aggielaw
Official BDF member
Posts: 2,769
|
Post by aggielaw on Aug 10, 2010 23:01:00 GMT -5
Ruff and his staff are SOFT! We all know the deal.
|
|
|
Post by Brandmasta on Aug 10, 2010 23:44:49 GMT -5
Again, I'm not comparing band camp to any millitary boot camp. But, I do think our band should be preparing to go to war...not in the literal and physical sense of the word but, mentally. I think that's where we fall short. All I know, A&T rolling out on a 5th quarter was unheard of now...that's all they do. WSSU was straight cranking on us in the 5th and we rolled. And the band was satisfied with the decision to roll out. Thank God Cold Steel saved a little face. Man you that's ridiculous....Winston??? That's why people initially started quitting the band in Dr. Ruff's early years. You had folk in the band that marched for Dr. Hodge and wanted to go to war in a 5th, but Dr. Ruff wanted to roll out with the opposing band blowing on them. Plain and simple A&T needs to get it's SWAG back!!!!! All this letting Winston and Central blow while we leave and go and eat is for the birds. ANYBODY WIT ME?? DADLAMMIT!!!! Im wit u there...they better blow the dog dookie out of Winston this year, no excuses, no prisoners, no mercy.
|
|
|
Post by aggie2010 on Aug 11, 2010 21:18:50 GMT -5
Well I finally got 2 see the band with my own eyes today as they marched through campus.. I am VERY pleased with what I saw and heard. I see a lot more brass than last year, the woodwinds are deep especially the saxophones. The band has a cleaner/powerful sound. For the increase in the size of the band roughly 186 from my quick count maybe 200 I wouldve liked to see more tubas close to 20 but the 13 or 14 or so I counted today will be great. The band looks AWESOME!!! And the freshman drum major is very good!!!
|
|
|
Post by aggie2010 on Aug 11, 2010 21:59:56 GMT -5
I had to come back I gave everyone their respect besides golden delight and the non crab drum majors, I apologize ladies u look beautiful, and to the drum majors yall just too cool, good job and keep working hard band
|
|
|
Post by sweetheart1 on Aug 11, 2010 22:20:00 GMT -5
Just a quick question, ohsixrain what years were you a part of the band?
|
|
|
Post by sweetheart1 on Aug 11, 2010 22:43:52 GMT -5
I appear to be late to the discussion and I am laughing hysterically at those who believe that taking one evening off will reshape an entire season. When I think of the "old school" band camps/practices and the amount of time that was WASTED in the course of one rehearsal, trust me its no different. The camp rehearsals are productive, well structured and jam packed with music, marching, performance aspects, etc. Also, the freshman and section leaders report a week early so camp is long as heck. Oh and those early morning practices that Doc used to phase out after a week or so have gone on three weeks strong...so when its time for rest...its time for rest. But as with any HBCU programs there are those who believe they can run in better than the current leadership and disagree with mostly everything. It comes with the territory and makes for interesting reading. Its funny to hear people talk about what is happening in other band programs. I wish I was as much of an expert on ALL marching bands and ALL college- age students as they were. I know you can get a doctorate in music, but when did they start the "I know whats best for band"Ed.D program? Does A&T have that major or just UNCG? I encourage those opponents of the pool party to see how productive they would be with the current "type" of youngster if you dragged them all day for three weeks straight with no respite...your issue would NOT be a field show... So then, Is is ok to give them water? What if we brought them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the stadium so they didnt have to leave and break for the cafe? Better yet, how about we make them sleep on the field so they are ready for the early morning workout? All jokes aside, the band is a great group this year. And rest assured, the pool party didnt send the kids to eternal band hell for 2010. There is a complete show in their hands that just needs some cleaning and tweaking. The funny part of it all is that the pool party will happen again next year and we will get the same sort of posts. For those that support...THANKS. For those that dont (and get on the bandwagon only when things are perky and fun...) well thank you too. Your negativity fuels the machine just as much as anything. Happy summer everyone! AGGIE PRIDE to the "all the time AGGIES!!" ***walks off wondering if there is a support group for wishy washy Aggie Alums. ***
|
|
|
Post by aggiegemini on Aug 11, 2010 23:56:07 GMT -5
Look what y'all did. LOL ;D
|
|
|
Post by Blankman on Aug 12, 2010 4:38:27 GMT -5
All I have to say is AGGIES come to Charlotte on Aug. 28th and see the product we have been working on the last three weeks ;D .. I'm telling you this Machine is ready to Roll over EVERYBODY. You have been warned...
