Band Camp

[Evil Dr. Reef]

Well, it's that time of year again. Marching Band is starting up, and this means one thing... Band Camp. Yes, the week where you get 6 hours of sleep a night, 9 hours of practice a day, and 2 hours to cry yourself into a home-sickness induced coma. And, luckily for me, it's my last year. *sniff* I'm never going to get to do it again... :p
So how many marchers or former marchers do we have here at Toon Zone? There's gotta be at least a couple of bandos here SOMEWHERE... Anyway, I just wanted to (also) say that I'm gonna be gone until next Saturday. Now now folks, I know you'll miss me ("Ha!" says the board), but I'll be back soon. Seeya in a week!

NOTE: The first person to post the "One time at Band Camp..." joke will get the Electronic Plague™ when I get back.

[VashTheStampede]

One time at..... Oh god I can't breath, it is the electric death! :D

Anyway have a good time (yeah right).

[Colin]

This one time... at band camp...

I did my time at Band camp during all 4 years of high school... marching drumline is often fun =)

[Anyone00]

This one time... at band camp...

Most predictable post ever.
:p ;)

[Barb Gordon]

*sniffles*....I don't go to Band Camp anymore.....*sobs* I think I'm in Band Camp withdrawl now that I'm going to college. I'm a huge, mega, ultra, uber Bando to a fault! A Board member for three years, co section leader, always helping out and on time, loved to march, to lessons from the band director, knew him longer then anyone else, and even became an assistant for him in my senior year.....wow, I really was a major Bando...woo! So was Carnage, he was our prez our senior year. And my other best bud was Drum Major. Went to Band Camp all for years, loved them all, and will most likely, the previous graduates before me, come down and visit my younger buds during Band Camp....with full knowledge that if my band director spots us he'll 1) say hi and how great it is to see us, and 2) put us to work....lol, ahhh, the good old band days....

~Barb

[gtracer72]

I hated band camp. I dropped out of marching band when I was a junior, and I had no regrets. It was probbly the best thing I did. My band director was really hard on us and made the camp hell. So, no sniffles for me, only pure happiness and laughter, knowing that I will never do marching band, or band, every again. :D :D :D :D

[czyznyck99]

I was in the band all four years of high school, but I only went once. I did not like it at all. I just think marching at times is too silly to be taken seriously. It's entertaining, but does the student audience get a kick out of it?

However, the little free time we did get at camp had some moments.

Later.

[Barb Gordon]

I could care less about what the student audience thinks, but that's just my personal opinion. Most could care less about it and they don't full appreciate how much time and effort the band spends to not only learn how to march and play instruments, but to make a field show. So I've never really cared what they thought. I love it because I find marching bands to be interesting, I'm good at marching and have fun doing it, and I get a thrill out of competiting in field competitions. Bands are normally a big mix of people. Those who love to play, but hate marching, those that love marching, but hate to play, those that are in Band just because they thought it would be easier *pfft* then taking PE, those who came cause their friends are in it....and then there's always that small percentage of the "true Bando". The person that loves being around everyone, has a great time, works hard, plays and practices their instrument, might not be good at marching but still does it, and is a good influence on everyone. My senior year, when there were only 9 seniors in band, we were this kind of person, and even among that 9, myself, and four of my friends, were really the core example of what it meant to be a Bando. Loved to march, great at playing our particular instruments, helped out in other band related activites if we weren't in them already, would laugh at "band" jokes, and make some of our own, and just love being in the band. Some people just don't get it, and that's okay, and if some people saw us as geeks, well, screw them,lol....but in the end, some people love band, other don't, for whatever reasons....some people give it their all, other's don't, but hey, that's what makes a band so interesting.

~Barb

[The Guitar Slayer]

However, I am not speaking of regular, marching band camp. I'm talkin' rock 'n' roll band camp with drums and Stratocasters and Les Pauls and amps jacked up to 11. I went to one of these out in Pennsy two weeks ago and also last year. It's always a blast and a half. And boy...do I have stories. Heh heh heh heh..... I've told a few folk off the boards, but I think I'll share. If anybody else has some good stories, feel free to post 'em as well.

I think I'll have to break it down into last year and this year. It'll be too long to bother to sort through if I don't.

The overnight camp is populated by metal heads and ska kids. Most of 'em dig classic rock and despise the pop scene (the boy bands, the Britney clones, Creed [the arch enemy of both cultures]).

