battle of the bands
I just got back from the New Britain-Southington football game, and if you must know, the Blue Knights won 34-21. It was their third straight win in the series.
But my attention wasn't focused on the game on the field. It was on the "battle" off it, although it is not what it used to be. The New Britain and Southington bands used to both perform at halftime of the big matchup, and the rivalry there was almost as fierce as for those in pads and helmets. But now, the New Britain band was not allowed to perform at halftime, for reasons that were not fully explained.
I kept a running diary of the events, watching each bands every move, song choice and performance. It's time these students get some recognition for the hours of time they put in on behalf of the teams on the field. As both sides said, they are there for the team.
Here are my impressions.
6:23 p.m.- The New Britain band shows up at Fontana Field, high leg kicks and all. They are led in by director Chuck Lunn, drum major Greg Leitao, and of course, the famous Cane-ettes. All heads immediately turn to watch them. This part of their routine is quite mesmerizing and the traditional drum beat is played flawlessly.
6:29 p.m.- The N.B. band finally reaches the track and assembles near the south endzone. While walking in Lunn yells to some of the Color Guard to close a gap in the line. This is no time to lose concentration.
When I talk to Lunn about his feelings before the big show, he says "my guys know they better play their hearts out tonight".
6:36 p.m.- Southington band director Jeff Shaw downplays the battle, saying "tonight the only battle is the football teams".
6:41 p.m.- Lunn, a Southington alumnus, runs across the endzone towards his band as they yell "touchdown" to him. Sharing in the light-hearted moment, he says "my colors" as he sees the Southington blue and white painted in the grass. The band sets up for the national anthem, Cane-ettes on the field and Leitao standing behind them, with the band behind him waiting on the track.
6:47 p.m.- The Southington band, sitting in the opposite bleachers, starts the first chant of the night, inaudible from across the field. The N.B. band, like an army unit, remains unmovable in its position.
6:50 p.m.- The air raid siren blares as the Southington team takes the field. The Cane-ettes do not flinch amidst the onslaught.
6:52 p.m.- Lunn calls an audible to his group, telling them that their usual opening has been cut down for time to allow for the Southington senior night celebrations, which have run late. They will now only play the Star Spangled Banner and not the alma mater as well.
7:01 p.m.- As the senior night announcements continue, the N.B. band starts to get fidgety still in its position.
7:03 p.m.- The band plays a stirring rendition of the anthem, and both sides of bleachers applaud loudly, as much for the song as the start of the game.
7:07 p.m.- As the N.B. band marches off the field, the Southington band plays the Notre Dame fight song, its first number of the night.
7:09 p.m.- Southington band plays "Get Ready 4 This", the brass instruments in back bouncing up and down in rhythm. This kind of co-ordination is clearly their specialty.
The New Britain band is still methodically marching off the track, its fans roaring. The two drum lines can be heard clashing with each other.
7:11 p.m.- The first big play of the game as B.J. Aponte gives the 'Canes a first down. The band does a cavalry call.
7:12 p.m.- Lunn tells the band to hurry up and get seated, as they are still shuffling in the stands following the long trek from the field.
7:15 p.m.- The bass drum booms as New Britain plays "All My Rowdy Friends", better known as the Monday Night Football intro.
I asked drummer Tyler Taylor if he can hear anything after the game, as my ears are already ringing.
"I'm used to it," he replies with a smile. He says he thinks the rivalry is a big deal.
I talk to the first time to Leitao and Magdalenn Widomski, who is in charge of signaling the band what song will be played next. On a pair of large dry-erase boards she has their set list taped, and will make decisions based on the situation.
"Because we have both short songs and longer ones, we usually do the longer ones later in the game," Leitao says. He also explains that they have numbers for whether they are on offense of defense. For instance, when the opposing team has the ball, they may play the Imperial March from Star Wars. If they are dominating an opponent late in the game, a natural choice is "Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye".
"Not today," Leitao says when asked if that will likely come out tonight. "I think it will be close tonight."
7:20 p.m.- The NFL on Fox theme is played for the first time and as it is, Aponte breaks free for a long touchdown, the first score of the night. This also triggers the first playing of "Bingo", the band's touchdown fight song.
"Hopefully you'll hear it all night," Lunn says.
This is followed by "Land of 1,000 Dances" in the band's extensive set list.
7:27 p.m.- The band starts its "dynamite" chant. Talking to the color guard, they say it is one of their favorites. However, they can barely be heard from a few feet away of the horns behind them.
"It doesn't matter," one of them tells me. "We're here to support them (the team)."
