2019 Holy Bass Alumni

Performance Ensemble

Holy Bass Alumni Performance Ensemble

“In the Lot” Performance – August 3, 2019

Performers from different eras spanning 5 decades of Cadet History

Raising awareness of the Holy Bass Alumni Annual Gathering

Raising Cash Funds for the Cadets via sale of event memorabilia

Sponsored by:

YEA, Yamaha. Vic Firth, Remo & Salem City High School (Salem, NJ)

Location and time:

Holy Bass Annual Reunion Site - open lot situated just opposite of J. Birney Crum Stadium

Linden St. between North Saint Elmo St. & North Saint Lucas St., Allentown, PA 18104

We are situated down the street from the main entrance to J Birney Crum Stadium

For easy GPS reference: main entrance address is 2027 Linden Street, Allentown, PA 18104

Various run-throughs will take place between 3PM and 6PM

In the words of our percussion caption head LEGENDS, Thom Hannum and Tom Aungst:

“SHOW UP AND BE PREPARED” to enjoy a momentous occasion!!

Legendary Cadet Performing members:

John Vander Brink - aka “The Viking” - 37 years since last Cadet tour of duty - most senior performer in the group

1979, 1980, 1981 - bass 5; 1982 - bass 6

Michael Giambra - aka “Mookie” - 32 years since last Cadet tour of duty - nickname given by Thom Hannum in 1983

Lead organizer of this 2019 HB Alumni Performance Ensemble – provided resources and all equipment
1983 - bass 4 - DCI World Champion – undefeated regular season – 52 consecutive shows
1987 - bass 5 - DCI World Champion – High Percussion Award - “perfect Score”

John Corley - 30 years since last Cadet tour of duty

the original pioneer of the Holy Bass playing technique that has evolved since 1989

1986 - bass 5; 1987 - bass 1 - DCI World Champion – High Percussion Award - “perfect Score”
1988, 1989 - bass 2

Jerede Brown - 28 years since last Cadet tour of duty

Co-organizer, (dubbed “Secretary of State”), of this 2019 HB Alumni Performance Ensemble
In-line Captain of this 2019 ensemble – lead role at every rehearsal
1987 - cymbal “K-line” - DCI World Champion – High Percussion Award - “perfect Score”
1988, 1989 - bass 1; 1990, 1991 - bass 2 - 1990 DCI World Champion – High Percussion Award

Andy Warntz - 22 years since last Cadet tour of duty

1985, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, and beyond… was the Holy Bass “youth groupie”
1992 pit; 1996, 1997 - bass 1
2006 to current - the “HEART AND SOUL” of the annual Holy Bass Reunion, as well as, the entire fraternity

John “Axl” Whitworth - 20 years since last Cadet tour of duty

1997 - bass 5; 1998 - bass 2 - DCI World Champion; 1999 - bass 3

Nick Kline - 19 years since last Cadet tour of duty

“MVP” of this 2019 HB Alumni Performance Ensemble providing rehearsal facility and equipment storage
1998 - bass 3 - DCI World Champion; 2000 - bass 2 - DCI World Champion

Neil DeLucca - 14 years since last tour of duty

2005 - bass 5 - DCI World Champion - High Percussion Award

Chad Grundon – 8 years since last Cadet tour of duty

2011 - bass 5 - DCI World Champion; 2012 - bass 4; 2013 - bass 3 - High Percussion Award

Ethan Turner - 1 year since last Cadet tour of duty - affectionately nicknamed by this alumni ensemble as “Fresh Out”

2018 - bass 4

Possible guest “MC” for the performance - Ryan Brodhead – 2 years since his last Cadet tour of duty

2015, 2016, 2017 – bass 5; 2017 “CADET OF THE YEAR”

Alumni Performance Selections

Warmup #1 – legato splits, Warmup #2 – accent to tap
Warmup #3 – triplet rolls, Warmup #4 – 16th note splits
Street Time - 1989
Elk’s Parade (81’) with “HB” transition into “Bobby Splits” (2008), ending with Elk’s “outro”
Rocky Point Holiday 2003
Tonight (West Side Story)1984 / 1990
Plummet Attack (Les Miserables) 1989
Bass feature to Gunfight 1996
Liquid 2005
Nitro 2008
Hit section from Appalachian Spring 1987

Alumni Performance Ensemble Bass Spots:

Bass 1 alternates: Andy Warntz and Nick Kline

Bass 2: Jerede Brown

Bass 3 alternates: Chad Grundon and John “Axl” Whitworth

Bass 4: Michael Giambra “Mookie”

Bass 5 alternates: Neil DeLucca and Ethan Turner

Bass 6: John Vander Brink “The Viking”

Special “last-minute” addition - John Corley

Plummet Attack 1989- Jerede Brown will slide up to bass 1 and John Corley will “strap in” on bass 2 for this special reunion and bring back to life the magic that the two of these Holy Bass Cadet LEGENDS brought to the field of competition back in 1989.

