In this episode, Bree Noble sits down with seasoned musician Alvin Rostant to explore how stage presence can be a game-changer for connecting with audiences. Alvin shares his journey, from learning the ropes of Caribbean music to building an engaging performance style that resonates with fans worldwide. Discover Alvin’s insights on how artists can elevate their live shows by creating memorable experiences, understanding crowd dynamics, and bringing their unique style to the stage. This conversation is packed with practical tips for performers who want to make lasting impressions and strengthen their bond with every audience.

—

Watch the episode here

 

Listen to the podcast here

Increasing Fan Connection Through Stage Presence With Alvin Rostant

Introduction To Alvin’s Journey

I am happy to be here with Alvin Rostant. We’re going to be talking about his journey and some performing tips and things like that. He’s in Australia so I’m interested to hear some perspectives on being a performer in Australia. Before we get started, I’d love to have you tell your story, Alvin. Give people a sense of your music journey and how you got from there to here.

It started with my dad. He was quite involved in the development of the steel pan or steel drum. For members of the audience who don’t know what a steel drum is, it’s an instrument that was made from a 44-gallon oil drum. It was invented on the island of Trinidad and Tobago down in the Caribbean. It’s used to play music. There are different instruments that they make to form a band.

My father was part of that in the early days. He was very serious. If he brought a steel drum home, neither the kids could touch it. Otherwise, you get a spanking for touching his instrument. I was never interested in the steel drum. Though, I did not live with my dad. I live with his mom. He used to visit. When I was a young teenager, I used to go to his workplace on a payday to get some pocket money. This particular day I went there and they told me he had left work. He went to the Panyard.

With time, hard work pays off. Keep going, and eventually, you’ll be sought out for what you bring to the stage. Share on X

The Panyard is the rehearsal space for the steel drum. I wasn’t sure that we call it a steel drum or steel pan so we call it pan for short. He was there and I went over to get my pocket money. I got there and he was tuning a drum. To tune the drum, it’s all about hammering the metal to get the sound and all that. He was involved in tuning this drum. I had to wait. I waited and waited.

While I was waiting, one of the section leaders came to me and asked if I wanted to play. It was at a time of the year when they had the yearly competition that’s called Panorama. This one’s going to take place. For this, they take on new members because it’s an outside event. The bigger the band, the more solid the sound. I thought, “I’ll have a go at this.”

Next thing you know, I was back there the following day and that’s where it started. I played in the competition and then I played the following year again. I was approached by the band, one of the lead bands in Trinidad and Tobago at the time, which was in my neighborhood, to come and play for them. A couple of years after that, moving forward, the band started to go out on tour. I wasn’t able to tour the first couple of years because I was still at school in high school but I wanted to. I remember my English teacher telling me, “Finish your education before you do that.”

Come 1973, I decided not to finish school so I could tour. I went on my first tour to the first place we played in Montreal, Canada. After Montreal, we went to Toronto, Canada. We started a string of state fairs in the US. We did the Michigan State Fair, Dallas State Fair, and all the state fairs we went around doing all that. Also, Tulsa. That started happening. The following year, we went to Expo ‘74 in Spokane, Washington. Following that, the band left and we came to Australia because we were booked to tour one of the states, which was South Australia.

Our first concert was at a venue which was the Her Majesty’s Theatre. We had members from other states who came to have a look at what we had to offer. After the first concert, we got booked to tour the rest of the states of Australia. We did that over a couple of years. During that time, I met my ex-wife. I decided to migrate and start life in Australia.

I was in Australia for maybe about 6 to 9 months. I was still playing music with an Australian band but things happened and I ended up joining the Australian Air Force. I was there for maybe six months and I missed entertaining. I started doing DJ work part-time and became very successful doing that. I had the permission of the Air Force to be able to do that. At this time, I didn’t have a steel drum so I was depending on my voice, DJing, and singing.

Moving forward a little bit, I spent six years there. I was part of the drum corps as well. After my six years were up, I got out of the Air Force and started back into music. I met some other Trini boys from Trinidad. We started a band and so on. However, in 1993, I did a government course that was able to give me a loan to start my business and give me an education on how to go about starting and running a business. I kept going from there.

Over the course of time, different things took place and I had to diversify. At one stage, I was touring high schools and primary schools, telling them the story and teaching them about the steel pan or the steel drum and how it was invented. We give them examples of how it’s made and tuned. We played songs for them and got them to participate by singing or dancing. I did that for eleven years. The government had a program where the people who wanted welfare had to take part. They would give me one of these programs and I had to develop a six-month program for these people, which I did. It was very successful and so forth.