7:31 p.m.- To signal the playing of Rock and Roll, Part 2 by Gary Glitter, Widomski holds up the white board saying "The Hey! Song". They may not know the title, but it leads to an interception, and when a major signals the band to stop, they ignore it and keep playing anyways, caught up in the moment.
7:34 p.m.- A Southington touchdown quiets the New Britain band temporarily. I still can't hear the Southington band from across the field. Maybe it is just the distance.
7:40 p.m.- As the first quarter winds to a close I talk to band chaperone and parent Mike Sokolowski. He explains that part of his duty is to make sure no Southington students come across the field to cause trouble. We want a clean game here.
Sokoloski is upset that the band will not be allowed to play at halftime.
"We go to every game. There are some schools that are very cordial ... If [the Southington band] come to New Britain that can play."
Sokoloski also tells me that the deafening noise the band is making has little to do with the magnitude of the matchup.
"This is every game," he says. "The only time they sit down is halftime. They cheer the whole game long."
7:44 p.m. - Widomski's sign just says "CHEER". New Britain gets a big interception seconds later. I guess this stuff works.
The band celebrates with "Great Balls of Fire".
7:48 p.m.- A second New Britain touchdown leads to the second playing of "Bingo". No, it's not the song about the farmer and his dog.
7:53 p.m- A frantic Taylor runs to the top of the bleachers and back down, goes to Lunn and asks, "how can I get on the track". Lunn says, "no, just do it here".
Taylor rounds up David Ortiz, Jonathan Caez, and Lenny Selgado and they dance as the band plays "Y.M.C.A." It's quite inspired. The crowd loves it.
Meanwhile, Lunn, Sokolowski and other adults stand transfixed by the game, screaming encouragement... mostly.
"It's not about the band. It's about football," Lunn says with a grin.
7:58 p.m.- The Southington band moves onto the track to prepare for its halftime show.
7:59 p.m.- The N.B. band plays "Layla", obviously forgetting that military bands don't have guitars. We'll give them a pass.
8:04 p.m.- Widomski's sign now says "CHEER, BRASS TOO!"
"Sometimes I like to give them personalized notes," she explains.
8:12 p.m.- Southington scores in the closing seconds of the half to go up 15-14. It's obvious the team, and band, will need to rally in the second half. But there are no worries in the stands.
"The spirit is always better up here than it is on the field," Leitao says. "When the team gets down these guys cheer louder ... The team has always said we're like the 12th player."
8:17 p.m.- As the Southington band takes the field for the half, I cross sides, leaving my new friends from New Britain behind. I'm looking forward to hearing the Southington band, which will be playing Saturday night at Giants Stadium in a formal competition.
Unlike the New Britain band, I find out that Southington does not specialize in being a pep band. They are at a significant disadvantage in this "battle".
8:34 p.m.- The band leaves the field after its show, looking cold.
"Tonight they're doing a little better with the cold," Shaw explains as they head to their seats. "Last week was the first really cold night."
Shaw says to drum major Jaclyn Dailey "same thing as the first half. Let's play a lot but don't play while the ball is in play."
This is their policy. As Shaw explains it to me, they don't want to interfere with the signal calling from the coaching staff to the players.
Shaw also tells me that it is not his decision whether or not the New Britain band plays at halftime.
8:38 p.m.- Southington again opens the half with "Get Ready 4 This".
8:40 p.m.- The band chants "mascot" as the iron-clad Knight roams the track. When he finally acknowledges them with a wave of the sword, they cheer.
8:42 p.m- While most of the band remains seated, the horns play loudly as Southington scores. This is followed by the Notre Dame fight song, which is their equivalent of "Bingo".
8:44 p.m.- After the touchdown, the band calls for the cheerleaders to do pushups, one for every point Southington has scored. The band counts them out so they can't get away with not doing them.
At this point I talk with drum majors Dailey, Tim Dobosz and Nora Graseck about the night.
"It's about both football and the band," Dobosz explains. But he acknowledges New Britain's edge.
"This is what they do," he says. "We're a competition band. This is an added bonus for us."
Asking them about their big night in East Rutherford, New Jersey coming up, which they do each year, Graseck downplays nerves.
"Once you've been there, it's not that big. But it's intimidating the first time."
Meanwhile the New Britain drums can be heard across the way and that band breaks into "Thriller".
8:54 p.m.- Scattered instruments again play as Southington scores, but most remain seated. They are clearly saving themselves for competition.
Notre Dame ... cheerleaders.
