Band at the Ralph

[greenwinger_13]

No pay for us. As much as i would rather be duck hunting... or being able to leave the games when we are up by 60 or so... I am there, in the drumline. It can be really fun with the d-line. We have some good times, but like i said... there are other things sometimes i wish i could do, but quitters never win.

[USA]

Sica,

I remember this too. It absolutely needs to be brought back, as the entire arena was in full frenzy by the time the players hit the ice and often even after the puck had been dropped. This would be the single best way to improve the atmosphere in the new building. It's simply a great fight song.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ditto this!!!

This was awesome and should definatelty be implemented once again. Maybe this, if nothing else, will get some people off of their ars and make some noise. But, I still loved it when the student section started the Gophers Suck chant about 15 minutes before the players came onto the ice and wouldn't quit until they announced the lineups.

[U2Bad1]

The band ruined the sieve chant.

[dakotadan]

No they didn't.

[BigGreyAnt41]

The band ruined the sieve chant. 

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The Ralph, by putting the band in the upper corner of the ralph, ruined the Seive chant.

Sit by the band sometime, they'll try to match up with the students, and they match the students arms perfectly. Unfortunatly, by the time the sounds of the drums get down to the students, its off.

Wanna fix the seive chant? Lets the drums go on their own. If everybody in the arena will follow the drums, then everybody will be together.

[dakotadan]

This weekend the band will be moved over one section to try to make them a little closer to the rest of the student section. Instead of the usuall corner, the band will be sitting in the last few rows of the upper level student section. This is just a trial to see how it works. It is ultimately up to the band to decide if it works for them or if they would rather just be moved back into the corner. Maybe this will help a little bit with getting students in the upper deck to be a little more energetic and involved. It also might just piss them off having the band blasting right in their ear.

[Cratter]

This weekend the band will be moved over one section to try to make them a little closer to the rest of the student section. Instead of the usuall corner, the  band will be sitting in the last few rows of the upper level student section. This is just a trial to see how it works. It is ultimately up to the band to decide if it works for them or if they would rather just be moved back into the corner. Maybe this will help a little bit with getting students in the upper deck to be a little more energetic and involved. It also might just piss them off having the band blasting right in their ear.

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Does where they use to sit become part of the student section?

[Ghost of Smith]

This is from a very bad 80's movie but a great line, "nobody puts baby in the corner". Give that line to the administration.

[The Sicatoka]

This is from a very bad 80's movie but a great line, "nobody puts baby in the corner".  Give that line to the administration.

I just Googled that.

You quoted a chick-flick! All your street-cred is gone.

[YaneA]

The line is from "Dirty Dancing" as any chick can tell you.

[sprig]

Given the rural Midwest bent of this message board, this may be useless to most reading this message, but it's certainly amused me...

If you happen to have a 3G Sprint PCS phone (i.e. polyphonic ring tones), punch in this URL for a very nice ringtone: http://siouxsports.com/wap/fightonsioux.gcd (you pay for your airtime/Internet, but the URL bears no special fees).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A GCD file? CD Ghost? What media plays a gcd file?

[The Sicatoka]

The line is from "Dirty Dancing" as any chick can tell you.

Hence why I had to Google it.

A quick look at that film's credits shows this is what "Lenny Briscoe" did before he went to work for the NYPD on "Law and Order".

[PCM]

A quick look at that film's credits shows this is what "Lenny Briscoe" did before he went to work for the NYPD on "Law and Order".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yah kiddin' me?

[The Sicatoka]

Yah kiddin' me?   

(insert last line of PCM's signature here)

[Taz Boy]

I loved my years in the Fighting Sioux pep band. Playing in front of the Mich St. crowd (and helping to keep them quiet) at the '87 FF final was a real treat. Easy to have fun when your team is maintaining a multi-goal cushion. Even had an ESPN camera stuck in my face for what seemed like an eternity.

I fully support a pep band at each and every hockey game. They should be well-mic'd, and they should play Fight On Sioux to introduce the players at every period. As has been mentioned, we would start the drum cadence well before the players hit the ice, and gradually speed up to a Metallica pace by the time they came out. Tiring, but we had a lot of fun doing it and the crowd responded well. It's a great tune.

