Civil War Reenactor Bands

Daryl Fletcher · Post by **Daryl Fletcher** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:54 pm

The Olde Towne Brass is based in Huntsville, Alabama. There's also the 8th Regiment Band in Rome, Georgia. There are other similar groups as well, but these are two that I have heard.

Jeff Keller · Post by **Jeff Keller** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:09 pm

I currently play with the Saxtons Cornet Band. We have a few cd's out and one on the way. Check us out. www.saxtonscornetband.com. We are based out of Frankfort, KY.

Jeff

David Spies · Post by **David Spies** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:04 pm

There are two active Civil War brass bands active in southern Wisconsin.

Don Deal of the Willson Tuba Quartet is looking for an E-flat tubist for the Regimental Volunteer Band of Wisconsin. The group rehearses in Whitewater, Wisconsin and is fairly active.

He is a full-time band director, so he may be on vacation immediately before school starts. If you don't receive an email directly from him regarding the group, please email me with your contact information and I will help contact him on your behalf.

Don may be reached at ddeal@wwusd.org and I may be reached at dspies@aya.yale.edu.

There also is the First Brigade Band of Watertown, Wisconsin. Although not nearly as "authentic" as many reenactment bands, (Larger band size; not always authentic with uniform, but play authentic instruments and music) they are always looking for tubists and baritone players for the band. Their link is http://www.1stbrigadeband.org/1_home.html and they rehearse in Watertown, Wisconsin. They are quite active.

David Spies

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:28 pm

Where are you located? Here in Evansville, Indiana... there is a small group called 'Red Banks'. They are not reinactors, but rather are dubbed as a 'reunion' band. Some wear Civil War period costumes and others just go with clothes and horns that were popular around the turn-of-the-century.

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:57 am

If you are on the west coast, one of the best re-enactment bands around is the Americus Brass Band. It was formed by student musicians at Cal State Long Beach back in 1976 (when I was going to school there). I believe they were one of the bands featured in the movie Gettysburg. They portrait the band from Americus, GA.

From their website:

Anyone who wants to contact the band can reach them through the music department at California State University, Long Beach.

BVD Press · Post by **BVD Press** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:14 am

Not sure where you are located, but I just participated in a tour with The Yankee Brass Band:

http://members.valley.net/~fybi/

We do a tour somewhere in New England every year. All authentic instruments and a bunch of fun!

GC · Post by GC » Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:57 am

I play on-and-off (currently on) with the 8th Regiment Band in Rome, Ga. Our tubas ( and most of our other instruments) are all period instruments; our tubas are in various states of repair, but we have more horns than players. The band is currently about 14 players total, and the only parts that are doubled are tuba parts (all in Eb; Bb bass in this type of music is actually a euphonium-sized instrument). The music is authentic and a lot of fun to play. It requires a lot of musical independence. Give it a try; you'll like it.

Bill Troiano · Post by **Bill Troiano** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 11:26 am

I play in the Old Bethpage Restoration Village Brass Band several weekends in the summer. We have various uniforms, but we mostly wear our Civil War outifts. Most of the music is photocopied (legally) from the Library of Congress. The tuba I use is an old 4 rotary valve BBb. Pitch on all of the instruments is sharp and the pitch (scale) overall is a handful on most of the instruments. The regular players have made it work just through the experience of playing the horns for many years. Our leader and Eb cornet player is Dr. Kirby Jolly who also plays in the Yankee Brass Band.

Teubonium · Post by **Teubonium** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:19 pm

Check out the 4th Artillery Regimental Brass Band at the following site:

http://4thartillerybrassband.com/index3.htm

They are based in Denver, and the site has lots of nice photos from various performances.

The founder/leader owns most of the antique instruments that they use. His collection includes many OTS horns and a few ophicleides. He also owns 6 raincatcher sousies. There is a picture on the site of the world's only raincatcher sextet!

Daryl Fletcher · Post by **Daryl Fletcher** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 2:58 pm

Teubonium wrote: There is a picture on the site of the world's only raincatcher sextet!

That's really cool!

Lew · Post by **Lew** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 5:34 pm

Daryl Fletcher wrote:
Teubonium wrote: There is a picture on the site of the world's only raincatcher sextet!

That's really cool!

I believe that one of their raincatchers is a Buescher Eb that I sold to them a few years ago. I used it at a tuba Christmas in NYC one year, but wasn't really playing Eb much at the time and needed the room mroe than the horn. There are times that I wish I still had it, but it's good to see it get some use.

JimG · Post by **JimG** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 12:34 am

If you are in the North Texas area, check out the Frontier Brigade Band. Top notch! (even if I do say so myself)

JimG · Post by **JimG** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 12:36 am

oops, forgot the website.
http://www.frontierbrigadeband.com/

Alex F · Post by **Alex F** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 2:13 pm

Interesting subject. With the sesquicenteniel of the Civil War a few years away, maybe some new bands will form. It would be nice to see one here in Chicago/Northern Illinois. The only Illinois based group that I know of is the 33d Illinois Volunteers from Bloomington, about 150 miles SW.

While doing some research on this subject, I cam accross this set of instructions issued by General Philip Sheridan to one his bands just before the battle:

"Play the gayest tunes in [your] books .... Play them loud and keep on playing them, and never mind if a bullet goes through a trombone, or even a trombonist, now and then."

TubeNet

Civil War Reenactor Bands

cw bands

Civil War Reenactor Bands

CWB