|
|
|
Post by ohsixrain on Aug 12, 2010 8:05:52 GMT -5
Sweetheart1...I marched from '88 - '91. I will not begin to lie and tell you we were all that and a bag of chips because we weren't. Our '90 band was probably one of the worst...but it was due to upperclassmen not wanting to practice the way they should. I am a member of Cold Steel and half of our section was put out of the band that year. Those were trying times. But we kept working hard even when they used to call us "Oatmeal" instead of "Cold Steel." That in and of itself should tell you the hard work that Cold Steel has put in through the years. Let me just say I can give credit where it is due...I see the work ethic that Golden Delight and Cold Steel has...if the band followed that precendent then there wouldn't be a worry in my mind. The rest would simply take care of itself. Now, I understand your perspective as well...you can't be a part of the leadership and buck at it too. So I do understand your point...but it bothers the hell out of me to see A&T roll out of the stands in the middle of a 5th quarter. Do you know that sitting in 5th's for hours is what built the machine's name. Why do you think Norfolk prepares so hard for A&T? See the 5th qtr. '99 & '01 A&T vs. NSU...that will tell you the whole story. Now, let me say it this way...I'm not Doctor or expert in music, I'm no more than a HBCU band junkie. I do know that most HBCU bands have a staple; at the end of the day, you can hang you hat on what they are gonna do. SCSU - it's "Get Up for the Bulldogs" funkadelic BCU - it's "Wildcats, Let's Go!" JSU - it's "Get Ready" SU - it's "Do Watcha Wanna" WSSU -it's "Get Up" NCCU - it's "N-C-C-U Song" FAMU - was "Backstabbers" So you get my point. OUR staple was 5th quarters...since we don't seem to do those anymore, what is our staple? What is A&T known for in the HBCU band world? I've seen the band get totally demolished and the only saving grace for our band was Golden Delight and Cold Steel. But unfortunately, that isn't enough...the band has to do more. What bothers me most is...the band can take an "L" and know it....and will be okay with it. In my OPINION, it should bother the HELL out of the band when they get out-performed...it shouldn't be an "oh well." There's no way I would allow Winston to ever think they were better than A&T unless, they were and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. So, maybe that's where we are as a band, ya think? Hell, we even got a ram poster on this board talking smack about how there band is better. That's where the leadership comes in...obviously our leadership doesn't ever think that our band loses in performances. Or our leadership doesn't mind or care that the band loses. Again...this is my opinion, but I do have to say...if my opinion bothers or offends you to the point that you must ask if I have a PhD. in music, then there must be a little truth to what I'm saying.
|
|
neal
Junior Member
Posts: 56
|
Post by neal on Aug 12, 2010 11:43:16 GMT -5
Why do you think Norfolk prepares so hard for A&T? See the 5th qtr. '99 & '01 A&T vs. NSU...that will tell you the whole story. NSU does not prepare for A&T. NSU is not even a 5th quarter band.
|
|
|
Post by ohsixrain on Aug 12, 2010 13:02:27 GMT -5
Man neal...don't even start, homeboy. First off, this is a family matter...and second, you are making my point with your statement. A&T is the 5th quarter band...read my post. Now you can act foolish and stupid and say that NSU doesn't prepare for A&T...but we all know that's a lie. So you are dismissed.
|
|
tony
Full Member
Posts: 153
|
Post by tony on Aug 12, 2010 13:11:42 GMT -5
For the record, if you're going to say those are staples, then you might as well say ours are Velvet Rope and Take Your Time. Although it would make me and a LOT alumni very happy if they brought back our old one - Dave Edgerton's Skin I'm In. I don't know if I'd call long 5th quarters a staple, even though I do miss them - most bands used to do them back in the day. It's not just us, a lot of other bands are doing shorter ones now too.
But one thing that WAS our staple was a ridiculous amount of power with good technique, and that's something that I haven't seen much of lately, with the exception of 03 and 08. From what I'm hearing, that may be coming back, so I'm cautiously looking forward to this season.
|
|
|
Post by ohsixrain on Aug 12, 2010 14:06:25 GMT -5
Let me clarify what I mean by staples. This means whenever you see these bands, you are going to here these tunes...no matter what. Come Hell or high water, you are going to hear it. In most cases...the home crowd loves those staple tunes too. Yeah...I thought "Skin I'm in" was a staple for us but we let it go. Velvet Rope could be but it was dropped for a couple of years too...they've brought it back though. Why am I saying all this because the band had a pool party? Am I the only one that thinks the band could've been adding more songs to its book (5th qtr.). Now, we have WSSU band director making comments around town, that no one in the state can sit in a 5th qtr with his band. Is he right or wrong??? Be honest...
|
|
tony
Full Member
Posts: 153
|
Post by tony on Aug 12, 2010 14:33:33 GMT -5
I think you're making WAYYY too much about a pool party... I remember when we used to have a band party at Dre's house during band camp... A night off isn't going to do anything to the repertoire.
Sitting in the 5th quarter is about more than just having a bunch of songs. You have to have good songs, good arrangements of those songs, and good execution of those arrangements. All three of those are things we haven't done as well at as we could have in the past - if you're going to complain, complain about that. But from what I'm hearing, we're doing better at all three this year, and if we excel at them, it's not going to matter if we stay for 5 songs or 25. Even if I personally would like to see a good two or three hour fifth quarter.
Come monday morning, the high school kids aren't going to be saying we played in the stands for 3 hours after the game. They're going to be saying somebody's band was bringing heat the whole game... they're going to be telling their band director that they want to play the same things they heard saturday. The band director at Winston can talk all he wants, but the ball is in our court. If we execute like we need to and like I'm hearing, I guarantee nobody's going to be thinking about them after the game.
|
|
neal
Junior Member
Posts: 56
|
Post by neal on Aug 12, 2010 14:36:02 GMT -5
Man neal...don't even start, homeboy. First off, this is a family matter...and second, you are making my point with your statement. A&T is the 5th quarter band...read my post. Now you can act foolish and stupid and say that NSU doesn't prepare for A&T...but we all know that's a lie. So you are dismissed. Yall figgas are not our rivals. NSU practices for weekly games no matter who is coming. You yall are pressed about NSU because we are the Aggies highlight of the yr. You notice we have battle of the bands with more than just TEE, duh. If lying to your family about NSU makes your program feel better, then thats sad.
|
|