|
Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
frank@sinfoniantattler.com
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
scott@sinfoniantattler.com
Phil Wilson, Tattler Staff
phil@sinfoniantattler.com
Tommy House, Tattler Webmaster
tommy@sinfoniantattler.com
Not Pictured:
Travis Bryant, Tattler Staff
travis@sinfoniantattler.com
|
|
 
|
|
The Downbeat
|
|
|
Frank
Miles, Tattler
Editor
|
|
|
|
Spring is right around the corner and it’s time to
spring into another issue of The Sinfonian Tattler.
This issue is the most important text you will read
today because it contains all the information you need to get geared up for
the Second Annual Iota Nu Alumni Weekend. More than even homecoming, this
event is quickly becoming THE alumni event of the year. This is your best
chance to interact with the present and the future brothers of Iota Nu and
to find out what you can do to support your beloved Sinfonia.
Last year’s alumni weekend brought in 19 alumni, an
impressive number for a first-time attempt. Our goal for this year is to
double that attendance to 38, but at press time we only had 12
confirmations. There are more than 100 of you who haven’t RSVP’d the e-vite yet, so the
potential for a big crowd is there. We promise you will not have more fun
this year than you will on March 10 if you show up. Even if you can’t make
the afternoon events, and you can’t stay for milk and cookies late into the
night, at least come to Barnhill’s at 5:30 p.m. and break bread with your brothers.
You gotta eat, don’t you?
Speaking of eating, there’s plenty for you to feast on
this month in the Tat, so read on!
|
|
(Back to top)
|
|
Alumni Weekend: The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown
Scott Erb,
Tattler Staff
Greetings Brothers!
As promised I have more details about the upcoming
Iota Nu Alumni Weekend. After many discussions, board meetings and
double-secret talks the agenda has been somewhat set, and whatnot.
Who: YOU!!!
What: Second Annual Iota Nu Alumni Weekend
Where: Troy
University for
starters; other tour stops along the way
When: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Dawn
‘til Dusk (and then Dusk ‘til Dawn!)
Why: Because Phi Mu Alpha
Rocks!
The most important times to remember:
12:30 p.m.:
Meet at the SOTS loading dock
We’ll get together to say hi
and provide details for the day’s various activities (which may include
anything from golf to Halo)
5:30 p.m.:
Dinner at Barnhill’s
Time
to chow down at the buffet and talk about how we can be more
active as alumni Sinfonians.
7:45 p.m.:
Chapter Interaction
Location TBA, loads of
music, and when the singing’s done, the partying begins! (The word is
that the “new” boys have challenged the “old” boys to a green book
party. Who will stand, who will
fall? Only one way to find out.)
The University’s annual Spring Alumni Reunion is also
set for that weekend, so we encourage you to take part in some of those
activities and show your loyalty to the Alma Mater (more details below).
We look forward to seeing you on March 10 at the
Second Annual Iota Nu Alumni Weekend. If you have any questions you can
call:
Lance Holman
(334-714-3629)
Scott Erb
(205-542-9700)
Frank Miles
(334-328-5108)
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
Alma Mater Beckons Your Return
Frank Miles,
Tattler Editor
Just in case Iota Nu isn’t giving us enough to do, Troy University is hosting its annual
Spring Alumni Reunion the same weekend, March 9-10, on campus.
If you’d like to make the trek to Troy on Friday, you can check in at the
Alumni House (on the corner of George
Wallace Drive and Highland Avenue) beginning at 4
p.m. At 4:30, an alumni cookout will be held adjacent to Riddle-Pace
Field, and at 6 p.m. the Trojans host Sun Belt rival Middle Tennessee
State on the baseball diamond (at press time, the Trojans are 8-3 with
wins over Alabama and fourth-ranked Arkansas).
For you runners who are looking for something to do
Saturday morning, there’s the Nick Costes
Memorial Run on the Shackleford Quad at 8:30
a.m. Contact Dr. Robert Thrasher at 334-670-5763 for more information.
The weekend is also the culmination of Troy’s Irish Week
celebration, so at noon feel free to enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day parade
along University Avenue.
