As we remember...

[RobJohnson]

As we remember the sad events on 9/11 we will also remember that America still rocks and that the flag is still there.

A big thank you to all that have served our Nation and those currently serving.

[youtube=425,350]c8C7i9kdEf8[/youtube]

A powerful twist on a song that says it all.


 

[Thor]

I really don't care for their version. It seems inappropriate to me. In my opinion, the standard military versions are the ones I prefer.

Of course there is the entire full version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6_I3f5QaNw

[RobJohnson]

Then out of over 4 million views, you can be one of less then 400 people to click that you do not like the video. 

I do understand, the lead singer is a Navy vet. 

They have had quite the fight, even facebook censored the song at one time, blocking it from being shared. Sarah Palin had also sent out tweets of the video and shared it on facebook.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/not-what-you-expect-mary-l-tabor/2013/jun/30/july-4-madison-rising-sings-star-spangled-banner/

[Eupher]

Then out of over 4 million views, you can be one of less then 400 people to click that you do not like the video.  

I do understand, the lead singer is a Navy vet.  

They have had quite the fight, even facebook censored the song at one time, blocking it from being shared. Sarah Palin had also sent out tweets of the video and shared it on facebook.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/not-what-you-expect-mary-l-tabor/2013/jun/30/july-4-madison-rising-sings-star-spangled-banner/

I'm with Thor on this one.

I heard the arrangement and didn't like it.

That doesn't mean those guys can't record it, play it, wipe their asses with it. YouTube is chock full of crap, so why shouldn't there be room for one more?

I think what Thor and I are saying is we prefer the National Anthem to be sung and played the traditional way.

I spent the better part of 44 years playing that piece. Accompanied singers who could and could not. Differing arrangements that showcased lots of fanfare trumpets, or darkly scored in a tuba and euphonium quartet.

The DOD-authorized arrangement is the only one I need. Of course, civilians can do whatever they please. And very often it sounds like it.  

http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/dodd/corres/pdf/i10054_091881/i10054p.pdf

[obumazombie]

Ever since Roseanne Barr desecrated the National Anthem on national TV I have preferred the traditional version. Even before that to be brutally honest.

[ColonelCarrots]

There's the Iced Earth version too.

[youtube=425,350]_n_6zz9zFCM[/youtube]

Also they wrote a song about 9/11.

[youtube=425,350]-o6xrSyhVhc[/youtube]

[RobJohnson]

Everyone has their own opinion and I do appreciate the original version but I also like their version of the song. In fact I love it and I love what the band stands for.

On July 23, 2012, Madison Rising in partnership with National Anthem Celebration Foundation (osaycanyousee.org) made history by becoming the first band to ever perform with the original Star Spangled Banner manuscript (in the bullet-proof case) at the Baltimore Historical Society

.  http://starspangledbannerchallenge.com

It was a little awkward seeing Mike Huckabee trying to play with them on his television show as they played "Where was the Media Then" which is a pretty fast hard rock song.

They have also played at several conservative events such as NRA conventions. They also loaned their song catalog to the Romney/Ryan campaign.

Madison Rising promotes the principles of liberty, independence, smaller government and personal responsibility

- See more at: http://www.madisonrising.com/about.php#sthash.wKyKSkGa.dpuf

[Thor]

I'm with Thor on this one.

I heard the arrangement and didn't like it.

That doesn't mean those guys can't record it, play it, wipe their asses with it. YouTube is chock full of crap, so why shouldn't there be room for one more?

I think what Thor and I are saying is we prefer the National Anthem to be sung and played the traditional way.

I spent the better part of 44 years playing that piece. Accompanied singers who could and could not. Differing arrangements that showcased lots of fanfare trumpets, or darkly scored in a tuba and euphonium quartet.

The DOD-authorized arrangement is the only one I need. Of course, civilians can do whatever they please. And very often it sounds like it.  

http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/blaw/dodd/corres/pdf/i10054_091881/i10054p.pdf

EXACTAMUNDO, Eupher!!!

I've been hearing & playing the proper DoD version for a number of years, myself. That's what I prefer. You should realize that we're both musicians, with Eupher being more proficient than ME. (Happy, Euphless??)

I have no problem with Madison Rising and I'm well aware of their struggles with Facebook. I'm also aware that the lead singer is a Navy Vet. I applaud them for trying, but they bastardized MY National Anthem. I DO like what the band stands for. I also can't stand it when people try to jazz it up, "soul" it up, etc. I didn't like Hendrix's version, either. To me, it is/was utter sacrilege.

There's the Iced Earth version too.

[youtube=425,350]_n_6zz9zFCM[/youtube]

That's not too bad, CC. At least they kept with the respect due our National Anthem and stayed with the original version, just played on electric guitars.

What Roseanne Barr did to the National Anthem was tantamount to treason, IMO. I lost any & all respect & liking for her after what she did to it.

[vesta111]

EXACTAMUNDO, Eupher!!!

I've been hearing & playing the proper DoD version for a number of years, myself. That's what I prefer. You should realize that we're both musicians, with Eupher being more proficient than ME. (Happy, Euphless??)

