VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES

Call For Video & Audio Content....

2008-06-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all!!!

First, thank you again for your continued patronage of VFTS, as well as the 5th Quarter movement at large. This blog, nor the 5th quarter would be experiencing the success it has over the years without your support.

Now, I have a few announcements to make:

1) VFTS now has it's own video channel/site!!! In preparation for the upcoming season, I decided to give you, the reader, a more active role in making VFTS unique...VFTS Jukebox is a part of that plan. 5Q and VFTS readers will be able to upload and comment on video footage that you're able to gather form this season, as well as past seasons. This is a new twist that I hope will make things even more interesting as it pertains to VTFS, The 5th, and our craft in general. VFTS Jukebox can be found here...

2) The VTFS Championship Series: Yes, VTFS will go there. Competition is what has made our craft the entertaining entity that it is today. I figured it's time to actually put that fact into practice (albeit unofficially). A panel of 10 former HBCU Bandsmen\Alumni will attempt to do what programs from here to the Florida panhandle readily claim every season:

Who the best band will be for the 2008-09 season...There will be a bi-weekly poll of the top 15 HBCU programs, culminating in conference champions, as well as a final ranking as the 1st VFTS Grand Champion, which will be released after the last official collective Band event of the season, the Honda Battle of The Bands. Details on the VFTS Championship Series will be revealed in coming weeks...It's gonna be an oppurtunity for you, the reader, to make your opinions known about who's got it and who hasn't...More Importantly, it's about the comraderie and Esprit De Corps that's synonymous with what we do...

Well, that concludes this week's edition of View From The Sidelines...Stay tuned for more announcements and news on upcoming contribution openings and events as the new deason draws closer...

Until Next Entry!!!

VFTS Blast From The Past: Aggie Excellence

2008-06-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Vintage North Carolina A&T, 1987...

Small Band...HUGE Sound....1999

Quality is better than Quantity...1999

Footage provided by Tapemaster 26 and the 5th Quarters' very own "voice", John Hodge...Enjoy the footage and comment at your leisure!!!

View From The Sidelines Needs You!!!

2008-06-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

VFTS is looking for wide-eyed, eager contributors for the 2008-09 Season!

The upcoming band season is shaping up to be a great one, which means VFTS has to be ahead of the curve in order to bring you the best coverage and commentary of the "in's and out's" that the fall has to offer. VFTS has some cool projects on the drawing board to make your experience here as interactive and fun as possible. Anybody who might be interested in being a contributor to this season's VFTS projects check out the forum posting here on the 5th Quarter message board...

Feel free to contact me here at VFTS if you'd like to become a contributor for this season! Until next entry...

VTFS Blast From The Past: Classic Boom/Box Memories: 1989

2008-05-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Southern University vs. Jackson State University - 1989 (Parts 1&2)

Full Show: Southern University

Part 1:

Part 2:

Full Show: Jackson State University

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Thanks to Tapemaster26 and other video historians for documenting our craft for all to see...Until the next entry, Enjoy!!!

Closing The Gap

2008-05-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

First thing's first:

Welcome to the first summer posting for "View From The Sidelines"! After another extended hiatus, the blog (and it's writer...*lol* ) are back up to speed and ready to deliver some of the best commentary around on the phenomenon that is the HBCU marching band experience. For those of you that have followed VFTS from it's beginnings until now, I'd like to extend a heart-felt thank you for your continued patronage. This column's longevity would not have been possible without your interest and participation. For those of you that are new to VFTS, welcome!!! I (as well as our sponsors at the 5th Quarter ) hope you find as much enjoyment out of "The Craft" as we all have over the years.

Now, to the topic at hand; Those of us who follow HBCU programs are very aware of the hierarchy that currently exists between the more recognized organizations and some of our smaller members. Whether we want to collectively admit to it or not, there are 'haves' and 'have-nots' among our programs...Program longevity and success is something that's hard to come by, and even harder to maintain from season to season. Of course, every program that puts their spats on one at a time wants to reach the pinnacle of the the craft. The question is how does a program get there? Once that program has reached a satisfactory level of success, how does said program maintain that success consistently? There are many variables that go into making a good, stable program, but there have only been a handful of them that have turned those factors into a long lasting standard of excellence.

The Honda Selections are In...Now What?

2007-11-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Months of rampant speculation came to a close last week. The voting has ceased; the tally is in and we now know who's gonna be in the Georgia Dome under the bright lights when the New Year hits.

Now that the line-up is set, what can we expect? Well, if this year ends up anything like the previous ones, we're in for one heck of a show. The Honda Battle of The Bands event has developed into one of the premire events for our craft, for both bandsmen and fan alike. The event, and the multitude of independent activities that seem to surrond it every year, give thousands of fans the oppurtunity to fellowship and enjoy the sights and sounds of Atlanta.

