Who'll Stop the Rain?

Heard the singers playin', how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, tryin' to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pourin', fallin' on my ears.
And I wonder, still I wonder who'll stop the rain.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival

And so it rained. On Friday. On Saturday. Now (but less so).

All across the region, band shows were canceled, postponed, or moved indoors. Our band had it postponed, but whether we go or not is (forgive the expression) up in the air. They have performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday already.

However, last night we hosted a double feature of two movies reviewed here previously, "From the 50 Yard Line" and "August Rush." We couldn't host everyone, but those who came had fun! So it wasn't a complete washout.

However, two memories came to mind - the 1993 DCI World Championships performance of the Madison Scouts, and the 2008 USSBA National Championships performance of George Walton Academy. I remember that simply these two groups came on to the field in a sprinkle and ended up performing in a downpour. But somehow it just got those kids fired up, and they really took the performance up a notch and connected with their audiences.

Who'll stop the rain? For those two groups, the answer was - Who cares?!

Review: "From the 50 Yard Line" puts you in the middle of the field of effort and emotion

About 10 years ago I heard a rumor about a movie concept that centered around a kid who had to overcome some adversity or another to perform with drum corps, specifically the now-defunct Magic of Orlando, something probably given a bit of legs given the connection between DCI, Disney and Orlando. I don't know if it was just that - a rumor - or if it was the early rumblings of what would become "DrumLine."

That movie was okay. But in reality, while the passion for band and drum & bugle corps and winter guard is individual, its source is a group-driven energy, from being part of something greater than one's self. The group itself matters, something that is hard to explain in film, a medium given to focusing on a individual characters.

All that to say this - today my oldest and I scurried up to NJ to screen "From the 50 Yard Line" (see a few posts below), the latest attempt in telling the story. And to my surprise - they get it right. Wait. Right? No. They get it dead on.

The Centerville (OH) HS Band is the focus of the documentary-that-is-really-a-movie, although it also touches on the West Hollywood (CA) Fairfax High School, a "new" band in a school that hasn't had one in 18 years. The story is a simple year (April 2006 to April 2007) in the life of the band, one that captures all of the things I have seen and experienced in band.

Joy. Tears. Work. Life-saving. Life-enhancing. It is every cliche' in the band book, but none of them. It tells the story to those who don't know it. It affirms it for those who only experience it from the outside looking in. And it validates it for those that live it. You know, the kids who ... and the kid who ... and then there is the kid who ... all come together to be ... a band.

From auditions, to band camp, to group sessions, to rehearsals, to rain, to sun, to personal confessions, to the airlock, to the speech, to the banquet ... with third party humor thrown in (Bandology 101, 201 ...) ... the story captures one band and every band. It was immensely personal to me - the trumpet-to-mellophone conversion made me grin large, and then one student makes a short speech that pulled my heart hard because it was ripped right out of my son's band during his freshman year.

"From the 50 Yard Line" celebrates band, its relationship with football, and just plain fun. It lets the kids tell the story in a Charlie Brown-esqe fashion, with only appropriate interference from the teachers and with parents vital yet all but invisible. It shows the "show" like I think a good band movie should (and I think uses some digital tricks to enhance the viewing experience - see if you can find them). It uses modern camera techniques ("the band cam") but doesn't overplay them. The trailer soundtrack bothered me because I never heard the band itself, but now I have to say that the soundtrack was very fitting AND moved the story along.

The film is about 90 minutes long, and it is tight packed. If I had a one complaint, it is that I wish it would have done more of the compare/contrast with Fairfax. But this is a soft and pretty much personal complaint (my own North Dallas HS was similar in size and demographics and history of famous alumni); it would have been difficult to do this without shortchanging the story of each.

So - go find it, and go see it. I'm going to try to get more screenings set up even here. I wish today's good host, the Williamstown (NJ) HS band, had been able to fill the 1000 seats of the auditorium instead of just a few dozen. I think they tried, but needed more band support in the area.

But hey! Band camp is just a few months away ... less time then that when you take out two months for summer. Find a chance to screen the film for your band. Include the 8th graders. And do it before band camp (or so my son says).

Oh - and Mr. Harris - thanks for helping change my life ...

(Blogger's note: I visited Centerville a number of years ago when a tour volunteer for Carolina Crown, however I don't recall much other than Soaring Sounds being a well run drum corps show in a great venue. However, the fine two organizations are now linked through CrownTickets!)

From the 50 .... You Can Still March 4 Music

If you've seen the website www.march4music.com you know it is the home of the self-titled National Fundraising and Awareness Outreach Program for Instrumental Music Education in Schools. Never heard of it.

However, the website seems to me to be part social networking for bands and part promotion for the film From the 50 Yard Line. (Click on the poster for the trailer or the title to go to the site.) I hit the site earlier in the year, but didn't sign up for e-mail alerts, so I missed the film when it came to Maryland ... meaning I may have to venture up to New Jersey next week.

A previous press release noted that the New Jersey screening is of "a professional movie that chronicles the Centerville High School Marching Band. It has been winning independent film festivals throughout the country for the past year. This will be a great opportunity to educate students, parents, and administration as to what marching band is really about and how important it is to our young people. Half of the proceeds will be donated to an organization called"March 4 Music, a non-profit organization that donates musical instruments to underfunded music programs. "

So there it is, in their words. I don't know much more, and so I'll leave it at that. Maybe I'll make this month the get ready for marching season month and go check it out ... or maybe bring it back to Maryland just in time for band camp ...

Sunday, April 13, it will show at Williamstown (NJ) HS at 3 p.m. Tickets are $6.50 ($5.50 for students), with half going to M4M and half to the school instrumental music program. WHS is at 700 North Tuckahoe Road, Williamstown, NJ.

Maybe I'll see you all there ... or on April 24 in another theater for the DCI theater event ... or some other 50 yard line seat ...!