“It’s magic.” That is how Steel Revolution member Anya describes the mood when the band starts playing. The music clearly moves people: on Isle au Haut and Matinicus, islanders of all ages danced and tried the hula hoops the band brings with them.
The Sunbeam brings out different performers, authors, and other artists each year. This includes members of Penobscot Theatre Company, who performed the play Matinicus, last summer. And this trip is particularly beloved by islanders. Sunbeam Director Douglas Cornman explains, “Having the Sunbeam bring the pan band to an island for a concert and demonstration is one of the most requested Island Outreach trips.” The demonstration allows islanders to pair up with a musician and learn simple melodies. This connects back to Island Outreach’s and the Mission’s goal of providing educational and community building services to residents.
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Douglas’s predecessor, Reverend Rob Benson, first asked the group to come out in the early 2000s. The islanders loved the band and the music, and he continued to invite them. Now, band members and islanders both look forward to it. Steel Revolution is made up of students from George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. This trip marked the last hurrah for the ten students who graduated earlier this summer.
The director, Martin Conte, shares, “Steel Revolution travels the state, teaching workshops in schools, performing concerts and dances, and spreading the joy of the Trinidadian steelband movement.” Much of Maine’s interest in the steel pan traces back to Carl Chase, grandfather of a current member, who started the state’s first steelband in Brooksville in 1974.
Martin himself began playing in the Academy’s youth band, so this trip was a full-circle moment for him. “This is an especially special trip for me as the director, as I traveled to Matinicus to play steelband music almost twenty years ago, when I myself was in high school.”
Martin says the steelpan appeals to all ages. Five- and six-year-olds dance right alongside their grandparents. On Matinicus, Sunbeam Steward Siobhan Harrity coordinated a potluck and barbecue on Steamboat Wharf, where residents mingled and chatted while grabbing food.
Earlier in the day, the musicians explored Matinicus, visiting South Sand Beach, meeting islanders, and getting a feel for life on Maine’s most remote island. Anya and fellow band member Millie both describe the Sunbeam trip as a unique and special experience. Martin believes it is one the students will remember for years to come — just as he has.
Learn more about the work the Mission’s Island Outreach does on outer islands.
