The Name’s Band . . . Marching Band

The “Legion of Generals” Marching Band has finished another amazing marching season. Coming out of a rocky year, the band hasn’t let anything stop them from doing the most. Their show “Bond” combined both music and action to make it a truly unforgettable performance. The music consisted of the songs “For Your Eyes Only,” “Another Way to Die,” “Skyfall,” “Live and Let Die,” and the iconic Bond theme. They performed this show, of course, at the football games, adding different elements throughout the season until it was better than ever. Like last year, the band, the color guard, and the dance team all worked together to put on an amazing show that Generals will remember forever. “It’s a show I have been wanting to do since 1989,” Band Director Mr. Wynn said, “and we finally did it, so it’s like a career achievement for me.” All the music was arranged by Justin Williams (arranger for JSU’s Marching Southerners), the drill was written by Dr. Jeremy Stovall (assistant band director at JSU), the percussion music was written by Dr. Taylor Cash (band director in Albertville, AL), and the choreography is done by Doug Edens with help from our very own Mrs. Taylor. Solos this year were performed by Andrew Phillips, Alex Frost, Tony Benavides, Kaylee Caraway, Liam Peterson, Riley Case, and Justus Smith. When choosing music for the show, Mr. Wynn wanted to have a mix of old school Bond with a more modern twist. Mr. Wynn explained: “We used two of the songs from the 1989 show I did in college, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ and ‘Live and Let Die,’ but in modernizing the show we added Adele’s ‘Skyfall,’ and we added Alicia Key’s [and Jack White’s] ‘Another Way to Die’ song from Daniel Craig’s Bond. We also did a more updated marching band version, [written] by Justin Williams, of the Bond theme.”

All that said, according to sophomore Anna Gayler the best part of the show wasn’t the music but the people and relationships they all built along the way. “My favorite thing about the show this year was the people I got to perform it with and how much the audience enjoyed it,” she said. “The people I got to perform the show with are some of the best people I know, and the show gave me a way to meet new people.” The Legion of Generals took their show to multiple competitions this season. “We went to Bands at the Rock, Hardin Valley’s Spirit of the Valley Invitational, and the Blue Ridge Marching Invitational, where our band placed 2nd and our color guard placed 1st. In total, we saw a little less than 60 bands, and we beat 50 of them!” exclaimed Mr. Wynn. Senior Alex Frost recalled his favorite memory from the band competitions: “We were standing waiting for awards, and for, like, 15 minutes all they did was play random music and then it went silent for maybe a whole minute. Suddenly, ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ just came in and broke the silence, and I think that’s the funniest thing that’s happened all year.”

The halftime show wasn’t the only thing that got the fans excited; there was also the pep band performances in the stands. This year, the pep band added five new songs to their line up: “Fresh,” “Just Got Paid,” “3 A.M. Bounce,” “Loki,” and the classic “YMCA.” It wouldn’t be a football game without them, and the new music is a nice and fresh change of pace. As a whole, the band has made a lot of progress this year. “They have done a great job on ensemble sound, and the marching is cleaner,” Mr. Wynn noted. The band has always been a united front, but especially after this year and everything they have overcome, most would consider them a family. This season has been one to remember and everyone is excited to see what they do next!