Cardinal Calypso (2007 - 2011)

While attending Stanford University, I was a member of its steelpan band, Cardinal Calypso. The band has around fifteen members and plays a combination of traditional soca/calypso music as well as whatever other musical material piques its interest. While I was there, the set included songs by such artists as Michael Jackson, David Rudder, Radiohead, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I served as president and musical director of the band for two years before passing the torch in 2010. During this time I arranged all the music for the band, with a couple exceptions. It's been exciting to watch the (relatively young) band emerge from obscurity and become surprisingly in-demand as a performance group on campus.

In general, Cardinal Calypso is definitely the coolest musical ensemble I've ever been a part of. Playing weekly shows with a group of talented musicians is awesome. Sometimes I also got the feeling we were trying things nobody had done before, which is also exciting.