8:59 p.m.- The N.B. band plays the Superman theme after an injured player gets to his feet. Nice touch.
9:01 p.m.- Southington intercepts a deep pass. I am sitting behind the tubas in the back, wearing red berets. Most tuba players wear berets.
"It's just a tuba thing," Jon Gworek explains. "Because the helmet doesn't fit (while carrying a tuba)."
Fellow tubas Dan Orlando and Tim Scheffler explain that they would play more songs, but the drum majors aren't signaling them to.
9:09 p.m.- The mascot gets the band to start a "defense" chant.
As the third quarter winds to a close, the band plays "Back in Black", just minutes after New Britain had played its own AC/DC song, "Dirty Deeds".
Apparently sensing the challenge, the N.B. band follows that up with "You Shook Me All Night Long". Two AC/DC songs in their repertoire.
9:14 p.m.- New Britain scores. Time for "Bingo".
"Good," Shaw says with the score 28-21. "It will be a ballgame."
The Southington band stirs with a "Let's Go!" cheer.
9:18 p.m.- The New Britain side is ecstatic after recovering a fumbled kickoff. The band is swaying and waving in unison. Take that, Southington band.
9:22 p.m.- After a N.B. turnover on downs, the Southington band does a chant. Meanwhile, the N.B. band can only make noise, as the game appears to be slipping away. But they make noise with the best of them.
9:27 p.m.- The Southington band continues to pick up the volume as the game remains close.
9:32 p.m.- Southington band mixes it up with an "offense" chant. This is not a very common move, but it will pay off at ...
9:36 p.m.- Southington scores the clincher with just minutes left. Notre Dame fight song.
9:46 p.m.- The Southington band starts the countdown to 0:00 and again plays the Notre Dame fight song.
They saved their best for last playing "Battlefield Glory". You might know it as one of the songs from NFL Films.
While New Britain has clearly won the battle of the bands, Southington takes the football game.
A good fight both ways.
Good luck Southington at Giants Stadium. And congratulations to the Golden Hurricanes for a dominant pep band performance. Each has its niche. Both are talented.
And a lot of fun to hang out with.
But my attention wasn't focused on the game on the field. It was on the "battle" off it, although it is not what it used to be. The New Britain and Southington bands used to both perform at halftime of the big matchup, and the rivalry there was almost as fierce as for those in pads and helmets. But now, the New Britain band was not allowed to perform at halftime, for reasons that were not fully explained.
I kept a running diary of the events, watching each bands every move, song choice and performance. It's time these students get some recognition for the hours of time they put in on behalf of the teams on the field. As both sides said, they are there for the team.
Here are my impressions.
6:23 p.m.- The New Britain band shows up at Fontana Field, high leg kicks and all. They are led in by director Chuck Lunn, drum major Greg Leitao, and of course, the famous Cane-ettes. All heads immediately turn to watch them. This part of their routine is quite mesmerizing and the traditional drum beat is played flawlessly.
6:29 p.m.- The N.B. band finally reaches the track and assembles near the south endzone. While walking in Lunn yells to some of the Color Guard to close a gap in the line. This is no time to lose concentration.
When I talk to Lunn about his feelings before the big show, he says "my guys know they better play their hearts out tonight".
6:36 p.m.- Southington band director Jeff Shaw downplays the battle, saying "tonight the only battle is the football teams".
6:41 p.m.- Lunn, a Southington alumnus, runs across the endzone towards his band as they yell "touchdown" to him. Sharing in the light-hearted moment, he says "my colors" as he sees the Southington blue and white painted in the grass. The band sets up for the national anthem, Cane-ettes on the field and Leitao standing behind them, with the band behind him waiting on the track.
6:47 p.m.- The Southington band, sitting in the opposite bleachers, starts the first chant of the night, inaudible from across the field. The N.B. band, like an army unit, remains unmovable in its position.
6:50 p.m.- The air raid siren blares as the Southington team takes the field. The Cane-ettes do not flinch amidst the onslaught.
6:52 p.m.- Lunn calls an audible to his group, telling them that their usual opening has been cut down for time to allow for the Southington senior night celebrations, which have run late. They will now only play the Star Spangled Banner and not the alma mater as well.
7:01 p.m.- As the senior night announcements continue, the N.B. band starts to get fidgety still in its position.
7:03 p.m.- The band plays a stirring rendition of the anthem, and both sides of bleachers applaud loudly, as much for the song as the start of the game.
7:07 p.m.- As the N.B. band marches off the field, the Southington band plays the Notre Dame fight song, its first number of the night.
