No, not a marching jazz band. I think it was actually called "Stage Band", and while I was in the JV equivalent (we were Stage Band II - I could not break into Stage Band I's trumpet section, which was populated by far better players including a guy who went to Julliard and a guy who went to Eastman), it was a lot of fun. Mostly big band and Broadway stuff to help out the drama club, but I did get to play the Lee Morgan lead in our version of Moanin' without totally f'ing it up.
My high school had two symphonic bands, a full orchestra and two jazz bands. Everyone who played percussion or a wind instrument marched. Unless you twirled a flag or rifle. We were very good. Our shows mixed Dvarak, Mahler, Copeland, Holst, Bernstein and Tchaikovsky in with the Allman Brothers and Commodores. Our "West Side Story" show was epic. The Julliard-bound trumpeter's solo on "Maria" was insanely good.
So I thought I was really into it, took my trumpet on the plane with me to ATL and joined Tech's band. It was a fun road trip to Knoxville and all but they weren't serious about the music, neither was I at this point; and I spent the next three seasons drinking rum and cokes with my buddies in the Upper East wearing nothing but shorts, flip flops and a tie. (Wearing a tie to a football game ala the SAEs or Betas was a very Southern tradition, but are khakis and a button down really necessary on a hot Georgia afternoon?) Tech's band wasn't great when I was there, but they never resorted to flinging crap at opposing fans. We left that to UVA's band. They first rolled in to town on a crisp Autumn Saturday, welcomed Tech to the ACC and just eviscerated the University of Georgia in their show. Crowd went nuts. That's how its done. (For those who don't know, UVA's band finally crossed a line that shall not be crossed with a script about inbred West Virginians and were dismantled by the university. I think in all likelihood it is just a matter of time for LSJUMB to meet the same fate.)
I was at that 1997 Irish game and went with a co-worker who graduated from SCU after transferring from ND. Loved the school far more than the weather. He had a sense of humor and didn't say too much (loved the Riverdance skit) until the band trashed Irish culture with something about all the Irish know how to do is fight and starve. Can't do that. Perhaps coincidentally, or perhaps not - karma is a bitch; Stanford lost their remaining games that season save the 100th Big Game.
I know part of their schtick is to be infamous through controversy (if you can't be good, be on probation I guess), but if they went away for good I could live with it. (A beer garden would solve all halftime problems, but I can amuse myself for half an hour without the incomparable whatever.) They are generally pretty terrible musically as a group and if I was that into Triumph the Insult Dog style humor, well, I'd watch Conan. (It was Conan right?) Stanford will never again field a traditional band and I don't think they could pull off a really good show band either. So as an old marching aficionado, I just hope that Stanford gets a home and home with a Texas A&M, Ohio State or Jackson State. Heck even good old Atlanta A&T....
P.S. Not that harsh a punishment and isn't some of what they are accused of (controlled substance use) actually felonious?
P.P.S. If they do a tribute to Felonious Funk next year, I will rethink my position.
My high school had two symphonic bands, a full orchestra and two jazz bands. Everyone who played percussion or a wind instrument marched. Unless you twirled a flag or rifle. We were very good. Our shows mixed Dvarak, Mahler, Copeland, Holst, Bernstein and Tchaikovsky in with the Allman Brothers and Commodores. Our "West Side Story" show was epic. The Julliard-bound trumpeter's solo on "Maria" was insanely good.
So I thought I was really into it, took my trumpet on the plane with me to ATL and joined Tech's band. It was a fun road trip to Knoxville and all but they weren't serious about the music, neither was I at this point; and I spent the next three seasons drinking rum and cokes with my buddies in the Upper East wearing nothing but shorts, flip flops and a tie. (Wearing a tie to a football game ala the SAEs or Betas was a very Southern tradition, but are khakis and a button down really necessary on a hot Georgia afternoon?) Tech's band wasn't great when I was there, but they never resorted to flinging crap at opposing fans. We left that to UVA's band. They first rolled in to town on a crisp Autumn Saturday, welcomed Tech to the ACC and just eviscerated the University of Georgia in their show. Crowd went nuts. That's how its done. (For those who don't know, UVA's band finally crossed a line that shall not be crossed with a script about inbred West Virginians and were dismantled by the university. I think in all likelihood it is just a matter of time for LSJUMB to meet the same fate.)
I was at that 1997 Irish game and went with a co-worker who graduated from SCU after transferring from ND. Loved the school far more than the weather. He had a sense of humor and didn't say too much (loved the Riverdance skit) until the band trashed Irish culture with something about all the Irish know how to do is fight and starve. Can't do that. Perhaps coincidentally, or perhaps not - karma is a bitch; Stanford lost their remaining games that season save the 100th Big Game.
I know part of their schtick is to be infamous through controversy (if you can't be good, be on probation I guess), but if they went away for good I could live with it. (A beer garden would solve all halftime problems, but I can amuse myself for half an hour without the incomparable whatever.) They are generally pretty terrible musically as a group and if I was that into Triumph the Insult Dog style humor, well, I'd watch Conan. (It was Conan right?) Stanford will never again field a traditional band and I don't think they could pull off a really good show band either. So as an old marching aficionado, I just hope that Stanford gets a home and home with a Texas A&M, Ohio State or Jackson State. Heck even good old Atlanta A&T....
P.S. Not that harsh a punishment and isn't some of what they are accused of (controlled substance use) actually felonious?
P.P.S. If they do a tribute to Felonious Funk next year, I will rethink my position.
Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working .I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. Peter Gibbons