At 12:30, don’t forget to meet at the band room
loading dock with your fellow Iota Nu alumni. At that time, you may
choose to hit the links, call a bluff or blow something up. Or you can
head over to the Tailgate Terrace for some special events leading up to a
1:30 kickoff for a spring football scrimmage. I have a feeling that no
matter what happens, the Trojans will win.
Whenever you arrive and whatever you choose to do,
just be sure to get yourself over to Barnhill’s by 5:30 for some Fob-tastic food and fun.
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
Troy Alumni Gather to Discuss… Troy
Scott Erb,
Tattler Staff
On a cold Saturday morning I got up and headed to the
Trojan Arena for the Winter Alumni Conference. Twice a year the alumni
association hosts conferences for all alumni chapter officers. The
conference is a time where chapters can meet and discuss ideas among
fellow alumni. This gives Faith Ward, Alumni Director, the opportunity to
meet and discuss the goals for the upcoming year.
2007 has started off to be a great year and is full of
possibilities. Coach Blakeney spoke about the
outstanding season the football team had last fall. He looks forward to
keeping the title this year.
A new position has been created in the alumni affairs
office, Coordinator of Membership and Chapter Development. This person
will be the official liaison for each chapter to the national alumni
association. Lindsay Hopper has accepted this position and plans to start
March 1.
Faith talked about the exciting events for The Spring
Reunion which is set for March 9-10.
Roger Shultz, Associate Athletic Director, and Alicia Bookout, talked about the new Warrior Club that the
athletics department has developed. The club is a new donation
opportunity that will help athletics cross the board. They also started a
points-based system that is designed to help those supporters that have
given over the years to Troy athletics.
More details in future issues.
After the conference was over the Emerald Coast
Chapter provided us with a great seafood lunch. The conference concluded
as we watched Troy win over ranked Arkansas in baseball
that afternoon.
All in all, it was a great time of camaraderie and
fellowship. These conferences are great in that they help chapters learn
what works and doesn’t work for each chapter. Synergy is created as ideas
are bounced off each other to help the overall association grow as a
whole. We are all on the same team with the same purpose…TROY!!!
(Back to top)
|
|
Notes in the Key of Troy
Alumni Weekend
On March 10 the Iota Nu chapter will be hosting its
Second Annual Alumni Weekend. We plan to have a lot of activities such as
golf, poker, Halo and any other suggestions that we might get from
alumni. After we get done with our activities, the alumni are going to
enjoy some fellowship and eat at Barnhill’s here in Troy. The downbeat for the musical
extravaganza with the chapter is at 8:30 p.m. For more information
regarding the activities on March 10, please e-mail me at grasshopper386@yahoo.com.
SEUS Weekend A
Big Success!!!
I would like to thank all the alumni brothers who came
back and visited us on SEUS weekend. There was a pretty large turnout and
we were able to see a lot of brothers that haven’t been here in a long
time. We had some brothers that crossed back in the early and
mid-nineties. It was very refreshing and enlightening to hear what it was
like back then and to hear about their personal experiences. It’s
interesting to see how much the chapter has grown and changed over the
years, but it’s even funnier when people tell you things about their
experiences and you realize that some things just never change. I would
just like to thank each one of you guys who attended one last time for
coming and helping us. If you are interested in how the chapter is doing
or you just want to come down and visit or come to a meeting e-mail me at
grasshopper386@yahoo.com
for more details.
Singing
Val-O-Grams
This past month we brought back the Singing
Val-O-Grams. We had booths in the Trojan Center
and sold our singing services to those who wanted to have their woman (or
man) serenaded to. It turned out to be a huge success. We had quite a bit
of sales considering no one has seen the chapter do this in years. For
five dollars people could get us to meet their significant other
somewhere and we would give them a card, a rose, and we would sing “Let
Me Call You Sweetheart” to them. The people seemed to love it and I have
high hopes that next year it will do even better.
