Triple Threat, the 96-member marching band at Edward Waters College squeezes into a small room for rehearsals. The band will play Jan. 24 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome for the Honda Battle of the Bands. The band is the smallest invited to the showcase. This year is the first Edward Waters has been invited to play at the event.

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Marques Graham, director of the Edward Waters College marching band, said that despite the band's small size - just 96 members - they "can execute just as well as the larger and better-known bands ..."

 

Triple Threat, the Edward Waters College marching band, is one week away from performing its biggest show ever - in front of about 70,000 people.

They're playing in Atlanta's George Dome Saturday, Jan. 24, in the Honda Battle of the Bands, known as the "Super Bowl" for historically black college and university bands.

This is the first time the Edward Waters band has been invited to play at the event, where 10 of what are considered the best bands among black colleges will be showcased and given $20,000 each.

It's a competition only in the sense that the bands try to outdo each other.

"This is what you strive for from the beginning of the year until the end," said Drum Major Ernest Wade.

Earlier in the year, the band took part in the Celebration Tour, the preliminary stage of the selection process.

Votes from presidents and band directors from the 44 schools, and fans, were tallied. Two bands each were chosen from five categories: Edward Waters and North Carolina Central University were chosen from a pool of eight independent schools, while the other winners were separated by athletic conferences.

The Triple Threat is, by far, the smallest band being showcased, said Marques Graham, the band's director.

It has 96 members, compared to 410 at Florida A&M University and 250 at Jackson State University, according to the event's Web site.

While he'd like the Triple Threat to eventually grow to about 145 members, Graham said he's thrilled at how quickly the band has garnered national attention. It started only seven years ago when Edward Waters revamped its football program.

The Marching Crimson Pipers from Tuskegee University, on the other hand, have been around for almost 100 years. They also will perform.

"That in itself says a lot about us," said Graham.

"We can execute just as well as the larger and better-known bands, as well as be competitive musically."

Graham is perhaps most excited about the prospect of recruiting new members.

"This is the stage everyone looks at," he said, and music students often choose their colleges based on the caliber of the bands and what they see and hear at the event.

Maurio Bentley, also a drum major, said they'll take advantage of being the "underdogs."

Wade agreed wholeheartedly.

"We're going to show up and show out," he said.

"We'll earn their respect."

To make a donation to the Edward Waters College marching band, call Marques Graham at 536-2796.