Family Rhythm: San Juan Noisemakers hopes to bring people together

In Olatunji “Olatunji” Yearwood’s popular 2023 song Engine Room he describes the importance of a good engine room or rhythm section to Caribbean music and sound.

For Michelle Otego-Roper, 59, and her son, Anthony Thorpe, 38, the rhythm section could also be a useful tool in bringing families together. Otego-Roper and Thorpe are the managers and founders of San Juan Noisemakers Rhythm Section.

They also believe it is a useful way to show some of Trinidad and Tobago’s hidden, beautiful communities.

The band is so committed to its family values that six of its 11 members are family.

Otego-Roper plays the iron, chac-chacs among other instruments while Thorpe plays the bongo drums, flute, iron, bass box and cow bell.

Thorpe’s five-year-old son, Latrell, is also a part of the band and plays all of the instruments.

While the focus is on all families, Otego-Roper wants to particularly show black families that there is family life without murders and crime. She wants to use the music and joy of the rhythm to combat the negative happenings in the country.

The rhythm section started in 2015 after the family was trying to hire rhythm sections for various events but was finding it difficult to hire one.

“We were trying to get them to come by us and they could not make. We then decided it to try it on our own,” Thorpe said.

San Juan Noisemakers Rhythm got its name on New Year’s Eve (Old Year’s Night) 2015.

The band was playing and when fireworks stopped the band was the only thing playing.

“We said we were are the only people making noise so we are the San Juan Noisemakers Rhythm section and Ms Roper said that is the name, we going with that,” Thorpe said.

Otego-Roper and Thorpe said the band does not have a strong youth component as yet but it hopes to do so in the future.

The band’s Know Your Country, Friends and Family Tours aims to fulfill two objectives: bringing people together as well as introducing them to unknown parts of the country.

All kinds of people want to visit different countries but don’t know their own country. There are people who have not been to the Pitch Lake, Maracas.

“So we decided to go where a lot of people don’t usually visit and we go on our own,” Thorpe said.

Caigual, Brasso Seco and Aripo are among the places San Juan Noisemakers Rhythm Section, their family and friends have visited.

When they visit these communities, the band would set up and simply play.

“We started off just going to a park or a community centre and we just play rhythm. Then we evolved to having like a calypso competition. We would sing a song and these communities really enjoy it.”

Otego-Roper also uses the band as a way to aid in the preservation of old calypsoes.

When the band visits a community it sings some of the calypsoes of old as well as dramatises them.

Sports days, family days and music videos are some of the events where the band plays.

Money earned from the band’s gigs is used to purchase instruments and for transportation.

Cache stores sponsored the band’s flags and Angostura sponsored T-shirts.

“What we really want is to showcase TT and let TT know you can, as family, friends and foreigners, go to different places around the country and you will return home safely.”

San Juan Noisemakers Rhythm section is warmly welcome by the residents in the communities they visit, Otego-Roper said.

“We went to Argyle, Tobago, and set up the rhythm in a promenade and the residents came out and thanked us, saying, ‘They have not had anything like this in Tobago in a long while and they started to cook food,’” Anthony said.

The band said it is open to people joining in the future and hopes it acts as a crime deterrent.