Fire Brian Britt

[Scott D]

i do believe that the awesomeness that is "Roll Over Beethoven" and that damn rolling stones song will be present at Utah State and Tulsa. you see...the pride is a collection of students and we cannot pressure them to learn too many drills or they might melt down and the directors could be sued.:pop:

you make that sound like it could be a bad thing.

[cofCtuba]

What is sad is that even the current tuba section has gotten on board with Britt now. They even had breakfast with the directors Saturday morning. I never thought I'd hear that, Britt and Jahnke at Tuba Breakfast. There's still a couple of defiers left, but they've just about gotten them all. I'm not sure there's much hope left. :(

[Jeff Jahnke]

i do believe that the awesomeness that is "Roll Over Beethoven" and that damn rolling stones song will be present at Utah State and Tulsa.

Right you are!

Repeating halftime material is a staple of the Pride of Oklahoma Junior High Marching Concert Band. It's simply too much to ask of our students to learn an entire new show with new drill every week.

Fire up!

Boomer!

Sooner!

Jeff Jahnke
Assistant Director of Bands
Former Pride Drum Major
Sex Machine

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Jeff Jahnke
Assistant Director of Bands
Former Pride Drum Major
Sex Machine
Run out of Jenks...

Fixed.

[OklaPony]

Man, you people are brutal.

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

Maybe time for a bump? I mean, unless you like the idea of changing our school song to Zombie Nation.

[badger]

I just paged through the first dozen pages of this thread until my eyes glazed over. All I can say in retrospect was "Wow, I must have been extremely, extremely irritated at the office that week to post that much Pride defense."

Seriously, that office I was in had some rough patches - the night guy "in charge" (of everyone except me and my minion) gave me migranes. I used to call our boss to rat him out when he'd try to pass stuff by quality control, because when I'd point stuff out directly to him, it would be a series of four-letter words. Um, sorry for interrupting your Monday Night Football watching, buddy, but did you even edit this? "****! ****! ****!" :rolleyes:

Not fun times. In any event, two years later, I think we can all look back and say "why did we get all angry and defensive at each other?" Answer: Because OU is a dry campus and badger couldn't drink.

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

Ah yes, the joys of working at a campus newspaper. I feel your pain.

[StoopTroup]

Supposedly the directors and staff come on here and read the stuff we say about them and they, "laugh about it."

Have you not seen Brian Britts posts in this thread!

You are gonna make me go all Samuel Jackson....

[Ardmore_Sooner]

Our new fight song should be The Sounds of Silence.

[dolemitesooner]

I never hear the band play anymore

[Ardmore_Sooner]

I never hear the band play anymore

Why not? Does it hurt trying to hear them or do you ignore it because "The Great" Brian Britt is still in charge?

[yermom]

I never hear the band play anymore

it's hard from the tailgate ;)

[dolemitesooner]

What yermom said.

I like to drink sometimes on game days.

I am a game day alcholic. I wonder if there is a game day aa

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

Yes, it's called everybody, and we meet at the stadium, then O'connells after the game.

[froneal]

Have you not seen Brian Britts posts in this thread!

You are gonna make me go all Samuel Jackson....

It's just a clever parody... or is it? :eek:

[froneal]

Haha, I just read through the thread from start to finish and there are some hilarious posts. Recommended for all friends of the Pride (and disapprovers of Britt and staff). :D

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

lol, long read.

[Okla-homey]

I love the Sooners and I love OUr Pride, but their halftime music choices blow chunks.

I say it every year, but, there are only two genres of halftime music suitable for marching bands in addition to the fight stuff; 1) John Phillip Sousa (by gawd); 2) Movie themes. Everything else is rubbish...except for Thriller at Hallowe'en time. And crowd response bears out my thesis in spades.

Marching bands exist solely to please fans. Halftime performances even more so. That's it. If the halftime performances succs or make people cringe, as OUrs do, something needs to change.

[OKLA21FAN]

I love the Sooners and I love OUr Pride, but their halftime music choices blow chunks.

I say it every year, but, their are only two genres of halftime music suitable for marching bands in addition to the fight stuff; 1) John Phillip Sousa (by gawd); 2) Movie themes. Everything else is rubbish...except for Thriller at Hallowe'en time. And crowd response bears out my thesis in spades.

Marching bands exist solely to please fans. Halftime performances even more so. That's it. If the halftime performances succs or make people cringe, as OUrs do, something needs to change.

you omitted anything by CHASE


just sayin

[Scott D]

I love the Sooners and I love OUr Pride, but their halftime music choices blow chunks.

I say it every year, but, their are only two genres of halftime music suitable for marching bands in addition to the fight stuff; 1) John Phillip Sousa (by gawd); 2) Movie themes. Everything else is rubbish...except for Thriller at Hallowe'en time. And crowd response bears out my thesis in spades.