My ideal hockey band would be all brass with drum set, bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. Flutes and clarinets stay home. Need at least 25+ for a full sound. The tunes should include current pop/rock music mixed in with the old faithfuls. Absolutely must play a kick-a$$ Stand Up and Cheer and In Heaven There Is NO Beer. Practice should be mandatory 1-2 times a week. It's a big time commitment, but very fullfilling. The key is to have good leadership that keeps the enthusiasm going.

taz looking forward to a great weekend of hockey

[dakotadan]

Aparently you people don't understand how much the band here actually does practice. To be in the hockey band you are required to be in the football marching band. The practices are every Mon, Wed, and Fri. from 4:00 to just before 6:00. Also, every morning before football games. The band is usually at the Al by 9AM and there until after the football game. After the game is over they play a few songs for the fans afterwards. usually get out of there around 4:30. This weekend for example, the band is practicing on friday from 4-6 and will then have to rush over to the Ralph for the hockey game. Saturday morning they will arive at the Al before 9 and be there till well after 4-5. THey will then rush back over to the Ralph for the second Gopher/SIoux game. This is alot of time spent playing an instrument. I think this band needs some serious due credit.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

That's a BIG 10-4 there dakotaboy. Glass houses. People who live in glass houses . . . .

I do agree with returning that Sioux fight song whenever possible. It's a great piece of collegiate sport music.

[siouxnami]

I do agree with returning that Sioux fight song whenever possible.  It's a great piece of collegiate sport music.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not familiar with the history of this does anyone know why this went away even at the old ralph? Was the band gone for a while?

[redwing77]

Ok, before you read all of this take note:

What follows is an opinionated critique of the Hockey Pep Band. It is not meant to be an attack on any certain band member, band leader, or poster to this board. Parts of this rant is not flattering to the band, but I feel it needs to be said. If you do not wish to read this, skip over this message. Again, it is not meant to offend.

*******************************************************************

Tonight the band did well. I was impressed. The trumpets actually was able to hold back and trust technology enough not to overblow. I actually heard the saxes at times. Wow. They did sound better practiced.

However, my point is simple. I was /in the band/. So when I criticize, I criticize by what I saw, heard, and what I knew about the band in the past. That's great they have this practice schedule. So far (through one game), they've shown that they can play this season. Last season, the season before, and before that, all the way back as far as I can remember (including when I was in the band), the band would flat out suck. Flat out.

That being said, I think the band is essential to the Ralph, but I also think that the fact that they have to play in two different venues, often twice a day, is bogus and needs to change. For that reason, I think the Football band should be a separate band entirely. Let the basketball and hockey band be the same entity, separate from the football band. They can practice as they do, and the pressure of running from the Al to the Ralph will be eliminated. Plus, they can start incorporating new material conducive to sporting events. For example, Soak up the Sun will never again be heard out of the band. Period. Take the Cheryl Crow, Hootie, and whatever crap and shove it into the garbage can. That crap belongs at the annual concert at the Old Folks home. This is a sporting event. Play upbeat, high energy songs or don't play at all. Songs like the School song, Beer Song, Taking Care of Business (even though I don't like this song), Roll out the barrel, Fight song, Nanana hey hey hey goodbye song, Give me some lovin', championship, and such are good songs for the hockey band. Can't find anything else? Stick with what works. There's nothing wrong with the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

I apologize for coming across harsh, but I feel that the football band is there for entertainment and enjoyment by all. That's why marching bands exist. To march around and show of musicianship and skill through intricate and extensive movement. Bands like those at the Ralph are "Pep" bands. These bands have no flash, no glitter or lights. Their job is to energize and ignite the crowd of onlookers in support of the team. Entertainment, though present, is purely secondary. For this reason, I expect the band the play the music and play it with enough skill, not so that they can play it to wow contest judges, but well enough so that the band doesn't sound like a bunch of drums and brass players with attention issues.

Again, tonight, they showed they can play. If they play more like they played tonight, then I think the mics should be "hot" more often during the game.

End Rant.

[Submarine_Soo]

I was in the band, eight-nine years ago. We rocked! We had a kazoo, four tubas, a rubber band, and a bunch of those annoying plastic horns at the Old Ralph. And we didn't worry if you knew how to play or not; or, be in some lame marching band.

We were having fun, had the student section in it with us, and the back of the band (the tubas and the drummers) were plowed. (I bet they have stopped playing the "Beer Song?" I think tUMD has taken credit for that innovation?)

You couldn't have asked for a better senario or band to be in back then. I would never have been in "today's" hockey band, and that's too bad.

--> I like Redwing77's comment about the crap the director has them trowling out now. Hootie? WTF?

--> They (tUniversity) did away with "Fight On Sioux" due to PC in the early '90s. We weren't even to think about playing it until... 1997 after we won the nat'l championship. And it is still probably outlawed.

--> "I still say they should have put the benches from the Old Ralph into the New Ralph for the students and the band. It's about 'atmosphere.'"