We are thankful for…

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away and it reminds us of how many things we are truly thankful for here at Cocobean. There are a few things in particular we would like to share. We are thankful for our families, our health and the success that we have had over the years. We are thankful for the hundreds of brides, corporate clients and others who allow us to be part of the special occasions almost every day. And finally, we are thankful for the talented and loyal entertainers who work with us. Our steel drum players, steel drum band, reggae band and calypso band are truly one of a kind. Every week, they travel throughout Florida and Georgia to perform and we would not be where we are today without them. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from all of us here at Cocobean.

Steel Drum Music & Reggae Music for Weekday Weddings

It’s not often that our guys (or even Wedding DJs) perform for a wedding on a Tuesday night. However, a couple of Tuesdays ago in Amelia Island, FL was an exception. The bride is fascinated with the steel drum and wanted a live steel drum band that could perform both steel drum music and reggae music. The bride was from Ohio and the groom was from Russia. These are not places that you see too many steel drums. However, the sounds of the steel drum were the perfect touch for the intimate ceremony and the guests partied all night to the steel drum music, reggae music, calypso and soca provided by our steel drum band.

Just goes to show you how special an instrument the steel drum is and how much people truly love Caribbean Music. We are so blessed to be able to share this with our wedding and corporate clients every week.

Celebrity Clients

Our steel drum band and steel drum players have been very fortunate to perform reggae, calypso, soca and steel drum music at celebrity parties throughout Florida. The most recent was last week. We got a chance to perform at a private function for grammy award winning singer Billy Ocean in Orlando, FL. Billy Ocean is originally from the Caribbean Islands of Trinidad and Tobago and he really enjoyed the sounds of the steel drum. He even jumped on the steel pan to perform a couple songs for us. That’s him in the picture below.  Please check out our facebook page The Caribbean Crew Steel Drum Band to view some more pictures.

Billy

Virtual Performances

During the lockdown, we have been forced to get creative. As a result, our steel drum band, solo steel drum players and our Caribbean Musicians have done quite a few virtual performances. These have included a virtual wedding in Orlando and virtual events in Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, Saint Pete Beach, Clearwater Beach and Miami, Florida. Of course, it’s not the same as performing in front of a live audience, but we have really enjoyed these virtual shows. Not sure if this is the wave of the future or a band-aid until things return to normal. However, we are still happy that we get a chance to perform our steel drum music, reggae music, calypso, soca and other types of Caribbean Music for audiences anywhere in the world.

So whether you are hosting a virtual conference, an intimate wedding, a birthday party, graduation party, or anniversary celebration, The Caribbean Crew Steel Drum Band is available to do a virtual performance for you. We make it very personal, where we take requests and also dedicate songs and give shout outs to the attendees and guests of honor. Please check out the video below of a virtual performance we did a few weeks ago for a couple in Georgia who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They really enjoyed the steel drum music! Please call us at 407-788-BEAN (2326) or email at [email protected] to book The Caribbean Crew Steel Drum Band for your next virtual event.

What We’re Doing During the COVID-19 Shutdown

We hope everyone is OK and staying safe. People have been asking what our steel drum band, solo steel drum players and our Caribbean Musicians have been doing with all this time off.

First of all, we all miss performing our steel drum music, reggae music, calypso, soca and other types of Caribbean Music for our weddings, corporate functions, house parties, etc. But since we can’t perform live at the moment, we have all been staying busy during the downtime, but in different ways.

Most of our steel drum players live in Orlando, but some also reside in other parts of Florida, like Tampa, Sarasota and Miami. They have all been spending time practicing and honing their skills on the steel drum. That way, when things get back to normal and we can start booking beach weddings, festivals and other live performances again, everyone will be sharp and the steel drum music will be on point. The same applies to our other Caribbean musicians, like our keyboardists, guitarists and percussionists.

Some have been enjoying outdoor activities like cycling and swimming. Chesley has been riding his new bike every day and getting in his miles, while Creig has been swimming laps in the pool almost every day (see pictures above). So whether it’s outdoor activities, or honing our skills inside, our steel drum band, solo steel drum players and Caribbean Musicians are keeping safe, staying sharp and healthy and ready to return to provide the best steel drum and Caribbean Music in Florida. We hope that everyone is also staying safe and we can’t wait to see you!

