BAND PRACTICE. YEAH, OURS WAS JUST LIKE THAT, TOO.

There are a handful of campuses in America where the trumpet players are gettin’ more play than the running backs. FAMU is one of those places.

I…don’t…understand. Where is the parquet dance floor?

I think I pulled something just watching that video.

Someone made a music video of the Jackson St drum majors. Could have used some better editing but the first routine is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa8v0xg_8pc

There’s also a program called Dog Days that’s playing on CSTV this month. They’ve got some great footage of the whole Jackson St band (known as the Sonic Boom of the South).

My high school’s band was similar to FAMU; one of our drum major’s was on scholarship with the Rattlers.
They rocked, they fuckin’ rocked.

Yeah, Ohio State, you have “the best damn band in the land”.

I think not – TBDBITL would be lucky to pull off one of the dance moves, much less the range the FAMU showed here.

Extra points for playing the theme song from “Good times”

Dancing bands suck. The end.

as a former 3 year band nerd in HS, I can tell you that bands like FAMU work their ASSES off. To be able to play while you’re doing that much movement is hard as hell.

It’s on a different scale, but check out the Wisconsin band sometime. They don’t march “heel to toe” like most white bands. They high step march with an aggressive pace. For all the jokes about fat Wisconsin mid-westerns, there’s not a lot of extra pounds in that band. They sweat it off.

That said, if they ever brought their band to the SEC during September there would be dozens of causalties from heat stroke during half time.

BTW — if you want a band nerd tip. Here goes. Bands with Black shoes don’t give a shit about marching. They are basically a walking concert. UGA is one of those. Black shoes hide mistakes.

Bands with white shoes care about their steps. With white shoes you can’t hide when you screw up. Wisconsin is definitely a white shoes band. So is Ohio State.

pwd

Hey PWD, as an exception, the USCTMB wears black shoes and cares a shitload about marching. Also, we do a modified high step called the “drive-it” step, and black shoes with white spats is really telling as to if/when someone fucks up their steps.

The “heel to toe” glide step is what the majority of the bands in the pac-10 use.

The high step is found in most big-10 bands.

Big 12 are also glide steppers, and the SEC and deep south schools do all sorts of crazy stuff (i’m not familiar enough to say what they tend toward).

My 2 cents

Hey USClink…the difference is your band only plays two fucking songs. And they play them over and over and over…

The only song that we know
It is boring and slow
The only song that we know….

They’re good at what they do, and I’m sure they work very hard at it. They are probably one of the best bands in the country when it comes to dancing.

One of the intramural basketball teams at my school was awesome at tennis.

No, tribute to troy is the only song you hear because we play it whenever we get a defensive stop. Apparently, your team hasn’t been moving the ball to well.

The other one you’ve been hearing is fight on, which you hear whenever we score. Averaging almost 50 points a game, you’ve heard that quite often too.

If you’ve actually listened to us, you know we have a repertoire…but its so much more effective when your team has to pipe our music into their lockerroom to deal with our band’s effect on your players.

At the two minute mark it sounded like they were going into “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band.

USC’s band is an atrocity.

USC gets a first down? Cue Tribute to Troy!
USC gets 2 yards on an off tackle on 1st and 10? Cue the only song we know!
USC ‘holds’ the opposing running back to 5 yards on 1st in 10? Cue Tribute to Troy!
USC ‘holds’ the opposing QB to an incomplete pass on 2nd and 2? Cue Tribute to Troy!

Any of about a half dozen normal, routine plays cue the band. The band needs someone who knows enough about football to recognize a remarkable play so they know when to launch into a song. As it is, opposing players and fans aren’t annoying… we’re amused. We’re not laughing with you, either.

One time I tried counting the number of times “tribute to troy” was played over the course of a game. I stopped at 2 or 3 dozen. It’s not “effective” playing the same slow, annoying song over… and over… and over… and over again. It just makes you look talentless and lazy, like you didn’t bother learning any other music at band camp.

As a native of Tallahassee who was a 4 year band member in high school there and played with MANY who went on to play at FSU and FAMU, it is extremely difficult to march, especially in the south.
The white shoes comment is true, but if you are good, there will be no mistakes and if you aren’t, it will show.
Schools who care and are the best, look the best and the crowd stays to watch them during half time.
It is VERY hard work and is comparable to a sport, you sweat, you are physically fit and it takes a lot of coordination.
A school such as FAMU, they are just kicking it up a notch and having a TON of fun with it at the same time.
Remember, these schools/bands must compete outside of performing at a halftime football game.

At most HBCU’s the students in the band are just as popular as the athletes on campus.

Nice to see the MEAC get some love on EDSBS!

PAK:

When we get a first down, we play the 3rd chorus of Fight On.

When we force a turnover, we play “all right now”

When we hold your offense to small or negative yardage, we play tribute to troy.

Between the third and Fourth quarters, we play the William Tell Overture.

