I always cherish my time of having my rack pushed, or of pushing a player's rack, but the costs and other drawbacks of keeping the bands rolling on the road is tremendous.
Route, Equipment, Mechanics
The roadways that were mostly flat in the yesteryears are now mostly severely turtle-backed. This means that racks tend to head downhill, left and right, away from each other. To correct this from happening, we tied the racks tightly together, but when we had to turn a corner, we then needed personnel to untie and re-tie racks. Costly wheels were damaged, if they weren't properly aligned in the direction the tractor was pulling the racks.
We decided to tie the racks loosely together,and delegated more personnel to manage the racks as we moved along....Guess what?.....we now had to deal with children and adults riding on the racks.....the possibilities of some one being severely injured, plus wheels being damaged because of the added weight.
Golf cart, light aircraft, forklift and other Extra Heavy Duty wheels has been considered as solutions, but the huge costs, with minimal returns doesn't make cents sense.
Sound
The human body absorbs sound, which means that for every human body that is very close to the sound, you would need added output for the music to be heard from a respectable distance.This can be solved by having a larger band, but Steelbands have to compete with the DJs and Soca Bands and their high wattage amplifiers, speaker systems -- complete with sub woofers.
The Steelband could buy a costly competitive system, or rent one at a huge cost, but how is this system -- and the required generator -- going to be integrated with band playing "on the road"?
Glenroy, I have been suggesting that PanTrinbago approach the GROTT for a Pan ONLY area in P-O-S to parade on Carnival days. I don't know where in Sando/Tobago that can be done, but as I write an idea came to me for the East.
P.S : Pan pushers now expect to be paid, so they have formed a union....the Pan Pushers Association, but Cecil Hinkson hasn't called a meeting as yet, so I don't know when is elections.
In Pan!
Replies
Claude, the pans sound better on the ground, and there is a different vibe in the steelband this is the reason.
There is one thing that really gives me a HEADACHE on THIS FORUM.
Every week or two there is some announcement about one or two people from the PAN FRATERNITY dying. And this happens to be a FORUM OF MOSTLY OLD MEN who could die at any minute.
Yet there seems to be very little consideration of MORTALITY -- NO PERSPECTIVE.
Most of us have like "X times a fraction" to go and yet everybody is obsessed with BRINGING BACK THE PAST. Going back to the SIXTIES and recreating that into today's reality. Now if you notice: In Trinidad dey real seem to be ENJOYING the PAN ON THE TRUCK TING or else it JUST WOULD NOT BE.
I mean I understand the FIXATION and the SOCIOLOGY surrounding it -- but still ....
How about trying to BUILD SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE before we leave?