7:09 p.m.- Southington band plays "Get Ready 4 This", the brass instruments in back bouncing up and down in rhythm. This kind of co-ordination is clearly their specialty.
The New Britain band is still methodically marching off the track, its fans roaring. The two drum lines can be heard clashing with each other.
7:11 p.m.- The first big play of the game as B.J. Aponte gives the 'Canes a first down. The band does a cavalry call.
7:12 p.m.- Lunn tells the band to hurry up and get seated, as they are still shuffling in the stands following the long trek from the field.
7:15 p.m.- The bass drum booms as New Britain plays "All My Rowdy Friends", better known as the Monday Night Football intro.
I asked drummer Tyler Taylor if he can hear anything after the game, as my ears are already ringing.
"I'm used to it," he replies with a smile. He says he thinks the rivalry is a big deal.
I talk to the first time to Leitao and Magdalenn Widomski, who is in charge of signaling the band what song will be played next. On a pair of large dry-erase boards she has their set list taped, and will make decisions based on the situation.
"Because we have both short songs and longer ones, we usually do the longer ones later in the game," Leitao says. He also explains that they have numbers for whether they are on offense of defense. For instance, when the opposing team has the ball, they may play the Imperial March from Star Wars. If they are dominating an opponent late in the game, a natural choice is "Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye".
"Not today," Leitao says when asked if that will likely come out tonight. "I think it will be close tonight."
7:20 p.m.- The NFL on Fox theme is played for the first time and as it is, Aponte breaks free for a long touchdown, the first score of the night. This also triggers the first playing of "Bingo", the band's touchdown fight song.
"Hopefully you'll hear it all night," Lunn says.
This is followed by "Land of 1,000 Dances" in the band's extensive set list.
7:27 p.m.- The band starts its "dynamite" chant. Talking to the color guard, they say it is one of their favorites. However, they can barely be heard from a few feet away of the horns behind them.
"It doesn't matter," one of them tells me. "We're here to support them (the team)."
7:31 p.m.- To signal the playing of Rock and Roll, Part 2 by Gary Glitter, Widomski holds up the white board saying "The Hey! Song". They may not know the title, but it leads to an interception, and when a major signals the band to stop, they ignore it and keep playing anyways, caught up in the moment.
7:34 p.m.- A Southington touchdown quiets the New Britain band temporarily. I still can't hear the Southington band from across the field. Maybe it is just the distance.
7:40 p.m.- As the first quarter winds to a close I talk to band chaperone and parent Mike Sokolowski. He explains that part of his duty is to make sure no Southington students come across the field to cause trouble. We want a clean game here.
Sokoloski is upset that the band will not be allowed to play at halftime.
"We go to every game. There are some schools that are very cordial ... If [the Southington band] come to New Britain that can play."
Sokoloski also tells me that the deafening noise the band is making has little to do with the magnitude of the matchup.
"This is every game," he says. "The only time they sit down is halftime. They cheer the whole game long."
7:44 p.m. - Widomski's sign just says "CHEER". New Britain gets a big interception seconds later. I guess this stuff works.
The band celebrates with "Great Balls of Fire".
7:48 p.m.- A second New Britain touchdown leads to the second playing of "Bingo". No, it's not the song about the farmer and his dog.
7:53 p.m- A frantic Taylor runs to the top of the bleachers and back down, goes to Lunn and asks, "how can I get on the track". Lunn says, "no, just do it here".
Taylor rounds up David Ortiz, Jonathan Caez, and Lenny Selgado and they dance as the band plays "Y.M.C.A." It's quite inspired. The crowd loves it.
Meanwhile, Lunn, Sokolowski and other adults stand transfixed by the game, screaming encouragement... mostly.
"It's not about the band. It's about football," Lunn says with a grin.
7:58 p.m.- The Southington band moves onto the track to prepare for its halftime show.
7:59 p.m.- The N.B. band plays "Layla", obviously forgetting that military bands don't have guitars. We'll give them a pass.
8:04 p.m.- Widomski's sign now says "CHEER, BRASS TOO!"
"Sometimes I like to give them personalized notes," she explains.
8:12 p.m.- Southington scores in the closing seconds of the half to go up 15-14. It's obvious the team, and band, will need to rally in the second half. But there are no worries in the stands.
"The spirit is always better up here than it is on the field," Leitao says. "When the team gets down these guys cheer louder ... The team has always said we're like the 12th player."
