CHARLES KONG SOO
Lack of financial support is the main reason for the demise of four-time National Panorama champion Solo Harmonites and their non-placement at the Panorama semi-finals. So said the Morvant/Barataria steel band's captain Shellford Lawrence.
According to Lawrence, the band is now called Harmonites since it has been bereft of its long-time sponsor Solo Beverages which stopped financial support of the band in 2016.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian on Friday, Lawrence said “We held meetings with the company and expected them to come on board but that never happened. We actually started preparing for Panorama, we had the music, the pan racks were being painted, but players, tuners and arrangers cost money. 'Blending', tuning pans and transport are expensive and we would really like to get a help to fix up the pan yard."
He said the band had its “bomb tune” From D Hill arranged by Kenneth Brown and ready for Panorama.
Lawrence said they tried to keep that kind of standard the band was known for in the glory years, winning the Panorama championship in 1968, 1971, 1972 and 1974, giving the other bands a run for their money consistently placing in the top three.
He said, however, it was challenging with some of the people in the community who were very hard to deal with.
Lawrence said they were trying to get children from the area to come out to the pan yard, but not too late as they had to school.
He said they were also trying to rebuild band players as many of them left for a variety of reasons, he himself returned only last year.
Lawrence said he lived one street away from the Morvant junction pan yard, people from abroad were visiting the pan yard and asking members why they were not in Panorama.
Lawrence said they had a junior band practising for Junior Panorama on February 4.
He said despite the setbacks, the band will be on the road for Carnival playing for the people, supporters and members of the Morvant/Barataria community to enjoy themselves.