This year is expected to be just as exciting as previous ones. I'll take the oppurtunity to profile some of the ensembles that will make up the field in this year's Honda in later entries. in the meantime, congratulations to those that made it!!!

Until the next entry....

There's No Crying in Marching Band...

2007-11-04T03:03:00.000-08:00

Alright... I've got a question.

When did simple physical training become taboo among bandsmen? Maybe it's just me, but more and more young folks that come to participate in the "craft" seem to think that they can just "show up" and excel at entertaining the audiences we do. Don't get me wrong; the breed of musician that's coming to our programs today are just as talented (maybe even moreso) as the the kids from our era and before.

So where's this change coming from? Is it secondary teaching? Is it just the nature of the times these new bandsmen find themselves in? I'm not sure we can really put a finger on a single reason. What i do know is what I observe as a fan and lately, that apathy that we all dread for our programs is becoming more and more common place. Performances like the one posted here didn't just happen because players figured they'd loaf it on the practice field...It takes preparation, hard work, and dedication in order to gie our fans wha they deserve; A high energy, high quality, and unique halftime experience. That being said, this isn't a "bash the young folks" entry. We're just as much to blame (collectively) for waht we've seen. It's about time we older heads start passing down more in terms of knowledge and less in terms of pride and bravado.

Either way, we're still privleged to see the fruits of our work as bandsmen in the next generation. let's not let that generation lose sight of what that really means...

Wha do you think???

A Spartan Resurgence...

2007-10-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Foreman field...It's a place that contains ALOT of memories for those that are familiar with the historic band landscape in the Hampton Roads area. In a time when Dick Price Stadium was nothing more than a student's pipe dream, Foreman field was the location where a storied history was written on a weekly basis. During the CIAA's golden age, it was the birthplace of a single program's mystique; A legendary presence that would cast it's shadow over the CIAA for decades. Legendary names, legendary games, and an overwhelming spirit of Esprit de corps would become the hallmark of a program known as the 'Spartan Legion'.

It's been over two decades since the Legion has called the cozy confines of Foreman field home, but the mystique that lingered over that hallowed place is slowly starting to inhabit the Spartan's new home at Price Stadium. In fact, this current incarnation of the Spartan Legion is starting to write it's own chapter to this growing legend. Improved recruiting, staff stability, and a knack for precision has brought this program back to the pinnacle of the HBCU scene in an astonishingly short time period. In doing so, the Spartan Legion has truly done their part to shift the balance of power in a conference in which programs in the Florida panhandle have been the focal point... As successful as these last edition's of the Legion have been, I can't help to think of the legacy they've inherited. The fuel for this ascension didn't start burning this decade; It's always been there, just under the surface. The late 90's saw some trying times for this program, but the legacy built in that stadium over on Hampton Blvd. ensured that there would be a re-awakening; A resurgence...

Yes, Foreman Field is a place that contains ALOT of memories; Alot of tradition. There's alot to be said about that word; that concept. If you ask a Spartan Legion Alum about the meaning of the word, he (or she) may tell you to take a mini road trip across town to the campus of Old Dominion University. There, among the modern convention center and urban campus, you'll see a not-so-modern staduim. A stadium where a legacy was born...

I'm Crazylegs, and I've said My Piece

After A Long Hiatus....

2007-10-25T00:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a good minute, but "View From The Sidelines" is back to bring you a fresh perspective on HBCU halftime landscape! There are gonna be a few surprises along the way, so feel free oto follow along, read, and enjoy!

Summer Vacation is Upon Us!

2007-05-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't heard, the thinktank over at the 5th Quarter has taken a well deserved summer vacation. This blog has also been on a bit of a hiatus of late. The good news is that I'll be back in full force with new VFTS material this coming 2007-08 HBCU football season.

In the meantime, I'll be posting archived material from past VFTS editions, as well as periodic editorial content. Enjoy the summer break!

Losing One Of Our Own (VFTS April 2003)

2006-12-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

During the course of my workday, I encounter a lot of news from many sources. Some of the news is good; much of it is bad. A little more than a week has past since much of the HBCU world witnessed the outcome of Morris Brown’s fight for life. In losing it’s fight for accreditation, It's almost a certainty that one of the classiest band programs of our craft will not be taking the field for battle this fall. The same program that represented all of us in the movie “Drumline” with such fervor and pride won’t be packing them in at Herndon Stadium this season. It’s still something that hasn’t really sunk in yet with me, as well as with a lot of bandsmen in HBCU circles. Sadly, this isn’t the first time that your friendly neighborhood columnist has borne witness to the shutdown of a program.