Marching bands exist solely to please fans. Halftime performances even more so. That's it. If the halftime performances succs or make people cringe, as OUrs do, something needs to change.

you're being a cranky citadelite..go take a nap ;)

[Brian Britt]

BOOMER SOONER!

Did you not like my Avril Lavigne show last year? She's a Canadian pop sensation!

Brian A. Britt
AV(ril)ID Avril Fan
The University of Oklahoma

[GottaHavePride]

you omitted anything by CHASE


just sayin

I would add Stan Kenton.


Oh, and back in 85 when they did a West Side Story suite? un-freakin-believable. I've heard a lot of recordings from the last 30 years of The Pride, and that one takes the cake. Only thing that comes close was the 2000 band's performance at Disney World after the Orange Bowl. And that one wasn't recorded.

[RacerX]

I like to drink sometimes on game days.

and those times would be -
before the tailgate
during the tailgate
after the tailgate

[OnlyOneOklahoma]

I hate to bump this thread from its' recent grave but Saturday was not a good showing for the Pride. And I think that sitting when OU has the football while the Texas band is jumping and playing tunes is a crime.

The Texas band kept Texas fans in the game. I could barely hear the Pride 3 sections over on the goal line.

Edit:
Company Line:

Dear OnlyOneOklahoma,

Thank you for the concerns you expressed above. Please remember that it is rude to perform Boomer Sooner while Texas Fight is being played. We are great ambassadors of the state of Oklahoma and as such we must act in a classy manner to the great State of Texas for being such great hosts of this time honored rivalry.

Remember OOO, Texas does not suck anymore, they have one 3 out of 4 meetings and have recently won a national title while we were at the Holiday Bowl.

Boomer Sooner,

Brian Britt
Director Emeritus
Pride of Oklahoma
Masters Degree from University of Oklahoma

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Sad, very sad. No Pride people jumping up and down? no Texas Bites? No calling UT twirlers cows? What is the state of the Pride? I wouldn't be in that band very long today - Britt would have taken my uniform...;)

[Vegas Sooner]

...gay

[yermom]

I hate to bump this thread from its' recent grave but Saturday was not a good showing for the Pride. And I think that sitting when OU has the football while the Texas band is jumping and playing tunes is a crime.

The Texas band kept Texas fans in the game. I could barely hear the Pride 3 sections over on the goal line.

Edit:
Company Line:

Dear OnlyOneOklahoma,

Thank you for the concerns you expressed above. Please remember that it is rude to perform Boomer Sooner while Texas Fight is being played. We are great ambassadors of the state of Oklahoma and as such we must act in a classy manner to the great State of Texas for being such great hosts of this time honored rivalry.

Remember OOO, Texas does not suck anymore, they have one 3 out of 4 meetings and have recently won a national title while we were at the Holiday Bowl.

Boomer Sooner,

Brian Britt
Director Emeritus
Pride of Oklahoma
Masters Degree from University of Oklahoma

please tell me that is not an actual response. i honestly can't tell from the crap that he's actually said

[StoopTroup]

It is indeed time for Britt to move on and expand his Horizons.

Where were the Cheerleaders?

I hardly noticed them get the crowd up for BOOMER!....SOONER!

Our crowd neads to get lOUder IMO.

[froneal]

please tell me that is not an actual response. i honestly can't tell from the crap that he's actually said

Don't be silly. Britt would never use a word that ends in "-uck." It goes against his non-confrontational nature (except maybe "yuck" to describe "non-round sounds" and "overly loud playing").

The good thing is at least this weekend the Pride will be heard thanks to the alumni band joining them. :rolleyes:

Maybe Brian was right after all....
|
|
V

[Okla-homey]

Can we please fire Brian Britt?

[Leroy Lizard]

I love the Sooners and I love OUr Pride, but their halftime music choices blow chunks.

I say it every year, but, there are only two genres of halftime music suitable for marching bands in addition to the fight stuff; 1) John Phillip Sousa (by gawd); 2) Movie themes. Everything else is rubbish...except for Thriller at Hallowe'en time. And crowd response bears out my thesis in spades.

This.

[StoopTroup]

It used not to be an issue until Joe C. stopped us from leaving at half time for a beer.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/the-feed-blog/restaurants-bars/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/frankenstein.jpg

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Can we please fire Brian Britt?

Watch out, Brad's spies will be on you now... I bet he will even write an email to all the mods apologizing for people wanting to fire him...

[SoonerStormchaser]

It's football season...you know what that means!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Ahhh,

Can't wait till the newbies all smug in their love for the Pride come on and defend Britt and the Pride. Little do they know how fun The Pride used to be!!! ;)

[Okla-homey]

Fire Brian Britt.

His arrangements suck. And he has no effin' idea why marching bands were created in the first damn place. It ain't about the music. It's about crowd pleasing. period. Brian Britt = Loser. punk.

[colleyvillesooner]

That oughta do it...

[Scott D]

Brian Britt is still around? I heard he got run over by a gnat.

[Okla-homey]

Let's review, shall we?

