Yard.
Katherine Almy lives in McKinleyville. For info on Pan Dulce, visit panartsnetwork.com.
