After a semester of preparation, the Palmetto Pans Steel Drum Band will host a “Throwback Thursday” themed performance on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the School of Music. Students are invited to explore the music of Trinidad and Tobago culture while enjoying a familiar set list of popular classics.
Palmetto Pans is a music course offered through the University of South Carolina. The group this semester has 12-18 students participating in the ensemble. Unlike many on-campus percussion groups, Palmetto Pans is open to all students, regardless of major or past knowledge in music.
Member Kobe Little, a second-year student at USC, is a media arts and studio arts double major. Though he plays saxophone, he had no experience playing the pans before joining the ensemble.
“I started playing my freshman year at USC,” Little said. “It seems like we take most everyone as long as they have an interest in playing the pans.”
This is the only ensemble that primarily uses pans, which are large 55-gallon oil drums, compared to other groups that may just use pans as a feature instrument. While the inspiration for the music comes from traditional Trinidad and Tobago culture, Palmetto Pans incorporates creativity and spunk into their music.
Katie Cashwell, a second-year biological sciences student, says this group is less structured in their literature, which allows for a high-energy environment.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Cashwell said. “We like to get hyped up and have a good time.”
Because the group is open to any and all majors, students are given the chance to explore a new kind of music while meeting different groups of people.
“I really like it because the people in the group are really talented and it also gives me an opportunity to meet other people from different parts of the music world,” Cashwell said.
While many students do come from a music background, the group requires no experience playing percussion.
“It’s just really cool to have become a percussionist,” Little said. “I have always been a wind instrument player and ... I think it’s made me better as a musician.”
Students who attend the concert are able to experience a kind of music they wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to. The concert's setlist includes traditional pan as well as popular throwback music.
“We’re going to have some pretty cool feature instruments," Cashwell said. “There will be surprises."