University marching bands evolved from military marching bands. That's why they wear uniforms. Military marching bands were developed for one purpose and one purpose only: to inspire their side to commit maximum mayhem while ignoring their own wounds or the desperateness of their situation.

Not to entertain, not to play stuff that the musicians prefer, not be all artsy or to make a lame attempt at invoking appreciation for pop music played on a football field.

I love OUr kids, and I love they're commitment to perpetual Sooner Glory. But Brian Britt can kiss my big Okie bee-hind. He needs to go. And the dillweed who arranges the cat's breakfast they are forced to "perform" at halftime needs to have his eyes plucked-out and his eardrums filled with molten lead.

OUr Pride needs to focus like a laser beam on inspiring gridiron mayhem. And Sousa, and appropriate movie themes. Everything else is rubbish. (except for "Thriller" at Hallowe'en.)

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

Just to point out, Homey, The Pride is one of only a few college marching bands in the country that did NOT originate as any kind of a military unit. It was started purely as a pep band, plain and simple. Doesn't negate your point at all, and probably intensifies it, truth be told, but the distinction should be made.

[GottaHavePride]

His arrangements suck. And he has no effin' idea why marching bands were created in the first damn place. It ain't about the music. It's about crowd pleasing. period. Brian Britt = Loser. punk.


I'm'a clarify one thing.

Brian Britt doesn't arrange their music. Roland Barrett does.

Roland Barrett is a flippin' genius arranger.

HOWEVER - in the past, when he was the assistant director, he was in charge of selecting and arranging the music himself, and would often rewrite the music four or five times before it made it to the field if he wasn't happy about it. He'd also write all the marching drill himself.

Now that he's not directly on the band staff, the directors (i.e. Britt & Co.) select what music they want arranged, even to the point of editing tracks together on a CD for Roland. They give him the CD of what he wants, he arranges exactly what they ask for, and he's done. No further involvement.

[Okla-homey]

The 2010-11 version now begins.

At the Utah State game, Britt made the kids play a flippin' Lady Gaga song at halftime. And some other pop drivel.

I rest my case.

FIRE HIM NOW!

[SeattleOUstudent]

What was played today?

[yermom]

more Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift

[LilSooner]

Mortal Kombat song 50 million times. I bet most of those kids playing that song don't remember the game or the movie.

[SicEmBaylor]

I'm just thankful that the BUGWB sucks so bad you can't tell what they're playing most of the time to even get upset about it.

[sooner59]

I tend to just tend to ignore the band after the game starts. Even at halftime, I have better stuff to do, like checking scores.

[Okla-homey]

more Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift

I couldn't believe it. It was horrible. As in painful. Not to mention those wacky marching formations that are just random lines, curves and clots. Britt must think he's some kind of marching band avante-garde artiste, or something.

I wonder what he's got on tap for the AFA game next week? More suck no doubt.

[RacerX]

OUr Pride needs to focus like a laser beam on inspiring gridiron mayhem. And Sousa, and appropriate movie themes. Everything else is rubbish. (except for "Thriller" at Hallowe'en.)

Disagree. Funk from 70's translates really well to a marching band.

Quit being such a cranky old man.

[badger]

Once again, I don't endorse the thread title, but since you're all on the topic of the halftime performance here already:

I was disappointed that they didn't take this opportunity to tribute the 9/11 anniversary through their halftime show. Even not considering that, I know these kids work hard and all, but a few years from now, possibly a few months, this will not be a show that they remember either.

Other than the halftime performance, they all looked like they were having fun in the student section over there with the band, and they didn't play Boomer Sooner when we were about to punt or any players were injured, so no complaints about that.

Pregame, my biggest complaint was that some arsehole Noles were shouting during the moment of silence. Seriously, that's worse than "Home of the Sooners" during the national anthem will ever be. As far as the band pregame, I thought it was cute that the twirler did the whole peck on the cheek with the leg lifted near the end to the drum major :D

[Collier11]

To me school bands are nearly the equivalent of cheerleaders, they are there and they serve a purpose, im just not sure what it is. Outside of Boomer Sooner I could care less if we had a band

[saucysoonergal]

I like the way they play the pre-recorded stuff over the loudspeakers so you can hear the band.

[ouleaf]

Is anyone 100% sure that Roland still arranges for the Pride? I thought I heard rumors that he had stopped a few years back. Roland is a great arranger but if I were him, why would I even bother arranging lady gaga or the rest of the garbage the Pride played for the season opener.

I will say that Mr Britt is a great man and from a musical stand point a great director. I also realize that you would want to run a program your way or otherwise you might go crazy, but something has got to change. My first year in the Pride was also Mr. Britt's first year as director and while I was there you definitely saw the morph in styles year by year from Coach's style and Mr. Britt's style.

Pride certainly wasn't as enjoyable the last years I was a member, as the music selection was not as good and in some cases recycled, and the culture of the Pride changed to a more PC version of itself. So concerned with not stepping on anybody's toes as we marched along.

