The seventy-seven members of the Lake Stevens High School Band are favorites at football and basketball games. They consistently entertain crowds wherever they’re performing at the time.

Currently, the Viking band is competing against 33 other high school pep bands in The Rock Wood-Fired Pizza & Spirits’ School of The Rock – Battle of the Bands.

“The top prize is $10,000 and if we win it will go to buy uniforms, instruments and all kinds of stuff,” Neil Proff, Lake Stevens High School Band Director said. “With how big our program is getting to be, I would probably buy equipment.”

The Bob Rivers Show on KZOK 102.5 radio invited high school bands to perform live on the radio, which the Lake Stevens band did on Nov. 24.

The song has to be a classic rock title and they also have to make a video which can be viewed at www.bobrivers.com and YouTube.

The Vikings chose the song Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, originally by AC/DC.
Proff explained that when radio personality Spike walked into the room and saw 77 band members ready to perform, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. However, he changed his mind after the band started playing.

“We were the biggest group that has ever been in their studio,” Proff said. “After we played, Spike had a look like, this is awesome. It was very satisfying.”

While many schools focus a lot of their time on the marching side of performing, Proff likes to spend more time learning and playing music.

“We spend a lot more time on the music than we do on the marching. I would rather teach my kids to play well than march around in a uniform,” he said.

Proff is appreciative of all of the support the band has gotten over the years and is looking forward to having even more students in the near future.

“Currently, there are over 270 students currently enrolled in band in the seventh ad eighth grades, “ he said.
Voting is done through text messages only and the public can vote up to 10 times per day. The band is currently in third place with the voting ending on Feb. 2.

“If we are in the top 10 numbers of votes, then the judges panel takes over. The judges will pick their top three favorite groups,” Proff explained.

Stay tuned for the results of the Battle of the Bands 2010.

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