Got rhythm? Steel drum group has a place for you

Palm Springs — Steel drum music is often associated with the tropics and sandy white beaches but certainly not with deserts and golf courses.

But come Sundays, the halls of the Ramon Alternative Center reverberate with the sounds of these Caribbean drums.

The Palm Springs Steel Drum Band, directed by Ray Lindsay, formed in September to offer Coachella Valley residents the opportunity to learn how to play the instruments.

Whether you are a musical savant or have no rhythm at all, anyone can learn to play the steel drums, Lindsay said.

“The steel drums are amazingly easy to learn,” Lindsay said. “The notes are on the drums.”

The band has 10 members from across the Coachella Valley, ranging in age from 14 to over 60 years.

Lindsay has enough drums for 21 players and is looking to add members to the group.

Band member Ginny Peacock, 69, of Palm Springs was inspired to join the band after seeing a Desert Hot Springs High School Steel Drum Band performance at the McCallum Theatre last year.

“The drums make a great sound and I've always wanted to be a drummer, so this is a start,” Peacock said. “I'm going to be 70 this year so you're never too old to learn.”

Steel drums were invented in the 1940s on Trinidad.

The first drums were made out of 55-gallon metal drums.

The drums come in different sizes that create either a high-pitched sound or a low bass sound.

Peacock plays bass, which consists of six full-size 55-gallon drums. Band member Louisa Castrodale plays two smaller drums with a higher sound.

“You can't hit the drums too hard or it makes a dense, tinny sound,” Castrodale said. “It is surprising how light you have to hit them.”

Band practices are from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays in the the Ramon Alternative Center multipurpose room. There is no cost to join and drums are provided.

For more information, contact Ray Lindsay at thelindzenator@gmail.com.