Amanda Leigh
Cannon Contributor
There’s a good chance you heard the Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad before you even heard of them. For the past 70 years, the LGMB has been a bastion of engineering in all its noisy, obnoxious glory. Sporting blue and white jerseys and a haphazard mixture of instruments including trumpets, drums, trombones, and, a true classic, the stop sign. Whether you like it or not, if you ’are an engineering student, you’ are already a part of the Bnad, so dust off your old harmonica and let yourself get caught up in the spectacle.
Seemingly a nonsensical entity that clawed its way out of the drunken void of SkuleTM history, the Bnad was founded in 1949 by A.J. Paul LaPrairie (Min 5T0). Like many members of the current Bnad, LaPrairie couldn’t read music, so the original 15-member LGMB was led by Tom Kenney (Chem 5T0). The Bnad first entered the public eye in that year’s Annual Homecoming Parade, aboard a flatbed truck, and the notably silly moments quickly began to pile up. During a football game in 1950 held at Varsity Stadium, the Bnad, sporting fake moustaches, marched straight on to the field and straight up to University of Toronto President Sidney Smith (whose name you may recognize from the building) to offer him a fake moustache of his own. From then on, Sidney Smith was considered an honorary member of the Bnad.
Despite all the engineering-brand tomfoolery, the Bnad also holds several awards from the Kiwanis Music Festival as well as the honour of being the first band to have played in the CN tower. Every year the Bnad is bound to cause more notable ruckuses—just wait until you hear the full LGMB Rant. As a member of the “SkuleTM Trinity” along with the SkuleTM Cannon and Brute Force Committee (BFC), the LGMB is often invited to spirit events both around the University and city. You may see (and hear) them at dinner dances, alumni reunions, F!rosh and Godiva Week celebrations, the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, and anywhere else that could benefit from a whole lot of SkuleTM spirit and noise. Occasionally, and much to the dismay of the professors involved, this includes lectures.
Nothing says Skule like the Bnad. If you find yourself searching for a way to express your passion for SkuleTM, or even just a place to let off some steam, the LGMB is always looking for new musicians. Thanks to modern email technology, joining the LGMB (or Joyning Teh Bnad, if you will) is as simple as signing up for the mailing list on their website and coming out to whichever events you choose. Jerseys and instruments are freely available in the Bnad Room, and the music is online if you wish to bother with such formalities. The rich history of the Bnad has made it a staple of SkuleTM culture and events, but more importantly, it’s a whole lot of fun.