Oregon Public Broadcasting

A Portland marching band will be playing in the Presidential Inauguration parade later this month.  But the new president may be surprised when he hears them.

Pete Springer listened to the Get a Life Marching Band and talked with the Band Leader.

Bob Pulido started up the marching band in 1994 with his friend John Lind.

Bob Pulido “We’re not one of these type of bands that play that—what you call regular band music.  So when they hear us, they’re gonna say, ‘Say what?  Who’s that?’  And we’ll be just grooving down the street, getting’ funky.”

Pulido readily admits his band application for the inauguration parade was a far-fetched idea.

Bob Pulido “Actually, originally, they turned us down.”

But The Get A Life Marching Band got lucky.

Bob Pulido “A couple bands dropped out and we were the next in line to be invited, so they invited us.”

Pulido says the band has between 150 to 200  members, but parade rules limit them to about a hundred people per marching band.

So he had to narrow down the list.  He did this by selecting band members who regularly play during the little, small town parades they march in each year.

The Get A Life Marching Band attends about eight Oregon parades a year.

And the band also tries to play somewhere out of state each year.  So far that list includes Disneyland, and parades in Texas, and Florida.

Bob Pulido “In February, we’re going down to San Francisco for the Chinese New Years parade.”

Pulido says band members range in age from their 20’s to their 80’s.  But what they all have in common is the ability to have a great time when they play together.

Bob Pulido “I make this band fun.  I don’t make it had to get along with, you know, with a lot of rules and regulations.”

Though Pulido is a big fan of more traditional marching bands, he says he wanted a different kind of band.

The presidential committee requested a song written in Oregon, so The Get A Life Marching Band will be playing “Louie, Louie.”

It’ll also play “We’re An American Band” and “Domino”.

As for President-elect Obama? 

Bob Pulido: “I hope he likes funky songs and rock and roll.”

The inauguration parade takes place in Washington, D.C. on January 20th.