Waynesburg University presents band inspired by steel drums

Waynesburg University will present Resonance Wednesday, as part of the university's Performing Art Series. The concert will be held in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5, and the public is welcome.

Forged around the sounds of the steel drum, Resonance creates music from international inspirations. Adopting music from American jazz and funk, Jamaican reggae, West African drumming, Trinidadian calypso and soca and Brazilian bossa nova and samba, the group's music is a celebration of many cultures.

Resonance is comprised of five musicians playing guitar and percussion. Members include: Jay Weaver (guitar), Jason Hollar (bass guitar), Subhas Das (drums), Dan Meunier (steel pan) and Phil Webster (steel pan). In addition to his involvement in the band, Webster is a lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at Waynesburg University.

Flourishing in southwestern Pennsylvania for eight years, Resonance has performed at venues such as the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University and the Andy Warhol Museum. Lately the band has increased its reach by playing at Potomac State College in Maryland and Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pa.

"Resonance is going to play the steel drum from Trinidad," Webster said. "We like to insert a lot of elements of the American style into our music such as jazz. We just want the students to be exposed to a lot of the music that is not available to them anywhere else."

Students and audience members will have the opportunity to go onstage with the band to perform a fusion piece with traditional instruments. Resonance conducts interactive school assembly programs to ensure that everyone in the audience leaves with a better understanding of different music-making traditions from around the world.

For more information on the band, visit www.resonancesteel.com.