Hello Music Friends,

Many people have asked " When are you playing again?" "Where are you playing next?" "Do you have a CD? " "Do You give lessons?" Thank you so much for your interest and for asking. In an effort to keep everyone informed I'd like to invite you to join my email list. There is a sign up form below. By joining, you will receive updates to previous questions and be " in the know". I'm very thankful for your interest and for your encouragement.

Keep Well,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

The video above explores the idea of adding the romantic sound of steel drums to your wedding day. I'm happy to have filmed and edited it myself as I've been practicing those skills. I also included an original song " Amber Mint" in the latter half of the video. Have a look and consider contacting me for you steel drum wedding needs.

www.hearsteeldrumsplay.com

Best,
Minsky

Hello Music friends,

It is carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago! People from all over have converged on the twin island republic to celebrate and partake in this spectacular event. I wanted to wish safe travels to my friends and family whom have made the journey.

I am also pleased to have read that Ken " Professor" Philmore had returned to the helm of The Vat 19 Fonclaire Steelband. Their union had always yielded great music and I'm a fan on Philmore's sound. I'm looking forward to hearing their offering-although they have been victims of biased judging sheets.

Keep Well,
Minsky

Hello Music friends,

Over a year ago I was reacquainted with Shamgar's Priniciples. Those three principles have stirred up personl growth and have kept me motivated.

Shamgar was an Old Testament judge, responsible for maintaining law and order in the land of Israel. Few people have heard of him, but he was a brawny, heroic, steel-muscled character who saved Israel by striking down six hundred Philistines with the only thing he had at hand: an ox goad. Within his story lies three simple yet powerful success secrets:

* start where you are
* use what you have
* do what you can

Best,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

Seasons greetings to all of you. May you enjoy continued health and happiness.

Be Blessed and Keep Well,

Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

Here is a recently created performance video. It is R. Kelly's " Happy People". I played it at a really fun wedding in South Carolina.

I mentioned that I've been brushing up on video editing. I've learned to split the audio track and sync it with the video. Have a look.
Special thanks to Lisa L. for the camera work.

Best,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

Today I found myself back at the YMCA in Charlotte, NC. I went there with the intentions of soaking in the hot tub ( without doing an actual work out) but to my dismay the hot tub was closed for maintainance. I knew that physical fitness was important to the body and that being in shape would help in coping with the irregular schedules of my day job and gigging. With that being said, I meandered into the step aerobics class. What a shock I experienced. The modernized step routine is quite different to the step routine of yester-year. When they went left, I went right. When they went right I went left. I flailed around wildly with no coordination. I was exhausted just from trying to keep up with the new moves. It was such an awful sight that I had to laugh at myself. Ten minutes laters the fitness instructor shouted "Ok lets being our routine". WHHHHHAAatttt?????!!!!!!!!! I should've stuck to the spin class!

Best,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

Over the past several months I've delved into creating photo montages and video editing. I've really taken a liking to both. Prior to being involved in music, I expressed my self visually through drawings and paintings. It felt quite natural to have branched off into photography and videography.
I like the ease of use on Windows Movie Maker. I know that there are many sophisticated programs on the market, however WMM just flows so easily for me and it has been my introduction to effects, splits, transitions, fades and other video tricks. My newest creation was filmed in Angouleme, France and features concert footage of Trinidad and Tobago based steel orchestra Bp Renegades in action. Keep in mind that I filmed this with a simple point and shoot Canon sd 750 digital camera.

Please click on the arrow to watch the video.


Best,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

I had the pleasure of witnessing a standing ovation and triple encore afforded to Trinidad based steel orchestra BP Renegades after they delighted concert goers in the French city of Angouleme. The Renegades repertoire consisted of Baroque pieces by Schubert and Bach as well as reggae songs by Bob Marley,(The crowd sang the chorus of " No Woman no Cry" as the musicians played) timeless Kitchener calypsos and "Groovey Soca" hits by Destra and Krosfyah amongst others. Row G seat 3 gave me an upclose and personal view of the band. I was so proud of the bands performance and the hospitable reception they got from the French audience. That night was a proud moment for Trinidad and for the steel band art form.

Best,
Minsky

Hello Music Friends,

I am thrilled about going to see my favorite steel band play. They are the Renegades Steel Orchestra from Trinidad and Tobago. My connection with the Renegades is that their tuner, the legendary Bertran Kellman made my very first steel drum. Since then, I've followed the band's progress and analyzed the music of their resident arranger Jit Samaroo. To add to the excitement, I'm traveling to Angouleme, France to see and hear the concert. This is a first time visit. I'm really excited about this trip and I'll share photos and another blog when I return.

Bon Voyage and Keep Well,
Minsky