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.

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.

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.

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!