Tucked away down a secluded side street off River Street in Mattapan, you might think it would be hard to find “The Pan Yard,” where the renowned Branch’s Steel Orchestra practices several times a week to hone their steel band sound. But that’s not the case once you follow the sounds of more than a dozen members of this multi-generational group belting out a melodious steel pan version of Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”
A walk through the neighborhood, following the sounds of music, leads me to Branches founder and longtime director Carl Smith’s two-car garage, where dozens of steelpans are lined up among other percussion instruments, with a few pans set aside for tuning and adjustment — a space that industry insiders call a “pan yard,” where steelbands store their instruments and rehearse.
First known as “The Roots” in 1978, the band changed its name to Branch’s Steel Orchestra in 1983, according to Smith and his wife, Joyce Spencer Smith. The band caters primarily to area youth, with hundreds of alumni who regularly return to the Panyard to tune in on hot summer nights.
“The Branches are the longest-running steel band in the United States,” Smith said. “To this day, no other band has been practicing Trinidad-style carnival longer than The Branches.”
Smith, who is of Trinidadian descent, said they take their music very seriously, adding that while carnival and its culture has spread around the world, its roots are uniquely “Trini.” The Branches have a long history in Boston, having won the Steel Band Panorama competition at White Stadium multiple times. The band has also performed for presidents, governors and mayors, played at weddings and parades and typically plays at Boston Carnival, but not this year.
Pictured above, Branches director Carl Smith leads the band at River Street’s “Panyard” rehearsal space earlier this month. Photo by Seth Daniel
“Back in the day, young people didn’t have social media or cell phones, so their parents gave them a choice: stay home and work, or go to the panyard,” Smith says. “They didn’t want to stay home and work, so they went to the panyard. This has been going on for over 30 years now…Over 95 percent go on to college. My dentist was an ex-band member.”
Music director Justin Petty, a professor at Roxbury Community College and longtime steel band performer, began with Branches in 1997 when the Pan Yards was still on Harvard Street in Dorchester. He said Branches is unique because it brings audiences on stage and performs quality arrangements that challenge old perceptions of steel pan music.
“When people talk about steel drums, the first thing they think is that it’s outdated,” he says, “they don’t realize how versatile the instrument is. We can play Michael Jackson songs, we can play Beethoven’s Serenade in D Major. Players are also entertainers. You can’t just stand behind the drums as if someone is forcing you to do it. Our players don’t do that. They need to entertain, to entertain other people.”
Branches members range in age from 8 to 19. Some are musical novices, while others are traditional members with family members who have performed in the past.
“My aunt knew Dr. Carl and we’re basically one big family,” said band captain Nigel Driggs, who attends Snowden International High School. “My aunt pulled me in and I’ve been involved a lot. I love it. I enjoy music. It’s a very unusual instrument and I can play the drums and play melodies with other people.”
Thora Henry, 16, said she joined the band several years ago with her triplet brother and sister. Her family had no affiliation to the Branches, but her mother wanted her children to experience Trinidadian culture.
“I love the band, but more than anything, I feel like the band has brought me closer to my culture because when I come here I’m immersed in the culture,” she said. “I love the idea of playing music in a group. It’s another language, another way of communicating with each other without using words.”
Kendyl Black, 11, of Dorchester, said she started playing drums two years ago and plans to continue for many years to come. “I’ve really loved learning about the steel drums and I want to keep playing as long as I can,” she said.
There are also adults in the band, some of whom used to play with their own kids but have returned as they’ve gotten older and have more time on their hands: David Williamson played in the band for 12 years before leaving to focus on his family and career;
“I missed it a lot,” he says. “I had to take care of my kids and my law practice, and I always missed it. Now that I have the time, I’m going to start doing it again.”
The same was true for Peter Malagodi, who lives a short distance away from the panyard and returned to the panyard after the pandemic eased.
“Carl has the ability to draw people into his world,” he said. “He formed the band post-COVID and drew me back in. It’s just amazing that this band has been successful and persevered for over 40 years, but when you spend enough time with them you can see why.”
From left, Branches Steel Orchestra’s Kelsey Levy, Kendyl Black and Thora Henry rehearse a steel drum version of “The Sound of Silence” shortly after performing for Mayor Michelle Wu at an event at City Hall Plaza earlier this month. Photo by Seth Daniel
Rehearsing at the Panyard on a Friday night this month, the band had just finished playing Boston’s City Hall Plaza, working on arrangements of “The Sound of Silence” and Jackson 5 songs. The melody is on steel drums, but it’s unmistakable. Smith and Petty acknowledged that there were many things they needed to fix, which they pointed out to each other during the interview, but they were also proud of the young people who were carrying on the tradition and capitalizing on it to great success.
“As long as we have young people, we’re keeping it fresh,” Smith says. “I always tell the young people, ‘Your success is my reward.’ We’re all volunteers, and I just want to see them succeed in music and in life.”
Branch’s Steel Orchestra is sponsored by T&T Steel, Regis Steel Co. and David McDonald Design and Construction. This year’s Family Day performance will be held on September 18th at Franklin Park.