I have no problem with Madison Rising and I'm well aware of their struggles with Facebook. I'm also aware that the lead singer is a Navy Vet. I applaud them for trying, but they bastardized MY National Anthem. I DO like what the band stands for. I also can't stand it when people try to jazz it up, "soul" it up, etc. I didn't like Hendrix's version, either. To me, it is/was utter sacrilege.

That's not too bad, CC. At least they kept with the respect due our National Anthem and stayed with the original version, just played on electric guitars.

What Roseanne Barr did to the National Anthem was tantamount to treason, IMO. I lost any & all respect & liking for her after what she did to it.

Our Anthem is often played and sang as a dirge, Few people remember the words but is well suited for Ceremonial occasions. 

This Madison Rising puts teeth into the Anthem, gives it a fighting spirit, puts passion and an in your face to our enemy's.  Well played, the original music  and words kept and not distorted with anything but a up tempo and -------Passion.     

The lyrics come through loud, clear, and stick in ones head.    Music I have found is crucial to learning, a 2 year old can be taught the alphabet song very fast depending on the tempo, the emphases on changing the tempo for certain letters and end on a good holler or shout. 

This reminds me of the movie about Glen Miller and how he and his band playing gave WW2 troops a bit of home and hope.       

Music is suppose to give us some kind of feeling, be we tap our toes or weep inside.  Sometimes reversing a song from up beat to a lament is most powerful, takes on a different meaning and response to it.

My favorite was in the 70's near the end of the war, a female singer came on a talk show and sang the traditional up beat song of--- When Johnny comes marching home ---- She sang it as a lament and I found myself tearing up thinking of all the Johnny's that would not come home.

Music, to each their own but I feel to move me in any way, the stick in ones head, the same song played with different tempos and arrangements, akin to Grand Philharmonic Orchestra playing the Beetles music cause different dimensions to the music, a joy not found in the original recordings.

Guess I got caught up in New Orleans music where The Saints come marching gave new dimension to the songs sung in church.

I am so happy to have been introduced to Madison Rising, Thank You.    Now to get their version out of my head, thanks to them I now know all the words to our Anthem and look at it as a gutsy Anthem and no longer a song about the war in the 1700-------This rendition is for us today, a call to  stand and protect what we love, America.

[Eupher]

Our Anthem is often played and sang as a dirge, Few people remember the words but is well suited for Ceremonial occasions. 

 

The DOD authorized version of the National Anthem is marked at quarter note = 80 beats per minute. It slows slightly to 76 bpm about 8 bars before the end. That is not a dirge.

The "dirges" you're referring to come typically at the performance of some singer wannabe, who yodels all over the ******* place in an effort to prove how "special" that singer is. Or isn't.

"Well suited for Ceremonial occasions?" The National Anthem?   

Never mind, vesta. The pain of your response outweighs what I might POSSIBLY learn from you.

[vesta111]

The DOD authorized version of the National Anthem is marked at quarter note = 80 beats per minute. It slows slightly to 76 bpm about 8 bars before the end. That is not a dirge.

The "dirges" you're referring to come typically at the performance of some singer wannabe, who yodels all over the ******* place in an effort to prove how "special" that singer is. Or isn't.

"Well suited for Ceremonial occasions?" The National Anthem?   

Never mind, vesta. The pain of your response outweighs what I might POSSIBLY learn from you.

 So sorry as I have no training in music, I cannot read music, and I only know what music is to me and those of the rest of the world.

Few people among the worlds people have any idea of what and how music is produced and the uses for it.  Why has drum beats caused people to roar and go to war ?       

Why did the Calvery use  the Bulgel 

 

[RobJohnson]

Roseanne Barr, Whitney Houston and others have totally destroyed the song in the past. I totally agree with that. I normally don't like a twist on the classics myself either. But if we can get some young people rocking to a band with conservative values in an industry full of liberals, then they get my vote.

Now I have to sing in the shower while I get ready for work.

[vesta111]

call to send hope to some and a fear amongst others.

Damn cat jumped on my key board again.

The music you play, have you never deviated from the script and tried to give your music a bit of your own personality, perhaps a two bit pause in notes to find something interesting ?  

So why do you find a keep to the tradition and not experiment with the traditional and yet give it a little of todays music that is a surprise to us and yet keep the tradition intact. ?

[vesta111]

Sorry I forgot the only music I find traditional is the Bugle at a funeral for a veteran, this is the one thing that should never be tampered with, This is Holy and must be kept in place.

[obumazombie]

Sorry I forgot the only music I find traditional is the Bugle at a funeral for a veteran, this is the one thing that should never be tampered with, This is Holy and must be kept in place.

I love shadow taps. I like reveille a little less.

[Eupher]

The music you play, have you never deviated from the script and tried to give your music a bit of your own personality, perhaps a two bit pause in notes to find something interesting ?  

So why do you find a keep to the tradition and not experiment with the traditional and yet give it a little of todays music that is a surprise to us and yet keep the tradition intact. ?

Yes, certainly, and while my improv chops are relatively modest, there are some pieces of music that do NOT need my, or anybody else's, embellishments.

