Heh the "Ooh La La Girls." Man, in my day, Howard's entire campus could haved called the "Oh La La Girls." Never in the history of creation have so many dimes assembled in one place, for one cause--driving Ta-Nehisi Coates out of his mind. A buddy of mine graduated, and came back a year later. I found him sitting on a bench on the outskirts of the yard. "I had to sit down man," he said. "You see all these women?" Yup. Like everyday.
I have to say that one of the real highlights for me was the trek PostBourgie's Shani and I took out to Howard University, which turned into us being let in for free to the Howard-Bethune-Cookman football game. Now, Howard does not have much of a football team. But I am a big fan of any brass band that can seriously rock Drake's "Best I Ever Had." And the fact that Howard has not one, not two, but three dance teams is seriously impressive. The gender politics of having a team of dancers in skin-tight uniforms called the "Ooh La La Girls" can be debated, for sure. But go-go sure makes up for some mediocre football
Anyway, much as I loved HU's band, I always thought the lower-profile black schools were the ones that really brought the noise. It was my unscientific, unverified belief that the further South you went, and the smaller the HBCUs got, the more the band kicked ass. Anyway, check out the Mecca over at Alyssa's place.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
I used to play for the pep band at Georgetown, and I remember one time we played at a Georgetown-Howard basketball game at the then-MCI Center.
We were all dressed down, especially as there was some kind of political/financing issue between the Athletics Department and the band conductor (political? Georgetown? surely I jest..). Even if we had been in "uniform" that would have mostly consisted of us wearing slightly raggedly-looking rugby shirts.
Well needless to say the Howard band (whichever exact band it was) was a cut above, and quite literally blew us out of the stadium. They had quite some sound, quite the moves, and gleaming uniforms to boot. They were seated a bit above and in front of us, no I have to admit it was like being struck by a musical wrath of heaven. I can only imagine what "really bringing the noise" further South would be like.
I did my four years in one of the top 20 - 25 marching bands in the country, Sudler-winning and all that. And every time we met up with the bands from the traditionally-black schools for some exhibition they left our collective jaws on the FLOOR. (Well, on the grass.) I remember Morgan State and Grambling especially. I could do a hell of a lot but no way on god's green earth could I ever manage what they did, high-stepping and all.
Anyone who can get down (or up) to Allentown, PA in the fall when they have the big college band expo every fall should. You want to hear a wall of sound? You can hear some of those bands from two towns over.
Oh man, we would've invited you down to the Grape Drink Mafia/Juice Box Mafia Cold Drank Summit, but your schedule is insane.
But anyway, the Showtime Marching Band has stepped it up lately. (Of course, I was most excited when they played "Talkin Out The Side of Ya Neck.")
You left me out!
::Feels horrendously guilty:: I think we might do a holiday party when I get back from Cambodia...
And, of COURSE, as it is about as far south and east as one can go, there is VERY little like the Marching Rattlers of Florida A&M. Folks, You Tube them to see what I mean. And, T....
While there is no DOUBT about the "dimes" at Howard - then or now - indeed....you should'a come further South. Now, admittedly, I'm biased as I'm a Morehouse Man, but spelman, Spelman, SPELMAN!!!
NEVER in my LIFE had I, all in one spot, seen such black female pulchritude. And, they walked/walk around in BUNCHES. And, ALL of our hues were magNIficently represented.
What a tiiiiiime, what a TIME!
Thanks for bringing that very particular aspect of HBCU's and those very warm memories back, my man.
wow, now i feel like i've got to go south.. i've lived in NYC and often visited Montreal but this sounds like a whole different scene of 'dimes'. and not just for the beautiful women :)
As someone who has seen HBCU bands from Howard to NC A&T to SC State to FAMU (and the ones in between) I can testify that it gets better the further south you go.
p.s. Oh and the dimes get better too!
Not that it was the *first* time this had happened, but... I attended the University of Delaware vs. Delaware State football game this season. As a season ticket holder for UD and an alumnus, I've been being bored to tears by the UD marching band since I graduated. I've never been a marching band enthusiast, so I find halftime at games excruciating. DSU brought their band up to the game and did a small set before the UD band. I kept hoping the UD band would evaporate, forcing the DSU band to continue. They were fantastic. I could actually enjoy a marching band like that. I mean...
