Football season may be over, but N.C. State’s drumline is ready to get back on the football field come August. The line is prepared to once again showcase their talent alongside the other sections of the marching band.
Members of the drumline have expressed their excitement over what is to come while also looking back on their experiences this past season.
The group had their share of stress and struggles last year. The drumline had three shows to memorize, as well as the military appreciation show performed each year.
“Pretty much what it came down to was cram notes, cram notes, cram notes, play it once or twice, forget, get new notes,” Troy Larimer , a sophomore in mechanical engineering, said.
Along with the stress that came with constantly memorizing new music, Larimer recalled the feeling of concern over the performance of each show.
“We weren’t able to sit down and get quality and build the show up from status quo level to something we’re proud of,” Larimer said. “It’s always we need to know this as fast as we can so we can play it. Okay, now forget it, here are some new notes.”
Though learning such a large amount of music for an audience of 60,000 was a stressful undertaking, members of the drumline agree the sacrifices were worth the experiences.
For Larimer , one such moment was when he was featured on the Jumbotron for tearing his drum at the homecoming game against Clemson.
“During the interference play, where people ram out notes, there was a huge pop and I looked at my drum, and the head shattered,” Larimer said. “So I just picked up the drum, and everyone turned around and was just screaming at the broken drum. And I look at the Jumbotron and I was on the Jumbotron.”
With dedication and teamwork, the group has gained a reputation as one of the more recognized drumlines out there, with credit to the determination of their members and their drumline instructor, John Antonelli .
“I don’t want to toot our own horns but we’re one of the best drumlines on the east coast right now, and we’re just going to get even better,” Antonelli said.
For Antonelli , the players’ dedication helps make the drumline work so well.
“It’s the people,” Antonelli said. “The people make it great, want to work hard and want to make it the best it can be.”
In turn, the team gives a great deal of credit to Antonelli’s direction.
“John Antonelli is a fantastic instructor who really hits on the basics of drumming,” Larimer said. “If you don’t have a strong base, then anything else you put on top of it is going to fall down.”
While practice requires a level of seriousness and determination, the team also shares numerous inside jokes, such as giving a special name to beats they consider to be nicely played.
“We play phat beats,” Chris Lusuriello , a sophomore in meteorology, said. “Whenever we play something that sounds good, it’s phat.”
However, being a part of such a big organization does not exclude occasional conflicts between various sections of the band, such as disagreements over the pace for different parts of the performance.
“We can have different interpretations of tempo,” Lusuriello said. “When we’re serious about something, we tend to notice things more. When you’re passionate about something, you want to do something about it.”
With the small conflicts aside, members of the drumline agree they considered themselves one of the closest groups in marching band from all the experiences they have had together.
“We’re a family away from home. We put so much work in what we do. It’s the most tightly knit group in the band, probably the biggest family I’ve ever been in with 32 people,” Lusuriello said.
“Drumline really is a brotherhood,” Larimer said. “Anyone who’s in the drumline , I have their back, and they have mine. We are part of a central cause, and we all have similar beliefs. It’s an awesome organization and it’s an awesome feeling to be a part of this drumline.”