Originally Posted by DC Ron
Ivy! Cool and very funky. Nicely played, arranged and mixed! Loved the playing-in-uniform pic.

Army bands have improved a TON of morale and built another ton or two of goodwill over the years. Sadly, many have been disbanded since 2005, which was SO shortsighted...

DC-

I am unsure how many Soldiers I played for over my 22 year career. But I can tell you, when we showed up at one of those tiny FOBs (and I mean tiny... maybe just a platoon), they were just fantastic. Those guys were so appreciative. I mean, how often do you play a Pat Metheny tune and have a 18 year kid from Boston ask, "Who wrote that? That's the coolest music I've ever heard."

When I came into the Army, we had 62 active duty bands world wide. Now there are only 16.

All those photos were from Iraq. Yes, we did have other duties.. not very pleasant and not worth talking about. But, we also kept our musical mission... a testament to the high level of musicianship of my fellow Soldiers. I wish I had recordings of the groups (we did everything from Woodwind Quintets, Jazz Quartet, 3 Rock Bands, Country Band (we opened for Charlie Daniels... at the big FOB Camp Liberty. He didn't go to the far flung, tiny places), and full on Salsa band w/horns). This Army band was LOADED with talent.

Thanks for giving it a listen. Just exercising a few demons as I approach the 20th anniversary of our deployment.

Warmest regards,

Steve Mohacey
mohacey@satx.rr.com
https://www.reverbnation.com/stevemohacey