Amusing Anecdotes!

[omega56]

Back in 1970 our band had qualified for the national finals down in London (3rd section) to be contested at kensington town hall, this was the first time
the band had ever acheived this feat (York Railway Institute Silver Band ) it was brilliant to see all the other Bands arriving at the contest venue in Flashy polished 52 seater coaches with their Bands name emblazened on the back and sides with their occupants sitting proudly on board,we felt equally proud as we all leapt out of our...... Bright Yellow British Rail Road parcels van much to the disgust of several onlookers,`COS WE WAS FROM YORK AND WE DIDNT CARE! .......we came 3rd by the way.

[traosb]

We were doing a "stage and screen" evening in a local village hall and decided to start with "Batman - The Movie" complete with smoke effects for the creepy beginning bit. We started behind the curtain and a hush fell over the audience. As the sound started to build the curtains opened and alarms started ringing. As the curtains had gone back, the smoke (with which our technician had been a little heavy handed) had rushed upwards and set off the fire alarms. Thankfully there weren't any sprinklers, because the audience decided to sit there and listen anyway, despite desperate attempts of officials to encourage people to leave.

[traosb]

A few years ago we were performing our usual last night of the proms on Fowey Town Quay for the end of the regatta week. We started 1812 and things were going well - especially since we had already been informed that our lighting effects would have to be cancelled earlier in the program as we were guiding ships off course...

The canons seemed a little close for comfort, but we thought nothing of it until we finished the concert and were met by our technician - yes the same one from the previous posting. He was looking a little concerned, having removed a couple of bricks from the wall of a listed building, and destroying a hanging basket.

We haven't done 1812 at that venue since. That's not the only incident with canons that I can remember, however. Sun Life band, when I was very little, were performing a concert at the Colston Hall in Bristol. The Cornwall Youth Band were invited to watch the rehearsal, where it was decided that the explosives were not to be used following the complete destruction of the metal bin there were housed in. Shrapnel flew in all directions, and I don't know how no-one was at least seriously injured!

[omega56]

While sitting in the audience after performing in a contest that had been going on for most of the day every one was waiting for the announcment of the results.Eventually the applause started as a troupe of officials started to make their way to the centre of the stage, they were all beaming away looking like the dignitaries they were, until there was a gasp,the lady Mayoress had inadvertently lost her footing in one of the many pools of "spit" that had accumulated on the stage during the many hours of contesting, she tried to regain her footing and composure by grabbing hold of the Mayoral chain sported by her husband who then lost all control of his feet and fell to the floor while grabbing blindly at the microphone stand which proceeded to dislodge the microphone with an amplified "CLONK!"that then started to scream with feedback until another member of the civic party managed to find the off button .Eventually they all resumed their positions and carried on with the announcements,but I couldnt help noticing the glare that the Mayor was giving his wife for the rest of the evening ..oh to be a fly on the wall of the civic car on the way home!

[traosb]

A few years ago when we were completely unknown (as opposed to now when we remain almost completely unknown according to most people you ask north of the border - that is, England) we were at a contest in Torquay in Devon (back in the days when they used the decent theatre instead of the ridiculous venue at the riviera centre that's used now).

After playing we decided to get some food before going to the bar. As we walked down the street, a couple of extremely over-excited women rushed up to us, or rather our then solo euphonium player (almost knocking him down) demanding his autograph. This struck us as completely absurd until it became apparent that they were totally convinced he was Harry Hill.

[omega56]

In my early days of Banding (mid sixties to mid seventies) I was always amused by some of the titles of music scores, for example
"Ken Dodd for Brass" "The Seekers for Brass" and even one I think called "Val Doonican for Brass" I was always disappointed how some of these offerings became the staple garden fete and summer concert fare of Bands up and down the country.

I suppose being a teenager at the time I would have been desperate to have seen variations on this theme such as "Led Zeppelin for Brass" "The Deep Purple Song Book" and" Status Quo`s greatest hits for Brass" (I dont believe these exist for one minute ...do they?)

My 16 year old daughter who plays tenor horn in my band says exactly the same thing "wheres Eminem for Brass " Dad ? or why cant we do some Red Hot Chilli Peppers ?
theres no answer to that God forbid!

[traosb]

Last week we had one of our conductors came down from "up north" to take rehearsal for 2nights - just a quick look through Masquerade to get us started for the Grand Shield (I think I'll omit names for this one). His train was extremely late and he took over eight and a half hours to arrive.

We were having a look at that lovely (?) euphonium section and the conductor in question (himself a euphonium player) was trying to encourage our euphonium player to use a bigger sound. He started off by saying that the sound was like 8and a half hours on a Virgin Train. The euphonium player tried again, much harder. The conductor broke into a huge grin and said, "Now that sounds much better! That's 4 hours on a Virgin!"

It took him several seconds to realise that he'd omitted the word train and that was the reason most of the band were in hysterics.

[Louise0502]

this weekend, when my army cadet band was doing a parade for VE day, we had to stand for a service on the parade square before hand.

At the beginning, we kept standing at ease then being brought to attention then back at ease, but for about fifteen minutes, we just had to stand at ease for a while, on a hill, facing up it. I was glancing to my left at one point and i happened to see one of our saxaphone players tipping backwards and at the same time, one of our trombone players a bit behind him went completely stiff and fell backwards and smacked down hard on the concrete. They had both fainted because of the pressure on their feet because of the hill!

It wasn't funny at the time, but our DOM cracks jokes every five minutes about it now, so we all laugh about it.

and to top it all off, when the trombone player fainted, he didn't hurt his trombone, but he landed on the trombone of the person behind him, and bent it in half!

[traosb]

I saw someone do that on parade once... It wasn't a member of the band, but it was a remembrance service and one of the soldiers just went. You're meant to wriggle your toes or something, aren't you?

I remember once with Lostwithiel Brass 88 (who haven't existed for some time now) we did Fowey carnival which is a long march constantly up the side of a steep valley. Because you're so knackered when you get to the top, nobody ever wants to walk all the way back down to the start to pick up their cars. So, the 2nd time we did the carnival we arranged for one of our players who was too old to do the march (I think his pacemaker would have packed in) to drive to the top with a transit van to ferry us all back down - ok so it's slightly illegal without seats, but we didn't care and I wasn't old enough to know any better.

Anyway, we all crammed into the back of this van and pulled away, but as we pulled away we realised the door wasn't properly shut as the young girl on 2nd trombone fell straight out of it completely crushing her trombone. Did we learn our lesson about riding in the back of the van? Of course not, but the following year we did take some cases and make sure the doors were shut.

[suzie_day]

one of our fave brass moments, is my younger sister, miranda. she is stiil only 10 yeras old, and on second cornet.

we are always joking about in the band photos, and at rehursals, how you can never see her past the stand. also, in our band the solos, reps, and sops are in the frount row, rather than the back. now, miranda is the only person, out of the 2nds and 3rds, that is at band every time, so often the conductor doesnt see her, past the sops and solos. when ever we have a play out, she is sitting in three pillows so she can see the conductor!