Quality finally meets quantity

My Dad, continuing the tradition of videotaping anything musical I do he can attend of course taped the Penn Band's performance at last Saturday's Penn vs. Villabrova game. I posted pregame and halftime on the YouTube so bandos could actually see what we look like.

I've heard from multiple sources that we sound way better live than on tape. I very much agree with this. Since I think we sound pretty decent on tape as well, you should have a good idea of what being in the stands and listening to the Penn Band is really like.

I thought this would be a good place for general comments on how I, and you guys, feel this went/looks. Enjoy.

Pregame



Pregame Entrace=AWESOME!! (Note, since this was my dad taping, there will obviously be some visual emphasis on me, but I edited out all the pure John moments). However, you can really see how well this worked. Worlds better than our original attempt to march in two straight lines from the sidelines (The Sand People travel single file to hide their numbers).

PENN: The E looked a little sparse in this formation. Need to fill out the top and bottom lines. Sounds great.

Highball: Except for the asymmetry in the drumline in front, looks great. Forgot to explain to the drummers the importance of this, my bad. Just a minor point. I guess our little drummer girls don't like being too close together.

Big P: same issue drummers. Will fix for Dartmouth. Maybe face the sideline for this one.

Banner: Whoa, front line! Looks like we were missing someone. You can hear the woodwinds! Sweet!

Except for these few minor things, a very commendable job. Pregame is usually the most complicated drill we do and we looked and sounded great. Hope we don't lose it waiting for Dartmouth.


Halftime




I look really....interesting cuing in the flying v...
1+1= : Wow, looks really clear except for the = sign. Listen to my parents try to figure it out... Yeah mellophones and saxes! It's great finally to hear those counter melodies.

Jay Wright's Hair: good hustle to this formation. Not much to say. Sounded great and I think the Nova fans eventually liked it.

NJ: again, wow! Having this many bandos on the field really makes these letter formations clear! Some nice singing by my dad and the crowd.

R+B: this formation took a little long to form, but ended up great. The B looks a little blobbish, but I adjusted the drill so this should look fantastic for Lafayette.

Again, awesome job for our first show! Keep it up!

I also decided to post our performance of SUBG, since the crowd really seemed to like it. Also, physical evidence of the crowd enjoying the Penn Band is good to have around. I hope we can do more playing for the student section in the future.



All HAIL LORD GLOZION!

A quiz on scramble band shennanigans

Clearly the biggest story in the last week in Ivy Band-related news was Princeton's melee with the Citadel. Noah's done a beautiful job describing this, so I'm not going to add anything specific about this. Instead, I thought I'd post a team round from a quizo I did last year for one of the band roadtrips that focuses on 10 different scramble bands, and their antics through the years.

What Scramble band:

1. Calls itself the “Cleverest Band in the World.” Antics: Against Fordham, one joke about an altar-boy joke (tuition going down faster than...) drew the ire of Catholics.

2. Insists that there’s a “pause” in its name. Antics: they’ve been disciplined for a polygamy show at BYU and a Catholic nun show at Notre Dame.

3. Has as its full name: The Award-Winning ________________ Indoor/Outdoor Precision(?) Marching Pep Band, & Chowder Society Review, Unlimited!!! Antic: Currently not recognized by its school’s athletic department, and is banned from all official sporting events.

4. Uses “Louie, Louie” as its signature song. Antic: trapped inside a stadium by an angry mob of Texas A&M fans in 1973?

5. For the last game of its season, builds an “enormous three-dimensional prop” called an “Überprop.” Antic: banned from West Point after a halftime show in which band members formed "USA" on the field, then dropped their pants and marched off, leaving the letters spelled out in clothing.

6. Antic: Claims to be the oldest Ivy League marching band. Antic: banned from Holy Cross for a show that involved a Ted Kennedy Triathlon which included the "Ted Kennedy drive and swim," while Kennedy family members were in attendance?

7. Gives out a yearly award for “the most outrageous antic during a public band performance” that has the inscription "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword" but with no space between the second and third word? Antic: During the 1967 Harvard game, nationally televised on ABC, this band intentionally spelled out the letters NBC.

8. Claims to have started the scrambling tradition, as it was scrambling as early as 1941? Antic: At the 75th Reunion, the 1812 Overture was performed on the field with the explosion of hydrogen balloons serving as cannon fire.

9. Claims to be “the world’s best and only ice skating band.” Antic: Every year they play for the people waiting in line for Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day.

10. Played for William McKinley twice in one year. Antic: “suggested that [they] not come back” to the New Jersey Turnpike Vince Lombardi rest stop by a police officer for bowing to a model of the Superbowl trophy.

