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Music: a universal language

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. David Salanitri
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST AISA --  Each week, a group of nine musicians are in a new country performing for a diverse crowd -- sometimes they speak the same language.

Their audience ranges from a concert hall packed to capacity, to a street corner.

At times, front row of their concert will land you in the middle of a hundred screaming middle school-aged children. Other times, front row means being on a forward operating base in middle-of-nowhere Afghanistan.

This is not a band on a USO tour, it's the U.S. Air Forces Central Band Afterburner.

On one of their recent tours, the band departed their base in Southwest Asia for their destination in snowy Kyrgyzstan -- the Transit Center at Manas.

Like any Air Force unit, the band has a mission. The two main missions consist of building partnerships with host nations and increasing morale among fellow service members. On this trip, the band will achieve both objectives.

Their first day on the road resembles a pinball being batted around -- they hit three different air bases before finally reaching Manas. In rock star fashion, throughout their 25-hour day, most of the band's sleep comes from passenger terminal floors and C-17 Globemaster III seats. Their flight, going through three time zones, allows for the band to rest their head on a pillow for roughly 90 minutes before their first gig.

After a short rest, the band starts rocking a PAX terminal full of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. Anyone who's deployed knows how great it feels to be on your way back to the U.S. after completing your deployment. The troops that are in this terminal are 180 service members only hours away from starting their deployment in Afghanistan.

The band sets up their equipment for an acoustic performance and begin to play. The first song, by design, starts the gig slowly.

"I like us to slowly warm up the audience," said Master Sgt. Ted Stearns, NCO in charge of Afterburner. "Each song cranks things up a degree. A lot depends on our audience."

The band starts to heat up and the audience starts to come alive. Cameras are drawn from pockets like John Wayne during an old western flick. While Skyping with his wife, an Army specialist turns his laptop computer toward the band's lead singer, Tech. Sgt. Kim Lively as she walks through the PAX terminal, picking out groups of people to sing to.

Throughout this trip, their audience is never the same. Though today their audience is service members, their next five gigs will be out in the community, playing for middle schools, high schools, a school for choreography and a school for children with special needs and everything in between.

After the band played for the deploying troops and a common recreation area at Manas, Pete's Place, morale was certainly boosted as smiles spread in a domino effect.

"Yeah, it's great to see folks sing and get into it," said Stearns. "But it's really all about helping them (the troops) relax. If they can play cards, listen to some music and forget for a second where they are, then we've done our job. Who cares if they're paying attention to us or not."

At first, Stearns' words puzzle me. If I was in a band, I'd feel insulted if my audience wasn't paying attention the entire time. But then Stearns' comment starts to make sense. It's not about putting on a rock concert, it's about boosting morale. It's about taking an Airman who feels like he's millions of miles away from anything that feels like home and playing a song that takes him back to riding in his car, windows down with his friends sitting next time him, blasting music and singing along.

Boosting troop morale -- check that box. First objective complete, one more to go.

In Kyrgyzstan, many languages are spoken -- Kyrgyz and Russian are the two primary languages. Though it's not an official language, the third language would be one that we all speak -- music.

Each day, the band travels downtown to the country's capitol, Bishkek, and surrounding villages.

Arriving at each school is like a game show where you don't know what's behind the mystery door.

"Any idea of how many electrical outlets will be there?" asked Tech. Sgt. Jeff Saunders, Afterburner's sound technician. Most of the time Saunders receives an "I have no idea" for an answer. Regardless, the man put on one heck of a show.

Watching the band bring an empty stage to life is a peak behind the scenes click here for youtube video. The band wears two hats -- roadie and performer. Moving the equipment from their van to the stage is often a challenge. Ice-covered steps and narrow stairways fight the band at every turn. But they press on. They always press on.
After setting up, students fill the seats. Each performance, the band is introduced then Lively takes charge.

The transformation that takes place from the first song up to the last song is consistent as gravity.

Song one -- students and faculty are curious and often cautious.

Song two -- heads start to bob to the music.

Song three -- the dam is broken. Dancing, clapping and laughter floods the audience.

Song four-ish -- Airman 1st Class Adam Porter, tuba player, grabs the microphone from Lively. Singing music artist Cake's "Going the Distance", Porter talks through the song with flare that each crowd connects with. Walking around with the microphone, Porter would often leave the stage, joining the audience members for a more intimate experience. Within seconds, children huddled around him like a four-foot tall mosh pit.

"Man, that was great," said Porter after his performance at the Bishkek School of Choreography.

By the end of each concert, the band made new fans. Pictures would be taken, autographs would be signed and hearts would be won.

Building partnerships -- A+.

I've been deployed for near eight months. I've worked in the same building with two active duty bands, two Air National Guard bands and finally, I now see the band for what they are -- ambassadors of the United States.

What the band does in one performance wins more hearts than any free-stuff give away could. One picture can tell a story. The images attached to this story tell that. Rock on, Afterburner. Rock on, World.