Is It Recording?
It’s a commonly asked question in moments of intended media capture, and it’s the spirit behind Columbus Saints’ 2026 production.
It’s also the title.
The All-Age corps’ program “Is It Recording?” will offer a nostalgic, spirited and compelling take on the importance of recorded media in shaping culture and human experience.
“It’s a show about video recording,” program coordinator Marco Ianelli said, “and how it relates to memory and history, and how we preserve history.”
Columbus Saints, Wilberforce University creating opportunities within HBCU, drum corps communities
According to Ianallei, the show follows a narrative arc through five specific “acts,” guiding audiences through different forms of recorded media and history.
It opens with a stylized “boot-up” sequence, with intent to evoke nostalgia through the sounds and scenes of home videos, family milestones, and more.
“The prologue is like you’re starting up a VCR, or you’re pressing play on an old camcorder recording,” he said, “to kind of put you into this mindset that you’re watching something on an old TV, or watching something that was from a different time in the past.”
From there, the production expands outward into broader cultural and historical contexts, shifting into pop culture and entertainment media before turning toward iconic recordings from distinct historical events.
As Ianelli described, the show’s fourth act depicts the deconstruction of these recordings, portraying their fragility through distortion and decay. The final act rebuilds from that loss, ultimately ending on a message centered on preservation, resilience, and the responsibility to carry stories forward for future generations.
“It ends with a spirit that brings everyone together for the common good,” Ianelli said.
Columbus Saints’ production features an intentionally-eclectic musical book, blending lesser-known artists with more prominent works to create a cohesive emotional arc.
Ianelli and his team make a point to utilize the work of under-the-radar composers, but it’s similarly important to them to provide melodies that will be recognizable to performers and audience members.
“I love finding artists that people may not know about, or songs that may be from artists that people might not know as much about,” he said. “But I also do like to incorporate some songs that are a little more well known, and make it all fit together.”
Musically, the show moves through sharply contrasting styles that reflect each act’s focus — from ambient, electronic textures used to establish mood, to more groove-driven and contemporary selections that explore pop culture, and into darker, more introspective material representing the weight of historical archives.
Specific selections mentioned include the likes of “Stare” by Alex Somers (from the 2024 film, “Nickel Boys”), Tower of Power’s “What Is Hip?,” and “Baltimore” by Jacob Banks (via Tokyo Myers’ arrangement).
The production concludes with Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” providing an uplifting, unifying resolution that reinforces the show’s message of resilience and moving forward together.
“It’s a very eclectic collection of music that, my hope is, will work very smoothly,” Ianelli said, “and will tie the thematic material of the show together.”
As part of its search for music that might be new to drum corps fans, Columbus Saints discovered Mobley — an Austin-based indie artist known for blending elements of rock, electronic, and experimental pop — and will use the artist’s 2022 song, “Stay Volk,” in this summer’s program.
What began as a musical choice has since grown into a meaningful connection, with the corps building a relationship with Mobley himself.
“He’s pretty excited to come out and see the show,” director Le Ron Carlton said. “He’s not really familiar with the idiom of marching band, so we are working with him to potentially attend a show. He’s intrigued by the whole thing.”
According to Ianelli, “Is It Recording?” has been quite popular among Columbus Saints’ members.
“They like the music; they like the show,” he said. “It’s easy enough for them to understand, but they love how deep it’s gotten. They were fascinated by how the whole concept can be translated onto the field.”
In a similar vein, Ianelli described a strong up-tick in member buy-in during preseason rehearsals.
“We’ve seen a big shift in the culture of the group,” he said. “I’ve been really, really loving the amount of positive energy.”
It’s that excited spirit that will lead Columbus Saints’ toward the corps’ 2026 DCI Tour debut, July 27 in Alliance, Ohio.
“We’re working toward something really great, and we’re going to work as hard as we can to get to that point.”