But I stayed in it because I enjoyed the great seats at the game, getting to go on the road trips/bowl game trips, and because I got to enjoy a lot of great experiences with my best friends. There isn't much I would trade my time in Pride for, but it seems like if I were a first year pride member now, I'm not sure I would make it past a season or two as the number of Pride member seems to have dropped significantly from 5 or so years ago.

[badger]

But I stayed in it because I enjoyed the great seats at the game, getting to go on the road trips/bowl game trips, and because I got to enjoy a lot of great experiences with my best friends. There isn't much I would trade my time in Pride for, but it seems like if I were a first year pride member now, I'm not sure I would make it past a season or two as the number of Pride member seems to have dropped significantly from 5 or so years ago.

Ja. I too miss those seats sometimes when I'm paying $75 a pop for tix to sit with people I know :P

Students- enjoy the student section now, because you are going to be paying an arm and a leg to see Sooner football in person the rest of your life, let alone to sit with friends and not just randomly scalped ticket!

[pilobolus]

We need a Hot Chocolate medley, with You Sexy Thing, Everyone's a Winner, and Don't Stop it Now, that would kick ***.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

So are we hearing from former recent Pride members of the suckitude that is Brian Britt?

[proud gonzo]

more Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift
wait, WHAT?!? what songs did the pride play?

[yankee]

i'm going to marry taylor swift one day, so i approved of "you belong with me". however, i was tempted to run out on the field and punch the field director in the nuts during the lady gaga song.

[TheBobbyTrain]

why doesn't OU just play highlights from around the country at halftime on that big ol' HDTV scoreboard? it would be much more entertaining than what is currently taking place at halftime. hell, let the band play on as usual then when the crowd cheers for something they saw on TV, the pride can think that the crowd is cheering for them and they can feel all good about themselves and what-not, and it's not like their sound will get in the way of hearing the stadium speakers.

[proud gonzo]

dude, you speak the truth.

[prrriiide]

I like the way they play the pre-recorded stuff over the loudspeakers so you can hear the band.

WHAT???

You mean they're pulling an Ashlee Simpson??? If that's true, I will wage a one-man former Pride member Jihad against Britt. I will not rest until he is directing the Gotebo town band.

http://planetsmilies.net/angry-smiley-178.gif

I spent too many years blowing my spleen out the bell of a sousaphone to sit idly by while he WRECKS my beloved Pride of Oklahoma!!


I will say that Mr Britt is a great man and from a musical stand point a great director.

First time I've ever seen "Britt" and "great" in the same sentence. I was in The Pride with him. He was an arrogant d!ck then, and after the last alumni band I did, I saw that he was even more of a jackass now. He's destroying something that THOUSANDS of us worked our a$$es off FOR YEARS to build. He might be the current director, but it isn't HIS band. It's OUR band. Those of us that busted our keesters for it own it. The fans own it. The university owns it. NOT Brian F-ING Britt!

Folks, if you aren't happy with the direction The Pride has taken, here are the contacts you need to know:

http://www.oubandalumni.org/about - Pride alumni association
http://music.ou.edu/directory/directory.html - Dr. William Wakefield, Director of University Bands & Dr. Steven Curtis, Director of the OU School of Music
http://www.ou.edu/content/finearts/aud/faculty_staff.html - Rich Taylor, Dean of the College of Fine Arts

Burn up their inboxes enough, and you'll get some attetion.

[Ike]

WHAT???

You mean they're pulling an Ashlee Simpson??? If that's true, I will wage a one-man former Pride member Jihad against Britt. I will not rest until he is directing the Gotebo town band.



As a Gotebo alumnus, I will hurt you if this comes to pass.

[yermom]

heh

[MiccoMacey]

why doesn't OU just play highlights from around the country at halftime on that big ol' HDTV scoreboard? it would be much more entertaining than what is currently taking place at halftime. hell, let the band play on as usual then when the crowd cheers for something they saw on TV, the pride can think that the crowd is cheering for them and they can feel all good about themselves and what-not, and it's not like their sound will get in the way of hearing the stadium speakers.

Salute to you. Job well done.

[OUTrumpet]

wait, WHAT?!? what songs did the pride play?

Poker Face, Waking Up in Vegas, and the Taylor Swift song.

[prrriiide]

I like the way they play the pre-recorded stuff over the loudspeakers so you can hear the band.

Seriously...are they over-dubbing the band during performances? If they are I gonna go ballistic.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Do they realize that Poker Face is a song about oral sex :P

[saucysoonergal]

Seriously...are they over-dubbing the band during performances? If they are I gonna go ballistic.

No, but they play snippets over the loudspeaker during the game, a little Boomer Sooner or Oklahoma.


It was probably recorded when Coach was in charge.

[Okla-homey]

Today's paper reports this week's halftime show will consist of a combined performance of the Pride and the USAF Band playing patriotic and/or martial selections and complete with a military flyover.

Might be worth staying in the stands to watch.

