Art
JAM | Oct 7, 2022

RSI Steel: The Steelpan trio taking pannists to new heights

Shemar-Leslie Louisy

Shemar-Leslie Louisy / Our Today

editor
Reading Time: 4 minutes
From left: Irkah Wilson, Samantha ‘Rissa’ Williams and Ra’Shain Bean (Photo: Contributed)

Since 2020, RSI Steel have been playing steelpan together at the highest level across Jamaica. The all-female, all-Jamaican trio, only the second in Jamaica’s history, are quickly rising as the premiere choice for booking steelpan performances and classes.

The RSI group, which was coined by using the first initial in each member’s name, began after the young pannists who are all heavily accomplished in their own right, discovered their potential together after playing at a joint performance at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. They highlighted that it was their respect for each other’s dedication to creating, playing and teaching music that brought them together.

Video clip from RSI Steel playing “No No No” by Dawn Penn (Video: Instagram @rsisteelja)

“It all felt natural. We all grew up in music. We can all relate to each other and we did [music] masterclass together. In fact, Irkah and Ra’Shain knew each other long before we even met at Edna [Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts],” said Williams when asked about what made them choose to form the group.

As a unit, over the past two years, the women have done over 30 gigs islandwide, despite restrictions from the pandemic.

The trio, speaking with Our Today, shared their history of what brought them to playing steelpan.

The RSI steel group. (Photo: Contributed)

“For me, everything started in high school at the Holy Childhood High School. Although I learned to play the drums from before that, I heard the sound of the steelpan one day and was fascinated by the sound, and convinced myself that I would learn it one day,” said Bean.

“I used to listen and watch the pannists play and then stay back and practise the movements. I kept doing that until I joined the high school band as a drummer and eventually found my home in steelpan,” said the pannist.

Bean pointed out that it was the instrument’s novelty and uniqueness that drew her to the steelpan.

“It just has an edge that makes it stand out, just like me,” she continued.

“In all that I do, music is my central line. My dad was a singer, and I grew up in the choir and learned to play the piano during my time there. I discovered the steelpan in high school. I’d never heard of the instrument before that and Ra’Shain was one of my first instructors,” said Wilson.

“In all that I do, music is my central line.”

Wilson continued: “What really drew me to the pan at the time was that it was the chance to use my hands instead of my voice, I fell in love with how pattern heavy the steelpan is and I liked the challenge.”

Said Williams: “I grew up in music too except my first instrument was the piano and I eventually learned the drums. I wasn’t very familiar with the steelpan until my second year of UWI when I heard the UWI Panoridim Steel Orchestra playing. That first day I probably stood there for about an hour just listening and watching them practise and pan has been a part of me ever since.”

She continued: “It’s such a unique one-of-a-kind sound that nothing can replicate and it comes from right here in our region. It honestly saddens me that it doesn’t get the respect and recognition that it deserves.”

RSI Steel playing ‘Out and Bad’ by Voice on TVJ. (Video: Instagram: rsisteelja)

The trio spends a lot of their energy investing into the future of the pannist field and into their own outside interests. Bean, who won the gold medal in the pan category at the World Championship of Performing Arts, has spent years teaching steelpan at the Holy Childhood High School as well as providing private tutoring to students across the region. In addition to teaching, she has a lot of interest in recording her own music and has already released her first single with more on the way.

Wilson, who is also a singer-songwriter and recording artiste, has also ventured into modelling and event curating in addition to being an educator.

Williams, who has worked as a musical director for various groups including directing the Wolmer’s Girls Steel Orchestra to first place in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) competition 2019-2020, is interested in doing more composing, arrangement and music production.

All three pannists are also making new compositions that they plan on releasing in the coming months, both as a group and individually.

“In the future, we definitely want to recruit more women into the group and expand into other instruments,” said Williams when asked about plans for RSI Steel going forward.

“The pannist field is heavily male dominated, especially in Jamaica, and we want to keep a space open where more women can join. We spent a lot of years working on our technique, through formal education and practise. That’s why we all ventured into teaching. It’s so we can ensure the correct techniques get passed down,” she continued.

The members of RSI Steel may be contacted on Instagram for booking information.

Follow them on Instagram @rsisteelja

Send feedback to [email protected]

Comments

What To Read Next