The St. James Tripolians Steel Orchestra will make its debut at the Great American Brass Band Festival by becoming the first steel drum band to ever perform. The Steel Orchestra will make the trip from its native tropical island of Trinidad to Danville following recruitment by the local Advocate Brass Band. While the Advocate Brass Band was touring the island last December its members attended a beach party where the Steel Orchestra was playing. After the performance, Advocate members invited the Trinidadian
group to come join the Kentucky festival. The Steel Orchestra achieves its sound by playing manipulated 55-gallon oil drums, referred to as pans. The drum is tempered with a hammer and maul for tuning and can be adjusted to produce pitches that span from very low to very high. The pans' sounds are suitable to harmonize with just about any instrument. While many bands at the festival are well known for their formal uniforms, spectators of the Steel Orchestra can expect a different wardrobe. They typically don casual,
colorful clothing native to their tropical island.