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Steely Pan alumni reunite after 20 years
by Ryan Finn
Staff Writer
More than 40 people will soon be filling up the stage at Farthing Auditorium and playing more than 60 steel drums. If this sounds impossible, perhaps you need to make arrangements to see it for yourself.
Appalachian State University will host the 20-year reunion concert of the Steely Pan Steel Band Saturday. Alumni from the band’s history and special guests will join current members in a one-time only concert.
“To them, this was the best experience they had in their college education, and they want to share that with the kids we have now,” Sharpe Chair professor and Steely Pan director Dr. Scott R. Meister said of the band’s alumni.
The band’s alumni approached “Doc” Meister in the hopes that a reunion could be organized in remembrance of the band’s first public performance in 1985. Meister was happy to entertain the idea.
“They put a committee together in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary area,” Meister said, praising the alumni for handling much of the organization for the reunion weekend.
Meister is excited for the opportunity to see all of his friends and students again, but he truly wants to see the response from his older students concerning his newer ones.
“The first half [of the program] is my band. I want the alumni to see what I’m doing now,” Meister said. “The second half will be alumni with my band filling in the gaps.”
Meister received much help from Jenny E. Jones, former Steely Pan member and current director of special events and donor relations for the medical center at Duke University.
“I told Doc I’d be happy to help pull everyone back for the weekend,” Jones said. A member of Steely Pan from 1995 to 1996, Jones fondly remembers the family atmosphere and the spirit of fun that the band provided her.
Jones was a string player before joining the band. Despite the transition, she never felt unwelcome or unsupported.
“It was one big family,” she said.
The reunion will be a special event for Jones and for many other former members like her.
“I’m excited to see everybody again. The weekend will give us time to reconnect and meet other players,” Jones said.
Senior music industry studies major Michael J. Morel has been a member of Steely Pan since the fall of 2001.
“I was already a percussionist but Dr. Meister sold me on it,” Morel said of the band.
Morel praises Meister’s techniques and passion for the group. “It’s not just learning music with him. He likes to immerse the students in the culture,” Morel said.
Morel described the band as “a supportive, surrogate family” and was proud to speak of the group’s educational achievements. “It’s important for everyone to know what the Steel Band is about. It’s such an educational experience for us.”
Morel is eager to meet the members that he never had a chance to interact with during his four years with the band. “That’s why it’s so exciting to have this reunion,” he said.
TO TOP
Wiseapple brings jazz bluegrass to Boone Saloon
by Lindsay Craven
Staff Writer
A local band has managed an unlikely combination of fruit and acoustic string music. Boone quartet Wiseapple will perform their acoustic mix of bluegrass and jazz tonight at 10:30 p.m. at Boone Saloon.
“We are traditional bluegrass mixed with original compositions with a little bit of jazz to it,” guitarist Tim Marsh said.
Wiseapple is made up of Jon Hill on mandolin and vocals, Tim Marsh on guitar and vocals, Ben McPherron on bass fiddle and Brian Swenk on banjo. The band has been performing together since 1999.
“Our band is different from others because we mix in more modern stuff and jazz into a traditional setting,” Marsh said.
Wiseapple recently released their first album. It is a self-titled CD that has 11 tracks, 10 of which are original compositions. The album was recorded over a three-day period in the summer of 2003 and was released about a year ago at a CD release party at Boone Saloon.
“I think that this album was a great first effort but we’re really looking forward to getting back into the studio and outdoing ourselves,” Marsh said.
The band has many influences. Some of their bluegrass influences include Bill Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs. Their rock influences include Neil Young, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. Jazz artists such as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker also heavily influence them.
Wiseapple has performed all over North Carolina and into parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia. They have also performed with several well-known bands, such as Snake Oil Medicine Show, Steep Canyon Rangers, Acoustic Syndicate and Del McCoury.
“Our most memorable performance was performing with Del McCoury at the Orange Peel in Asheville,” Marsh said. “We had played there at least other time opening up for Seldom Scene which is a popular bluegrass band from Washington. They were looking for local talent to open up for him and I guess they sent a list of bands to McCoury’s management and they checked into all of them and chose us.”
Wiseapple can be heard on several radio stations in Tennessee and can also be found on a Wilkesboro AM station WKBC 800 AM.
“They (Wiseapple) are a true band,” Jay Sanders of Acoustic Syndicate said. “When they play, they … support each other as a group. In a genre dominated by flashy solos and individual gain, Wiseapple has not forgotten why people listen to music-good songs that make you want to get up and boogie.”
The show at Boone Saloon tonight will start at 10:30 p.m. and there will be a $5 cover charge. The show is only for people 21 or older.
For information on this show contact Boone Saloon at 264-1811.
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