Brandon Highland Festival

This weekend the CRPB launched it's 2011 contest season with a trip to Brandon, MB and the Brandon Highland Festival. The Brandon contest is always on the edge of spring—sometimes fully indoors, and sometimes solos indoors in the morning, and bands outside in the afternoon. This year, the heavy rain started Friday, the temperatures dropped, and 15cm of snow blew in through Saturday and into Sunday, preventing some people from getting to the games, and almost keeping us in Brandon an extra night.

Regardless, the games went on, and the CRPB put in two solid performances, with one drumming win and one piping win against a very well rehearsed competitor. Given that this was the first time out with the new drum corps [about half the snare line, as it turned out], and three new sets, there was a lot to be happy about. One of the really cool moments for me personally was getting to the line, turning to start the band, and seeing two very old friends standing ready in the drum line. The last time that I played in a band with these guys was in 1991, in another lifetime! In the months since Blair "Buz" Brown and Roland Reid have joined the band, they have both worked tirelessly and with humour to bring their significant skills and experience to bear on the band, and we're all better for it.

Sunday morning was a 9:30 start for a great band practice in Brandon [after fighting through several inches of snow in the school parking lot], and we worked on some bits and pieces, played through the material, and made note of things to work on individually.

In short, a great start to the new year, with a very refreshed band, and a successful first run with the new team.