Rehearsal Report #3

February 1, 2026

Facts about Megaband:

Advance Admission is now live on the MB web site. Band members do NOT need to purchase admission. Family, friends, everyone else does. Checks made out to PCDC. You’ll be able to get advance admission for people next week at rehearsal. The MB flier has a QR code you can use to reach the proper website (https://www.portlandmegaband.com .

Swag: Mug and Tote Bag procurement and sales will be managed by Norman, who stood up. Sign-up sheet on stage to order MB swag. Contact Norman at designedforlife@me.com if you would like to order swag and didn’t sign the sheet.

T-Shirt signups next week. Samples and design will be here at next rehearsal.

After Party: Signup for that will begin next week as well. See Lori, who heroically stood up with her very bad knee).

Mike Voss: Home and doing much better. Thanks for all your good wishes.

Doughboy: Played very slowly with swing emphasized. Keep practicing that at home. Bar A8, lift of that first half note, shorten it a bit. In A2 bars 5-6, pay attention to the ties

– Switch Dough to Joe: Pop off that last G half note, leave a hole and land solidly and with alacrity on Joe. Be careful not to drag the tempo at the switch.

– Ending: Add a tag onto the end of the tune. No ritard. In the tag, backups play a G, then C chords. Melody players play a B and a C half notes. Pop off the C in bar B8, then B and C. So it sounds like C!, Beeee-C! (notation is attached.)

Returning set from last year.

A variation of Fatal Bert was to have only mic’d backup and horns play. May add percussion to that variation.

Rumblestrip sounded great at the slow (84) speed. We’ll pick it up. There’s a variation on Rumblestrip: Mic’d backup play only every-other bar. Play bars 1, 3, 5 and 7. Percussion play through. We also tried having the whole band playing only B 1, 3, 5, 7. When we do that, everyone come in the last two bars of B1 and B2 to keep it from getting too repetitious.(Notation for the variation is attached—both regular and easier versions).

First two tunes are carry-overs from last year. Keep them crisp and lilty.

There are options for what to do with the staccato high G that starts each phrase of the A part.

How will we ever choose what to do? Don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.

On Pirate, for everyone but Piano and mic’d guitar, don’t play off-beats in bars A1 and A9. Piano and guitar do play those off-beats at your discretion. Last bar of B1 should be an E chord.

Do play the quarter note pickup to Old Wife.