NOT YOUR TYPICAL MARCHING BAND
Marching Lumberjacks are a wacky good time for band members and their audience
by Melinda Spencer
On the quiet and desolate field, the football teams converse with their respective
coaches about tactics for the remainder of the game. Suddenly, an announcer’s voice
booms through the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Republicans and Democrats, the joint
efforts of the CIA and the FBI are unable to prevent your world-famous
Marching Lumberjacks!” A roar breaks the silence, not from the crowd but from
the field, as dozens of hard-hat wearing musicians run frantically onto the turf. They
narrowly miss running headlong into one another and finally settle into formation.
The Marching Lumberjacks, who started out as the Humboldt State College
Lumberjack Band, were once your typical marching band with polyester costumes, baton
twirlers and formations. When this group disbanded in 1968, an all-male band was
created in its stead. This band dressed as lumberjacks and, unlike most marching bands at
this time, did not have a strong attachment to marching in-step, or even marching in lines
at all.
The first woman band member joined in 1972, Maria A. Johnston, and she contended with a great deal of sexism and harassment She was determined, however, to be a part of this group. Unfortunately, once she was accepted she only played at one football game and three rehearsals before she quit. Though she did not remain long, she opened the door for six more women to join the band the following season. This was the beginning of the Marching Lumberjacks as we know them today. The Marching Lumberjacks are a rarity among marching bands. They are one of only eleven scatter bands in the country. Called scatter bands on the West coast, and scramble bands on the East Coast, most of these bands originate from the Ivy League schools of the East coast. The Marching Lumberjacks is the only one that hails from a public university and the West Coast
Liz Schroeder, the president of the Brown University Pep band, believes that the
reason students at Ivy League schools are so drawn to the scatter band structure is
because band members do not have to worry about attending as many rehearsals to learn
formations and marching steps.
Another theory, held by the student director of the
band, Suzie Wright, is that scatter band members need to be of a higher mental ability.
Scatter band half-time shows are more “intellectually based” and aimed at poking fun
at opposing schools and current events. “They have to be more with it,” she said.
This raises the question, what exactly is a scatter band? A scatter band is very similar to a traditional marching band in several ways: they wear uniforms, carry instruments, and play music. But the similarities stop there. While scatter band members refer to their outfits as uniforms, they would be considered costumes by anyone else. They sometimes include tutus, Hawaiian shirts, wigs, oversized sunglasses, or anything else that band members can find in a thrift shop.
Many bands have signature pieces that every member wears – like the Marching
Lumberjack hard hats – and these often display homemade and store-bought buttons referred to as “flare.” The Marching Lumberjacks decorate their hard hats and suspenders with their flare while the
While scatter band members may play the standard brass and percussion
instruments of a marching band, they often add in some fun of their own. Different bands
play cellos, electric guitars, beer kegs, prosthetic legs, kazoos, banjos, bells or anything
else that will make noise on the field. Scatter bands are not all about making the most
beautiful and precise music possible, though when it does happen it can be nice. They focus more on playing tunes that the audience can recognize, such as “Hey Baby,” the theme from “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Stacy’s Mom.” The main priority is to get the crowd riled up and make sure everyone, including the band members, is having a great time.
The most important part of a scatter band, what truly separates them from all the other “normal” marching bands, is the field show. While most typical field shows start with the band marching in step, in neat, evenly spaced lines onto the field to form the shape of the school mascot or spell out the schools initials, scatter bands do not use the same air of dignity when entering the playing area. They will instead charge, full speed, onto the field yelling, leaping, rolling and crawling into their formation, which could range from anything between the school’s initials and a giant martini glass. Instead of seamlessly transitioning between formations, the scatter band has more of a tendency to dash haphazardly.
One of the most unique scramble band field shows can be seen at Brown
University where the band members wear ice skates to perform on ice for the half-time
shows at hockey games, Schroeder said. Once again, it’s all in the name of fun.
Being a member of a scatter band, such as The Marching Lumberjacks, is a rewarding experience for college students with any level of musical experience. One of the most welcoming things about a scramble band is that the only requirement to join is a willingness to learn and to have a great time.
“We are the most accepting group of people I have ever met,” said Chloe Ali-Oshatz, the current Axe Major of the Humboldt State Marching Lumberjacks. (To go along with the lumberjack theme, the Marching Lumberjacks have Axe Majors instead of Drum Majors to lead the band.) “You could really be purple and people will just be like ‘That’s awesome! You’re purple! Here’s a Kazoo. Play your purple self.’”
For many people, scatter bands are a way to relax after an academically taxing
week. These groups allow students to break out of their shells and be the person they
always wanted to be. Jacqueline Robertson, a first-year student at
Tambourine player in the band, was shy and quiet when she first joined the band. “Being
a part of this group has really pried and lovingly dragged me out of my shell. I have built
confidence and a self image of myself that I am proud of,” she said.
An important factor in keeping the group’s spirits and enthusiasm high is the
director. “I want to lead by example,” Ali-Oshatz said referring to her loud, enthusiastic,
over the top approach to all things band related. “I want to show people it’s okay to act
like that.” Ali-Oshatz is known throughout the band as a leader who is ready to go all the
way for her team and her band. She has been known to march into the ocean up to her
hardhat in the middle of a rainstorm in February to show her love for the band and its
traditions.
It’s not just members who are affected by scatter bands. Often people who see them in parades, at games, or other events feel the love and energy that the band exudes. The small towns of
For many band members their first inspirations in life came from watching scatter
bands. “When I was a little kid I saw a scatter band in the Rose Parade and it was like
‘Yeah, blah blah blah. That band is marching in-step and oh look there’s one person who
is rolling on the ground and playing music. That looks neat,’” said Ali-Oshatz.
Because of the connection the band makes with the audience, and the time and
energy put into making sure people have a good time, The Marching Lumberjacks have a
fan base wherever they go. “We’re not run of the mill,” Ali-Oshatz said. “People f—king
love us.”
Chris Larsen, a baritone saxophone player, has been an active member of The
Marching Lumberjacks since the first time he enrolled at
Larsen, the best part is seeing the looks on peoples’ faces when they first see the band.
His favorite thing is “probably the smiles on little kids’ faces when we do parades. That’s
why I leave the line a lot,” he said. “When you see this huge smile on a little kid, the
feeling that they are special because someone in the parade came over just to play for
them, it’s a great feeling.”
Aside from all the madness, lengthy road trips, basketball games, football games,
marching into the ocean in February, modern tunes, parades, festivals, weddings and
funerals, scatter bands are a fantastic way to guarantee that college will be the best four
years of your life and will create bonds even beyond.
Emma Brown, a first-year
thankful for what The Marching Lumberjacks have brought to her life. “I’ve only been in
The Marching Lumberjacks for one semester but I’ve already made some great friends,”
she said. “I’ve also had the chance to go places and see things that I otherwise wouldn’t
have been able to experience.”
The band is ever-growing and changing but one thing will always stay the same,
scatter bands are for everyone, whether you are in the band or not, and can build
characteristics that last a lifetime. “It’s a great social activity and I love to play and
travel,” Larsen said. “It’s kind of like a fraternity. [It’s] a group of people with a lot of
common interests, beer among them.”
1 comment:
Well written article.
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