Cal Poly Humboldt’s marching band members form bonds through their unique performances
By Savana Robinson
From playing on a carousel in Cloverdale to marching in a parade in San Francisco to performing in Battle of the Bands at UC Davis, the Cal Poly Humboldt Marching Lumberjacks play a variety of gigs around northern California.
Alfie Chiper, junior environmental science and management major and clarinetist for the Marching Lumberjacks, pointed out their favorite gig.
“I think my favorite that we do — and it’s actually coming up this week — we play for the St. Patrick’s [Day] parade in San Francisco, and I really like that one,” Chiper said. “It’s just super cool to be in such a big city and have so many people watch us and listen to us and like, feel our energy and stuff.”
The Marching Lumberjacks, created in 1968, are the oldest student-run organization at Cal Poly Humboldt, according to Tati Bond, who is in charge of public relations for the band. Bond also said there are currently about 40 members in the band.
Jessi Fleming, senior studio art major, tuba player and axe major (or conductor) for the Marching Lumberjacks, spoke about why she liked Davis Picnic Day, where they participate in Battle of the Bands.
“My favorite gig is definitely one we have to travel to. I like Davis Picnic Day because we get to stay there for two nights instead of one,” Fleming said. “I really appreciate the bonding opportunity for the band because we’re all a bunch of friends, and it’s like going on a road trip with your friends, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Nick De Anda is an alumnus who still plays guitar with the Marching Lumberjacks. He has been playing with the band since 2021 and graduated with a degree in music performance in 2023.
“If you go to the Battle of the Bands, you’ll notice that we are the band that has the most fun,” De Anda said. “Everybody else, they can bring it, but nobody has fun like we do.”
De Anda noted that the Marching Lumberjacks are unique and that his instrument, the guitar, is not usually seen in a marching band. He said they are not a traditional marching band, and he learned to play guitar on the go.
De Anda explained how the band plays.
“We’re more categorized as a scatter band — it’s pretty self-explanatory. We just kind of scatter ourselves around. There’s no formation. We don’t really follow a strict marching code. We try to march in step, but it’s very free-flowing,” De Anda said. “The uniforms are very relaxed but simple, just a yellow shirt and green pants.”
De Anda explained that his favorite part of playing in the band was getting his emotions out through sound.
“Bobbing my head or screaming at the top of my lungs — it gets the demons out, essentially,” De Anda said. “So I feel like when I am playing a song where it’s traditionally high energy or I feel a responsibility to upkeep the morale, that’s when I feel more empowered. That’s my favorite part about being in front of people in that uniform and with all those wacky instruments and stuff.”
De Anda also spoke about the appeal of playing in the band and how being silly and expending energy is good for the soul.
“All these college kids have all this pent up energy and they just want to spend it somewhere and making music with their friends and acting a fool and screaming at the top of their lungs for these songs that are super, super old, but we all happen to know,” De Anda said.“It’s got its own little charm in comparison to other groups.”
Chiper said anyone at any skill level or who wants to learn an instrument can join, and Fleming noted that joining the band is low stakes.
“The band is very lowkey. If you want to show up to one rehearsal a month, that’s fine,” Fleming said. “We have no time commitment, no playing ability [requirement]. We take everyone and anyone.”
Savana Robinson is a senior journalism major and news editor of The Lumberjack, as well as a multimedia journalist and producer at Redwood News. She loves motorcycles, cats and video games.