First 2017 Concert For Scout House Silver Leaves Brass Ensemble
Scout House Silver Leaves brass ensemble will salute Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017 with a repertoire including songs known and loved across the country and beyond, starting with the 1st annual Music & Brass concert in Batavia, New York on Saturday April 1.
St. Joe’s Brass Ensemble is presenting the concert, from 1 to 5 pm at Batavia Downs racetrack. Admission is $20 including lunch. Other performers include Mighty St. Joe’s Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps, Niagara Memorial Militaires Alumni Drum Corps, St. Joe’s Brass Ensemble, Parkside Brass and Darkside Parkside. Concert information is available by calling (585) 4364.
The Silver Leaves will perform for a home town audience during the Scout House Spring Ahead free family concert from 1 to 4 pm on Sunday, April 23 at Speedsville Columbus Hall, (formerly known as Preston Knights of Columbus building) 333 Speedsville Road in the Preston section of Cambridge. Other Preston Scout House Band Inc. units appearing that day are Preston Scout House Cadets drum and bugle corps; Heritage Drill Team and Magic of Scout House competitive winter guard, undefeated winners of the North East Color Guard Circuit (NECGC) championship in 2015 and 2016.
The Silver Leaves will next perform at the Great Alliance of Seniors (GAS) reunion in Binghamton New York the weekend of May 5, 6 and 7.
Canadian highlights in the current Silver Leaves song book include Leonard Cohen’s majestic Hallelujah, performed by hundreds of artists around the world over the past 30 years; Hockey Night in Canada, often fondly called Canada’s second national anthem and One Fine Morning, a rock and roll anthem by Lighthouse, the world famous rock band co-founded by former Scout House snare drummer Ron “Skip” Prokop.
Other selections include Hooked On A Feeling, Sweet Caroline, YMCA and 25 or 6 to 4.
Hallelujah took several decades to become a worldwide classic after initially being released by Leonard Cohen in 1984 to indifferent reviews. Only after being interpreted by others did it become popular, eventually being recorded by hundreds of artists and featured in many movies and television shows. One of the most popular renditions was by Canadian singer kd Lang during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver. The title word Hallelujah refers to the moments in life when we can embrace and reconcile the conflicting events and ideas in our lives. Cohen wrote about 80 verses for the song. The four most commonly used include references to Biblical figures King David and Bathsheba.
In the late 1960s, McLaren Advertising, one of Canada’s largest ad agencies, commissioned a composer of advertising jingles and promotional songs to write Hockey Night in Canada, the song broadcast across the country on Saturday evenings at the start of National Hockey League telecasts. Dolores Claman had never sat in an arena to watch a hockey game in person, so for inspiration she imagined Roman gladiators on skates. The song refers to all the stages of a typical Canadian hockey night: fans arriving at the rink, the teams appearing on the ice; the battle between the two teams during the game then a social interlude, perhaps including a glass of beer, after the game.
One Fine Morning is the title track from a 1971 album by Canadian band Lighthouse, co-founded in 1968 by former Preston Scout House Band snare drummer Skip Prokop and keyboard player Paul Hoffert. Lighthouse was unique in Canadian music circles, combining a rock style rhythm section, jazz horns and classical strings. During its heyday, Lighthouse performed at Carnegie Hall, Atlantic City Pop Festival, Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals, Isle of Wight Festival and Strawberry Fields Forever Festival. LIghthouse won Juno Awards for best Canadian group of the year in 1972, 1973 and 1974.
25 or 6 to 4 is the somewhat mysterious title of one of the biggest hits for the rock band Chicago. Many fans thought the title somehow related to drug use. However, the title tells the time of the day the song was written: 25 or 26 minutes to 4 am. Chicago keyboard player Robert Lamm was on deadline to write a song for an upcoming album. He couldn’t think of lyrics to tell a story, so he instead he just described the song writing process: Waiting for the break of day/Searching for something to say/Dancing lights against the sky. Should have tried to do some more/twenty five or six to four.
YMCA was one of the most exuberant hits of the 1970s disco era, sung by the all-male Village People whose members dressed to represent American male stereotypes: policeman, construction worker, cowboy, American Indian, G.I. soldier and leather-clad biker. The lyrics list many reasons for a young man to visit the YMCA, including opportunities to meet other men.
Sweet Caroline was a platinum hit for writer and singer Neil Diamond, selling more than a million single records after being introduced in 1969 and later two million digital downloads as technology and sales methods changed. Many professional sports teams feature Sweet Caroline during games, most notably the Boston Red Sox before the eighth inning of home games.
Hooked On A Feeling has served as a symbol of 1970s culture in many movie and television soundtracks. Television viewers recall it from the dancing baby sequences on the Ally McBeal television program. Toronto Blue Jays play the song in the stadium before the eighth inning of Blue Jay home games.
Preston Scout House Band, Inc. is a non-profit corporation with registered charity status able to issue tax receipts to donors, incorporated under the Corporations Act of the Province of Ontario on November 29, 1956.
The multi-unit organization offers individuals of any age the opportunity to “Arrange the soundtrack of your life” in marching arts activities starting as young as age 8 and continuing throughout life. These units are:
*Preston Scout House Cadets drum and bugle corps for young men and women up to age 22, Silver Award winners at the 2016 Drumline Ontario provincial championships;
*Preston Scout House Band, rebuilding in 2017 for resumption of full activity in 2018, is for those over age 18, performing concerts, parades and field shows annually across southern Ontario and neighbouring states;
*Silver Leaves brass ensemble and percussion accompaniment, which rehearses in the winter for appearances at drum corps and community events throughout the year;
*Magic of Scout House competitive winter guard, established in the fall of 2014 and undefeated in its first two seasons of North East Color Guard Circuit contests;
*Heritage Drill Team, with members wearing tight black shorts, knee socks, short sleeved burgundy tunics, white gauntlets and Aussie hats as in the 1950 and ‘60s.
For more information about Preston Scout House Band Inc. activities, contact telephone (519) 653-3376, email prestonscouthouseband [dot] adm [at] sympatico [dot] ca or visit the website at: scouthouseband.com
