You know this sound. You've heard it on vacation. At the resort. On the cruise ship dock.
It's the sound of relaxation. Effortless. Bright. Familiar.
But the steel drum is the only acoustic instrument invented in the twentieth century.
It wasn't designed. It wasn't engineered. It was discovered — accidentally — by a kid who borrowed his mother's wash pan without asking.
And before that, there was a ban. And before that, another ban. And before that, drums that were confiscated, bamboo that was outlawed, and a community that kept finding new ways to make music out of whatever was left.
This is not a story about beach music.
It's a story about what happens when you try to silence people who refuse to be quiet.
Featuring steel pan musician and educator Justin Petty, who has been playing since 1984 and currently teaches at Roxbury Community College in Boston, Massachusetts.