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Navy band rocks out in the name of national defense

BY Josh Kerns  on April 23, 2012 @ 2:33 pm (Updated: 5:03 pm - 4/23/12 )

navyband
Petty Officer Cliff Murray performing with the Navy rock band "Passage." (Image courtesy Navy Band NW)

When you think of military music, marching bands, Taps and Sousa usually come to mind.
But a select group of U.S. Navy sailors is bringing a decidedly different sound - Led Zeppelin and Metallica.

Along with the traditional brass bands, it turns out the Navy also enlists a number of other types of musicians to help put a contemporary face on the fighting force.

"We're in some respects kind of a well kept secret," says Petty Officer Ted Moore.

"It's putting a face on the Navy in communities and areas that don't see a lot of the Navy and kind of reminding them of all the ways the Navy supports their life."

Moore plays drums and leads the Silverdale-based band "Passage," and while they rock, it's serious business. Band members undergo a rigorous audition process to be admitted, and once they're in it becomes a full-time gig.

"This is the only job in the Navy you have to know how to do before you get there," says Petty Officer Sarah Reasner, the band's lead singer.

The group travels all over the western United States, performing classic and contemporary rock tunes at everything from dances to street fairs from Alaska to Utah.

"Music lifts people's spirits, it gets them engaged and that can be the classical music the brass quintet plays or us hammering through a Metallica tune," says Moore.

One of the biggest challenges is letting their hair down when Navy regulations prevent it. The band members are required to wear their uniforms when they perform, and Reasner admits it can get pretty steamy shredding the Rolling Stones on a hot summer day wearing all wool.

But like they say, it's not just a job. It's an adventure.

Check out my interview and a live performance with Passage here:

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (5)


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  • Newton wrote...
    Passage.
    April 24, 2012 4:36 am
    Sounds like a Death Cult. Do not Join the Military. If young people refused to fight thier would be No War. Albert E. Stay Home and be safe. Take a Job of any kind and stay alive. Look up the word Depleted Urainum. Just Say NO!.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SnoqualmiePhil wrote...
    Newton
    April 24, 2012 11:31 am
    ...are you the smart one in your family?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • carolynann1 wrote...
    Bluegrass
    April 24, 2012 7:06 am
    The Navy also has a Bluegrass band as well!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Don of the dead wrote...
    Newton
    April 24, 2012 7:20 am
    Ya ever hear of the draft. Let me put it straight for ya. The Military is a great place for many people. Some their only way out of the rotton life they have. My family has proudly served in almost every conflict America has been in. So take your hippy crap and put it where the sun don't shine
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • myopinion wrote...
    Newton
    April 24, 2012 11:31 am
    Are you really an idiot or just kidding, this BS about if no one fights then there will be no war is stupid.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }