Free Speech Alley came alive to the beats of calypso drums yesterday, while the Oberlin College steel drum band gave what some students said was a riveting performance.
Oberlin Steel, a musical act from Ohio, is made up of 16 pieces of steel drums and 16 drummers. The band performed calypso drum pieces, and invited students and faculty members to celebrate and dance.
The Union Program Council’s Music and Mayhem committee brought the musicians to campus.
“The band chose to come here because they would be in the area,” said J.W. Washington, the student coordinator for Music and Mayhem. “They called us and gave us the dates they were in Louisiana, and asked if we were interested.”
The band goes on tour every year to a different state, stopping at local colleges, elementary schools and different coffee shops and bars, said Noah Smit, one of the band directors for Oberlin Steel.
Tuesday night, the band played at the Dragon’s Den in New Orleans. Earlier that day, they played at two elementary schools in Baton Rouge.
Oberlin Steel has been making music at Oberlin College for years.
“It started 25 years ago by students who played steel drums in high school,” Smit said. “We took off from there, and try to keep it real.”
By “keeping it real,” Smit is referring to the steel drum music which originated in Trinidad, a small island off Venezuela, and also the birthplace of calypso music.
In the middle of the band’s act, UPC Ideas and Issues Chairperson Brandon Smith moved the band from the Free Speech Alley Plaza to the grassy area directly behind it. This move was met with confusion and annoyance by students in the crowd.
Smith reminded them Free Speech Alley is supposed to be a place solely for random acts, not planned programs.
“You can’t plan a program because students might want to skateboard or hang out,” Smith said.
Union director Shirley Plakidas said when the circular part of Free Speech Alley was constructed last year, it was decided by representatives from all over campus it would be a space to preserve the tradition of free speech at LSU. While it was uncomfortable to move the band during their act, Plakidas said they hoped to be able to avoid it in the future, possibly by adding a plaque in the plaza to explain its purpose.
“LSU has always had an area preserved and dedicated to free speech,” Plakidas said. “We need to do a better job of letting people know why we are doing it, and why we chose this area to preserve. It’s kind of unique to LSU, since many schools have legal issues about free speech on campus.”
Even though the band continued to play and entertain, some students expressed disappointment in the administration.
“I thought it was rude of the administration to move the band out of the circle,” said Kate Wilson, an English freshman. “It was a benefit to the college that the band was coming, and it was an over-interpretation of the law.”
After the band was moved, there was a significant difference in the crowd size.
“We lost everyone who was sitting here,” Washington said right after the band changed location. “I’m not sure about the laws and why they were moved, but the vibe while they were here was great.”
Although they had to pick up and move all their equipment, Oberlin Steel kept their active spirits.
“They moved us right behind from where we had been,” Smit said. “They let us finish our song. That was nice.”
Oberlin Steel has changed over the years and takes on new members after others graduate.
“In our college, we have experimental courses,” said Nansamba Ssensalo, who directs the band along with Smit. “One of these classes is learning to play steel drums. We can teach people to play, and at the end of the semester, we can use their last performance as an audition for the band.”
The band finished up their set by thanking the crowd and selling CDs afterward.
“I liked it,” said Alexandra Russell, a freshman in mass communication. “It was nice music for a nice day.”
Oberlin Steel will conclude their tour of Louisiana on Friday at midnight at the Neutral Ground in New Orleans.