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Re: Pershore Festival -----Back Biters!!!

Hi Loz,

In message <01BDA870.7BA11640@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, L R
Eccleston <loz@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes
>I played at the weekend at the 'Pershore Festival' with my own band and found 
>out some alarming home truth's.Firstly, the pathetic display of 'BACK BITING' 
>that occurred between certain band's(they all  well know who they are). No 
>comradardery at all between bands just a loathsome regard for one other that 
>verges on 'Vomiting blood'!

Can't be talking about us lower section bands then!<G>. Seriously, I
didn't get this feeling but I certainly didn't go out of my way to
critically appraise the other bands performances that I heard. I enjoyed
having a beer at the marquee listening to the bands and chatting to
other local bands I know and meeting folks I hadn't met before. :-)
As to cammaradarie(sp?) we seemed to be on the receiving end of what I
like about banding -  Di Mapplestone's young lady, Helen from Flowers
depped on solo horn for us and at the last minute our 1st baritone
couldn't turn up....Annabel (yours from Sovereign<G>) depped for us in
the marquee and due to the timing with Sovereign at the marquee and us
in the abbey we had the 1st bari from Staffs Bldg Soc offer to play for
us just an hour before they played...again not to mention that great
perc player Mark Robins from Sovereign who did us proud both times
(borrowing the Staffs perc player for our opening march before Mark
could get to us). 
We seem to have had different experiences?

>Who's the best band here today, who's got the best program, the best intonation 
>etc, shocking attitude,thats what it is! 
>The amount of ill-feeling between bands and therefore people is utterly 
>intolerable! 
>I predict that within 10 years banding will destroy itself, leaving some very 
>twisted individuals that border on PHSYCOTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know the specifics you obviously heard that I didn't but aren't
you going a bit OTT? I did specifically sit in the abbey to hear Staffs
and Soveeign and enjoyed both. Can't say I sat there thinking which was
the best band with the intonation (hell, at Champ level you're all
better than us 3rd section bands!<G>) *but* I certainly can't get away
from having views on the programmes played.
Staffs had a great opening with Olympic Fanfare and although the Brett
Baker trombone solo pieces were good I think they weren't so listenable
for this type of event. Partita I liked but can't judge particularly if
good/bad as I haven't heard it before.
I liked Sovereign's performance but personally didn't like the choices
of all english items...March Imperial (nice), Severn Suite (I don't much
like no matter how well it's played), Nimrod (nice) Pomp & Circumstance
(not my favourite). Didn't hear you in the marquee but would have liked
to hear your Riverdance and rest of the programme which was lighter
(don't know if there was a specific theme).
I listened to some of our direct competitors in the lower sections but
never overheard disparaging put downs.

>There are certain bands in my own area that honestly have not got a 'Rats ASS ' 
>of a chance of ever being up there with the big boy's.Nearely all of these bands 
>that I speak of  are in the Championship section, but also exist in 1st or 2nd 
>as well.

Sounds like banding doesn't get to be much fun up there in the top
sections then?

>Dedication, of course is one of the main things needed to progress, but 
>also a feeling of joining together and becoming a universal banding area with 
>common goals and aspirations is the other.Sadly we do not offer that in our 
>area, and never will.

Perhaps this point may show up some differences between the Champ/1st
section+some 2nd vs some 2nd/3rd/4th sections. 
Dedication - At the lower sections banding has to compete with time
available for jobs/careers etc as well as natural ability/time to
practice. I guess at the top level it's assumed you do what's necessary
and perform to the highest level - otherwise it's goodbye. In the lower
sections it's hard enough to keep a full band together of a wide range
of ability - it's likely to be better to have a couple of dodgy bass
players (either due to other commitments or ability) than none at all!
;-)
However, I'd agree that at whatever level of band the common
goals/aspirations should be similar in helping fellow players/bands,
team spirit etc.

>The weekends Festival on a musical level went very well indeed, due to not only 
>the bands, but the excellent organization that Pershore arranged.Congratulations 
>to all at Pershore.

Definitely agree! :-)) Great day from the time I helped with a junior
band in the morning until ~10:30 when I left. Well done to Gordon
Hartley-Bennett and his team for the organisation.
One great moment was one of the youngsters who played in the morning who
came to hear us in the abbey...We had him come and sit on our front row
for our last piece "You'll Never Walk Alone" with his cornet. You should
have seen his face while we were playing and he looked at the solo
cornet part in amazement! :-) Hopefully, he'll remember this and be in
an adult band not so far in the future.

>Commiseration's to all of the above, who were involved in shocking displays of 
>inflamed egoism.Your all thoroughly pathetic and spineless.

Sorry it ppeared to ruin your day. :-(

regards


-- 
Mike Smith
2nd baritone
Stourport-on-Severn Brass Band


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