Hit section from Appalachian Spring 1987 – John Corley will slide up to bass 1 and assume his natural spot from 1987, and Michael Giambra “Mookie” will slide down to a 30” bass 6 and break out his legendary “sledgehammer” from 1987 with John Vander Brink remaining on his 32” bass for a special, 7-bass drum version of this majestic piece of Cadet history. With Michael and John combining forces on the bottom end for these unison “cannon shots”, just about everybody within a mile radius of J. Birney Crum Stadium, will know that Holy Bass is in its Glory!! Mookie, at the age of 53, already welted his bass drum heads on the very first attempted rehearsal run through of Appalachian Spring…history repeats in many ways with this combination brought on by John Corley’s last-minute addition to the ensemble. We are GRATEFUL for the opportunity to share this nostalgia with everyone because this combination of Holy Bass legends will most likely never assemble again after August 3, 2019.

John Corley has already flown up to New Jersey, from Texas, for our July 21st rehearsal date, and his arrival was a beautiful experience for the entire ensemble. John Corley had not hit a bass drum head with a bass drum mallet in 30 years until this rehearsal. Similarly to how both John Vander Brink and Michael Giambra had to “wipe the cob-webs off” after 37 and 32 years, respectively. John Vander Brink and Michael have been rehearsing with the ensemble for the last 6 months, and gained their form back to a high standard, but John Corley brought his legendary form back to life within 3 hours of his first rehearsal…it was simply amazing to witness him make it through the entire Plummet Attack run-through at a very respectable level of performance within 3 hours of arrival. He will be doing the same again for our last rehearsal date of July 27th and then again for the big show day, August 3, 2019. That is what this Holy Bass brotherhood is all about!!!....SHOWING UP!!

Ensemble Critical Support Cast:

Mark Holub – 35 years since last Cadet tour of duty as bass tech

1982 bass tech
1983 bass tech
1984 bass tech – transitioned out as Steve Kieffer transitioned in
While the majority of this “All Star” cast of talent in this 2019 Holy Bass Alumni Performance Ensemble have all successfully “teched” at various levels, including the DCI top-12 level at one time or another, this ensemble still needed a consistent and experienced set of eyes and ears aside from the actual performers in the ensemble. Our original intention was to invite both Steve Kieffer and Mark Holub to basically re-live 1984 all over again, and “co-tech”, but Steve is no longer in the “bass drum game” after his many, many years of dedication and support to the majority of the Holy Bass alumni group. Alternatively, Mark Holub did not hesitate to get involved once he received the call from Michael Giambra “Mookie”. We are grateful for Mark’s steadfast support throughout this endeavor!!

Greg Banks – 9 years since last Cadet tour of duty

2009, 2010. 2011, 2012 – bass 1

When one of our brothers could not keep his commitment to our rehearsals, and “Murphy’s law” descended upon us, and no alternates were able to step-up for one of the rehearsal dates. Greg Banks answered our desperate call for help, and he came in from afar to cover the vacated spot with no advance preparation. Greg was our “superman” that day, and he played the necessary beats while reading charts that he had never seen before, or hadn’t played in years. His performance was nearly flawless for the entire rehearsal. Greg was a clear and present reminder of just how talented and special our alumni group is. Thank You Greg!!

What it took to make this Alumni Performance Ensemble Actually Come To Life:

Michael Giambra (“Mookie”), and Jerede Brown (“Secretary of State”), hopped on a call back in October 2018 to discuss the “buzz” that was circulating about the possibility of a Cadet Alumni Corps performance during the 2019 season to honor the 85th anniversary of The Cadets. Michael and Jerede agreed that any bass drum representation in any potential alumni Corps endeavor would have to rise to the standard that the Holy Bass are known for. With that in mind;

Michael and Jerede agreed that the task of scheduling task-appropriate, full-day, 8-hour, bass drum rehearsal dates, and consistently filling 6 bass drum spots for each rehearsal date WAS NO EASY TASK.