DSU did Thriller! And all the members not needing to play an instrument did the Thriller dance! And then UD came out and played a Green Day cover. So embarrassing. Three cheers for DSU.
LOL. As a woman, I don't know if I'll ever quite understand the intoxication that can be visually-triggered male lust. A good book can knock my head into the clouds for a week, but other than a briefly quickened heart rate from a pack of firemen (or the likes), the experience is alien to me.
But I do remember a comment in law school from a male buddy while we were walking through a main hang-out spot for the undergrads: "Ain't nothin' wrong with the 19-year-old body." And he really did have something on the greatness of all that exuberant flesh.
"The gender politics of having a team of dancers in skin-tight uniforms called the "Ooh La La Girls" can be debated, for sure."
Here's a letter that I wrote recently to my alumni magazine:
"I share the concern regarding sexism expressed by [an alum and parent of girls] in his letter on [sexy female] cheerleaders’ uniforms.
However, I suggest changing the male cheerleaders’ uniforms.
Attiring female cheerleaders more modestly would be to employ the dubious practice of using Puritanism to fight sexism.
The principal evil of sexual objectification is that the sex-object role is assigned to women, while society’s more powerful roles are reserved primarily for men. Sexism should be fought head on, for example in fair hiring, retention, promotion and compensation.
Let there be cheesecake, if accompanied by a proportional amount of beefcake."
Isn't there plenty of beefcake out on the field?
The Florida Classic, the annual showdown between FAMU and Bethune-Cookman, was an eye-opener for this lily-white sportswriter (in my previous career). Just outstanding music and marching.
But, damn, it made for a looooooooong game.
Norfolk State's band in the mid-80's. BEHOLD THE GREEN AND GOOOLLLDDD
Tell em about it Lucky! I was at NSU during the late 80s and when the band started cranking up "Talking out the side of your neck" you knew it was on!
Good to see some Spartan love up in here!
OT but Drake? My PE, KRS1, BDK, etc.. trained ears bleed at even the thought. Guess I'm old.
Word.
I was in the Worst Marching Band In The History Of High School Sports back in my day, so bad we were, in fact, banned from marching. So I do enjoy watching people who know what the hell they are doing.
Also: The Award-Winning Virginia Fighting Cavalier Indoor/Outdoor Precision Marching Pep Band And Chowder Society Revue, Unlimited, RIP.
I went to Rutgers University here in NJ. We played Howard maybe 3 or 4 years ago, near the peak of Rutgers' recent success. We routed the football team, but that was totally secondary for everyone in the stands. We'd heard Howard was bringing it's marching band with them, and they were going to play at halftime. Everyone was pumped, and man did they not disappoint.
Howard marching band is sick. Whatever embarrassment Howard felt for the butt wooping our team gave them was at least equaled by the embarrassment we felt for having what Howard made look like a 3rd rate marching band made up of a bunch of middle schoolers rambling around the field.
They were really awe inspiring. And all of them could dance like crazy while playing.
my dad was an alpha chapter omega at howard and he worked there until he retired this year so as a youngin in the eighties we were at all the football games so i saw all the best bands in the MEAC and other conferences roll through greene stadium. but in the fall of 85, my dad took us on the 3-4 hour drive to norfolk state to see what was thought to be the best marching band in the country at that time. man, after that show, i swear, hu stole all of their moves for the rest of the season.
when drumline came out a few years ago and the progressive white people on my job were so intrigued by the hbcu marching band culture. talking to them about it made me reminisce back to those glorious fall days in the eighties watching the ooh la la girls and loving life.
First time commenting here. Man, I can't believe I'm starting off with a band-geek thread, but there it is. I went to high school just outside of Nashville, TN, and played trumpet in a pretty decent marching band. But one of my best memories of that time was doing a show at a competition in Lynchburg, TN (home of the Jack Daniels distillery) and having the show end with an exhibition from the Alabama A&M marching band. Man, those cats could play! Screaming trumpet line, high steppin', and spinning sousaphones. In Lynchburg of all places! We were in awe.