[proud gonzo]

Today's paper reports this week's halftime show will consist of a combined performance of the Pride and the USAF Band playing patriotic and/or martial selections and complete with a military flyover.

Might be worth staying in the stands to watch.

why didn't they do that LAST week? Oh, I'm sorry, it was probably too difficult to learn a new show in a week :rolleyes: :mad:

[badger]

Today's paper reports this week's halftime show will consist of a combined performance of the Pride and the USAF Band playing patriotic and/or martial selections and complete with a military flyover.

Might be worth staying in the stands to watch.

I am tapping out of the Norman trip this week due to illness, but apparently there will also be a 200-person Air Force choir as well. Somebody get a cell phone video on youtube out for me! :(

[soonerbrat]

Do they realize that Poker Face is a song about oral sex :P

i thought it was about a girl who didn't want her boyfriend to know she's a lesbian.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Who knows, she is a modern day John Lennon, her lyrics have like 900 reasons and none of them make sense

[Sooner04]

Who knows, she is a modern day John Lennon, her lyrics have like 900 reasons and none of them make sense
Oh, dear Lord.....

[Scott D]

nah she's a madonna wannabe down to the whole saying she swings both ways while trying to surround herself with gay dancers.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I should probably add that John Lennon had 900 much better reasons, she is the Okie St. version of John Lennon :P

[Boomer.....]

Word is that Brian Britt will be stepping down in February.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Whaaaat???

[GottaHavePride]

He's becoming the fine arts director of Richardson ISD in Texas. Less travel, more time for family.

[yermom]

well, i'm sure they will be very polite to the wh0rns down there

[PrideTrombone]

Now maybe Homey can take over and re-create the Pride in the form of the Texas A&M-styled bag of *** that he'd like for it to be. I had my share of problems with Mr. Britt while I was there, but turning the band into some kind of version of what happens in College Station sure isn't the answer.

[badger]

Once again, I don't endorse the thread title and I guess at this point it's moot.

I decided to bring baby badger down to Norman for KSU weekend so she could see campus and maybe hear the band and I got to hear the last part of the street concert before the bad campus corner garage bands started up again. Was it parents' day? It looked like a lot of non-uniform old people in the parade formation. I didn't get to see the halftime, pregame, etc., as I wasn't going subject an infant to (that travesty of a game... and) being in a loud stadium with thousands of people past her bedtime.

I am at the point where I'm really a disconnected alum and ex-member of the band. I don't intend to be a donor, nor do I intend to stick my nose in its business. I hope they find a good next director, I hope kids have as much fun in it as I did back when I was in school. That's about where my concern level ends. If the lines aren't straight, I don't care. If the music isn't loud, I don't care. If we decide to have a Rice/Stanford-like show and make fun of Texas, I don't care... wait... I would laugh. I would laugh really hard... and then Boren would discontinue the band, so then I might care.

[ouleaf]

Wish him nothing but the best in his new position. My first year in the Pride was also his first year which was 2001, so i guess that would be 12 years the Pride has been under his direction. It is a huge time committment though, so I'd imagine Fine Arts director for a large school system like Richardson would have a bit more standard schedule.

I look forward to seeing who they select as his replacement.

[8timechamps]

Okay, I'm a non band person so I need some insight. I hear different points of view about how bad the band had become (or maybe just the program). As a fan, I have to admit I never noticed anything different with the Pride. Boomer Sooner always sounded the same to me over the years. I never really paid a lot of attention to the half time show, so I don't know if that was better or worse than it had been.

What was bad about Britt? Or rather, what was different about the band?

[dolemitesooner]

Maybe the Band will not play the same old crap over and over now. The band needs to motivate the fans, not bore them. Like this
http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-state-university-marching-band-wows-video-game-110440529.html

[badger]

What was bad about Britt? Or rather, what was different about the band?
I think some people had different expectations of what band would be like compared to what they were seeing back in high school or being told by alumni or other college bands. I personally had no problems with band, nor it's direction, but I just did it for fun.


The band needs to motivate the fans, not bore them. Like this
I would have loved to do a video game show. I admit that a majority of the shows we did I no longer remember. I think I never would have forgotten being part of show like tOSU's vidya one :)

[dolemitesooner]

That's the issue Badger. I am sure you all played amazing music and marched your little hearts out, but the shows are outdated.
My issues were:
The band is not loud enough. I could hardly hear them.
They play the same shows over and over. I have seen Micheal Jacksons Thriller many times...great Now give the Fans , and your audience something new and exciting to watch.
No one asked the band to be like Stanford's, but to see the band giving the horns down and rallying the crowd is entertainment. The band bands main goal is to provide entertainment during the games downtime.

Brain Britt knows his music I am sure. He had no clue how to entertain football fans.

[yermom]

i still need to watch that video... was it that much better than the stuff Stanford does?