The first one of its kind is where they use arts as one of these programs. At the end of the thing, we ended up getting a Prime Minister’s Award for the project. Moving forward some more, I had different bands. I started recording my own music. I suppose there are a lot of things that happened between then and now but here I am writing, recording, and videoing my own music.

In every music that I play, I try to add a Caribbean flavor. A Caribbean flavor would be the genre, plus the sound of the steel drums automatically makes it sound Caribbean. The different genres of the Caribbean are Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Zoop, and that sort of thing. What I do is take a normal pop song and play it in one of those genres. It’s got the Caribbean beat but it’s a pop song.

I love that you’re doing that. You’re doing cover songs and changing it to a Caribbean genre. Are you doing that live? Are you recording versions of those?

I haven’t yet. Most of my recordings are original music but I have recorded 1 or 2 other songs that I’ve changed the genre.

What is the response to that when you’re doing those live? They’re hearing a song that they recognize but then it’s in a totally different style.

It’s fresh. They recognize it but it’s in a different beat. They can connect with it because they know the melody.

In your business, what is the diversification of your income that you have as a musician?

Creating A Career In Music Education

With the experiences I’ve had in the past, I found that I am able to cater to different types of audiences. I have different types of bookings. One day, it might be a corporate booking for a big telephone company, school, public market, an intimate little thing at the library, a wedding, or a birthday party. In each one of these things, the audience would be different. They expect a certain kind of vibe and I’ve got to find that vibe when I get there so that everybody can have fun and enjoy the time and space.

Are there any types of questions that you ask people in advance so you can figure out what the right vibe is before you get there?

 

Over the years of performing, I have an idea before I get there. If it’s a wedding, I have an idea because I know it from previous weddings that I went to. If it’s a market, I have an idea of what happens. If it’s a corporate event, I have an idea of what they would like most time. I start there. You still have to read the audience as well. The thing about that is once you please your audience and the people, it can lead to re-booking other bookings. In that way, by getting on the bookings, you’re earning more money.

Do you have any specific ways that you try to get more bookings when you’re there? Do people come up to you and ask you, “Do you do these events?” Do you have cards, QR codes, or flyers? What do you do to promote yourself further for the next booking?

A QR code is something I haven’t got yet. However, I do have business cards. I do have Facebook, Instagram, and social media. I have music and videos on YouTube. Also, music on Spotify, iTunes, and places like that. To be honest, in my early days, I had to work a lot harder but because of the time that I’ve spent in the industry and the amount of people who have seen me, I get calls and emails on my website for bookings. At most times, the hard work’s already done. People sussed me out to find me and book.

Start with what you love, put in the hard work, and one day, you’ll have people calling you for bookings. Share on X

There’s that beginning period where you have to get known, do most of the work yourself, cold calls, and come up with new types of venues you could find. You’re reaping the benefits of that. That’s awesome. How much of your income would you say comes from live shows?

Live shows are maybe 95%.

Are you selling merch at shows?

I worked at places where it was very heavily tourist areas. In those areas, the sales of merchandise were very heavy. I earned a lot but when you play into local audiences, most of the time, it’s not as lucrative. I’m starting to look at social media and earning funds on social media. It took me a while to get into that but I’m not doing it.

Do you have a fan email list?

That’s something that I don’t have, an email list. Most of my friends are friends with me on Facebook, Instagram, and these places. Maybe that’s something I should look at.

You should because who knows what might happen to any of those platforms? If you’ve got an email list, you can always stay in touch with them. Do you have any sense of performing in Australia? What are the differences in the live market there versus maybe the US or Canada?

The Influence Of Caribbean Music

The big difference is the US and Canada have larger Caribbean or Western communities. They would be attracted to what I do. There are not as many Western or Caribbean people here. The community is quite small compared to those in other countries. After all these years, I’m still introducing it because there are not many Caribbean entertainers here. Quite a few others and I have been trying over the years to promote the Caribbean style, genres, and everything. It’s very accepted but in Australia, for instance, the radio stations don’t play a lot of other genres. You get some Americans and Australians. You might get UK but the other genres from other countries are not very well-played that I know of.

You’ve been successful despite that. That’s awesome for you.

That’s hard work.

You put in the work. The places that have more tourists, are they a little bit more interested in your music because it seems a little more familiar to them?

I think so. Most tourists, when they’re traveling, try to have memories of the things they did or places they went. It’s people who are traveling and as a tourist, they want to collect these things. They purchase things that remind them of that trip. It’s the music or probably the clothing.

 

The Evolution Of Stage Presence

They want to take something home with them. You had some stuff for sale and they’ll go, “We love this concert. Let’s take that home with us.” I did that when I was in Europe. I bought more things like that than I normally would. That makes perfect sense. How do you think your stage presence has evolved over the years as far as having that stage banner interactive with the audience? You were doing school. That’s always a tough crowd. You probably cut your teeth on that.