8:17 p.m.- As the Southington band takes the field for the half, I cross sides, leaving my new friends from New Britain behind. I'm looking forward to hearing the Southington band, which will be playing Saturday night at Giants Stadium in a formal competition.
Unlike the New Britain band, I find out that Southington does not specialize in being a pep band. They are at a significant disadvantage in this "battle".
8:34 p.m.- The band leaves the field after its show, looking cold.
"Tonight they're doing a little better with the cold," Shaw explains as they head to their seats. "Last week was the first really cold night."
Shaw says to drum major Jaclyn Dailey "same thing as the first half. Let's play a lot but don't play while the ball is in play."
This is their policy. As Shaw explains it to me, they don't want to interfere with the signal calling from the coaching staff to the players.
Shaw also tells me that it is not his decision whether or not the New Britain band plays at halftime.
8:38 p.m.- Southington again opens the half with "Get Ready 4 This".
8:40 p.m.- The band chants "mascot" as the iron-clad Knight roams the track. When he finally acknowledges them with a wave of the sword, they cheer.
8:42 p.m- While most of the band remains seated, the horns play loudly as Southington scores. This is followed by the Notre Dame fight song, which is their equivalent of "Bingo".
8:44 p.m.- After the touchdown, the band calls for the cheerleaders to do pushups, one for every point Southington has scored. The band counts them out so they can't get away with not doing them.
At this point I talk with drum majors Dailey, Tim Dobosz and Nora Graseck about the night.
"It's about both football and the band," Dobosz explains. But he acknowledges New Britain's edge.
"This is what they do," he says. "We're a competition band. This is an added bonus for us."
Asking them about their big night in East Rutherford, New Jersey coming up, which they do each year, Graseck downplays nerves.
"Once you've been there, it's not that big. But it's intimidating the first time."
Meanwhile the New Britain drums can be heard across the way and that band breaks into "Thriller".
8:54 p.m.- Scattered instruments again play as Southington scores, but most remain seated. They are clearly saving themselves for competition.
Notre Dame ... cheerleaders.
8:59 p.m.- The N.B. band plays the Superman theme after an injured player gets to his feet. Nice touch.
9:01 p.m.- Southington intercepts a deep pass. I am sitting behind the tubas in the back, wearing red berets. Most tuba players wear berets.
"It's just a tuba thing," Jon Gworek explains. "Because the helmet doesn't fit (while carrying a tuba)."
Fellow tubas Dan Orlando and Tim Scheffler explain that they would play more songs, but the drum majors aren't signaling them to.
9:09 p.m.- The mascot gets the band to start a "defense" chant.
As the third quarter winds to a close, the band plays "Back in Black", just minutes after New Britain had played its own AC/DC song, "Dirty Deeds".
Apparently sensing the challenge, the N.B. band follows that up with "You Shook Me All Night Long". Two AC/DC songs in their repertoire.
9:14 p.m.- New Britain scores. Time for "Bingo".
"Good," Shaw says with the score 28-21. "It will be a ballgame."
The Southington band stirs with a "Let's Go!" cheer.
9:18 p.m.- The New Britain side is ecstatic after recovering a fumbled kickoff. The band is swaying and waving in unison. Take that, Southington band.
9:22 p.m.- After a N.B. turnover on downs, the Southington band does a chant. Meanwhile, the N.B. band can only make noise, as the game appears to be slipping away. But they make noise with the best of them.
9:27 p.m.- The Southington band continues to pick up the volume as the game remains close.
9:32 p.m.- Southington band mixes it up with an "offense" chant. This is not a very common move, but it will pay off at ...
9:36 p.m.- Southington scores the clincher with just minutes left. Notre Dame fight song.
9:46 p.m.- The Southington band starts the countdown to 0:00 and again plays the Notre Dame fight song.
They saved their best for last playing "Battlefield Glory". You might know it as one of the songs from NFL Films.
While New Britain has clearly won the battle of the bands, Southington takes the football game.
A good fight both ways.
Good luck Southington at Giants Stadium. And congratulations to the Golden Hurricanes for a dominant pep band performance. Each has its niche. Both are talented.
And a lot of fun to hang out with.
posted by Ryan Pipke at
10:46 PM
10 Comments:
First of all, I would like to thank Ryan Pipke for writing this piece on the first true "Battle of the Bands" that we have had all season.
I am a Junior in the New Britain High School Golden Hurricane Marching Band, and I know that Southington is a town unlike any other we go to. It respects us as a team and as a band and we respect them as a rival. Usually when we go to an opposing field, we come in, drown their band and their entire side of field out, watch the football team destroy the opposing team and then march out thinking to ourselves that we are so much better than them. Every other band doesn't like us, and every other football team fears us, and even though we did drown out Southington and their annoying touchdown siren, we had much more respect for them.