[TheHumanAlphabet]

I would have loved to do a video game show. I admit that a majority of the shows we did I no longer remember. I think I never would have forgotten being part of show like tOSU's vidya one :)

I remember at least one show for every year I was in The Pride. The salute to the Village People with the Tuba section dressing up and stripping down to "wife-beaters", the show where we played Queen with the Tuba section solo on "Another One Bites the Dust", the at least once a year block band dance routine and the combined show with the WVU marching band...

So Coach >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Britt.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Brain Britt knows his music I am sure. He had no clue how to entertain football fans.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This, he has is arse so far into PC he has no fun with life I am guessing.

[C&CDean]

I'm a fan. I am not a band geek. Here's what I hope for:

1. LOUD I don't care how proficient you play your Sousaphone, just play it at max volume.

2. Dump the woodwinds and that other silent crap. Trade them for garbage can lids and spoons if you have to. Make some effing noise.

3. Dump "You're a Grand Old Flag." Dump it. I've heard it so many times my ears bleed when they start playing it, white people cannot clap in time to it, and it's not like it's our anthem or anything.

4. Cover the entire field with band geeks. I mean seriously wall-to-wall sound - not that cheesy Texas crap either. We're talking 1,000 geeks blowing/pounding/ratcheting/making all the effing noise they know how to make.

5. Don't play lame-assed showtunes, movie themes, etc. Play some Zeppelin/ACDC/or MC the Hammer or something besides some weak off-Broadway crapola or theme from the Poseidon Adventure that nobody cares about.

6. Get hipper unis. You're not the football team, you're the band. It's OK to change it up a bit.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Dean, I like your ideas. More like when Coach was the director. He hated woodwinds, but tolerated them. everything when I was in The Pride was about brass, more and as loud as possible. We also did a lot of marching away from the home side and then turned to them to hit them with a wall of sound. Everyone loved it.

I am sorry, stupid xylophones on the field... Guarantee, if you can hear a xylophone or the clarinets or flutes, then you don't have enough brass and they aren't playing loud enough...

There are a few soungs out there you want to hear the piccolos, but not many...IMO.

[yermom]

yeah, that seems to be an issue to me, i mean i don't arrange music or anything, but there are too many instruments that just aren't loud, it seems

and the music choices seem uninspired a lot of the time

[badger]

Dean, I like your ideas. More like when Coach was the director. He hated woodwinds, but tolerated them.

I had friends that were woodwinds, but a few of them (flags too) never tired of telling me how unfair it was that we were taking dozens of trumpets, trombones, tubas, drums to Alabama, but only like 3 flutes and 4 clarinets, etc. As you can imagine, especially after the endless nagging our sections got to be in volunteer pep bands (hell, we even performed Boomer Sooner at a funeral when I was in college), we weren't hearing any of the "unfair" talk.

Ah fond memories :)

[8timechamps]

Maybe the Band will not play the same old crap over and over now. The band needs to motivate the fans, not bore them. Like this
http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-state-university-marching-band-wows-video-game-110440529.html

Screw the band...we just got a dolemite sighting! Woo Hoo!!!

[GottaHavePride]

From my perspective, Brian Britt's Pride came across as a very bureaucratic approach to band. As in, "if we accomplish objectives A, B, and C to a satisfactory level we have achieved our goals and created music."

Coach's Pride took the attitude of "Part my hair a different direction and set off a few car alarms with sheer volume or we have failed in our job. And hate goddamn aggies while you're at it."

Totally different culture.

[MamaMia]

Any names of replacements being bantered about?

[Collier11]

Good points all around, better selection of songs for a football game that would get the crowd excited, play louder, and for all that is good in the world I love Boomer Sooner but I dont need to hear it after every TD, extra point, 1st down, incomplete pass, backwards lateral, kneel down, safety, and acl tear.

[Sooner24]

HALLOWEEN HALFTIME!!!!!

[yermom]

Good points all around, better selection of songs for a football game that would get the crowd excited, play louder, and for all that is good in the world I love Boomer Sooner but I dont need to hear it after every TD, extra point, 1st down, incomplete pass, backwards lateral, kneel down, safety, and acl tear.

i'm still waiting for some type of holistic approach to crowd noise, but that is bigger than the band director, i guess

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Coach's Pride took the attitude of "Part my hair a different direction and set off a few car alarms with sheer volume or we have failed in our job. And hate goddamn aggies while you're at it."

Totally different culture.

Pretty much sums up Coach...

And after what the aggies did to us at LosuR in 1978 or '79, I will always hate aggie and any true Sooners fan should always hate aggie because of it. ****ers from some dorm threw water buckets and water balloons on us as we marched in. Ruined several horns and uniforms.

[proud gonzo]

Once again, I don't endorse the thread title and I guess at this point it's moot.

I decided to bring baby badger down to Norman for KSU weekend so she could see campus and maybe hear the band and I got to hear the last part of the street concert before the bad campus corner garage bands started up again. Was it parents' day? It looked like a lot of non-uniform old people in the parade formation. I didn't get to see the halftime, pregame, etc., as I wasn't going subject an infant to (that travesty of a game... and) being in a loud stadium with thousands of people past her bedtime.