During halftime, we play between 3-4 different songs all of which were learned during the previous week, along with the marching sets.

Postgame, we play rock charts until Bartner gets bored.

Thats just a short overview. The fact that you’re still bitching about the “only song we know” means that that plan works. And if it doesn’t work on you, it still works on the rest of the college football world.

Anyone know what that second song the band played is? The one between “Who’s that Girl” by Eve and “Take it to da House” by Trick Daddy, and my friends always want to know why I watch Black College Football on BET.

And I definitely agree with PAK’s comment that the USC band only knows how to play two songs.

USCLink,

Its dumb…you can tell me any number of songs that are played in certain situations, but they all sound alike to any normal fan at a game and they are played at random moments. Its essentially making noise just to make noise. There’s a reason that USC was hated even when they sucked (which wasn’t too long ago)…their band is boring and annoying. And will continue to play while the game is actually going on, which I believe is a major faux pas.

Apparently, in the minds of the USC band, any play that isn’t a first down is “small or negative yardage”. Considering most teams run 70 plays a game, and get maybe 25 first downs… that’s an awful goddamn lot of that crappy fucking song.

Kenny:
I think there are actually 2 songs in between “Who’s That Girl” and “Take it to da House”. Of those 2, the first is “Slow Jamz” by Twista f./ Jamie Foxx. That one leads into the song which you’re probably questioning which is “Chickenhead” by Project Pat of the Three-Six Mafia.

Aerobab representin’….I’m out.

The USC band (much like the Michigan Band) is a musician’s band, not a football fan’s band. They are very musically talented, but they don’t get the flow of the game. I can say this having done 4yrs in high school and 4 in the MDB. I’ve seen Michigan’s band twice in person, and they put on a great show, as does USC. But in the stands, they need help.

I love watching HBCU bands for the dancing. There are other great non-traditional bands, though, that don’t dance at all. Someone should find some film of UCF. Their shows are hilarious. They play well, but they don’t really care about the “musical execution.” They just want everybody to have a good time.

Once again I stress, DONT EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, enter the city of Tallahassee on FAMU’s Homecoming. Instead you should lock your doors, hide your women and children and bury your valuables on the Thursday before.

You don’t get it…they’re NOT played randomly. You can tell what just happened in game by what song the band just played. You can tell what song the band will play by what just happened in the game.

Its not my fault you choose to ignore it.

I believe our record is 67 Tribute to Troys in one game against Stanford. Their anemic offense coupled with our defense led to that song being played quite frequently.

Actually, USC Link, I think your comments are wrong. Completely.

After I graduated from Notre Dame in 1993, I went to the USC games in South Bend in both 1995 and again in 1999. The 1995 game was in the middle of the 13 game streak whereby USC never beat Notre Dame. I had the complete displeasure of getting tickets to both games located directly behind the USC band. If I recall, the Irish kicked your collective asses in both of those games. And despite the fact that the Irish thouroughly trashed the useless Trojans in 1995, the only song I heard the entire game was “Tribute”.

There was, without a doubt, complete cluelessness on the part of the band. I specifically remember the 1995 game (you know, the one where we thrashed USC 38-10) and the band played Tribute every time Ron Powlus DIDN’T get a first down. Gaining 9 yards on a first down pass to a wide-open tight end is NOT CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION on the part of the band, no matter how “significant” it is that the defense did not allow a first down.

Regardless, USC is probably one of the most pathetic bands in the country, because it truly is “the only song they know, and the only song they play.”

ChrisND,

I’m glad you have those two experiences to shape your entire perspective. No wonder the Catholic Church decides to excommunicate people after very little exposure and the label of “not in keeping with the teachings of the church.”

Trust someone who actually has played for, and is playing for the band. Things may have been different in the early 90’s, but as of today, you could ask any non-freshman band member what song we would play after a turnover, a defensive stop, a first down, a TD, a big hit, between quarters, or any other game situation and they would all give you the same answers.

Chris, you are flat out wrong. You may have been right 11 and 7 years ago, but as of today, you are ignorant and wrong.

Wow. Insert stereotype here.

Wow USC. By playing All Right Now, you have descended to the level of Stanfurd’s Band and their excuse for calling that song a, ahem, “fight song.”

To me, it looks like you ripped off their “fight song” the same way the Bruins ripped off Big C from Cal.

Repressed!

I’m glad for you Sac State Band Alum.

Did they even require your SAT’s to get in?

I chose to stay home at Sac because my dad was dying and because he worked there, I got a free education. But I easily got accepted into Cal and to Cal Tech. I’m pretty sure those places require SAT’s. I think I read it somewhere……hmmmm?

Im not a band member/player/ anything like that but i GO TO FAMU and our band is very talented. We do what the others do, 10 times better. If you can’t deal with it, dig a hole and bury yourself. And mr. slick-racist-comment up there? reread what you wrote then go slit your wrist because you are pathetic.