Welcome to the part of the site that makes your local telephone directory look like a literary masterpiece. This romp through the land of hyperbole is something we like to call Contest Journal.
FINALLY! The 2006 marching season started and Tim and I could not be happier! We were chomping at the bit to get out on the road, see some shows and reconnect with our old friends. So to kick the season off, we headed east to the North Harrison and Heritage Hills shows.
All of Simply Instrumentals seven loyal visitors know that the selection of the proper music is critical if we are going to have a good day shooting. The drive from the SI Corporate Headquarters in Rahm, Indiana to North Harrison High School in Ramsey is over 100 miles, so we needed a couple hours of music to serve as the soundtrack for the trip. After a searching through our music collections, we finally found the perfect CD to get us focused for a long day of shooting.
Ludo by The Ivor Cutler Trio - featuring the hit single Im Happy.
Possibly the greatest vocalist ever to come from Scotland, Ivor Cutler was a force to be reckoned with in the latter part of the twentieth century. Until his untimely death in March of 2006 at the age of 83, Cutler was universally recognized as the voice of the United Kingdom. When discussing Cutler, legendary and renowned music critic Steve Pepper said "...you can have The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Bay City Rollers, but I would rather listen to Ivor, thank you." "Can I have my money now, Mr. Cutler?"
Once we made it to North Harrison we quickly got our cameras ready and prepared to start shooting. A couple minutes later North Harrison band directors Gary Crisp and Jim Stuppy pulled up in a golf cart. "Tee time is in 10 minutes" exclaimed Gary. "I think the four of us should blow this joint and hit the links." I said that we would love to go, but we better stick around and take a few photos. Besides, I can never get past the windmill, and I usually end up having a temper tantrum and making everyone uncomfortable.
Long gone are the days of contests where bands perform, awards are given and everyone goes home. Today's contests have more of a festival vibe. Often groups set up booths at contests that introduce show goers to new experiences. Such was the case at North Harrison. Members of People Usually Relaxing Everywhere set up their "Nappy Time Tent" for people wishing to take a mid-day siesta.
At Heritage Hills, judges have the option of standing on top of the press box. It was a great opportunity for visual judges Dean Dekemper and Keith Gambill. During a break between classes, Dean got to practice for his new career as a movie trailer voiceover guy. Keith rehearsed some of the choreography for his upcoming minimalist Broadway production entitled Man vs. Folding Chair, which is a stinging commentary on the global-industrial complex and how man has now become a slave to the machines that he created to serve him.
The highlight of the Heritage Hills show came near the end. Tim and I were preparing to shoot a slate sheet (a sheet with the name of a band on it so we can identify the band in the following photos), when I heard someone yell GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! I turned around just in time to see a cart full of timpanis headed right for me.
Fortunately Floyd Centrals timpani player was looking out for me and kindly asked me to step aside so I wouldnt get hurt. Percussionists are the greatest!
What a great day! We got to see a lot of GREAT performances, talk to a bunch of friends, and even ate some band contest food! It doesnt get much better than that.