I am at the point where I'm really a disconnected alum and ex-member of the band. I don't intend to be a donor, nor do I intend to stick my nose in its business. I hope they find a good next director, I hope kids have as much fun in it as I did back when I was in school. That's about where my concern level ends. If the lines aren't straight, I don't care. If the music isn't loud, I don't care. If we decide to have a Rice/Stanford-like show and make fun of Texas, I don't care... wait... I would laugh. I would laugh really hard... and then Boren would discontinue the band, so then I might care.

Yes, KSU was parents' day.

I sat in front of the band (next to the drum major, actually) and they were godawful. They can't play together to save their lives, which is partly due to Mr. Britt moving the drumline to the FRONT of the band in the stands instead of back by the brass where they're supposed to be. The brass sounds awful--out of sync, shrill, blasty...just painful. Nobody knows how to play a damn phrase anymore. I swear there's a break after every three notes. Mr. Britt's suggestion to get the brass to play in sync with them was to have the drumline play a little quieter at the beginning. REALLY!? Really, Mr. Britt, when the Brass can't hear the drumline the solution is for the drums to be QUIETER? How the **** does THAT make sense? Not to mention the band has no sense of time--they rushed every eighth note in all of "Oklahoma." I think the final tempo was a good 20 bpm faster than the start. And can we talk about the lack of enthusiasm? It's like they're asleep on their feet. Whenever the cameras show the band, I cringe. They look like they don't want to be there, aren't paying attention, couldn't care less about the game. It's embarassing.

This band is the OU marching band but it is not the Pride of Oklahoma. It hasn't been since Coach left, and it may never be again. Thank god Britt is leaving.

[badger]

I sat in front of the band (next to the drum major, actually) and they were godawful. They can't play together to save their lives, which is partly due to Mr. Britt moving the drumline to the FRONT of the band in the stands instead of back by the brass where they're supposed to be. The brass sounds awful--out of sync, shrill, blasty...just painful. Nobody knows how to play a damn phrase anymore. I swear there's a break after every three notes. Mr. Britt's suggestion to get the brass to play in sync with them was to have the drumline play a little quieter at the beginning. REALLY!? Really, Mr. Britt, when the Brass can't hear the drumline the solution is for the drums to be QUIETER? How the **** does THAT make sense? Not to mention the band has no sense of time--they rushed every eighth note in all of "Oklahoma." I think the final tempo was a good 20 bpm faster than the start. And can we talk about the lack of enthusiasm? It's like they're asleep on their feet. Whenever the cameras show the band, I cringe. They look like they don't want to be there, aren't paying attention, couldn't care less about the game. It's embarassing.

I would have never been able to tell. Thank goodness we have a real musician listening for this stuff, hehe :D

[oudanny]

Change is needed but I hope they don't mess with the traditional pre-game entry. I've been watching that for 40years.

[OUTrumpet]

Yes, KSU was parents' day.

I sat in front of the band (next to the drum major, actually) and they were godawful. They can't play together to save their lives, which is partly due to Mr. Britt moving the drumline to the FRONT of the band in the stands instead of back by the brass where they're supposed to be. The brass sounds awful--out of sync, shrill, blasty...just painful. Nobody knows how to play a damn phrase anymore. I swear there's a break after every three notes. Mr. Britt's suggestion to get the brass to play in sync with them was to have the drumline play a little quieter at the beginning. REALLY!? Really, Mr. Britt, when the Brass can't hear the drumline the solution is for the drums to be QUIETER? How the **** does THAT make sense? Not to mention the band has no sense of time--they rushed every eighth note in all of "Oklahoma." I think the final tempo was a good 20 bpm faster than the start. And can we talk about the lack of enthusiasm? It's like they're asleep on their feet. Whenever the cameras show the band, I cringe. They look like they don't want to be there, aren't paying attention, couldn't care less about the game. It's embarassing.

This band is the OU marching band but it is not the Pride of Oklahoma. It hasn't been since Coach left, and it may never be again. Thank god Britt is leaving.

The biggest thing I noticed against KSU was they didn't play very much. Tons of stuff was played over the loudspeakers like Enter Sandman, Crazy Train, Welcome to the Jungle, and others typical stuff. SoonerDude and I noticed during the 3rd quarter that we didn't think they had played yet, and purposefully listened for the remainder of the quarter. Didn't play ONCE.

[proud gonzo]

The biggest thing I noticed against KSU was they didn't play very much. Tons of stuff was played over the loudspeakers like Enter Sandman, Crazy Train, Welcome to the Jungle, and others typical stuff. SoonerDude and I noticed during the 3rd quarter that we didn't think they had played yet, and purposefully listened for the remainder of the quarter. Didn't play ONCE.

Yeah, they were busy eating their sandwiches :rolleyes: No running band, either! ****ing lame.

[C&CDean]

Hell hath no fury like a pissed off band geek. Heh.

