Star Spangled Banner

Hard to believe that FSK wrote The Star Spangled Banner 200 years ago! The song is ingrained into the American psyche and tied intimately to A Roadkill Opera. Really.

Consider this:

Every performance of Roadkill Live!!! (the original 1988 sketch comedy revue in Jackson, Wyoming) and every performance of Roadkill’s Greatest Hits!!! (the 1992 revival, also in Jackson) ended with a performance of The Star Spangled Banner. Performed by an honorably-discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy. By harmonica. Through his nose. Yes, really.

Photo of Ed Bachtel plays the U.S. Nasal Academy arrangement of the national anthem, by harmonica,through his nose
Ed Bachtel plays the U.S. Nasal Academy arrangement of the national anthem, by harmonica, through his nose, in this screen-grab from the 1988 Roadkill Live!!! Note the Mae West life jackets on the right.

The more I thought about it, the more remarkable I found the demonstration of Ed’s love of country. So it became the point of the finale of A Roadkill Opera. It is alluded to on the program cover for the 2012 workshop concert. But there are more ties to the song.

Photo of hhe program cover for the 2012 workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera
The program cover for the 2012 workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera. It serves as a puzzle, too. Can you spot the X things wrong on this cover? Compare it to the poster that serves as the cover for the Roadkill Opera sheet music published in 2013, below.
Photo of the Hatch Show Print poster for the workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia
Photo of the Hatch Show Print poster for the workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia

For example, the music director and conductor for the 2012 workshop of A Roadkill Opera also sang The Star Spangled Banner at a Washington Nationals baseball game. Yes, indeed! He sounded so good, we drafted him to sing tenor (the part of Dave, the musician) in the 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera.

Four members of open5ths sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a Washington Nationals-Milwaukee Brewers game on April 17, 2010, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. From left to right is Peter Rogers, bass; Ed Hoover, tenor; Jeff Dokken, tenor; and Andy Pulliam, bass.
Four members of open5ths sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a Washington Nationals-Milwaukee Brewers game on April 17, 2010, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. From left to right is Peter Rogers, bass; Ed Hoover, tenor; Jeff Dokken, tenor; and Andy Pulliam, bass.

Sure, trained singers can carry the tune by themselves, but part of what makes the song so  special is that it sounds good when a crowd sings it. Maybe you and I don’t sing much of the range, but together, we’ve got it covered.

Play Ball!