Stagebill Articles

Back to Stagebill Articles Index

Fungi Music: A nod to the past, instrumental to the future

   Pick up a few pots and pans, some spoons, old metal parts, and a few sticks from the garden; start making joyful sounds in unison. This is the beginning of a Fungi band.
   What may have been a purely rudimentary way to make music has developed into one of the Virgin Islands’ most celebrated sounds. Fungi music, like the cornmeal dish of the same name, is an eclectic mix of musical flavors.
   Although the name Fungi is used primarily in the Virgin Islands, scratch bands are popular across the Caribbean. The music dates back to the times of enslavement, when slaves were not permitted to form gatherings.  However, historians noted that while the plantation owners were singing and dancing in the mansions, many in the slave quarters were doing the same. Imitating the European dances, the slaves performed the quadrille, adding their won unique flourishes. The musicians, using the same tools they toiled with during the day such as the planter’s hoe and spade or the cook’s pots and pans, came together to create a unified sound. 
   The instruments have changed over the years, becoming more refined. One staple instrument is the “ass pipe,” made out of a car’s exhaust tube. The ass pipe provides the bass, and is played similar to the tuba. Percussive instruments such as the squash (gourd) are one of the most recognized in any fungi band. String instruments such as ukulele, banjo and guitar carry the sounds. The tambourine, triangle, cowbell and calabash all add to this musical feast.  
   Aside from the instruments, the Fungi lyrics are well noted and respected. Caribbean scratch bands are legendary for their folklore and the songs act as oral histories across the region. If you ever want to know what is going on in a particular country, listen to the music. The themes often focus on current events, social commentary, and the proverbial love and relationships.
   Take the song “Who to Blame” by The Lashing Dogs: “Who to blame, who to blame, everybody looking somebody to blame. But when I sit down and I analyze the whole, thing there ain’t nobody to blame ourselves but ourselves. It’s a shame, how the Virgin Islands going full speed down the drain and everybody sitting on the side and looking somebody to blame.”
   Folk musicians have never worried about telling the people what they think. That’s kept Fungi music one of the most loved forms of entertainment. 

—Diane Francis