—by Shawn Levy
Announcing the Much-Delayed-But-Worth-It Timbers Army Chant Selection Contest (or the MDBWITACSC if you're into that whole brevity thing).
The Capos and Drum-&-Trumpet Corps are creating new material and soliciting some of it from the people who will actually sing it, which is to say all y'all.
Here are the parameters, instructions and caveats for this contest:
1) We are seeking PLAYER CHANTS, that is, short, punchy bits that can be sung when a player scores a goal, makes a save, enters/leaves a game, or is otherwise awesome. They are meant to be celebratory and brief enough to insert into the flow of the match.
2) We do NOT want to repurpose chants that have already been done for another player. Our ethos has always been that once a player is gone, his chant leaves with him. If you're not sure about your idea, reach out to @shawnlevy on Twitter and he can tell you if the melody has already been used.
3) Think tight-and-bright: Urruti, Scot-With-One-T, O Tennyson! A 5-to-10 second chant that can be launched and repeated quickly. Long, wordy, multi-verse chants can't be rolled out for a celebratory minute or two very effectively. And they take a long time to catch on.
4) It may NOT be “Gleeee-sonnnn.”
5) Or a variation on “Portland Boys,” because please.
6) Think of the players whom we need to celebrate: Chara, Gleeson, Nagbe, Ridgewell, Valeri, and others. Be inspired. Be upbeat. Be fun.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
1) Create a video of the MELODY AND WORDS ONLY. It could be sung/played live for this purpose; it could be a song sample from a music video with lyrics posted over it; whatever works for you. But keep it low-fi; we're voting on the song, not the video. The only graphics should be the lyrics.
2) YOUR SAMPLE MUST BE ANONYMOUS. Please avoid any personal identifiers in the video. We're voting for what's best, not for whom we like best. We DO need to know who has posted the video when it is submitted, but we will allow for that to be done without any names being attached during the voting process.
3) Submissions will be open from Tuesday, August 23 through 5pm on Monday, September 5.
4) To submit, email your link to support@timbersarmy.org with "Player Chant Contest" in the subject line.
5) The 107ist, Capos, and D&T reserve the right to not put up for a vote any video which is obviously malicious, defamatory, or flagrantly trollish. If a submission of this sort is identified, the creators shall be contacted with explanation and given a chance to appeal. But the ultimate decision rests with the group putting on the contest.
HOW TO VOTE:
1) When the submission period ends, all eligible videos will be posted in a single place on the Timbers Army website and voting will begin shortly thereafter.
2) Voting will be limited to current members-in-good-standing of the 107ist.
3) Voting will end at noon on Monday, September 12. At that time, the vote totals will be announced and the winning entry will enter the North End playlist. The Capos and D&T may also, at their discretion, choose to incorporate another entry, but no promises expressed or implied.