Last Year's Stories

I remember most prominently the hall conversations. We discussed the credits of the Ramones and the "suicide" of Kurt Cobain. We watched a Woodstock of 1994 tape once or twice. We also engaged in fascinating theological discussions.

I got along with my bandmates well. I felt very insecure after the first jam session. I barely knew how to play, and some of these kids were good enough to be professionals. We had a keyboard prodigy, a solid bassist and lead guitarist, and an amazing female drummer. I was the annoying rhythm guitarist who learned barre chords along the way.

Allow to explain one major character through all of this: Frenchie.

Frenchie came from France (obviously). After the week at camp, he was going to fly up to Canada and then down to Cuba or something like that to meet up with his parents again. Frenchie also informed us of all the drug laws in France: you can smoke it, grow it, and give away, but you can't buy it or sell it. He brought 8 oz of the stuff to camp, and smoked it all in about 3 days. He was later resupplied, and the head counselors found out. However they couldn't bust him; y'see, the seller was one of their kids. :D He was kinda mentally absent for the whole time, so I don't condone what he did. It's bad for you, kiddies.

Onto the hilarity!
*****************************************

The first real night was the Woodstock '94 viewing. That's where I got into the first theological discussion. There was a few reform school students in camp, and I learned that all that you do there is play ping pong. Anyway, Frenchie had this extremely annoying roommate (he was the youngest kid). He annoyed both French and the reform school kid, as well as everybody else in the room. So when the kid went to the bathroom, we piled all the furniture in front of the door. We were all ready to leave him there when Frenchie grabbed a broom and opens the door a crack. The kid tried to squeeze out, but Frenchie poked him with the broom until he totally got back behind the door.

I heard someone coming, so we all assembled ourselves quietly on the floor and watched the TV. The first counselor came down. He was with us a good 5 minutes before he asked, "What's with the furniture?" All 20 of us shrugged in unison.

The second counselor came down. "Gee, I hope nobody is in there." Silence. I was personally getting nervous, because the kid wasn't squawking anymore. Did French poke the kid to death or something?! Finally, the counselors pull the furniture back, and the annoying one popped out again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got exiled from my room the next night (a very painful, long story) and I ended up in my male bandmates' room for about three hours. I sat around, ate their food, and watched them play videogames. They were burning this really nice Morning Star incense at the time. So there we were, just vegging out. The counselor comes in. "What's that smell?"

"Incense."

"In my day, we used that stuff to cover stuff up."

"We don't have any pot." [which was true]

"What's with the tin foil?"

"I went on a camping trip last week, and it was still in the bottom of my bag." [We'd also been trying to improve the reception of the TV]

"If the [uptight counselor] see that, he is going to have a fit."

"We're not doing anything."

Then the uptight counselor came in, and the whole gig happened over again. It lasts about 5-10 minutes. At the end, everybody left, and I decided to be a pain in the ass. "So, do you guys have ---"

"NO!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After being exiled again (like I said, I was a real pain and very awkward), I decided to go bother my male bandmates again. However, my guitarist and I were sidetracked to go look at another band's album from a previous week.

That's about where we entered the Twilight Zone Insane Asylum. They used duct tape and electrical tape for signs. Arrows and stars and body outlines on the floor. They had a great wall of Pepsi; one of their songs from the previous week was about their wall of 61 Pepsi cans. It turns out by the end of the week, they'd consumed the equivalent of four 24-packs or 96 cans of Pepsi. There were five guys in the band (including the annoying one). That's almost 19-20 cans of soda per nut per week. Over 3 a day! That doesn't count what they bought at vending machines or poured from liter bottles.

I'm poking around while my guitarist and theirs chat. I find this odd box on the air conditioning radiator. It was swathed in duct tape and was labelled "Lift Here." Of course, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought her back. I carefully lifted the box, hoping nothing would rip my throat out. It was.....

MORE PEPSI...and a can of salsa. [what the heck was the salsa doing mixed in with the pepsi?]

I asked what it was. The guitarist answered, "Our refrigerator. It works. We insulated it with duct tape. It keeps the cold in. Feel one of the cans." My guitarist and I passed a can back and forth for a minute or two, then we starting plotting of what to bring for next year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another day, we went down to music store, and I bought a bunch of new strings for my guitar. On the way home, Frenchie revealed himself to be a kleptomanic and shoplifted a root beer. Generous boy he was, he gave it to another friend. I got into more discussions on the way to and from the store. We crossed the train tracks illegally and hoped the cops didn't see us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On recording day, you Batman folk will be proud to know that I got into a conversation with my band about all of the series and how Schumacher ruined the films. Over dinner at an Italian restaurant near the studio, we began to discuss how Burt Ward had trouble with his suit on the series. Of course, just as my guitarist reveals why, a family with 3 kids under the age of six walks up to the table behind us. To say the least, it wasn't very comfortable.


