Fans of the Big Green Marching Machine may notice an unfamiliar tune being performed by the band during Friday night's halftime show: 'Bird's Battlin' Brigade,' a piece written by Dr. Timothy Rhea, Director of Bands at Texas A&M University.
'The piece was commissioned by Carthage High School band director Nick Durham, in honor of Mr. Stuart Bird, who was the school's band director from 1981-91,' said Louis Robinett, Longview ISD Director of Bands. '(Bird) was also my band director when I was a student at Carthage High, he's the reason I'm a band director today.'
Robinett said that 'Bird's Battlin' Brigade' is a forceful composition, with minor-key melodic lines, 'that has some muscle in it.'
'It's a mean sound, in a good way,' he said, laughing. 'It's a fierce and powerful piece, which is the kind of sound that (Bird) liked and really suits a military band and the style of marching we do at Longview.'
Rhea periodically holds marching clinics with the Big Green Marching Machine and is friends with Robinett, as well as former Lobo band director Harvey Durham. Both of whom will be in attendance at the game during the performance.
'It's a tribute to a man whose influence over marching bands in East Texas remains, as well as a celebration,' Robinett added. 'It's a great way for our students to gain a deeper appreciation of something they love.'