One of them is the Star Spangled Banner.

[BlueStateSaint]

I really don't care for their version. It seems inappropriate to me. In my opinion, the standard military versions are the ones I prefer.

Of course there is the entire full version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6_I3f5QaNw

I listened to that this morning.  For some reason, even with my earbuds on, I felt compelled to stand and go to attention.

I like that one--a lot.  The use of the organ is a nice touch. 

[Eupher]

This illustrates the issue PERFECTLY for me, except, of course, the style that the SSB is being performed in:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2013 – As Congress gathered on the east steps of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11 for its annual National Day of Service and Remembrance ceremony, Army Master Sgt. Antonio Giuliano took his place beside lawmakers and sang a powerful a capella rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

No matter how many times he sings the national anthem as first tenor section leader for the U.S. Army Band’s Army Chorus, Giuliano said, he experiences the same flurry of emotions.

“My heart is pounding before, during and after,” said Giuliano, who sang the national anthem 52 times in 2012 alone, including his first performance at the congressional 9/11 remembrance ceremony.

“There is nothing more exhilarating for me as a soldier-musician in ‘Pershing’s Own’ to sing the Star Spangled Banner,” Giuliano said. “I feel the nervousness and exhilaration of it, recognizing the importance of what I’m singing and wanting to get it right.”

Attend nearly any major public or sporting event — the Super Bowl, World Series or a White House honors ceremony — and chances are you will hear a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. For members of the elite military bands, who perform it more than just about anyone, it is the ultimate command performance.

Air Force Master Sgt. Bradley Bennett, a tenor vocalist with the U.S. Air Force Band’s 20-member “Singing Sergeants” chorus, remembers feeling the eyes of the world on him as he sang the national anthem on the U.S. Capitol steps for President George W. Bush’s second inauguration.

“It is the one song you absolutely can’t mess up,” said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Sara Dell’Omo, a mezzo-soprano with the U.S. Marine Band. “That makes it the most nerve-wracking piece of music I sing,” despite hundreds of performances since joining the band in 2005, she said.

“You’d think it would get easier, but for me, it doesn’t,” she said with a laugh.

Despite the pressures of delivering perfect performances every time, Dell’Omo calls the Star Spangled Banner the most meaningful piece she sings.

“The anthem is not about me, and it is not about my voice and singing it. It is about what it represents, and trying to create the excitement and solemnity of that and translating that through music. I get a little excited about the anthem,” Dell’Omo said — an excitement she enjoys sharing with the high school choirs she coaches.

“After awhile, the kids get it,” she said. “They realize that this is not about making a Whitney Houston impression. This is about something bigger than me, and harnessing that.”

Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Bayes, a saxophonist with the U.S. Navy Band for almost 17 years, said he feels that power with every single performance.

“Someone once asked if I ever got sick of playing the same piece of music over and over and over again,” said Bayes, who can’t count how many times he has performed the national anthem, numbering it in the hundreds.

“But to this day, every time I play it, it gives me chills,” Bayes said. “It is a different experience every time. But the second you hit the first note, you see a group of people stand up, take off their hats, put their hands over their hearts and take pride for those few minutes that the anthem goes by.”

Francis Scott Key captured that sense of wonder when he penned the words to the Star Spangled Banner 199 years ago this weekend, on Sept. 14, 1814.

A civilian lawyer during the War of 1812, he was negotiating with the British to secure the release of an American prisoner. The British, concerned that Key had heard too much about their plans to attack Fort McHenry, decided to detain him aboard a British ship in Baltimore Harbor until it was over.

The Americans were outnumbered and outgunned throughout the ferocious 25-hour bombardment. But “by the dawn’s early light,” Key was astounded to see the 15 stars and 15 stripes of the American flag still flying over the beleaguered fort. He pulled an envelope from his pocket and wrote the poem that later was put to a popular tune of the day.

Bayes, who also serves as archivist for the Navy Band, said a British colleague once asked him why the United States would celebrate an event that was more of a draw than a gallant victory.

“The flag that Francis Scott Key saw that day should not have been flying,” Bayes said. “The fact that the British had over 1,000 ships and several thousand guns, and that we had maybe 17 ships and about 400-some guns, it was a true David-and-Goliath story. So that flag, for all intents and purposes, should not have been there. It was a miracle that the flag was still standing at the end of the day.”

“It speaks to the tenacity and courage of the democratic republic, and for fighting for its survival and fighting for democracy and freedom,” Bennett added. “It encapsulates that spirit of pride that we all carry with us as citizens of the United States.”

Today, the national anthem continues to inspire and bring Americans together, the musicians agreed.

Giuliano said he felt that power this week as the United States observed the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The magnitude of Key’s lyrics struck him with a particular intensity, he said, as Americans paused to remember and reflect.

“No matter where you come from, what gender, what color, all the differences are put aside. It symbolizes that sense of unity,” said Dell’Omo. “You hear the national anthem and we can all come together. It is the one flag, it’s the one nation. It is the anthem for all of us.”

Rest of story at the Link