The Caribbean Crew featured in the nation’s Top Online Entertainment Booking Service

The Caribbean Crew was recently featured on Gigmasters.com – the nation’s number one online entertainment booking service for weddings, corporate functions, house parties and other special events.

They talked about the several national awards that our steel drum band and steel drum players have received over the years and what has contributed to the band’s success.  They also talked about the band’s repertoire of steel drum music, reggae music, calypso music, soca music and Top 40 selections.

Gigmasters draws over 25,000 visitors every day looking to book entertainment for their event.  The website has a nationwide database of over 10,000 top-quality client rated entertainment acts and vendors.  Please click on the link http://itg.gigmasters.com/member-spotlight-the-caribbean-crew/to read the article.

Wedding Question of the week

Please like our facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Caribbean-Crew-Steel-Drum-Band/172154249483325?ref=hl and send us a friend request on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/caribbean.c.steeldrums. Once you are there, please check out our wedding question of the week and leave us your thoughts on the question.

Steel Drum Band Recap of 2018

2018 was another great year for our steel drum band and steel drum players and we are so thankful!  We booked over 250 shows, most of which were corporate functions, conventions, trade shows and beach weddings.  In the month of December, our steel drum band did several Corporate Christmas Parties and holiday parties as well.   Our steel drum players had a blast performing Christmas Music on the steel drums, getting everyone in the mood for the holidays.

The sweet sounds of steel drum music, reggae and calypso could also be heard at several house parties, pool parties, birthday parties, anniversaries, retirement parties, graduation parties, fundraisers, christenings, bridal showers, engagement parties, baby showers, reunions, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, grand openings, fraternity functions, sorority functions and many other special events.

Three shows in particular stand out from the rest.  The first was when our steel drum band performed at Sea World in Orlando for the American Heart Association.  It was a grand affair and everyone really enjoyed the Caribbean Music and Top 40 selections performed by the band.  It was great to be part of such a wonderful event and to help raise awareness for the AHA.

The second show was at the ASHA Annual Conference at the Convention Center in Orlando.  We performed for over 10,000 people, including the guest speaker Harry Belafonte.  He thoroughly enjoyed the band and we got a chance to meet him after the performance.  He is a legend and we have been performing some of his music for over 20 years, so that was great!

The third one was when our steel drum band was personally chosen by Governor Rick Scott to perform at his fundraiser in Lake Mary, FL.  No matter what your political affiliation, it’s pretty cool when the governor wants you to perform at his event.  He really enjoyed the steel drum music and even asked our steel drum player to show him how to play it.

It was also another year of awards.  Our very own steel drum player Chesley won the soloist competition at the Virginia International PanFest.  He beat out other steel drum players from across the United States and the Caribbean to win the award.  Congrats to Chesley!

We are looking forward to another great year in 2019.  So whether you are having a beach wedding in Daytona Beach, St Pete Beach, Clearwater, Sarasota, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Naples or Key West; a corporate function in Orlando, Tampa, Miami or Savannah, or any other special event coming up in Florida, Georgia or South Carolina, give us a call!  We look forward to working with you in 2019.

 

Outdoor Performances

Summer is in full swing and that means it is very hot and a high chance of rain every evening in Central Florida. We always ask that the band perform in a shaded, covered area. We are not trying to be difficult, but did you know that if the steel drums are exposed to the sun for too long, they will get very hot and that will damage the instruments. The sun can often reflect off the drum and straight into the musician’s face. Also, it is very uncomfortable to perform in the hot sun for 2-3 hours.

Please make arrangements for the band to set up under a gazebo, overhang or even a small pop-up tent. Two or three large pool/beach umbrellas can often provide sufficient shade as well. If none of these are available, try putting the band up against a building that will provide shade instead of in an open courtyard.

Everyone loves being outdoors, but in Central Florida it is typically in the mid-90s in the summer. It is more comfortable inside and the performance will not be affected by rain. If the band sets up and then has to strike everything because of an approaching shower, there is normally an additional fee to break down and set back up. Plus, it comes out of the performance time. If it looks like it is going to rain, it probably will, so having the band set up inside as a precaution is highly recommended. It will end up saving you time and money.

Thank You

We are thankful for another great year and for having the opportunity to book our steel drum band and steel drum players for so many weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, anniversaries, graduations, grand openings, festivals and house parties throughout Florida. We are also thankful for the talented and loyal entertainers who work with us and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!