Excuse me, I'm with the band

In a student body that often considers itself too cool for school spirit, the College of Charleston Pep Band stands out as a notable exception.

Thirty strong and always on hand when the Cougars play at home, these Cougars are a band of brethren who don't mind being part of the show.

"We're just in it for the fun," Pep Band director David Heywood said of his group at Thursday night's game against Charleston Southern at the North Charleston Coliseum. "We come here, we make some fun music and have a good time."

Heywood, who teaches jazz at the College, said the group is made up mostly of non-music majors who played in their high school bands and wanted to continue playing in college.

"We've got about 70 charts in the book, not all of which we can play," he said of their repertoire. "We have some shorts for timeouts and we have some longer ones, including the Star Spangled Banner. We've got a little bit for every occasion.

"But, mainly, our job is to have fun and make as much noise as we can."

Soul Finger

They do that quite nicely, with tight renditions of some arena favorites such as "Soul Finger," "Eye of the Tiger," and, of course, "The Charleston."

Getting to know the pep band is also an entertaining endeavor.

Just at random, there's Steven Hill, a junior trumpet player from Myrtle Beach who is majoring in business administration. He says the pep band "fulfills my desire for music and it's a way to stay with it."

Then there's Brittany Johnson, a sophomore from Sumter majoring in computer science. She plays the trumpet and says the pep band is a "way to meet new people, play awesome music and get in the games free."

Jacob Lewis, is a sophomore biology major from Bristolville, Ohio, who plays the tuba. Sean Barry is a junior from Columbia majoring in arts management while playing the trombone.

Another trombonist is West Crosby from Anderson. He's already graduated in computer science but likes playing along as an alumni.

Others include Dan Mackin from the town of Ninety Six, an english major on the tenor sax, and Chelsea Parker on mellophone, a freshman biology major from Kingsport, Tenn.

They're backed up by Drew Novotny, a senior drummer from Annapolis, Md., who is majoring in political science.

Cow bell

These college kids practice together twice a week and get a $250 scholarship to go along with the one college credit for playing in the pep band.

Most are playing instruments they've owned since middle school and are more involved in the basketball game than many of the spectators in the stands.

In between renditions of "25 or 6 to 4" and "Hey, Baby," band members are quick to judge the other team's players as well as the officials.

"I'm blind, I'm deaf, I wanna be a ref," is a pep band favorite, along with doing a choreographed "Whoosh!" every time their team sinks a free throw.

If it all sounds a little bit corny, that's actually the best part of it. While most College of Charleston students are too busy tending to their social calendars to actually attend a Cougar basketball game, these kids are having a real college experience.

After all, you have to love a group who's motto is, "There's Never Too Much Cowbell!"

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5598.