Huskies Pep Band
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The Huskies Pep Band is a scramble band from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. They bill themselves as "The Cream of the Keweenaw, The Pride of Pastyland, The Second Best Feeling in the World." They are known for their often irreverent cheers and taunts as well as their unique uniforms consisting of Black and Gold striped bib overalls (known simply as "Stripes") and creative hats unique to each band member. The Huskies Pep Band performs at all home Football, Men's and Women's Basketball, and ice hockey Games, as well as parades and other local events.
The band is often recognized as one of the best bands in NCAA Division 1 Hockey because of their sheer power and energy, and their firm roots in tradition. Ironically, Michigan Technological University does not offer a degree in music. They have been featured in Inside College Hockey and are periodically mentioned when sportscasters discuss the tradition of the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
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[edit] History
The band was formed in the fall of 1928 as the Michigan Tech ROTC Band, under the baton of E. E. Melville. Their purpose was twofold: as an official part of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology's ROTC organization, they provided music for all military functions. They also functioned as a circus style band, playing at various athletic and community events. In later years, they would drop the ROTC affiliation, and simply became the Michigan Tech Band, then the Michigan Tech Pep Band. In 1957, under the direction of B. Franz Schubert, the pep band officially became a university course. The Huskies Pep Band is currently under the direction of Nicholas Enz, who has overseen a massive growth of the band, which now maintains a membership of close to 300.
[edit] Trademarks
The band’s certain trademarks consist of excessive taunting of the opposing team (especially the goalie at hockey games or the free-throw shooter at basketball games). Some of the band’s cheers and taunts have been blacklisted or banned due to their level of offensiveness.
They are known for performing traditional songs such as “In Heaven There Is No Beer” and “The Engineers” along with a variety of selections in popular music. Some cheers and songs have been around since the 30’s and 40’s such as the “Blue Skirt Waltz” in which the pep band (along with the audience) would link arms and sway back and forth. This tradition began during Winter Carnival in 1948 after Frankie Yankovic had recently performed there and has been since dubbed “The Copper Country Anthem.”[1]
The band is also known for their creative visual performances at halftime shows (e.g. the formation of a sperm fertilizing an egg). During Homecoming weekend, the entire band is known to dress up as hobos and actively participates in Michigan Tech’s Hobo Parade.
Some of the antics of the band are considered Monty Python-esque, often performing songs from the sketches themselves and shouting the phrase “Run away!” when they exit from the performance. The band also incorporates other non-traditional ensemble instruments, including electric bass guitar, bagpipes, kazoos, cowbells, accordions, and at one time a large inflatable Lobster.
[edit] Stripes
The history of the stripes themselves is almost as scrambled as the band itself. From the beginning of the band, they have been known for their unique and entertaining uniforms. One of the original ideas was for a dark wind breaker and a railroad engineer’s cap. Thankfully, from a historical standpoint, then director Dan Keranen decided to go with multi-colored striped bib overalls. Ten years later, when director Mike Griffith attempted to reorder, the band encountered a problem. The overalls were only offered in gold/black and red/white. To remedy the situation, the trombone section was put into red and white, gold and black were given to the new members, and the returnees reused the multi-colored pairs as long as they could make them last.
The official switch to gold and black stripes came in 1996 when director Jeff Bell-Hanson placed an order through a company called Lil’ Fan. The company actually made overalls for toddlers, which were the perfect material for the larger copies. The final order total came to about $12,000[2]. The Michigan Tech Presidents club footed most of the bill, which was repaid through the sale of the older stripes.
[edit] WCHA Final Five
In 2006, 2007, 2008, and again in 2009, the Huskies Pep Band was chosen to be the Official Band of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota. Even after Michigan Tech defeated Colorado College in the first round of the WCHA playoffs in 2007, the Huskies Pep Band was still the Official Host Band. While attending the 2006 tournament the band also made a surprise appearance in the 40th Annual Saint Paul Saint Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown Saint Paul, and was invited to participate again in 2007.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ The Daily Mining Gazette, November 19, 1992, p1B.
- 2
- ^ Department of Fine Arts. "Huskies Pep Band Changes It's Stripes thanks to Presidents Club." Tech topics (Houghton) 16 Feb. 1996:1
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