The Peppas quickly drew a crowd in Portland

They've decided on Director Park, the stone-slab and sterile one-block-wide open area in the middle of Portland's downtown. They just showed up here, as they're wont to do — and unsuspecting people are thankful for it; just ask those who had their Riverwalk experience enhanced when a boat crammed with 29 instruments plowed through San Antonio in 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhS4cOPvf...r_embedded

There are more songs in the band's catalogue (nearly 80) than there are people in the band. Travel bands for the NCAA tournament are only allowed to be 30 people deep, conductor included, meaning VCU can bring less than half of its 70-person outfit to the games. In Portland, the Peppas are comprised of eight trumpets, eight trombones, five tubas, a drum set, a tenor sax, two flutes, a clarinet and a mellophone.

Slowly but surely Kopacsi believes other bands are getting how teams and fans feed off creativity, energy and musically interactive experiences. It can help a program win; people feel better when good, different music is played. The Peppas pride themselves on the fact they don't have sousaphones or trombones adorned with team logos. To them, thickly striped band shirts and decorating instruments is beyond tacky. They are not with the basketball program — they enhance the basketball program and the experience of going to a game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaifMduaB...r_embedded

They also try their best to not pick songs every other band is playing. You probably don't know Rebirth Brass Band or No BS!, but you know you love it when you hear those songs. Kopacsi picks songs based on what they'll be good for. The mood, the right song at the right spot: pre-game, during timeouts, halftime, and post-game. It's a lot of funk, groove, big brass band and bombastic pop that he chooses.

“Other bands are really getting the idea that it's not just music,” Kopacsi said, pointing out George Mason (who is also very awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32VmJQCmCxk) as a dominant example. “But other band directors, it's like “Flight of the Bumblebee” and making sure everything is perfect, but you lose the aspect of the show. You have to put on a show. Because basketball fans don't care if all the notes are right. They just want to be entertained.”

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...basketball