Between the U.S. Army, Navy, the Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard, there are hundreds of professional military bands in existence, ranging from full-on orchestras to two stoned guys with an overturned bucket and a broken kazoo. They provide music for military funerals, celebrations, parades and everywhere else where you need a lot of noise to drown out the other servicemen complaining about how they had to be in formation three hours before the whole thing even started. I recently talked to Roy, who spent eight years in just such a band, and this is what I’ve learned: Continue reading