As a matter of fact, the schools were easy. The way we presented the program, first of all, we started by using my name in the show, which was Banana Joe. It’s a funny name. We know kids would remember Banana Joe. During the show, we showed them a lot of stuff about it, including where the drums came from. We started with a backdrop where we had the map and the flag so they could see this is where it’s from, how it started, how it was invented, who started it, and what you do to make the instrument. During all that, they get to dance, sing, clap, and ask questions in the end. At the end of the day, when the show is over, the kids have had fun, they have learned something, and that’s how it went.

Did any of that transfer over into the way you do your shows?

It’s the way I was taught. With the band I toured with in Canada, Australia, and many other countries, there was a very successful businessman. He transferred it to this by sponsoring this band and taking it around the world. He taught us a few things. For instance, in the early days of steel pan playing, the players were more focused on showing people that you can play this new instrument that’s made from a 44-gallon drum like a conventional instrument like a piano or guitar. The tuning of the drums, for instance, had to be A440 like a normal instrument.

He told us, “When you’re performing and you’re on stage, you have to convey a certain vibe to the person, whether it’s a sad vibe, happy vibe, or whatever it is. You have to convey those things to the audience.” In the early days, the players were focusing on this instrument that can do what a piano or guitar can do. The most they would do is tap their feet to be on time. They wouldn’t dance or do any choreography. They wouldn’t smile, for instance. We would think that first of all, when you’re playing a song like, “When you smile, the whole world smile,” you’ve got to smile.

It seems obvious.

In the older days, they would play it and be serious but they took everything seriously. When we started to tour, I was in a group of younger players. They always say, “You can’t teach old dogs any tricks.” It was like that with the older players. The older guys would not dance, move, or smile. The most you can get them to do is tap their feet. The guy who managed the band would choose the younger players and I was in that bunch of people.

It was in the mid-’70s so we’d see people like Sly and the Family Stone, all these American acts, and the Beatles. We looked at what they were doing and thought, “They’re moving, engaging the people, and dancing. This is the way to go.” I took that to heart. I’m still doing that and trying to teach that to young people. There are still young people who don’t have that side of things and don’t know how important it is.

We aren’t just musicians. We’re entertainers.

You’re not just a musician; you’re an entertainer. Give your audience an experience they won’t forget. Share on X

We are storytellers, too.

Speaking of stories, I would love to know the best advice that you’ve ever gotten about your music career or anything.

There are a couple of things that come to mind. One is what we are talking about, which is to show emotion but mainly get your story across. Not only by playing the instrument or singing but by showing the emotion that you want the audience to feel if you were on the field. One of the things that the manager used as an example was he said, “Look at Elvis Presley. When Elvis Presley finishes a song, it is always a big finish.” These are the types of things that we were taught that helped us to do that.

What advice do you have for the people reading that will help them be more profitable as a musician?

Growing A Fanbase On Social Media

It’s a different world with social media but the thing is to grow. Bring your audience. Grow your audience in such a way that you attract a certain type of people who are looking for what you have to offer. If you could push what you have to offer very strongly, you find that the people who you attract or the people who like your stuff will come. You build it generically.

To build your music career, find and grow your audience. The people who love what you do will help you succeed. Share on X

Be unabashedly you. Be the thing that you are good at and the people that want to hear that will come. It makes absolute sense. You’ve been talking about social media. How can people find you on your social media channels?

I am on Facebook as Alvin Rostant. On Instagram, it’s @AlvinRostant_BabashBand. My website is Babash.Band. Those are the places you can find me. I’ve got some videos on YouTube under Alvin Rostant.

Do you have some music on Spotify?

Where To Find Alvin’s Music Online

I have music on Spotify, iTunes, and SoundCloud. I have original music, mainly similar to Reggae, Soca, and Calypso.

You’ve been in the game a long time. You put in the work. You don’t have to do cold calls anymore. You got people calling you for booking. Congratulations on that. Thank you so much for sharing all your experiences with our audience.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

 

Important Links

• Babash Band
• Alvin Rostant – Facebook
• @AlvinRostant_BabashBand – Instagram
• Alvin Rostant – YouTube
• Spotify – Alvin Rostant
• iTunes – Alvin Rostant
• SoundCloud – Alvin Rostant

 

About Alvin Rostant

Chosen out of 40 PAN players, Alvin and Cavaliers Steel Orchestra toured US, Canada, Asia, the South Pacific and Australia where he now lives, for 50 years as a musician, composer and arranger.

He has a catalogue of 30 songs and still sings and gigs weekly.