Attack of the Rubber Chickens
Attack of the Rubber Chickens - Randall Standridge
Program Notes
Last year, I wrote a piece called The Great Rubber Chicken Galop. It featured vaudeville flair, ragtime energy, and of course a small army of squeaking rubber chickens. It was ridiculous. It was joyful. And to my absolute delight, people loved it. There was just one problem. It was a bit too much for younger bands.
So, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on a new piece featuring our fowl friends. I knew from the beginning that I did not want to just write another galop or march at an easier level. That felt a little too easy… and honestly, a little lazy. If I were going to revisit this idea, it needed to be something new. Something that stood on its own and took the concept in a completely different direction.
Then it came to me. Space Invasion.
This time, we leave the vaudeville stage behind and head straight into B-movie science fiction territory. Imagine an army of rubber chickens descending from the cosmos, armed with squeaks, honks, and questionable intentions. You will hear musical nods to classic sci-fi sound worlds, complete with eerie effects, dramatic gestures, and even an optional synthesized theremin, because nothing says alien invasion quite like a good old-fashioned “woooooOOOooo.”
Now, I want to be real for a moment. I sometimes worry that writing pieces like this will cause people to take me less seriously as a composer. I have written works that deal with deeply emotional and artistic subjects, and there are times I wonder if something like this might overshadow that part of my voice. In fact, I almost did not release the original rubber chicken piece for that very reason. But here is what I have come to realize. My body of work speaks for itself, and humor, joy, absurdity, laughter is just as valid a human emotion as anything else we express through music.
So keep your eyes on the skies. And if you hear a distant squeak, it may already be too late.
Peace, Love, and Music (and extraterrestrial poultry) - Randy Standy
No rubber chickens were harmed in this invasion. Probably.
Rehearsal suggestions
-The tempo of this work is critical to its character. When planning your preparation, make sure to allow time for proper technical development to achieve the written tempos, lest the work come off as “boring.” Also, please reference ragtime music for style.
-Dynamics should be noticeable and taken to extremes.
-The aleatoric section at m.69-71 should have a gradual build, both in volume and intensity. Each measure should last 3-4 seconds.
-There is a YouTube Video describing how the chickens are to be played. You can find a link for the video on our website on the product page for this piece or on my YouTube Channel. (Coming soon)
-Percussion should be on the higher end of dynamic balance. Do not hide them.
-Chicken choreography is not required…but it is strongly encouraged. It is recommended that they be played above the music stand, so the audience can see the chickens “pop up” from time to time.
-The synthesized theremin part is optional, but strongly encouraged.