I'll return later if you folk want stories from this year...

[Galaxia]

Originally posted by Anyone00


Most predictable post ever.
:p ;)

Lmao :D

I'll miss you Dr. Reef! Have fun!!!

post 1200 XD

[Weatherman]

Awesome stories TGS, I want more. Sounds like your camp is just an awesome place for rock and roll people. :)


I never did "band camp" as my teacher was too busy to organize one and he didn't think it worked very well. What we did was 2 hours a day of practice after school in front of the building as the poms and football team got the field. After a year in which we sucked and then froze half-to-death at the band competiton we stopped doing much marching beyond homecoming parade. No formations or anything, just sat in the stands and made a single formation at halftime to play some stuff. Didn't help that out football team was awful. :rolleyes:

[atari_14]

I had Band Camp last week. This is my second year in Marching Band. IMO Band Camp wasn't bad. My Director let us take break every hour or so, and we stayed in most of the time. Plus he is giving us a week without practice before school starts. From the looks of it, this year is going to be a LOT better than last year. :D

[Evil Dr. Reef]

I have returned!

And hoo-boy was it a memorable week. It was my Senior Year Camp (*sniff*), I snuck out every night, I broke the wall of one of the cabins, four people passed out on the same day because of the heat, I helped pull the biggest Senior Prank in recent memory, lost it all because of some of the Gol-Damn Staff, and my sister had four asthma attacks in two days. It was a week I'll never forget... unless the Alzheimers hits hard. Now, for the explanations of these events:

The Busted Wall: During our Rec Time on Thursday (the day that all the staff goes out to lunch, and the camp is ours), some friends of mine and I were going around camp with a Water Balloon Slingshot and a bag of apples. We found a cabin of underclassmen that were all asleep, and we decided that they needed to wake up. So we loaded up an apple, about 10 feet away from the cabin, and let it fly. Not only did we wake up the entire guys side of the camp, we busted three wooden wall panels on the side of the cabin. Afterwords, we ran. Hard. :D

The Heat: Thursday was the hottest day of the week (it was 95 degrees, with a heat index of 103), and it was our day to learn our charts for the second movement. We pushed. And pushed. And pushed. And some people couldn't take it. We had 2 people go down in morning block, one drummer go down after sectionals, and a trumpeter went out during night block. Thursday was not a good day for me either (but I'll talk about that later).

The Prank: Alternately, "The Prank that Was". We (the Senior Class) spent four hours this morning, from about 2 AM to 6 AM, Saran Wrapping, Moosing, Tin Foiling, Painting, and Canoeing our way into Bando History. We Saran wrapped the tower that our Drill Designer stands on (about 20' tall), and spray painted it with a bunch of our in-jokes from the week, wrapped the Tech Tent (where the band technitians sit during Drill Blocks) in Tin Foil, and spray painted it with all of our names and nicknames. We spelled "Waterford Mott" (my High School) and "03" on our field with Canoes. We made a "03" with mattresses on the top of the Dining Hall, and after we finished everything, we slept inside the Hall on top of the tables. It took us four hours to do it all, and afterwords we all crashed until about 7 AM when we had to wake up for Morning Block. We went outside to survey our handiwork, and discovered that everything we did was gone.

All of it.

Y'see, every year the staff pulls a prank on the band too. Since they didn't think of one before Thursday night (the night it usually happens), they decided it would be funny to prank us by getting rid of ours. We were furious. The Senoirs were insanely close to saying "To Hell with this", and staying in our cabins until it was time to leave this afternoon. We eventually settled things, the staff saying that if they had any idea how pissed we'd have been, the never would have touched our stuff. Many of the Senoirs, myself included, are still plenty angry though. Luckily we go pics of some of the stuff, which I hope to have up sometime soon.

