Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Paris Capers | DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (May 15, 2016) U.S. Marines and Sailors with Rivercity, an...... read more read more
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“Traditionally, rivercity is a setting we implement for the commander to limit Internet and phone access for shipboard personnel,” said Gunnery Sgt. Lagarian Smith, a cyber security technician for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We‘ll change the condition for the sake of operations security if we have a mission or important planning come up we can’t have leaking out.”
Rivercity is also the clever name of an all-volunteer band of three Marines and five Sailors aboard the USS Boxer. The group’s pitch perfect singers and instrumentalists on guitars, drums, bass and even saxophone help maintain higher morale and make the Navy-Marine Corps team stronger.
Though the origin of the name is debatable, all the members agree it’s catchy, and that’s a good start.
“We are a band of military personnel from all walks of life and across the ranks joined together to put on entertainment for the ship’s events and purposes.” Smith said. “Everyone had their own reasons for showing up, but we stay for the team.”
The career Marine’s lifelong love for music and talent for singing earned him a place on the lineup, but the band’s potential to affect the rest of the crew is what convinced him and others to stick around. The volunteers felt a live show by people actually around ship could be a huge morale booster, according to Smith, who explained how the local celebrities could bridge gaps between people of all kinds.
“I was sold before they tried convincing me, but by doing what we love we could help bring the Sailors and Marines closer together on our ship. How could I refuse?” said Smith. “We went forward practicing before we even knew when, if at all, we’d perform.”
Day-to-day missions and responsibilities always come first during deployment, so the new band practiced their songs before and after hours to work on their harmony.
Two weeks after auditions and with a few practices under their belts, the first performance was at a Steel Beach event in May aboard the Boxer’s flight deck. Games, sports competitions and food were set up and laid out for the troops to unwind after a long stretch at sea. It was a hot day, and the new Rivercity held their debut show. They weren’t amazing just yet, but they didn’t take a nose-dive, and that was a start.
“There wasn’t much interest at that first show,” said U.S. Navy Seaman Albert Banner, a mechanic aboard the U.S.S. Boxer and bass player for Rivercity. “We played what we practiced, but there wasn’t much interaction from the crowd. We did well, but could have done better for sure. More practice could have helped us out, but we’ve all got jobs to do.”
Following a less than stellar debut, the team discussed the event and asked themselves where else they could have done better. According to Banner and Smith, the answer was clear: give the people music they want.
“We recognized if the crowd heard songs they knew played by a live band they would enjoy it more, so we rebuilt our set,” Banner said. “We added and learned some of today’s chart toppers, and iconic songs from the past, sometimes with a twist. We were ready, and it paid off the second time around.”
Rivercity’s second gig was on an actual stage in Dubai, aboard a Naval installation with a traveller’s “Oasis” for service members to relax in. They took to the stage for the second time during this deployment cycle and rocked the house.
“We did way better in the Oasis,” said Banner. “The crowd went nuts when we played certain songs, and then got even more excited for the next one. People were dancing and cheering and clapping— mingling and really enjoying themselves, and it was a great experience.”
During their Dubai performance, the band wowed the crowd with a reggae rendition of a popular R&B song. With the help of an enthusiastic attendant, they set the bar high for any crew coming after them.
The secret to success as a ship’s band, according to Banner, is the passion each of the bands members have for music combined with music’s soothing qualities.
“I’m personally in love with music. It’s my passion, and the other bandmates feel the same,” Banner said,“ so when I think about being deployed and away from my family for this long, being in a band that I can actually perform with is one of the things that keep me going. We’re helping the team out here, one song at a time.”
Paris.capers@boxer.usmc.mil
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| Date Taken: | 08.14.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2016 04:09 |
| Story ID: | 207012 |
| Location: | U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
| Web Views: | 585 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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