Current
Officers of Iota Nu Chapter (Updated)
President – Martin Sager
Vice President – Jamie Gray
Treasurer – Lance Holman
Secretary – Chris Hall
Alumni Relations Officer – Lance Holman
F.E.O. – Jamie Gray
Warden – Aaron Slayback
Historian – Robert Lee
Music Director – Scott Sexton
Faculty Advisor – Dr. John Jinright
Ray Smith
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
Q&A: Jason Gray, IN ‘95
Scott Erb,
Tattler Staff
Tat:
What are you up to these days?
Jason:
Well I am in good 'ole Millbrook, Alabama.
I am still an Elmoron. I teach seventh and
eighth grade literature at Chapman
Christian Academy
in Millbrook. I have taught there since 2000. I am still a full time
police officer in Millbrook. I have been with the police department for a
total of eight years. It is the greatest job in the world... sometimes.
Tat:
How has the Fraternity impacted your life?
Jason:
There are so many Sinfonians, it is unreal. I have gone to several
places since Troy,
and I always seem to find the music side of things. You know I never did
like talking to strangers… Haha… yeah right!
Anyhow, the biggest impact is the brotherhood. You are never a stranger
when you meet another brother.
Tat:
How has the training in the Fraternity influenced your career?
Jason:
PATIENCE! One BIG influence.
Remember that "Everything is for a reason" slogan? Or in my Big
Brother's version, "Everything is a Reason?" Good 'ole Ashley
Waller. HAHA! Well, that has helped me in numerous ways. I do not have
all the "reasons" for everything in life, but I have an
understanding that it’s all part of a grand plan. I also learned to pay
attention to detail, which is very important as a police officer. And I
trust people a little more until they gave me a reason not too. That is
very unusual for police to do. All of that is because of Phi Mu Alpha.
Tat:
Are you involved with Phi Mu Alpha?
Jason:
Up until I went to a recent
probationary education function in February, no. But I am determined to
be involved and help keep the Iota Nu chapter alive and vibrant. I have
sent my alumni information to the national headquarters, so I guess that
is a small involvement.
Tat:
Who is the last Sinfonian from the Iota Nu chapter to whom you have
spoken?
Jason:
I answer this with great honor.
The one and only, infamous "Lumberjack" himself. The Great
"Undertaker" of all time, Jamie Grimsley.
I saw Jamie at the function, and it was the first time I had seen him in
FIVE years. It was so good to see him again.
Tat:
How was the probationary function?
Jason:
Without a doubt, GREAT! That
was the first time in years that I had sang any of those songs. It was
inspiring. The active brothers are very musical and seem to have things
on track. The numbers disturb me, but the numbers will come. It was like
I had been gone for a day or two as opposed to 10 years. I picked right
back up! What a night!
Tat:
What offices did you hold with the Iota Nu chapter?
Jason:
Well, I was president in the
spring of 1998, I think. You may have to check the date on that. I was
only in office for a short time, but nevertheless, I was president. It
was an honor. I had big shoes to fill. President Grimsley
was without a doubt one of the most fulfilled presidents of my time. The
office I was most proud of and my favorite was the office of being an active
Brother. Being an active Brother was awesome! That was the most
rewarding!
Tat:
Your fondest memory of Troy; of being a Brother; of Phi Mu Alpha, etc.?
Jason:
There are so many! Surely
(don't call me Shirley), the "whiskey" comes to mind. I guess I
was the only one up to that time and here after to ever have done that!
HAHA! Poor 'ole David Hicks. I don't know if the look on his face or mine
was the most shocking! Haha! I do know that my
sinus troubles were null and void for awhile. I also remember 800 South Brundidge (Suckage)
Street. I tried my damndest one time to blow
the top note from "Summertime" with Casey's trumpet and ended
up in the "Edge of Death" emergency room because my blood
pressure went out the roof! That was something! And I guess the other memory that comes to the surface would be
one Halloween band party that Rocky dressed like me in my green britches
with three pillows. He really was wearing my green britches. I still have
those britches, by the way. HAHAHA! Do I still wear them? Well, if those
of you who read this know well enough, you know the answer to that!