Southington is the opposite in most cases of most other away games that our band goes to. They respect our presence and don't want to leave, they accept the challenge and let the rivalry persist. The band knows that we are going to cheer loud, play well and that they have to do something about that. They know that we are good, and since I actually heard them on our side of the field every so often, I knew they were trying to stop us or play with us.
Their halftime show was also the best I've seen from a Drum Corp. style band. Just by looking straight ahead I could tell it was more complex and better sounding than any other band I've ever seen, next to ours. This is waht we want as a band. To have a challenge and compete in both school's biggest game of the year and have fun playing and cheering for our team all night long.
Overall, I would like to thank Southington. We may have lost and it might of been 20 or 30 degrees out. But it is always fun when you cheering on your team in a big game and playing your hearts out and seeing others doing the same. Our director, Mr. Lunn, has always told us that we should have the Southington band over at our field, so that the battle in the stands and the battle on the field can happen. We respect Southington, their band and obviously their football team for their respectful showing to us and appreciate the challenge and hope they come to our house next year.
Hey I was there last night because Im the Quint player for the New Britain High Schools Golden Hurricanes Marching Band. I really liked the game but what I really liked was the "Battle of the Bands". I enjoyed facing off with Southington. Their drummers were real good and loud unlike other bands we face off against. Hey "Props" to Southington's band, and Lets Go RipSquad!>NBHS!Seniors08!
HURRICANES ARE THE BEST!
Wow, I just have to really thank you for writing this article. It really pays off to be in the New Britain Golden Hurricane Marching Band when you can hear the drama told like this; yes, it's plenty exciting, and seeing how our band doesn't bother with official 'Battle of the Band' tournaments, it means a lot to see how we fared in someone's eyes against the other team. And, of course, my mom appreciates the honesty and fair consideration of both sides during the game.
Obviously, it's not about the competition between the bands--we barely worried about the Southington band all day, with the actual game to worry about--but that sure makes it fun.
Thanks for letting me relive that awesome night.
Good job on capturing the Mystique of the night, Ryan...This should be in the print edition.
At some schools, the bands view it as an inconvenience to play at football games...they have their own competitions. the tail wags the dog.
Hey, thanks for the story on the bands. I am a member at Southington High school Marching Band. I would like to say that we are not a pep band, we play in competition. We love to go to football games and cheer for the team. One policy of ours is not cheer or play our instruments during a football play. The songs we play are small fragments so we don't distract the players. We are not there to compete against the band, we are there to support our fellow students that are playing football. The New Britain band is a great band and all but they can't be compared to us. We are New England Champions that is all I have to say.
See Ryan...write something interesting about other people and it gets a reax. who cares about your game picks?
This was a great play-by-play Ryan. The Golden Hurricanes Marching Band is probably the only one in the state that travels to all of its school's football games. Other schools have asked the band NOT to come. Sorry, guys, not an option. The band is as much a part of New Britain Football as the football players themselves. Southington has an superb drum corps band, but no band can match the excitement of the high-kickin', hard-hittin' style of the Golden Hurricanes. Just stand along a parade route and watch the crowd as all the bands march by--see who gets the crowd cheering. The Golden Hurricanes are rightly proud of their unique style and sound. Thanks for really paying attention last week.
Anonymous said...
Dear Southington: You are the rightful owners of the title NE Champions. You have won your drum corps competition, and we aplaud you for that. However, you're right. The Golden Hurricane Marcing Band cannot be compared to yours. We are a military style band. When the President or his family visits CT, we are the first ones called. When Channel 3 needs a band, we're there. We play in Disney World every other year, to the point that the FL locals talk highly of us and would recognize us anywhere. There is a reason we are called the Best Band in New England, and often The Best Band in the country as well. That's all I have to say.
Dear New Britain Anonymous,
I don't think you know the definition of the BEST band. You would not be called the best band by anyone in Connecticut. I can ask any band member in any other school and they would be offended if you were compared to them. The reason why you go to Florida is to get away from the superior bands. I will give you the title of a decent pep band with "jazz hands" but thats it. I am a senior this year at SHS and I saw you my junior year I believe and you guys were not that good at marching or playing. This year at SHS when you played the National Anthem I and other students at SHS did not like it. Go to Florida and get compliments but don't expect the same from CT. And thats all I have to say.
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