There are some things in a city that you don’t really think about until they’re gone.
An old restaurant. A neighborhood store. A theater. A festival everybody remembers going to as a kid.
Or maybe it’s the sound of a community band playing patriotic music while Montgomery gathers to honor its veterans.
After 54 years, that sound may be going away.
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The City of Montgomery has decided to discontinue its relationship with the Capitol Sounds Concert Band, a community band that has been part of this city since 1972.
According to information provided to me, longtime director John Jackson was informed only a few weeks ago that the band would have to leave its home at the Crump Community Center by July 31.
Just like that.
Fifty-four years of history.
Generations of musicians.
Countless performances.
And apparently, it’s time to pack up.
I have a hard time understanding that.
This Is More Than Just a Band
Capitol Sounds traces its history back to 1972, when a group of former high school and college musicians organized the Montgomery Community Band at the old Cloverdale Community Center.
It was exactly what the name suggested.
A community band.
It gave people who loved music a place to continue playing after high school or college. It brought together professional musicians and people who simply loved picking up an instrument and making music.
In July 2000, the Montgomery Community Band became the Capitol Sounds Concert Band.
John Jackson took over as director in 2003.
And through all those years, Capitol Sounds became part of Montgomery’s civic fabric.
These weren’t musicians sitting around playing for themselves.
They played for Montgomery.
They played Fourth of July celebrations.
They played Veterans Day programs.
They played military appreciation events.
They played civic functions.
They played state and gubernatorial events.
They played community events downtown.
They showed up when Montgomery needed a band.
And they did it largely as volunteers.
That’s the part I keep coming back to.
What Exactly Are We Saving Money On?
I understand that cities have budgets.
I understand buildings have expenses.
I understand priorities change.
Nobody is suggesting Montgomery has unlimited money or unlimited space.
But we’re talking about a volunteer community band.
These aren’t 40 city employees collecting salaries and benefits.
These are people giving their own time and talent back to Montgomery.
Teachers.
Retirees.
Military personnel.
Professional musicians.
Former school band members.
College students.
Doctors.
Attorneys.
People who simply enjoy making music.
They come from different backgrounds, different professions and different generations.
Then they sit down together, open the same sheet music and play.
That’s exactly the kind of community involvement we’re constantly claiming we want more of.
So what exactly are we accomplishing by getting rid of it?
That’s the question Montgomery deserves an answer to.
We Talk A Lot About Quality of Life
Montgomery spends plenty of time talking about quality of life.
We talk about attracting businesses.
We talk about attracting young professionals.
We talk about tourism.
We talk about downtown.
We talk about entertainment.
We talk about giving people reasons to stay in Montgomery instead of leaving for Birmingham, Huntsville, Atlanta or somewhere else.
All of that matters.
But quality of life isn’t just another restaurant opening downtown.
It isn’t another apartment development.
It isn’t another consultant’s study.
Culture matters too.
Community matters.
Tradition matters.
And sometimes the things that make a city interesting aren’t the things that generate the biggest revenue numbers.
Sometimes it’s a group of people getting together on a Thursday night because they still love playing music.
That’s worth something.
Maybe you can’t put a dollar figure beside it on a city spreadsheet.
That doesn’t mean it has no value.
Montgomery Has Benefited From Capitol Sounds
This isn’t some obscure organization that suddenly appeared and started asking the city for something.
Montgomery has benefited from Capitol Sounds for decades.
The City itself has promoted Capitol Sounds performances.
The band has appeared at Fourth of July celebrations going back years.
It has performed at Veterans Day ceremonies.
It has performed at Riverwalk Stadium.
It has performed at city functions and community events.
As recently as 2024, John Jackson was conducting Capitol Sounds through the Armed Forces Medley during Montgomery’s Veterans Day celebration.
Think about that.
When Montgomery wanted to honor the men and women who served this country, Capitol Sounds was good enough to represent the city.
When Montgomery needed music for community celebrations, Capitol Sounds was good enough.
When Montgomery needed musicians for civic events, Capitol Sounds was there.
But now there’s apparently no room for them.
Something about that doesn’t sit right with me.
Maybe There’s More To This Story
There may very well be another side to this.
Maybe there are issues with the Crump facility.
Maybe Parks and Recreation is changing how the building will be used.
Maybe there’s a budget issue.
Maybe there’s another plan that hasn’t been publicly explained yet.
If there is, let’s hear it.