Tat:
I always wanted to know the origin of "MoFo"!!!
Jason:
The name MoFo
originated at the time me and Casey were signing up for the league. We
thought we were going to a meeting about the league and not THE MEETING.
At the end of the meeting of captains, Shane (head of intramural sports)
said that all captains need to come forward and register their teams and
post the names. I told Shane that I had not spoken with the players about
the name and that I would get back to him. He said that it was the last
day and I said MO................FO. Instead of the irty-dirty
real thing. Casey looked at me and I looked at him and there it was. Now
the green and gold colors truly were all me. I have never been a
coordinator of colors so I thought they were good together. But oh
well...
I have enjoyed this Q&A. It has
given me a chance to relive some of the "good times." I do wish
I could go back in time to my days of Troy. They were without question the
best of my life. Please keep me and my wife in your prayers as we live
each day with the loss of our son, Cameron Shane Gray. I have bad days,
but I push forward. To those from whom I heard during that time, thank
you. And to those that were unable to contact me
or did not know until after the fact, thank you, too. I know your hearts
and prayers were there.
My son was the most influential person
in my life. His short stay with us did more for my life than anything
that I have ever experienced. He was a strong little boy.
Thank you, "Tattler" for
allowing me to once again live as a Sinfonian! God Bless!
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
SEUS Weekend Wrap
Phil Wilson,
Tattler Staff
February 1-3 marked Troy’s 34th year of the
Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands, otherwise
know as SEUS. In keeping with tradition, Troy hosted many students, directors
and parents during the three-day event. Several high school bands from
across the southern part of the U.S. prepared and presented
concerts as auditioned students learned from the honor band conductors.
The highlight of the weekend was the Symphony Band Concert directed by
Ralph Ford, Director of Bands and fellow Sinfonian, on Friday night. The
Symphony band performed a piece by conductor in residence Stephen Melillo, which incorporated pre-recorded music,
multimedia and live instrumental sounds. It was a true sight to behold.
One of the greatest parts of the weekend for me is
seeing all of the alumni that come back to hear or escort their students
to the honor band. It is always interesting to see brothers who you
haven’t seen in awhile (which is why we all need to participate in the
Alumni Weekend March 10!) and meet new ones. The active brothers of Iota
Nu held their annual alumni luncheon and I got the chance to mingle with
a few of them and then meet the new class of interested men who are
seeking membership into our fraternity. I can remember being in their
shoes and hearing names of alumni brothers and meeting them and finally
putting a face to a name. It was truly a revealing weekend.
SEUS will continue to go on and be a weekend of music,
fun, interactions and reflections. Thank you to the active and graduate
brothers who continue to make Sinfonia shine
and keep alive the tradition of SEUS.
|
|
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
Down Memory
Lane with Bobby Black, IN ‘93
Tommy House,
Tattler Staff
 "HERE
COMES A CAR!!!" was the last thing I heard before Will Boartfield
landed on top of me. Moving the organ was the least of my worries… however,
moving Will off of me was. That memory alone stands out to me as one I
will never forget… and neither will my back.
All kidding aside, I had an amazing time in good ol' TROY!
Bradley Grantham’s father once told me that classes got in the way of my
education. I couldn’t agree more with that statement. I didn’t let that
happen. I just didn’t go to class. School wasn’t right for me but Phi Mu Alpha was, and it was one of the best decisions I
ever made. It was against my father’s advice as I’m sure it was a lot of
yours. I remember him telling me that it would be a waste of time and
money and that later on in life I would lose track with everyone and it
wouldn’t matter in my life anymore. I am very happy to say that he now
sees what a mistake he made in telling me that.
Memory Lane is a great road to go down. Here’s one: How
‘bout the night “Whisky,” as he is now referred to, decides to pick up
the bottle of Jack instead of choosing one of the two glasses of tea we had
setting out there for him. What a look on his face!
How many times have you guys heard Burt Pitts say “Let’s go get some COCK!”?
I am proud to say my pledge class was the first one to
ever road trip Allen Gray and I am also proud to say I was the only
pledge to get away from him without suffering the consequences… but he
did get me later.