1. Columbia

2. Stanford

3. UVA

4. Rice

5. Yale

6. Dartmouth

7. Princeton

8. Harvard

9. Brown

10. Penn

The Monday Evening Linkocracy

Now is the time when I would normally be posting the Monday evening linkocracy, complete with stories of Great Moments in Fandom, a full Penn Game Report and a series of links. However, my favorite story of the weekend is not yet over so posting will wait till post-band and post-TGL, here's what to expect:

-Random Linkocracy (Ivy football from about the internet, or just stuff about bands)
-Cadets versus Clarinets (found poetry from the comments section of the Daily Princetonian's article on the fight)
-Last First Road Trip Ruminations (in bullet form)

That'll be it for tonight. I'll probably update in this post so never divert your attention from this blog or this blog post. Ever.

UPDATE:

This Citadel v. Princeton thing is just too much fun, I could not divert my thoughts elsewhere tonight. Some choice comments from the Daily Princetonian (http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/09/22/21470/), a poem then the final analysis from me.

It's a tie for my two favorite comments:
Number 1 (this guy is brave, I'll probably give him a call tomorrow and maybe shoot out a quick update):

It seems that no one who is posting has the guts to use their real name. I was at the game. I was not on campus earlier. I do not believe the PUB was given permission to disrupt a cadet activity. My grandson told me the PUB was initially disruptive. I believe him. I'm embarrassed that there was any apology from the Citadel.
Hey Clemson tiger from Charleston, why don't you move?
Again I say: Your band is lucky they didn't get their asses kicked. They deserved it.

Tony von Kolnitz
843-884-9014

and

Number 1A (maybe turn it into a campus security training facility? Not that Princeton is ever in any clear and present danger on campus):

Love all the violent trash talking from the Citadel supporters. Don't piss of the Princeton crowd. Our endowment ($15.7 Billion) is big enough to simply buy your school (endowment $.135 Billion) and turn it into the community college for dance. Then where will you be?


Cadets Versus Clarinets
a commenter found poem by Noah

"Spare us the history lesson old man...this is war!!!"
"Save your Hate for more tolerant imbeciles!!"
"Accept the BLAME for your existences!"
"Tell us all again what actual crimes were committed by the PUB?"

"Take your XXX freak show to the red light district where it belongs."
"Good Lord, did they really?"
"Dry humping each other in front of monuments built to commemorate the deaths of America's fallen heroes," "simulating anal intercourse"

"We are here to flame and namecall."
"WE ARE CURRENTLY THE ONLY ONES TALKING!!"


Final Analysis: The internet flame war was won by the no one, it's an internet flame war. However, the cadets (or Princetonians posing as cadets) made themselves appear to be a totally imbalanced group of people without the foresight to think of one of the most famous and, for many of them, powerful Princeton alums: General David Petraeus.

The Princeton Band vs. The Citadel: A Linktrospective

So this weekend, the Princeton Band went to the Citadel and caused this:

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/sep/21/shame_on_princeton_band55311/

Seeing that column, I was shocked, nay, rocked to my very corps. The Princeton Band disrespecting others? Preposterous, it didn't sound possible.

Let's look at a different source, this one the official "TigerFan," almost certainly an unbiased source, from the New York Times of Ivy League Message boards: "Ivy League Sports Board"

http://voy.com/152805/56021.html

Also, let's go to the video to see if there's more to glean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSkyuyhrqQ&eurl

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56WOp_0JEqU&eurl=

There appear to be 2 immutable facts:?
1. The Citadel fans booed Princeton's half time performance and chanted "Go Home, Princeton" and "You Suck" (twice, briefly) also "Fa****s" (briefly and quietly)
2. The Princeton band scrambled, probably formed a penis and had someone reading a show. They also, at times, blew a whistle and played some songs.

As a Philadelphian and someone who hates Princeton's teams, I was impressed by The Citadel's fans commitment to booing. It's long and loud.

There also appear to be 2 important perceived slights or altercations:
1. Students/Cadets/Supporters of the Citadel appear peeved the Princeton dishonored their "Avenue of Remembrance." They may have, at some point charged some cadets doing some kind of exercise.
2. Princeton's Band was, at some point surrounded by cadets from the Citadel.

Number 1 seems likely, the Princeton Band charges. I've seen it with my own two eyes. It's stupid, but they do it. This time they did it to the wrong group of people. But they probably did not intentionally disrespect the "Avenue of Remebrance."

Number 2 also is apparently true which should be slightly embarrassing for everyone involved.

Take away message: Don't piss off people who are potentially going into the army, they're generally stronger than the strongest member of the band, unless Bruce Wayne still attends Princeton, in which case, all bets are off.

Addendum: ALWAYS READ THE COMMENTS, THEY ARE ALWAYS HILARIOUS, ESPECIALLY YOUTUBE COMMENTS! READ THEM! I AM YELLING AT YOU!