National Anthem @ Martinsville Cup race

[Opposite Lock]

Today featuring the Martinsville Middle School music director on unaccompanied saxophone. :tony:

I was expecting the flyover to be Ralph Wiggum's box kite.

Someone must have cancelled at the last minute. Actually, the solo sax version was much better than many of the countrified redneck versions that I've heard on Nascar in the past. Just a straight reading - none of the frilly embellishments that the modern wannabe R&B singers like to add either.

[oddlycalm]

I was expecting the flyover to be Ralph Wiggum's box kite. :D :thumbup:

[Andrew Longman]

Someone must have cancelled at the last minute.

I hope not. Martinsville is about all that's left of what NASCAR was. I like the idea of bringing in the local talent. Nascar doesn't need to ship in Wynonna or the latest no-talent in a black cowboy hat to sing.

[Opposite Lock]

I hope not. Martinsville is about all that's left of what NASCAR was. I like the idea of bringing in the local talent. Nascar doesn't need to ship in Wynonna or the latest no-talent in a black cowboy hat to sing.

Actually I like the idea of using local talent too - it's fine if the name of the act doesn't start with "National Recording Artist(s)...". And I don’t necessarily mind an instrumental version of the Anthem. (That Hendrix kid has yet to be topped). But seeing this guy with the orange sports jacket that appeared to have just been borrowed from the network’s wardrobe van made it look like he had been phoned at home only about 20 minutes earlier to cover for whoever couldn’t make it. (Possibly fellow saxophonist Lisa Simpson).

At any rate, it just reminded me of another famous last minute substitute musical act, coincidentally also middle-school music educators, Marty Culp and Bobbie Moughan-Culp.

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2936/martybobbieculppu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[extramundane]

But seeing this guy with the orange sports jacket that appeared to have just been borrowed from the network’s wardrobe van made it look like he had been phoned at home only about 20 minutes earlier to cover for whoever couldn’t make it.

Using local High School bands and such is a long-standing Martinsville tradition, behind only death threats to drivers from north of Maryland. My father, who only in the last 2 years or so stopped going there, says that it's really only since the huge TV deals and the 9 hours of pre-race coverage that they started bringing in the low/mid-tier national acts.