[Mississippi Sooner]

I have no idea what she was talking about, but she certainly said it with gusto.

[12]

If you are close enough to ANY college marching band, the individual instruments sound crappy. Later today, during half-time, listen to the close-up lead ins to commercials. They usually are near a band member blaring away. It ALWAYS sounds like carp.

But back off a little, and it sounds ok.

And yes, 5,890 Boomer Sooners is becoming a joke among our opponents' fans.

[soonerdew]

I must admit I've been out of the loop/scuttlebutt on the band thing, because the announcement of Britt's departure was a shocker to me. What's been downright saddening is the obvious dropoff of the band since Thrailkill's departure.

I don't know much about band music, to be sure, but the one thing I have noticed that has changed is the way Boomer Sooner has been played. There used to be this fabulously obnoxious energy in the way it was played in the mid-late 70's through the 90's, but then evolved into an almost staccato, precise playing of the notes, but without nearly as much heart.

Some Sooner fans think I'm nuts, but I was vindicated when I heard a radio commercial about a year ago where Boomer Sooner was played in the background, and darned if it wasn't of those fleeting older versions, with that great, brassy tempo. I emailed a guy at that station if he could send me a copy of it, described what I was looking for, and he even knew what I meant.

And that recording is now my cell ringtone.

Point of that story is that even though I was never a Pride member when I was a student, I surely appreciate the impact they've had, and how that influence has clearly waned (for whatever reason) over the last several years. Here's hoping someone with at least a fraction of Thrailkill's energy, exuberance, and flat-out orneriness takes over and gets the Pride back where it belongs.

[Boomer.....]

The band was pretty good tonight, but it's sad that it took him leaving to do something neat like the gangam dance. The band was getting down after the game also.

[yermom]

well, they have done that sort of thing with LMFAO and Thriller in the last few years

it was kinda cool to see him march off with the seniors

[MichiganSooner]

i still need to watch that video... was it that much better than the stuff Stanford does?

It was a lot better.

[OklaPony]

I check this thread and find, much to my surprise, that no one has posted since December. I thought there would be at least some discussion here, especially with all the hoopla about the supposed changes coming down the pike.

Maybe Mr. Britt wasn't so bad after all.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Because:
1. No one REALLY cares, we just have this thread to bitch about something.
2. There's only 10 of us left since the board got hacked.
3. Did I mention that no one really GAF?
4. I don't even live in Oklahoma anymore...in fact, when's hockey season start?

But yah, Brian Britt sucked. My hawt wife has two sons from her first marriage who were both in the Pride...and they HATED him.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

FIRE BRAIN BRUTT

[DIB]

I hear there is a new push among the alumni to replace the Pride with Whitesnake.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Fire that Wisconsin, UT dooshbag!!!

[Soonerfan88]

I believe the thread with complaints about the rumored changes in on the football board instead of here.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I heard Brian Britt got a job at a Carl's Jr. in Wichita, KS.

He found a way to ruin EVERYTHING.

[badger]

Ah, this thread --- started the season I finally graduated and left Pride. I would like to think that everyone who contributed in 2005 could look back at the first few pages and laugh. Pride, as it turns out, wasn't as bad as many said it was. I'll admit, it wasn't as good as I was trying to defend it as, either.

2005 was the final year Coach holdovers finally left, via graduation or otherwise. As such, there were new things emerging under the new director's guidance, including a lot less "Texas sucks" chants, and a new cowbell cheer (no longer "Poor whoever we were beating," but just "Go Sooners"). Those that taunted the Texas team as they came out of the tunnel were scolded, those that chanted "Texas still sucks" during pregame parades during drum cadences were also told to stop.

I wonder how current and ex-members will talk about what is happening now, looking back at how I argued with you all then.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Brian Britt started the downhill swing...this latest idiot is accelerating it.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

FIRE BRENT HYBLES

[olevetonahill]

And Now we Rinse and Repeat?

[OklaPony]

I check this thread and find, much to my surprise, that no one has posted since December. I thought there would be at least some discussion here, especially with all the hoopla about the supposed changes coming down the pike.

Maybe Mr. Britt wasn't so bad after all.
I win.

:nevreness:

[yermom]

makes me wonder why he left in the first place. this whole thing is very strange.

[olevetonahill]

makes me wonder why he left in the first place. this whole thing is very strange.

I dint keep up with it. But wasnt it the same thing as is happening Now? Folks peed Off over the Band and his leadership?

So they demanded he be fired and they hired this new guy now thay want him fired and Britt brought back. Kinda like Musical chairs to me.

[OklaPony]

I dint keep up with it. But wasnt it the same thing as is happening Now? Folks peed Off over the Band and his leadership?

So they demanded he be fired and they hired this new guy now thay want him fired and Britt brought back. Kinda like Musical chairs to me.
Nope, not at all. Among a myriad of other differences, Mr. Britt's ability to teach was never questioned, not even by those who disliked him personally.