The Asthma: Remember how I said it was ungodly hot on Thursday? My sister (a Sophomore this year) was in a cabin that the idiots at the camp forgot to turn the heat off in. She was taking a nap on Thursday, and when she woke up, she started having an asthma attack. The MAJOR problem with this is she doesn't have asthma. We got her to the medical center, cooled her off, got her breathing back to normal, and took her to a 24-Hour Clinic in town. The docs said there was nothing wrong with her, and sent her back to camp with orders to get some rest. When we got back I raised holy Hell with the camp staff, and they made sure that we got lots of fans inside the cabins, and that the gas was shut off in all of them. Later that night, it happened again. She was just walking into the Dining Hall to listen to Night Rehersal, and she started hyperventilating again. We took her to the Hospital, and spent 5 hours there to find out that there wasn't anything physically wrong with her, and again, to get some rest. By now, it's Friday morning, and we're both so drained that she slept until 10 Friday morning, and I sat out of Morning Block. Later on, it happened again for no reason. She calmed herself down, and half walked, half was carried down to the Med Lodge again. They sent her back to bed with some Gatorade, and some Albuterol. She was fine until last night, when, during my Senior "Farewell" Ceremony, it happened again. I left in the middle of it and helped her over to the lodge in a borrowed Golf Cart. She started to get sleepy, so after she calmed down, I drove her back to her cabin, where she fell right asleep, and I went back to my ceremony. Half the Band asked about how she was doing, and the other half said I was a damn good brother for skipping out on my own Ceremony to help her, when any of the instructors could have done the same thing. Nothing's happend since then, but we're taking her to the Doctor's on Monday.

Whoo. That was a long one. Those were pretty much all the important things that happened, and I appreciate all the great stories from everyone (especcialy from The Guitar Slayer :D).

[The Guitar Slayer]

Welcome back, Evil Dr. Reef!!

Glad to see you had some fun while at camp, too.

To welcome you back, I have prepared some more of my stories :D.


It's almost tradition at camp for me or one of my roommates to break the ceiling open. Last year, one of the drummers for some reason kicked the ceiling in while laying on a top bunk. This year, I had climbed on the radiator to see if I threw myself out a window, would I get out of a lecture? My counselor called, so I hopped down and somehow my fist ended up breaking the ceiling open. So the tradition continues.
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Part I: We had this one kid that beat out the annoying kid from last year. He was a full-fledged redneck. Get this: he thought Jimi Hendrix was white. He also believed that Creed was fantastic and original. Of course, all the metal heads and ska kids thought this was evil. He also slammed anything that wasn't creed. He was a horny critter, too. He made a few indecent proposals to some of the girls there. Well, one night, he spent 2.5 hours on the phone LONG DISTANCE to his girl who wasn't even his girlfriend. I got sick of it, and yanked the cord right out of the wall. He was flabbergasted that I had the cajones to that.

Part II: We recorded a song and a parody of it on our album. We threw into the verse, "[Guy] should shut up! Just shut up! [Girl on phone] doesn't like you anyway!" He had me play it over the phone for her, and he goes, "Is that true?" She says yes and hangs up on him. He then supposedly proceeded to have a nervous breakdown.
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On Tuesday, we went out to an Italian restaurant. I decided to get some tasty buffalo wings for dinner. They only came in sets of 10, but I couldn't eat them all in one sitting. So I went back to my dorm, threw that chicken on the airconditioner, and jacked it up as high as it went. On Friday, my associates and I got hungry. So I retrieved my chicken from my room, and we ate it. And it was still good. MAGICAL CHICKEN!! This also counteracted the Evil Coke that my roommate consumed....
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Our band name for that week was The Office of God. Our album was Music of the Lord, so I decided I wanted to go to a church for photos. We clown around the church taking various pictures. Suddenly, the drummer rips off his shirt. He stands in front of the church door and we kneel on steps before him. He then proceeded to pretend he dropped his shorts and relieved himself on church grounds. Of course, he didn't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That same day, for some reason, we had a can of whipped cream with us. We went behind a florist shop and wrote, "God wuz here" in whipped cream. I pity the guy who found that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the night of the concert, I was to perform White Rabbit, with my own twisted commentary tacked on the end. Well, I did...but I don't remember a darn thing about it. I apparently blacked out...or did I? I remember getting tunnel vision, shaking, and then suddenly watching myself from beside my drummer, who was a good yard or two away from me. I watched myself dance around onstage for a moment, then I returned to a dark void. Then, later, I watched a video of myself twice. I still don't remember what happened during that song. It was as if I left my body.



Well, once again, welcome back EDR!

[Weatherman]

Welsome back Doctor. Sounds like a fun, if very hot trip. Your band mates were right, you are a damn good brother. Hope your sis is ok. It was probably something having to do with stress and heat. Happened to me once about 6 years ago on a school trip.



Guitar Slayer, sounds like you zoned out for a bit, heh. Was anyone on stage or in the audience smoking something perhaps? :p