The University of the District of Columbia’s short but proud history somewhat mirrors the path that we’ve seen with Morris Brown. The demise of that program also coincided with financial difficulties of the parent institution. As with the Morris Brown program, students affiliated with the Marching Firebirds had the opportunity to transfer to another school and blend in with another program. Many of us who were a part of the heated rivalry with Howard’s “Showtime” band program really couldn’t come to grips with marching for a program we’ve clawed tooth and nail with. Some of us traveled out of state to other programs; others gave up the craft all together, never considering putting on the uniform of another program. Many of the Morris Brown faithful face this same dilemma, in addition to the burden of finding another school to complete their studies.

As I sat down and thought about how to approach this month’s installment of VFTS, I couldn’t help feeling a tremendous sense of loss for our craft. I also thought to myself, “This could happen to any of our schools.”…With that thought in mind, I committed to addressing this topic…How can we protect the traditions that many of us have come to love in the face of growing indifference and/ or ineffectiveness of our own University administrations? How can students have more of a say so in the administrative actions of our schools?

Simply put, we as students and alumni must hold these university officials to a higher standard…We must hold the folks in charge accountable for budgetary concerns for our tradition-rich programs, as well as the overall academic and economic health of our school programs. From our standpoint, we have an obligation as bandsmen to be ambassadors for our respective schools. We have an even bigger obligation to become a marketable ‘tool’ to that end…

How do we do that? We continue to do the things that we do best; We put forth the same passion and intensity that we usually do on Saturday afternoons. We aspire to take our trade to another level. This past season, we saw brilliant glimpses of that promise. We attained a level of mainstream awareness that hasn’t been seen in the history of HBCU band programs. Even in light if this tragedy, the Morris Brown band program was a giant part of that revival. If the Morris Brown school administration would’ve seen the marketing and financial potential of it’s talented students a bit earlier, perhaps there would’ve been more revenue to combat the financial quagmire that has enveloped this institution. The events of the past few weeks should be a wake-up call to directors, department heads, and Trustee Boards at all HBCU schools. You have a precious commodity; you have a recruiting tool, a public relations tool, and a marketing tool in your respective music departments. The ‘tool’ is called the HBCU band program. Utilize and cultivate this resource wisely. You never know how beneficial the program can be until it’s gone…

To the students of Morris Brown, It saddens me to see this hardship come upon such a proud and tradition-rich program. We may not see you on the field this season, but you’ll be with all bandsmen in spirit. I look forward to seeing the Marching Wolverines back on the field in the future, as do all fans and bandsmen. I have a good feeling that it will be a lot sooner than later...

I’m Crazylegs, and I’ve said my piece…

Legends Of The Fall (VFTS, October 2003)

2006-12-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

October signifies a lot of things to many people. It represents the official start of the fall. Football season (both Pro and College), is in full swing. Baseball sets about the task of determining it’s World champ for another year. In many respects, October represents the ending on one journey and the beginning of another. For those of us that follow HBCU marching bands, the fun is just getting started. October for the HBCU fan is a virtual smorgasbord of Classics, Huge Divisional Games, and tailgating galore. For the bandsman, it’s gut check time. It’s time for old rivalries to be renewed and new ones to be born. It’s a time to hate that opponent across the field in the stands, at least until after the game. It’s a time when the best of the best begin to set themselves apart from the pack. It’s simply on e of the best times to be a part of the HBCU experience.

This year is particularly special because it represents our official arrival as a media attraction. The days of closed venues and lack-luster media attention are long gone, replaced by high-profile BOTB events, movies, and a load of cameo appearances. Networks like MBC have made it a priority to give us our shine along side black college athletics. Yes, this is a truly special time for all of us that love “the craft”. For the first time ever, all band programs have the means to increase their own exposure. Where there used to be word-of-mouth, there’s the internet…Where there were paper advertising campaigns, they’re radio and T.V. commercials. Yeah folks, we’ve officially become “Big Time”.

Unfortunately, they’re still some “small-time” minds that need to be brought into the light, so to speak. For HBCU programs, our testimonials are our performances. We’re the other half of that “package deal” that makes HBCU football appealing for the average fan. In saying that, our excellence on the field has to evolve with the times. There are some out there among us that being apart of an established program automatically satisfies your obligation as a bandsman to entertain the fans. In reality, it’s quite the contrary. Our programs have to set the bar even higher than it has in the past. We have to become even more creative to keep our collective edge razor sharp. Parity and competition on an even basis is the key to attaining that level. Sometimes, you have to mix the conventional with the revolutionary to keep things fresh. Just keeping the status quo isn’t extraordinary anymore. You blend innovation with that consistency to set yourself apart from the pack these days. That stark truth will become more evident as more and more of these high profile competitions and exhibitions become commonplace.