I haven’t seen enough information to determine exactly why this decision was made, and I’m not going to invent an explanation for the city.
But after 54 years, I don’t think asking for an explanation is unreasonable.
In fact, I think Montgomery owes Capitol Sounds one.
You don’t simply close the book on an organization that’s been part of the community since Richard Nixon was president without explaining why.
And more importantly, you don’t do it without first asking whether there’s another solution.
Surely We Can Find Them A Room
This is where the whole situation becomes frustrating.
Montgomery is a city with community centers, schools, colleges, churches, auditoriums and public facilities.
We have Alabama State University.
We have Auburn University at Montgomery.
We have Huntingdon College.
We have Faulkner University.
We have Maxwell Air Force Base.
We have churches with large fellowship halls.
We have arts organizations.
We have businesses that regularly talk about supporting the community.
Are we seriously saying that in the entire Montgomery area we can’t find somewhere for a volunteer community band to rehearse?
If Crump Community Center is no longer an option, fine.
Find another option.
If the relationship between Capitol Sounds and Parks and Recreation has to change, fine.
Change it.
If Capitol Sounds needs to become more independent, then help them make that transition.
Find sponsors.
Build partnerships.
Bring community organizations into the conversation.
But don’t simply tell them to get out and allow 54 years of Montgomery history to disappear.
That’s not a solution.
That’s giving up.
Once It’s Gone, It’s Gone
This is something Montgomery should understand better than most cities.
We’ve lost plenty over the years.
Buildings disappear.
Businesses close.
Organizations fold.
Traditions end.
Then 10 or 20 years later everybody gets nostalgic and starts posting old photographs on Facebook talking about how much they miss them.
By then it’s too late.
You can’t recreate 54 years of history.
You can’t instantly rebuild a music library.
You can’t replace decades of institutional knowledge.
You can’t snap your fingers and recreate relationships between musicians who have spent years playing together.
And you can’t manufacture tradition.
Tradition takes time.
Capitol Sounds has had 54 years of it.
That should count for something.
This Doesn’t Need To Become A Political Fight
It shouldn’t matter whether you like Mayor Steven Reed.
It shouldn’t matter which City Council member represents your district.
It shouldn’t matter whether you’re Republican, Democrat or somewhere in between.
There doesn’t need to be a political jersey attached to everything.
This is about Montgomery.
And I don’t think asking the city to sit down with Capitol Sounds and find another solution is unreasonable.
Maybe the current arrangement can’t continue.
Okay.
Then what can?
That’s the conversation we should be having.
Mayor Reed, the Montgomery City Council, Parks and Recreation officials and representatives from Capitol Sounds should sit down together before the final note is played.
Put everything on the table.
If there’s a legitimate problem, explain it.
If there’s a financial issue, tell us what it costs.
If there’s a facility issue, let’s find another facility.
If Capitol Sounds needs community sponsors, say so.
Montgomery might surprise you.
There are people here who still care about things like this.
Some Things Are Worth Keeping
For 54 years, people have volunteered their time to make music for Montgomery.
They rehearsed when nobody was watching.
They practiced at home.
They carried instruments and equipment.
They gave up evenings.
They performed in the Alabama heat.
They played for veterans.
They played for families.
They played for governors, city officials and ordinary people.
They played because they loved music and because they wanted to share it with their community.
There is something refreshingly simple about that.
Nobody was getting famous.
Nobody was getting rich.
They were just making Montgomery a little better.
And maybe that’s why this bothers me so much.
We spend millions of dollars trying to manufacture “community.”
Capitol Sounds already created one.
We spend money trying to create culture.
Capitol Sounds has been contributing to ours since 1972.
We talk endlessly about improving Montgomery’s quality of life.
Here’s a group of volunteers who have been doing exactly that for more than half a century.
And now we’re apparently showing them the door.
That doesn’t make sense.
There may still be time to change the ending of this story.
I hope there is.
Because someday Montgomery will look back at the things that made this city unique, the organizations people remember, the places that brought people together and the traditions that somehow survived from one generation to another.
Capitol Sounds deserves to be one of them.
For 54 years, when Montgomery needed music, these musicians showed up.
Now they need Montgomery to show up for them.
It would be a damn shame if all we gave them in return was silence.
Jason Davenport is a seasoned media professional with over two decades of experience in the fields of broadcasting, audio/video production, and media consulting. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, Jason is the owner of Deep South Media, where he specializes in providing innovative solutions for clients, including podcasting, blogging, web design, and social media management.