Regardless of the challenges, Michael Giambra committed to securing the necessary equipment to rehearse on a non-contingent basis. At the time we weren’t sure how the 85th anniversary Alumni Corps endeavor was going to progress, but we were determined to put the bass drum section together and get started on rehabilitation rehearsals as soon as possible. If the Alumni Corps endeavor didn’t materialize, the Holy Bass Alumni would still make a show on August 3, 2019. With that in mind, Michael moved forward and offered to purchase inventoried / used bass drums from YEA and make a sizeable cash donation in the exchange. Unfortunately YEA was not in the position to sell off its used bass drums, so Michael then purchased a set of 7 new Yamaha bass drums ranging in size from 20”, 22”, 24”, 26”, 28”, 30”, and 32”, along with harnesses and stands. This was accomplished with the assistance of Sean King at YEA. Sean utilized his channels with Yamaha to expedite Michael’s equipment purchase. We are grateful to Sean King for his assistance in this matter.

Jerede Brown started the recruiting effort, and at the sentimental request of Michael Giambra, made his first call to Andy Warntz, and then also at the request of Michael, made his 2nd call to Nick Kline to see if Nick could commit and also provide Salem High School as a rehearsal / storage facility. Nick immediately demonstrated that he is a true CHAMPION, and without hesitation, made his commitment to perform, as well as, guaranteed the facilities. Alternatively, Andy took a few days to make his commitment because he already had his hands full with his commitment as an alternate bass tech for the Cadets 2019 season, and additionally, his daughter, Cara, was then vying for a spot in the Cadet Pit, which would ultimately require an abundance of parental support from Andy during 2019. Moreover, Andy is an active parishioner with his local church, but after a few days of deliberation, Andy made his commitment to the Holy Bass Alumni Performance Group, and at that point, Michael and Jerede knew “we were on our way” to a very special endeavor…

Michael then reached out to John Vander Brink and procured John’s commitment instantaneously. Michael had always wished he had a chance to march on the field of competition in a bass line with John, as they almost did so when Michael joined the Cadet bass line in January of 1983. Back then, John had not yet resigned from the bass line, and for one weekend camp in January of 1983, Michael played bass 4 and John was on bass 5, but ultimately John dropped out after that camp, and the powerful duo never played together again. On August 3rd, the two will finally perform in front of an audience together after a 36-year delay.

Jerede continued his recruiting efforts as “secretary of state” in early November 2018, and continually reported available and / or committed alumni candidates to Michael Giambra on an on-going basis throughout November, December, and January 2019. This was necessary because;

When we accomplished our initial group of committed performers, Michael Giambra then embarked on the rehearsal scheduling process, and Michael quickly discovered that trying to assemble everyone on 12 rehearsal dates over the next 6 months was virtually impossible. So with the steadfast assistance of Jerede Brown (“Secretary of State”), more Holy Bass alumni were recruited to provide an arsenal of players that could alternate on certain drums throughout the rehearsal schedule.

After many sleepless nights on Michael Giambra’s part, and hours upon hours of phone conversations by and among Jerede and Michael with various Holy Bass alumni, a 12-date rehearsal schedule was finally accomplished and memorialized with solid commitments from each recruit.

This 2019 Holy Bass Alumni Performance Ensemble then embarked on a 6-month rehearsal schedule that commenced on February 2, 2019, with the goal of accomplishing a minimum of 96 hours of group rehearsal before August 3, 2019. That goal is well on its way to being accomplished. We are trying our best to present the highest quality performance possible by a group including some performers that hadn’t played a bass drum in well over 30 years, and in some cases, hadn’t read a note of music in well over 30 years. At this juncture, we are confident that our performance will make our Holy Bass brothers, as well as, all Cadet Alumni extremely proud.

Participant profiles beyond their Holy Bass resumes:

John Vander Brink

John traveled from Hawthorne, NJ to each Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal in Salem, NJ, and he never missed a rehearsal
Current age - 55
Married to Denise Decondo
Has two daughters, Rebecca Vander Brink, Victoria Vander brink, and one son, Jimmie Decondo
John Graduated from Hawthorne High School, and after his years with the Cadets, he served in the United States Air Force
John currently owns and operates “J A Vander Brink LLC”, which offers “Grade A” kitchen and bathroom renovations

Michael Giambra aka “Mookie”

Michael traveled from Stony Point, NY to each Holy Bass rehearsal in Salem, NJ, and he never missed a rehearsal
Current age -53
Married to Guiomar Aviz Giambra
Has one son, Frank Giambra, and one daughter, Anna Giambra
Michael graduated from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York, in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree of Business Administration with a major in Accountancy
Made the Dean’s list at Baruch, as well as, the National Dean’ list
Became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York in 1991
Highlights of his 30-year professional career include:
- 2000 to 2004 - Chief Accounting Officer for a publicly traded holding company (traded on NASDAQ), that controlled the largest NYC Local-3 electrical subcontracting firm, and one of the largest NYC mechanical subcontractors in the NYC high-rise construction industry with over 400 and 100 laborers, respectively, at that time
- 2006 to 2011 – co-founding, minority owner , Corporate Secretary, CFO, and Managing Member of one of the most successful and largest Hoisting and Scaffolding subcontractors in the history of the NYC high-rise construction industry. The company secured the hoisting contracts for the Freedom Tower project, as well as, the renovation of the tallest building in Canada, “One Canadian Place”, in addition to hundreds of other large scale construction projects. Co-navigated the company’s EBITDA to north of $28 million per annum, and after a 5-year trail with a debt-free operation, co-navigated a private equity sale of the company for a multiple of 6.25x EBITDA.
- 2013 to 2016 – Chief Financial Officer for one of the larger heavy civil contracting firms in New York State. The company built bridges, tunnels, train stations, and airport facilities.
- 2017 to 2018 – Signed on as an independent consultant to a foreign investment group that was attempting to purchase the assets of the oldest and largest tile and marble installation subcontractor in the history of the NYC high-rise construction industry with over 350 laborers. Ultimately assumed the lead role in securing the asset purchase financing, as well as, performing the legal and financial due diligence on behalf of the buyer group. Successfully closed the purchase transaction in January 2018.
- Most recently, in May 2019, took the Chief Financial Officer position with one of the larger commercial plumbing installation subcontractors in the NYC high-rise construction industry with over 225 employees…and growing….more great events on the horizon…
2007 to 2010 - Served as member of the board of directors for Youth Education in the Arts {“YEA”)
2010 to current date- personally sponsored many marching members of the Cadets year after year

Jerede Brown aka “Secretary of State”

Jerede traveled from Middletown, DE to each Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal in Salem, NJ, and he never missed a rehearsal
Current age – 47
Married to Erika Thomas Brown
Has one biological son, Tyler, and two step-sons, Kendrick, and Jayven

Jerede graduated from Pace University in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree of Business Administration with a major in Business Management / Entrepreneurship

Currently a medical device sales representative in the healthcare industry, and spends many hours in the “ER” alongside surgeons, as a technical advisor for certain products implanted during surgery
Volunteer resume includes:
1. Board member of the Brooklyn Steppers – NYC
2. Volunteer instructor for Middletown High School Marching Band
3. Volunteer instructor at the Cadets for many years

Andy Warntz

Andy traveled from Red Lion, PA to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule

Current age – 43
Married to Deb Warntz ( A Crossmen Alumnus)
Has two daughters, Cara and Ally; Cara is currently in the pit for her 1st year with the 2019 Cadets

Andy graduated from Millersville University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Business

Currently a Manager of Municipal Sales for Republic Services
Andy has been a Marron & Gold Member since his aged out from the Cadets in 1997, and he supports ALL fundraising campaigns that the Cadets launch year after year, including the “feed the corps” campaign, as well as, the annual Holiday Campaign
Andy has also been an instructor at the Cadets in 2008, and currently during 2019; he was also the bass tech at Cadets 2 in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

John “Axl” Whitworth

John traveled from Newark, DE to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule

Current age – 42
Not married, but currently in a relationship with Wendy Smith
John and Wendy just brought their new-born son, Myles, into the Holy Bass world 6 months ago
John graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts, and then went on to attain a Paralegal certificate in 2015
Currently a Paralegal

Nick Kline

Nick traveled from Swedesboro, NJ to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule
Current age – 40

Married to Amy Kline
Has two daughters, Makayla and Kelley
Nick graduated from Westchester University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education
Has been a high school music teacher for 16 years
Currently entering his 3rd hear as a music teacher at Salem City High School in Salem, NJ
Nick is also a regional coordinator for the Music in the Parks / Festivals Of Music Company. He also runs all festivals for Music in the Parks that are connected to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Each season, roughly 13,000 participants (elementary, middle school, and high school ensembles) perform at various locations on Friday’s and Saturday’s from the last weekend of April through to the first weekend of June.

