By BILL MACKLIN

A strange band will draw up the rear of the parade through downtown New Ulm Monday night. To get in it, you need not be able to play an instrument. The organizer, Marlene Domeier, tried to learn the zither but gave up. Only the leader, Jack Kneip, is a professional musician, having played in and directed the St. Peter Drum and Bugle Corps.

This note-less band will wear no uniforms, but will have a name, United Way-ward band. The mission is to help promote the annual United Way campaign which kicks off Monday and aims to collect $57,000 for its 24 agencies to use in 1975.

Marlene, a director of United Way,has some talent for the project, being the daughter of a musician of prominence here until his death.

He was Emil (Dumphy) Domeier,who learned to toot with Whoopee John Wilfahrt and others, then ran his own oldtime group for many years, playing in five states.

“The idea of the band,” explained Marlene, “is to bring together a group of people of all nationalities and various occupations. We have a husband and wife team, Robert and Maria Metzen. He spent some time in the Air Force in Germany. She is a German, and they will wear liederhosen.

So what’s a band without music? Well, there will be music to complete the pantomime by the musicians. In the middle of the marchers will be a golf cart containing sound system. Out of it will come John Phillip Sousa marches.

Uncle Wally Schueth of the New Ulm Theatres and Walt Siegman, KNUJ announcer, recorded the music at the radio studio.

Janet Mildenberg, a director of United Way, had the idea of the Way-ward band. Marlene recruited the “musicians” all are not conscripts. Some volunteered. Some were customers of the Domeier store who came in with the impish look and were invited.

If you don’t like the music, viewers,don’t pelt the marchers with tomatoes. I’ll be one of them. Aim at the golf cart. John Phillip Sousa will be in there.

++

THERE’LL be some real music Monday night during the parade and following in Kiesling Park. Some of the school bands will be there. The new Concord Singers will entertain.

Until the Rotary Club party Tuesday, we hadn’t listened to the Concords do a full program for several years. They’ve changed. They’ve got classy new uniforms, some new members. But it’s the repertoire that gets you clapping.

Otto Werner is the good humor man. His patter is lively, funny and snappy. He pulls a few tunes on the accordion. Then he steps back and lets Gil Albrecht do the directing.

Plumber Bud Eyrich, the deadpan Concord, with the expression of a toilet seat, is a riot on a novelty number where he plays a harmonica while strumming a guitar to “Ach du liber Augustine.”

Frank Backlund joins Otto and Bod on the Jolly Wagon with his rendition of “Cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women.”

More instrumentation has been added-Mike Schmitz on accordion,Del Huhn on guitar, Gerry Tobias on cymbals, a pianist.

The Concords were known for decades as a pure male chorus doing concerts or short takes at banquets. Now they are doing more “shows,” like the one for Rotarians, and that has inspired the variety.

This weekend the Concords were on their annual fishing trip to Green Lake,doing a performance at Spicer Legion and another at a supper club…plus“fishing.”

New Ulm Daily Journal

Sept. 15, 1974