What a Difference a Year Can Make
Just completed the first "band weekend" of the new season, with players arriving from near and far for a Friday night to Sunday afternoon extravaganza of catching up, playing, O'Hanlon's, new reeds, tunes, etc. I was SO tired on Sunday night I was ready for bed at 9 pm, and instead watch the Field Marshal Montgomery DVD. More on that later.

A year ago, this band was in dire straits: no committed drum corps or lead drummer, not enough pipers, more than a year off competing...it's all here in the blog, go back and read more about it if you have forgotten! Anyway, to be on stage at Darke Hall Saturday, or in the Legion Sunday morning, you could be forgiven for not remembering how close it was, because we had a great weekend of practice, and played both MSRs and the medley [with 2009 changes] on the floor, and did a lot of work on new music on chanters and pipes.

We had a committed, solid team out to play, and it was a lot of fun. We had a steadily improving sound throughout the weekend, and made some plans for the year ahead. So, stay tuned: it'll be a good year.

And on the FMM DVD: it is an excellent production. The band is brilliant. Pipe sound is great, playing is superb, and the historical and anecdotal interview material is interesting and nicely edited. Lots there for drummers, soloists, and trivia buffs. Support the band, buy the DVD.