Neil DeLucca

Neil traveled from West Norriton, PA to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule
Current age – 35
Neil is single
Neil graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing
Neil also has his Series-6, Series 7, and Series 63 Security Licenses, and is currently studying for the November 2019 exam to become a Certified Financial Planner
Neil is currently a registered Representative at Vanguard in Malvern, PA

Chad Grundon

Chad traveled from Hershey, PA to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule
Current age – 28
Married to Amanda Grundon
Chad is just a few more days away from accomplishing his MBA in Management from Eastern University. His mission will be accomplished by the time we perform on August 3, 2019. We should congratulate him when we see him that day.
Currently an annuity case manager for Crump Life Insurance Services

Ethan Turner

Ethan traveled from Stewartsville, NJ to his committed dates in Salem, NJ for the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal schedule
Current age – 22
Single
Ethan just recently graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources and Labor Studies
Currently a human resources generalist in the Leadership Development Program at Corning Incorporated.

John Corley

John flew in from Texas on July 20th to rehearse with this ensemble on July 21st, in Salem, NJ, and did a 24-hour turn-around back to Texas. He will be doing this type of turn-around for our next (and las) rehearsal on July 27th, and then again for our performance on August 3, 2019
Current age – 51
Married to Jenny Corley
Has a son, Donovan Jerede (named after John’s dear friend, Jerede Brown), and a daughter, Ciara Estelle
Attended William Patterson University and University of Michigan
Was a self-employed business owner for 20+ years
Currently an airline employee
Most notable charity work was “Helping Jerede Brown on and off the “short Bus” back in 1988 and 1989”…(LOL)

Ryan Brodhead

Ryan is a special “honorary” participant, that deserves appropriate representation:
Upon discovering that this Alumni Performance group was forming, Ryan demonstrated an enormous amount of enthusiasm and “signed up” with Jerede Brown (Secretary of State”), way back in December 2018, but Ryan already had an enormously challenging schedule. Because this group has a great deal of respect for our brother, Ryan, we initially recruited sufficient alternate participants to ensure that Ryan could still be a part of this special performance with a minimal amount of rehearsal participation. Unfortunately, after our very first rehearsal on February 2, 2019, Ryan was unable to attend anymore rehearsals and had to drop out of the performance ensemble due to unexpected job-related responsibilities that he had to place as a priority.
Ryan traveled from Toms river, NJ to Salem, NJ for our February 2, 2019 rehearsal launch
Current age – 23
Single
Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology from Rutgers University
Started his career as a private investigator six months ago with Prime Source Investigations

Greg Banks

Greg traveled from Etters, PA to make his commitment in Salem, NJ for his critical assistance to the Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble
Current age – 28
Single
Graduated from Red Land High School in 2009, and then attended Harrisburg Community College
Currently working at ABC Supply Company
Was the bass tech at Cadets 2 in 2013 and 2014
Has taught many high school band programs in the central Pennsylvania region
Most recently was the bass tech at United Percussion in 2019

Mark Holub

Mark traveled from Huntington, NY to each Holy Bass Alumni Ensemble rehearsal in Salem, NJ, and he only missed one of the rehearsals due to pre-planned vacation to Europe that was already set up before we began this endeavor.
Current age – 66
Married to Danette Holub
Has three daughters, Traci Lynn, Keri Beth, and Christie Ann
Graduated from Bay Shore High School and attended Brooklyn College
Retired from the NYC Board of Education five years ago
Currently teaching high school and marching band percussion
Has been a percussion instructor for 47 years, and has been involved with the drum corps activity for 56 years
Mark has assembled 17 World Championships, in total, while working with the Garfield Cadets, Hawthorne Caballeros, Sunrisers, and St. Ignatius All Girls Drum & Bugle Corps