ANNOUNCEMENTS

EXCLUSIVE EARLY REGISTRATION FOR CRAWFORD COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS HAS CLOSED

September 30, 2024, 08:00 PM

EXCLUSIVE EARLY REGISTRATION FOR CRAWFORD COUNTY (OH) PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS ENDS 24H FROM NOW

September 29, 2024, 08:00 PM

https://sonicspotlight.com/countdown/

ATTENTION PARENTS OF CRAWFORD COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS

September 23, 2024, 11:13 AM

In the Spring of 2017, I experienced an inflection point.

Xband had completed a successful run of shows, and had finally accepted what was necessary to prepare at that level.

Xband would eventually be a victim of unfavorable enrollment trends and policies

The surrounding community was ripe with skilled and/ or talented musicians capable of keeping that torch lit.

You can witness that at many of the music performances in many of our county’s schools, but you can also witness it in performances at area churches and community theater productions…but what you CAN'T witness is what would happen if all of these incredible musicians were willing to come together.

There are too many opportunities in our county to divide our student musicians, and exactly zero that combine their skills and talents. Artificial divisions of young people are unhealthy, and the adults that foster those divisions in the name of “healthy competition” are actually contributing to that division for self-serviing reasons.

Unfortunately, the promotion to recruit members for “The Next Xband” has arrived at the ONE-WEEK-TO-DEADLINE mark with only ONE Crawford County public high school musician registered.

During this initial stage of the promotion we’ve learned that for every music teacher who has encouraged their students to explore this opportunity, there are just as many who have pretended not to know about it or have outright discouraged their students from joining.

We’ve also learned that a climate seems to exist that opportunities available in “our own backyard” tend to be discounted, disregarded, or taken for granted because we’ve seen that in practice. We have 8 messages asking about when eligibility for this promotion will expand outside of Crawford County as proof of that statement. It's an option we didn’t want to have to consider - but in one week we won’t have a choice.

We hope you'll help us keep this here - and we hope you'll help us find out what a group of united, motivated Crawford County high school musicians can do TOGETHER.

Xband ALUMNI REUNION ON 10/19/2024

September 23, 2024, 11:10 AM

Please see the posts on Facebook and Instagram if you're interested in more details.

"COME ON EILEEN" BY Xband12 STREAMING NOW

September 12, 2024, 12:03 PM

https://music.apple.com/us/album/come-on-eileen-single/1765983883

https://open.spotify.com/track/1tHj77NN24qvT5DnXKfZYP

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kkoCOqoJvAA

https://tidal.com/track/386166358?u

UPDATE 1

September 05, 2024, 10:55 AM

https://sonicspotlight.com/events/24nextxband/

Since 2006, Xband has lived in Crawford County. Early registration - which is priced at only $2.99 and open ONLY to Crawford County’s public high school musicians - is intended to encourage keeping it that way.

It’s yours to keep - or yours to lose.

Having said that...

…imagine a group made up of the best school musicians in the COUNTY.

Musicians from Buckeye Central, Colonel Crawford, Crestline, Galion, Winford and Bucyrus.

The things it could do.

The opportunities it could experience.

Getting the picture?

We know they’re out there. You know they’re out there.

Maybe you’re one of them.

There’s only one way to find out.

Don’t wait.

August 29, 2024, 08:16 PM

See you tomorrow?

August 28, 2024, 06:19 PM

6-4-2024 UPDATE

June 04, 2024, 07:21 PM

I realize it’s been awhile since you’ve seen an event. I’ve been in problem-solving mode (in more ways than one), but I wanted to let you know what I’ve been working on. If you’re one of those people who enjoys resolution and happy endings, I don’t have any of those yet, so you won’t find that in this post.

I’ll start with a prediction:

In 3-5 years, there will be a a hit song that was 95% (or more) generated by AI.

https://www.udio.com

We’ll find that out after it’s become a hit. Followers of music content creators - overnight - will no longer be sure that the creators they follow are actually displaying any talent or skill. Revenue streams from music content creation will dry up, and the only sources of revenue that will remain in the music industry will be in instrument/ equipment repairs and live music…

…until the first “live” act is caught miming over the top of an AI-generated backing track.

It goes without saying that AI will never the individual experience of playing music, but its far less certain whether audiences will show a preference for human-created, inherently-flawed performances over what AI will be churning out.

Going all-in on live music is increasingly risky from more angles than just that. Who’s liable if there’s an accident or injury at your show? The promoter? The venue? The headlining act?

It all depends on how the show was arranged, organized, and advertised - and sometimes more than one entity can be held responsible.

Those are the questions that I’m looking for answers to…and why you haven’t seen any events for longer than I had hoped.

I hope I have good news to share sometime this Fall. Meanwhile - if you perform live music or host live music events - please consider all of this. Working together with other stakeholders never hurt anything, but in the absence of that kind of cooperation, it might also be a good idea to start looking at other options.