Before the
drumline put on their uniforms, the band parents and Mr. Franklin
painted their faces white and black to transform them into
Halloween Zombies.
After getting
their faces painted, the drumline went outside to practice before
they had to get on the bus. They know a
drumline battle is ahead and they want to make sure they are
ready to win!
Photo by Elijah Goode
One Zombie Drummer just had to
get some fresh air while waiting for the buses to pull off.
When the band
arrived in Newark, they got into formation and were ready to
march down the street as soon as the command was given. In the
meantime, they did a little performing for the people on the
street.
There are many
arts and cultural groups that perform in this parade each year.
One of the other groups that marched in the parade near us was
the Taino Center.
One of our chief rivals from
previous years was ready to take us on as soon as the parade was
over. That was the Shabazz marching band who were just ahead of
us. In this photo, they are marching towards the grandstand at
Washington Park where we will meet up with them and face off.
When it was our turn to go
marching down the street, the East Orange Band drum majors did
their fancy steps dance at every chance they got. You can see
some of their performances in the video below.
Photo by Elijah Goode
The Band was
dwarfed by the NJPAC building as the Band marched on by.
The main rule for
a Band Battle is that the bands keep at it until one band is left
standing and playing by itself as the other band walks away. It's
not a popularity contest. It's decided by the bands themselves.
Despite what the crowd thinks, or what the Internet fans think
when seeing these videos, the last band standing is the band that
wins!
While facing the
Shabazz drumline, the East Orange drumline played their response.
Many in the crowd were surprised to find out that one of our most
talented snare players was only 12 years old. The drum battles
actually came inbetween full band battles, but because they were
videoed on a different camera, we don't know the timing, so we
present them as two separate battles.