Some folks (including yours truly) have openly supported the push to organize a competitive event to determine a # 1 program from season to season. While that dream may be off in the near horizon, events like the Honda Battle of The Bands provides HBCU programs with the same challenge to think outside the box. The programs that are invited to this event have the challenge of setting the bar higher than the previous event did.

Yes, we finally got our 15 minutes in the limelight. It’s going to take even more collective excellence to turn that 15 minutes into an established media event. For what it’s worth, I’m betting on the latter…

This is Crazylegs, and I’ve said my piece…

Showtime And The World Wide Web (VFTS-June 2003)

2006-12-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

Increased T.V. coverage, movie deals, and overall great press has been a blessing that all HBCU band programs have had the good fortune in reveling in over the past year and a half. This is the type of exposure that folks have been yearning to see for years. We’ve even had our time to shine on the silver screen, which will no doubt open younger minds to the possibilities of band and the excellence associated with Historically Black Colleges & Universities. Isn’t this what we’ve wanted from the start?

Absolutely….

The great majority of our programs and institutions of higher learning are thriving because of the publicity our bandsmen have been enjoying. However, the general media has not been the primary vein of sustenance for our trade for the past decade or so. The Information “Super Highway” (i.e. the World Wide Web, a.k.a. The Internet) is a step forward in technology that everybody in our global society has grown to view as an essential part of our daily lives. There are no corporations that don’t have an element out there on the web for growth. Students obtain readily available information on everything from throwback jerseys to cliff notes with startling quickness and accuracy. Billions and Billions of dollars travel world wide via the “web”. Frankly, the internet has saturated every crevice of our working and recreational lives.

The world of Black College Marching Band is no exception…

The internet has triggered a renaissance among our programs, as well as providing a medium for us to showcase our wares to the rest of the public. When the conference big wigs and networks like Black Entertainment Television weren’t there for our craft. The folks that had vision enough to utilize this medium were. These weren’t just folks that are out to make a buck, either. In most cases, they were former bandsmen that decided that they wouldn’t sit back and let the tradition and pageantry of what we do go by the wayside. Folks like Christy Walker and Mike Lee; folks like the moderators and patrons that frequent this site, as well as others out there in cyberspace. In filling the void left when the “mainstream” media outlets didn’t give us the time of day, folks that explored this realm completely revolutionized the way we view Black Colleges and music programs in general. All the information that high school students had to do and incredulous amount of footwork for was now available at the click of a mouse button.

The recruiting and scouting process for staffs and directors also evolved with the times. Instead of having to expend funds traveling to a region to effectively recruit (i.e. via exhibitions, BOTB’s , etc.) , kids could now effectively cut that footwork in half for both the program, and the student interested in attending. Many programs that had regional reputations now had national ones, and the talent pool has expanded to entire United States because of it. In a way, this medium has leveled the playing field for many programs and has given our rivalries back that spark that may have been dimmed or extinguished. Ultimately, parity has been a direct by-product of our spread to the Web, and all HBCU band and university programs have benefited from this evolution.

It’s funny, but there are some directors, some school administrations, some conference officials that think our presence on the web is a joke. There are even some folks in authority that think that our coverage of “The Craft” is somehow taking away from the “shine”, or profit that HBCU programs are benefiting from these days. There are directors out there that would be happy to see folks that film in the stands gone. There are people in authority out there that think that our presence here in cyberspace is more of a detriment than an asset.

If you’re a director and this is your frame of thinking, you’re putting your anger in the wrong place.

Take a look inside your band room; Take a look at your upperclassmen; Take a look at the incoming freshmen and their talent level. Odds are your program has reaped the benefits of our exposure on the web and you don’t even realize it.

We aren’t the enemy, and we’ll continue to do the jobs that we’ve pledged to the band community to do. Many programs have realized that Marching Band and Black College football are a package deal. We all benefit from the exposure.

The sooner we all realize that, the better off our craft, and our institutions, will be.

I’m Crazylegs, and I’ve said my piece.

View From The Sidelines: An Inside Look at the Band Programs of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

2006-12-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

This Blog is a dedicated archive for the 5th Quarter's "View From The sidelines" Column. Patrons of the 5th Quarter (and HBCU fans and bandheads in general) will be able to view past editions of VFTS from June 2003 to the present.

There will also be brand new editions of VFTS posted in this blog, as well as on the 5th Quarter website.

Please enjoy the archive and feel free to add any commentary or feedback. Thank you for your support of the 5th Quarter, and VFTS...

Herbert L. "Crazylegs" Seward III
Columnist, "View From The Sidelines"
The 5th Quarter, Inc.
http://www.the5thquarter.com