My paddle! What can I say about that mere piece of
wood? I did finish it that next week and it was good.
The HOUSE OF BEEF saw a lot of things in its day… may
it rest in peace.
Movie nights in Montgomery
were always a fun time. The trip to Evansville
was a trip to remember. Singing to the HOOTERS girls in Evansville and being the bartender for
Royce’s drinking games… that he lost to his little brother. OIL SLICKS! After
10 he was ready to fight but couldn’t stand to save his life.
I have to say that I always new music was important in
my life but Phi Mu Alpha made me realize it was
the biggest part of my life. Every night during the show I tell the
audience members that music is a part of everyone’s lives whether they
know it or not. There is a beat of rhythm we all live our lives to.
Finding the harmony within that is what makes it all worth it.
Hope all is well with everyone and if anyone is out in
Las Vegas
please look me up!
(Back to top)
|
|
HIGH
NOTES
Joey Mitchell
& Mandy wedding
The wedding will be in Statesboro,
GA at Believers Church
at 3:00 on June 9th 2007. Everyone is welcome to come.
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
Travis Bryant ,
Tattler Staff
Welcome to da’dump! Each month Tattler
staffers scour the web and lurk in dark corners to find cool and fun
stuff. From here you’ll get a glimpse into what is going on and who is
doing it. And anything and everything is fair game. So if you know of
something cool and neat that folks should check out send it to us and
we’ll see if it fits the program! Email Travis
Bryant with your cool link.
Welcome to the latest Link Dump. We have a big ol' Dump this month brimming with music linkage
offering tons of tunage. Feel free to click
along as we see what some pros, wanna be pros
and a few newbie mashups have to offer!
Our first stop shows us just how big YouTube
has gotten and is going to get. The Barenaked
Ladies' latest video features famous faces from
viral videos over the past year and a half. The band collected their faves last year and agreed to add another 45 seconds
to everyone's 15 minutes of fame. And since all the music channels on
cable are showing trashy *reality* shows about trashy people wanting to
be trashy stars... online venues may be the only place to find the latest
offerings by your favorite artists. So placing the soapbox aside we link
you to BNL's "Sound of Your Voice."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoFMRXlNJ6Y
Now we zip over from the Canadian crooners all the way down to Austin, Texas.
SXSW kicks off March 9, with the actual SXSW Music Festival running March
14-18 featuring 1,300 acts! If you can't make it to Austin, have no fear we have found this
year's torrent stream for you. That's right, 139 MP3s by 139 artists all
slated to perform at this year's festival (it's a 3.1GB download so check
your HD space before downloading). And while we at the Dump haven't had
time to listen to ALL the songs we're hoping the festival folks weeded
out the weaker artists. So check it out for yourself and let us know.
For the tunes:
http://2007.sxsw.com/blogs/plat.php/2007/02/19/don_t_miss_the_sxsw_toolbox
The SXSW official Music Festival page:
http://2007.sxsw.com/music/
Here's a couple of links showing what some clever (and some not so
clever) folks can do with a copy Garage Band, a bag of Cheetos, six bottles of Mountain Dew and a ton of
free time.
First they mash up one whole song and cram the licks and riffs into 60
seconds. Let me just tell you that some
are better produced than others, but you won't get bored with any of
them. They hop around fast back and forth from beat to beat. If you have
an attention problem, you won't need your pills while perusing all the
MP3s on this next site full of 60 Second Song Remixes.
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/01/the_sixty_secon.html
But if you're more interested in an artist's complete work and curious
about what a band was trying to say with their album, you can pick up the
high notes by checking out "Ten Albums in Ten Minutes." It's
another remix mashup that sort of resembles
Cliffs Notes for pop music.
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/02/ten_albums_in_t.html
Till Next month!
|
|
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
Troy
March
9 – 10 – Alumni Weekend
19 – 23 – Spring Break
Band
March
14 – 16 State Band Festival
31 – B’ham AL Jazz Hall of
Fame
|
|
(Back to top)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
