HornsUp Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Rent a copy of the 1996 movie "Brassed Off" before you audtion, so you know what to expect playing in a British brass band. Yeah, dude. Believe everything you see in the movies. That's like renting a copy of "Spinal Tap" so you know what to expect playing in a rock band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDale Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Yeah, dude. Believe everything you see in the movies.That's like renting a copy of "Spinal Tap" so you know what to expect playing in a rock band. OR Like *BUYING* "Wee Willie Winkie" and expecting it to be like marching in the Kilties.....oh, wait.....it was sort of.....in the '90's! Ah Jeff, my old friend, if I was not already so busy with the symphony work and Alte Kameraden, I would like to come down. See you at the shows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffBanyots Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 Rent a copy of the 1996 movie "Brassed Off" before you audtion, so you know what to expect playing in a British brass band. It is just like that. A little known fact. Lincolnshire, Illinois was modeled down to the last brick after an economically depressed English colliery town.... I see you all looking at the audition page. Now who's up for it? http://www.illinoisbrassband.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legalhack Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 It is just like that.A little known fact. Lincolnshire, Illinois was modeled down to the last brick after an economically depressed English colliery town.... I see you all looking at the audition page. Now who's up for it? http://www.illinoisbrassband.org Do you have to learn new accents and slang as well? Here is another source of BB info. http://www.brasscast.com/main.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original El Guapo Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Do you have to learn new accents and slang as well?Here is another source of BB info. http://www.brasscast.com/main.htm I have an accent and speak in slang all the time holmes. This sounds interesting and I live in Chicago...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Rent a copy of the 1996 movie "Brassed Off" before you audtion, so you know what to expect playing in a British brass band. Great movie, but not necessarily what brass band is in the U.S. Too bad Ewan McGregor was so bad at faking playing? When I first saw Jeff's post here, I thought, "Uh... Jeff, this is waaaaaay off the DCP radar and "off topic" (Jeff marched with us in Kilties). But I'm glad to see this. American brass band draws on that British tradition, like you see in that movie, but as the activity grows over here, there is a real variety in style. Like drum corps, we Americans are just driven to tinker/mess-with/"improve." I've seen IBB several times -- at contests and concerts -- and they are really something. They have some STELLAR low brass. You have no idea how difficult the music can be at the highest levels (IBB, Fountain City, Central Florida, and the top British bands, of course). Jeff's Illinois Brass Band is VERY traditional. Perfect for a SCV/Kiltie guy like Jeff. Red uniform coats, to boot. But now, go to the US Open Brass Band Championships (Chicago), and while you'll see some groups play very formal style -- you might have a group that moves around the stage like "BLAST!" for one of their numbers. Quite the variety. US Open Brass Band Championships (an invitational) happens to be run by our own Dallas Niermeyer (DCI Adjudication) and his son, Clark. Dallas and the US Open tossed the brass band activity on it's ear with a different way to adjudicate brass band. Back "across the pond" - like in "Brassed Off" they have "contest pieces" -- and at the contest, EVERY BAND PLAYS THE SAME CONTEST TUNE. Imagine how boring that would be? Imagine if every drum corps had to play the SAME SHOW. Good way to judge technique and interpretation, but what about entertainment and creativity?? Dallas and his US Open created a "DCI-Like" scoring system that takes into account effect. Entertainment. Bands get a certain amount of time to perform -- but can choose any kind of music they want. It's a really fun show to go to. Check out brass bands. It's a growing activity, and you can play with other brass people, indoors, and still be free of woodwinds!! hehehehehe http://www.usopenbrass.org/ Edited June 19, 2008 by dannyboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I have an accent and speak in slang all the time holmes.This sounds interesting and I live in Chicago...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Guap! Miss you, man! Swing by a practice sometime. The show is rocking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notelvis Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 (edited) Two of the most incredible performance experiences in my life have been performing at the 1984 NABBA Championships with the Smoky Mountain Brass Band and then at the 1996 Great American Brass Band Festival with the Triangle Brass Band. Marching drum corps in Denver's original Mile High Stadium or at UW-Whitewater runs third. The literature for British-style Brass Bands is really tremendous and I've known a number of former drum corps folks in brass bands.......alumni from Spirit of Atlanta, Suncoast Sound, Memphis Blues, Blue Knights, Cavaliers, and Santa Clara to name a few have passed through the band I'm playing with now. Oh.........and the Illinois Brass Band is supreme......I've heard them a time or two in Danville, KY. If I practiced my tail off every day for a month I might luck into that 12th Bb cornet position........maybe. I do already have my own cornet......a 30 year old Boosey & Hawkes Sovereign (before the Besson merger) that I picked up third-hand on eBay! If I'd known how sweet playing this little horn would be, I'd have wanted one when I first started playing in brass bands back in 1982. Edited June 21, 2008 by notelvis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffBanyots Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thanks so much for the compliments guys! Glad to hear from you all! Where is that blushing smiley when you need it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notelvis Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 OK.......here's a PS to my post above and I am embarrassed to have to do this - My current brass band home, which was my first brass band home 26 years ago, has also had alumni from the Carolina Crown, Avant Garde, and Florida Wave among our membership. The embarassment part comes in because I neglected to mention Florida Wave right away. Our Florida Wave vet, who played for three seasons, is my wife! (Duh.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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