My High School Had a Steel Drum Band

What a strange memory I just had: My high school had a steel drum band. They even put out albums. How weird is that? I've actually just found them online, and found out that they're the third oldest still-playing steel drum band in U.S.:

In 1972 Lancaster Middle School band director John Marone was in Albany in the Mall of the Capital Building. Performing there was "Calliope's Childrens Steel Band" from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York, under the direction of Mr. James Leyden. In the audience that day was Ellie Mannette, who was both the close friend, drum manufacturer and tuner for Mr. Leyden. Ellie Mannette lived in Queens, NY at that time. Mr. Marone was so intrigued by the sound of the steel drums, that he stayed and met the two giants of the early steel drum movement.

John returned to Lancaster in hopes of starting a steel program here. Unfortunately, there were no drums. The first drums that Lancaster and Mr. Marone were able to obtain were from local musician, Mr. Bob Diaz. These used drums included a set of five bass drums, a set of triple cellos, a double guitar, one or two double seconds and a single lead. John Marone used these drums with some middle school students, and immediately named the Lancaster group, the Carnival Kids Steel Orchestra. Mr. Marone knew in importance of “Carnival” both in Trinidad, and its relevance to the development of the steel drum.

As John’s students went to the high school in 1974, the group naturally became a high school organization. This is the date that is used as the starting point to this day, and as so often been stated, makes our CKSO the third oldest established continuing steel drum program in the United States. Mr. Marone worked both with high school students as the CKSO, and formed a separate training group of middle school students that was known as the cadet band.

Here's a weirder thing—and I know this is probably of little to no interest to anyone but myself and a few friends, but let me get this out here: Their website says they played at the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1982. I worked at that World's Fair. I mean what are the odds for that? Just weird.

RIP Rick Martin (of the French Connection)

That's the French Connection of 1970s American hockey fame. Martin was the left winger in a Buffalo Sabres line that included René Robert and Gil Perreault, all of them high up on my list of childhood heroes in my Buffalo.

And it was especially bad news for Robert:

It was a doubly tough day for Robert who’d heard earlier in the day that his older brother, Real, had died of a heart attack in Montreal.

"It’s like a bad dream," said Robert to the Buffalo News on Sunday afternoon. "First my brother, then my left-winger. I lose Rico (Martin). I tell you what. This one is going to be tough for everybody in Buffalo."

Here's a truly pretty goal by Martin in a game the Sabres played against the Soviet team in 1976. You can see Martin pause for a second, choose a spot - a tiny one - and nail it. Beauty way: