Where have we been?

I know it has been a while, but we've been busy. Our last post was in March of 2011. Here's a quick recap of the past two years.

SPB leading the opening ceremonies at The Capital District Scottish Games (September 2012)

Our Pipe Major, Jeff Schenck and his wife Becky.

2011: The band played around 15 to 20 jobs that year. Anywhere from parades to college graduations. That's where we get the money to do the fun stuff like competitions. We competed at three games that year. Out of the three, we took first at The Great American Irish Festival in Herkimer, NY. On the lighter side, our Pipe Major got married in September. I would tell you about the wedding, but I don't remember much. It was a great party!! Also, the Munro clan welcomed their newest addition, Isaac Munro.

Eamonn Kelly 

2012: We played about the same number of jobs, just like we do every year. We did pretty well in the competition circle. Out of the five games we competed at, we placed 1st at the Round Hill Highland Games and the Central New York Scottish Games. On the lighter side, band members Matthew and Siobhan Kelly welcomed a son in March and band members Jenn Munro and Kennie Farrigan got hitched. That was a great party also and again, I don't remember much of that one either.

Jennifer and Kennie Farrigan

So that's a short roundup of what we've been up too. The band is already into the job season of 2013 with the Albany & Delhi St. Patrick's Day parades in the books. We're going to try and get back to writing posts on a regular basis to keep you informed as to what we're doing and to remind us of what we've done.

Albany St. Pat's Parade
(March 2013)

Delhi, NY St. Pat's Parade
 (March 2013)

St. Pat's Mass @ The Cathedral in Albany
(March 2013)

Good Times In Delhi

The band had a great time playing the first ever Delhi Saint Patrick's Day parade. The weather was not encouraging. Cold, gray skies loomed as our bus headed west on I-88 that morning. At Richmondville, we turned south onto NY 1o and began to climb out of the valley into the mountains. Snow flurries appeared. But the band was in good spirits, bolstered by the excitement of embarking on our first bus trip in quite a while.

Delhi is somewhat remote, as far as I can tell. This is quite a statement coming from someone who grew up in East Berne. The one road that leads to the town meanders over hill and stream past old, muddy farms with leaning silos. It's quite beautiful country actually, but I can tell you that the undulating road was not conducive to neat and tidy use of the bus toilet.



The band safely arrived in Delhi just before 11:00 AM. The town initially seemed deserted and we wondered if we'd be marching alone, if we marched at all. Perhaps they realized how cold it was and canceled?! However, we soon made contact with the parade marshal who directed us to the form up area at the local firehouse. The various marching units began to assemble and soon the makings of a parade were evident. As the pipers warmed up (an ironic term indeed), we noticed and were particularly impressed by the SUNY Delhi student contingent, who managed to requisition The Roaming Railroad to carry them through the parade. The band decided that we were fools to be marching on foot. Next parade, we're hiring The Roaming Railroad.

Our band brought up the rear of the parade, stepping off around 12:30 PM or so. We were preceded by Chuckles the Clown, who, if not the most illustrious of escorts, was still an improvement over the horses we usually follow in parades.

The good news about the parade was that it was short, less than a mile long, and well-attended by an appreciative crowd. It's always nice to play for an enthusiastic audience. The bad news was that it wasn't getting any warmer as we started off down the parade route. For one, brief moment the sun appeared, tantalizing us a fleeting caress of warmth. But the clouds quickly returned, as did the numbness in our hands. We decided that we'd better start playing to stay warm.

I was just starting to feel comfortable playing about the time that we reached the end of the parade. It really wasn't all that bad. We marched down Main Street, through the center of town. Delhi has a very Rockwellian, small town feel to it. It seemed like a natural setting for a parade. I assume that the citizens of Delhi are keen to preserve this nostalgic sensibility since the store fronts of many of the main street shops looked like this one:

I hope you can make out the profession advertised on the Jackson & Mason sign, i.e furniture and undertaking. Certainly an odd combination. Almost as odd as bagpipes and drums.

After the parade we were invited back to O'Neill's Shire Pub for corned beef and cabbage and a few pints. As you might expect, the pub was packed and it took a couple minutes just to get inside. It took a few more minutes to get up to the bar to secure refreshments. Incidentally, the trick to securing drinks for an entire pipe band in a crowded bar is to position a single point man at any breach you find in the line along the bar and then create a bucket brigade of band members running back from the point man to the band's main encampment, usually in a corner toward the back of the bar. Choose your point man (or woman) wisely, as this person must be charismatic enough to place an order for 2 waters, a red wine, a soda (whatever kind) and 18 Guinness without being summarily 86ed by the bartender. Your party could be over before it begins.

The first annual Delhi Saint Patrick's Day parade was certainly one for the history books. The band enjoyed a great afternoon, playing pipes and drums, listening to great live music from The Fighting 86's, and generally savoring the warm hospitality of the Shire Pub. I think we all hope that we can get back to Delhi again next year for the 2nd annual Delhi Saint Patrick's Day parade. Only if Chuckles is free to escort the band again, of course.

- JSS

Oh yeah . . . the blog!

Greetings loyal readers! It's been a while since we last spoke, but let's not dwell upon the past. Let's jump right into the middle of things. Saint Patrick's Day is upon us. Actually, it was yesterday, but we're still celebrating. The band is off to Delhi, New York to play in the town's first ever Saint Patrick's Day parade! We're looking forward to getting out to play in a town we've never visited before and hoping for decent weather. So far, things look good.

After the parade we'll be gathering at O'Neill's Shire Pub, where the proprietor has generously offered to feed and water the band. He may not be aware of what he's getting into!

The band has chartered a bus, which always makes for a good time. Band members, dig out your SPB song books for the bus sing along!

Talk to you soon!

-JSS

HELL WEEK '09

Two Graduations down and HELL WEEK is off to a fine start.

Check back often for updates as our parade and competition seasons kick off next month.

In Memory

Our Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Steve Dunne and The Police Pipes and Drums of Bergen County.

North Jersey News Article

Formula For Improving Your Piping

Take it one step at a time. Identify the problem. FIX IT! Identify another problem. FIX IT! Repeat as necessary until it is all FIXED!!

- Oscar Rogers

Maxville - Conclusion

I said the storm began to subside, but the weather never really cleared. The rest of the day alternated between light drizzle and steady rain. It's not like a little more precipitation mattered. At this point, it wouldn't have mattered if the skies had cleared and a huge hair dryer had descended from the heavens in a divine act of drying, everything and everyone was hopelessly, irreversibly saturated. Oddly, our so-called rain capes do very little to repel water. Someone really ought to write a letter to the manufacturer. In fact they seem to absorb and hold moisture. So what happens when you put a rain cape over a wool pipe band uniform is that you quickly become both soggy and sweaty. You move about in your own personal bubble of rainforest-like atmosphere. The only solace one has is the knowledge that one's fellow bandmates are equally uncomfortable. It's essentially a team-building exercise.

The storm quieted and a contingent headed out to discover the plan for resuming the contest. Of course we went to the beer tent, which may seem like a self-serving decision on our part, but in fact the beer tent is where pipe bands go when the weather goes sour. OK, the beer tent is where pipe bands go regardless of the weather, but the point is that it made sense to be where our fellow competitors were.

The tent was a sea of black rain capes. In one corner, a band was passing a set of pipes, belting out fast-fingered tunes in an effort to fuel the ceilidh. Everyone jostled about trading cash for tokens, tokens for beer and beer for stories of the day's chaos. Not long after we arrived, the Chief Steward came by to announce plans to resume the competition. The PPBSO might be criticized for waiting so long on the day to halt the events, given the dangerous weather, but I give them credit for maintaining good humor in dealing with a difficult situation. As the Chief Steward, an old Scottish expat whose speech retained a hint of a brogue, addressed the beer tent, explaining the times and locations where the competitions would resume, one obnoxious bandsman (probably a drummer) shouted, "No massed bands!"

"Shut yure cake hole!" the steward fired back, without missing a beat. The crowd roared with approval.

The steward then took off to go spread the word about the competition. Ten minutes later, he was back. At this point, he was beer tent favorite and the group quickly fell silent to hear his next proclamation. He rolled up in a golf cart and, like Eisenhower addressing the troops, he stepped forward and questioned, "Are there any members from the Midlothian Scottish Pipe Band here? Anyone from Midlothian?" A hush prevailed. No band members came forth.

"Alright then," he said. "Keep drinkin!"

Again cheers erupted from the tent. This guy was our hero and the best entertainment a beer tent full of weary, waterlogged pipe bands could ask for.

By the time the band competed for the second time it must have been after 5 PM. Everyone was sodden and exhausted and it's fair to say that we didn't play our best. Band competion continued until well past the time we normally would have played the closing massed bands. The rain picked up again. There were rumors of a closing ceremony being held in the big beer tent, but no official word came through. Some of the band packed it in and headed back to the hotel. Others of us headed to the big tent to grab a couple pints and await the contest results. Large swaths of the beer tent were under water. To get anywhere in the tent, you had to negotiate greasy mud pits.

In the end, the best summary of Maxville that I heard was that it was a day of extremes. It was the earliest the band had ever competed at a Games and also the latest. Of course, the weather was certainly extreme as well. I don't think any of us regret being there though. It was a lot of fun and an epic competition. A typical Games day seems tame by comparison. Writing this now, it occurs to me that some of our band members probably tucked soggy rain capes into their pouches after Maxville and never took them out to dry when they got home. The next games we're at where it rains, you'll be able to spot the Schenectady Pipe Band. We'll be the guys wearing the fuzzy green rain capes. You'll smell us from across the massed bands field. At least the capes will match our kilts . . .

Running Season stats:

QMMs Played: 3
Cake Holes Shut: 1
Kilt Hose Casualties: Too gross to tally exact figures

Maxville Part Deux

I guess the storm began about 2:30 PM. It's difficult to convey the full violence of the typhoon that bore down on us. This thing meant business. You could feel the thunder reverberate in your chest. Lightning, which came way too close to us, hissed and snapped across the sky. You had to lean into the wind to avoid being shoved around and even under the tent rain pelted us. And so, faced with an extreme and potentially life-threatening situation, the band elected to do what we do best: we partied.
What else could we do really? The band donned rain capes and dug in. Maybe it was the energy in the air from the storm, or the fact that we imbibed so heartily, believing that every sip might be our last, but whatever the reason, things got a little crazy. Everyone huddled in the middle of the tent to shield the snack table and share body heat. Out in the gale, games spectators ran for their cars and their lives, zig-zagging to avoid the lightning strikes. As one shirtless young man ran past the tent, Jennifer Munro, well on her way from a mix of LaBatts and muscle-relaxers, shouted for him to "take it off!" Clearly sensing he had nothing to lose, and without breaking his stride, the guy promptly dropped his shorts to oblige Jenn's request. It was then that I knew there would be no turning back for this party train.

The wind blew so hard that it nearly lifted our tent off the ground. I felt sure the tent would rip apart, leaving our entire encampment exposed and at the mercy of the downpour. But with our help to anchor it in place, the tent withstood Mother Nature's pummeling. In hindsight, it may not have been a great idea for us all to stand around in a lightning storm holding on to metal poles, but it seemed necessary at the time.

Remarkably, while all this was happening, the pipe band contest had not yet been officially postponed. We didn't know for sure if we were supposed to be tuning up to play in the final round of the Grade 4 contest. Our scheduled time to play fell right at the peak of the heavy weather. As the storm finally began to subside, a few us slogged off to go find out if and when the competition would resume.

- JSS

Note on the text: Thanks to various band members and friends from whom I steal all the pictures that accompany these entries. Primarily MJK and RSF.

Summer Retrospective - Part IV

The summer season was now in full swing and the band headed north to Maxville, Ontario to compete at the North American Pipe Band Championship on August 2. This year Maxville truly demonstrated its status as a continental event, drawing pipe bands from across the United States and Canada and even a band from Mexico City, the St. Patrick's Battalion Pipe Band. Maxville is a grueling competition on the best of days. With twenty five bands competing in Grade 4 this year, the sheer number of competitors necessitated a qualifying round to establish the field of bands who would ultimately compete for the top prize. So, instead of one performance, a successful band must play twice, which of course allows for twice the opportunities for something to go wrong. One might also argue that it makes a win twice as sweet. In any case, Maxville means more playing and tough competition, as the Ontario piping scene is home to a number of very strong Grade 4 pipe bands. Little did we know, however, as the day began, that the pipe band competition would be the least of our worries!

The Grade 4 qualifier began fairly early, around 10:30 AM and we were among the first to play in our qualifying heat of thirteen bands. Remarkably, everyone, including the pipe major, managed to arrive at the field on time that morning and so the band was fairly settled and well-prepared for the first round. The exception might be Kennie Farrigan, however, whose chanter fell out of his pipes on the walk over to the final tuning area, much to his chagrin. His reed did not survive the fall. Rarely has hemp so quickly been applied to a chanter or a back-up reed so hastily selected. Kennie was back in rank just before the steward came to tell us we were on. The band fell into formation and marched off (apparently a bit too quickly for the drummers) to meet our destiny.

We came off the field feeling confident about the first run. The usual post-performance self-evaluation suggested no major mishaps. It would be at least an hour before we knew if the judges agreed with our assessment. With one run down, the band headed back to camp to refuel and await opening massed bands.

Massed bands was hot. The sun beat down on us and our black vests and glengarries drank in the rays. We simmered on the shadeless massed bands field while something like a hundred pipe bands slowly assembled. Occasionally, a cloud would pass overhead, offering momentary relief from the burn. I remember praying fervently for more clouds, so maybe it was my fault that clouds aplenty would soon roll our way.

The afternoon featured good news and bad news. The good news was that the band successfully qualified to play in the final. We were, in fact, the only American band in our grade to do so. So we were psyched about that. The bad news was that the storm of the century was about to collide with Maxville.

Summer Retrospective - Part III

With our first win safely tucked away, this Pipe Major headed south to Da Beach for a brief respite from the Right, Quick, March as it were. It's important to stay focused, however, even while on vacation. Thus, beach time was devoted to catching up on old issues of the EUSPBA Voice.

As the old Scots used to say, 'The band that vacations in unison plays in unison' and so the Pipe Major rendezvoused at the beach with the ever-vigilent Drum Sergeant, who daily stood watch upon the shore, scanning the horizon for signs of a Guinness tanker in distress. Piper Jenn Munro was also on hand, serving as sandwich and Jello shot maker. Meanwhile, back home in Schenectady, the band prepared (so I'm told) for the next weekend of competition, which was to be a double-header: Glasgowlands and Rockland.

Plans changed, however, with the arrival of new band aspirant Sadie Logan Munro, born July 17, 2008! Proud Dad and Grade 4 Drum Sergeant Iain Munro decided to stay home that weekend to go over the basic drum rudiments with his new daughter and so, with the loss of our Lead Tip, and being short a few other players as well, we decided to cancel Glasgowlands and Rockland. Now that I think about it, Rockland was also a medley competition, and we weren't ready to introduce the red-headed step child to the competition scene just yet. So there were multiple reasons for the cancellation. But we never look back! From that point preparations began for the North American Championships in Maxville, Ontario . . .

At left, Sadie Logan and Aunt Jenn "Jello Shot Maker" Munro.



Running Season stats:

QMM Performances: 1
New Babies: 1
Jello Shots: Many