Cavaliers Announce Electronics Team, Collaboration with Matt Owen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS) – The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps is pleased to announce its 2017 Electronics Team, including Tom McGillen, Reuben Rodriguez, and guest collaborator Matt Owen.
"As our sound design and amplification outfit continues to evolve, the amount of technical ability required to keep our system peaked on a daily basis has expanded exponentially," said Michael McIntosh, The Cavaliers’ Percussion Arranger and principal electronic designer.
Tom McGillen of The Cavaliers
"We’re simply honored to work with Tom McGillen and his elite team of audio experts who are deeply involved in bringing the corps' soundtrack to life for audiences around the country."
Tom McGillen leads the electronics effort, overseeing product procurement, implementation, and training, with Reuben Rodriguez joining the team as the primary sound technician for the summer tour. Christian Good and Jonathan Carr return in a support capacity after each serving in the sound technician role for a number of years.
McGillen has worked extensively for The Cavaliers since 2010, leading the charge with all things electronics. Along the way, he has helped positively influence the marching arts' approach to sound production and planning.
Adding to the electronic and musical possibilities, The Cavaliers have teamed with Matt Owen (of "The Eclectic Tuba") to work in collaboration with Michael Martin and our team of music designers to create some special moments in the 2017 production, Men Are From Mars.
"Matt Owen gives us an added musical voice that will be a bold step forward not only for The Cavaliers, but for the entire marching arts activity," said Michael Martin, The Cavaliers’ Brass Arranger and Caption Head.
"Matt’s dedication to creating sounds we’ve never heard, coupled with his passion for music education and performance, makes him a perfect fit for an activity that continues to evolve each season. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on with audiences around the country!"
Please help us welcome the Electronics Team as The Cavaliers prepare for the 2017 season.
ABOUT TOM MCGILLEN
Tom McGillen works as a consultant specializing in amplification and electronics and their application in the modern marching ensemble. His consulting business Marching Audio works with many notable band programs and percussion sections including Blue Springs (Mo.), Broken Arrow (Okla.), Carmel (Ind.), Cedar Ridge (Texas), Flower Mound (Texas), Hebron (Texas), Homestead (Ind.), Owasso (Okla.), Ronald Reagan (Texas), Union (Okla.), and William Mason (Ohio) High Schools, among many others.
He has presented clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Texas Band Master's Association Convention, Music for All Summer Symposium, and other state Music Conventions.
Mr. McGillen has served as the audio and electronics specialist for The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps since 2010. He has been involved in a similar capacity for both the Music City Mystique and Gateway World Class Independent WGI Percussion Ensembles. Tom has also assisted with a number of collegiate marching band's sound system designs.
Before pursuing consulting full time, Mr. McGillen was the adjunct professor of percussion at the University of Tulsa and served as the District Percussion Specialist and a private teacher for the Broken Arrow Public Schools.
Tom holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education and a master's degree in Percussion Performance from Oklahoma State University. He is an educational artist for Innovative Percussion Inc., Evans Drum Heads, and Planet Waves Cables, as well as a Yamaha Performing Artist.
ABOUT MATT OWEN
Matt Owen is a globally touring electro-tubist, pianist, and composer and leading proponent for the marriage of brass and electronics residing in Nashville, Tenn. Performing over 200 shows a year as a Jupiter Artist across nine countries, he tours regularly with Andy Frasco & The UN and Eclectic Tuba. In 2015, he founded Electrobrass Conference, which hold seminars geared toward the advancement of American brass music through technology.
Matt studied Music Education at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala., and graduated from the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Va. in 2007. He was a member of the 151st Army Band. Owen jumped into Drum Corps International (DCI) early at the age of 14, marching contra with Spirit of Atlanta in 2001, 2002, and 2005, and has worked heavily with marching ensembles every year since his involvement in the activity.
In 2012, during the meteoric rise of electronic music at music festivals, Matt formed the group Eclectic Tuba in order to tour the country, perform, and conduct a hands-on study of the wide array of techniques being used to create the new-age live musical environments that we see in today’s large scale high-quality productions.
Since the beginning of his journey in 2012, Matt has shared the stage with, or recorded with Stanton Moore and Galactic, Jeff Coffin, Rebirth Brass Band, Pat Sheridan, Nat McIntosh, Better Than Ezra, Keller Williams, Maps and Atlases, Mike Dillon, Junior Marvin, Kliph Scurlock, Wayne Coyne, Amanda Palmer, The Polyphonic Spree, Dave Schools, HOTT MT, and Andy Frasco, and has opened for Snoop Dogg, Mungo Jerry, Umphrey’s McGee, Foreigner, Fishbone, and many more.
Mr. Owen has composed over 50 works for tuba and electronics, and has launched two electronic composition campaigns through Electrobrass in an attempt to encourage more composers to join in the movement and help create a large catalogue of music for the medium. He still continues to devote as much time to education as humanly possible, encouraging his students to pave their own path and claim their place in this ever-expanding musical world.
ABOUT REUBEN RODRIGUEZ
Founder of PitHacks.com, Reuben E. Rodriguez is an active educator, arranger, sound designer, and performer based in the Austin area. His formal music training extends to a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Ala.
Rodriguez has extensive experience, both performing with and teaching, in Drum Corps International (DCI) & Winter Guard International (WGI). He is an alumni of Revolution Drum & Bugle Corps, The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, Spirit Drum & Bugle Corps, and The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps.
Beyond his more than a decade of teaching experience, Rodriguez also has multiple years of training in live audio. This includes touring nationally with Eclectic Tuba, coordinating the Electro Brass Music Conference and facilitating electronics, with all of the drum corps, marching bands, and indoor groups across the nation that he has had the pleasure of working with. When Reuben is not working with the marching arts, he can be found on the local disc golf course or at home watching old movies with his dog, Lillie.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS
Founded in 1948 from Boy Scout Troop 111, The Cavaliers are one of the most successful drum and bugle corps in history, winning 20 national championships, including seven Drum Corps International world championships since 1992.
The Cavaliers provide a variety of educational and performance programs for young people, including GearWORKS, Cavaliers Indoor Percussion, Chromium Winds, Crystal Lake Thunder, and Midwest Connection. The organization delivers life-changing experiences that go beyond music and performing arts to build personal accountability, excellence, teamwork, and camaraderie.
The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization sponsored by The Village of Rosemont, Illinois.