IBWTIBWT-PUB-0001 REV C
← Sortie Log index

SORTIE REPORT · IBWT-SR-1991 · CY1991 // PROPOSED

1991

Formation. Nine shows. One rubric.

SHOWS LOGGED
9
RECORD DELIVERED
None. Not a requirement.
INCIDENT REPORTS FILED
2
PERSONNEL ON STRENGTH
6

By Day

0700–1630 local · Duty assignments

  1. Marcus Webb “BRRRRRRT”

    BAND · Lead Vocals

    Day-shift clerk, a freight terminal near Tucson International Airport. Separated from the Air Force the year before, after six years.

  2. Dennis Kowalski “Cost-Plus”

    BAND · Lead Guitar

    Junior test engineer, a defense contractor in Tucson. Engineering degree. Badge-access floor.

  3. Dave Pruitt “Warthog”

    BAND · Bass

    Forklift operator, a produce warehouse on the south side. Arrived from Memphis in 1990 after two seasons as road crew for his older sister's band.

  4. Elaine Kowalczyk “Seven Barrels”

    BAND · Drums

    Drum instructor, a music store on East Speedway, weekdays. Sergeant, Arizona Army National Guard: one weekend a month, two weeks each summer.

  5. Tony Reyes “Wrench”

    SUPPORT · Vehicle & Equipment Maintenance

    Mechanic, a transmission shop on South 6th Avenue.

  6. Linda Vasquez

    SUPPORT · Venue Owner (The Runway Bar, Tucson)

    Owner and operator, The Runway Bar. Two miles from the gate.

By Night

2000–0100 local · Operations

The Runway Bar in Tucson at night
The Runway Bar, Tucson. All nine 1991 shows.

In January the A-10 went to war in the Persian Gulf. In Tucson, the aircraft that stayed behind kept flying the pattern at Davis-Monthan. Marcus Webb could see it from the loading dock of the freight terminal where he worked days. He had separated from the Air Force the year before, after six years. He kept the habit of looking up.

The archive holds two accounts of how Dave Pruitt joined. In the first, in January, Marcus and Dave said the same word at the same moment when an A-10 made a low approach over a bar near the base. In the second, Dave answered a flyer. Both accounts are supported by documents. The archive files both. Between January and March Marcus auditioned eleven drummers using a four-part scoring rubric.

Dave had come west the year before. In Memphis he had worked two seasons as road crew for his older sister's band, Stompin' Kittens. He learned to carry a bass cabinet before he learned to play one. In Tucson he drove a forklift. He said the name on the flyer was correct.

Dennis Kowalski was at the bar for unrelated reasons. He was a junior test engineer at a defense contractor across town. He said he played guitar and had thoughts about defense acquisition. Marcus said that was relevant.

Elaine Kowalczyk arrived at her audition eleven minutes late. The tire was flat. The log says unforeseeable. She taught drum lessons on weekdays and drilled with the Arizona Army National Guard one weekend a month. She held the rank of sergeant. She met all four criteria.

Tony Reyes worked at a transmission shop on South 6th Avenue. He inspected the van before the first rehearsal. The van was a 1979 cargo model with 141,000 miles on it. He said the van was ready. Linda Vasquez owned The Runway Bar, two miles from the gate. She agreed to a first show on the condition that it end at the time stated. It did.

The band played nine shows in 1991. All nine were at The Runway Bar. The first mission briefing lasted five minutes. Marcus delivered it standing. The other three sat. Attendance was fourteen.

No record was released. Marcus wrote a one-page summary of operations for the calendar year and handed it out at the December rehearsal. Dave read it twice. He said it was accurate.

Operations logged

  1. SEP 14The Runway Bar, TucsonFirst operational show. Attendance 14. Briefing: five minutes.
  2. OCT 12The Runway Bar, TucsonAttendance 22.
  3. NOV 09The Runway Bar, TucsonFirst show to begin and end at the times posted on the door.
  4. DEC 14The Runway Bar, TucsonNinth show. Year closed.

Selected entries. 9 shows logged in CY1991. The remainder are in the binder.

Incident reports

1991The FormationA bar near Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona

Marcus and Dave said BRRRRRRT simultaneously when an A-10 flew over. They had never met. Marcus said he wanted to start a band about that. Dave said okay.

In January 1991, Marcus Webb and Dave Pruitt were at a bar near Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson when an A-10 conducted a low approach over the area and both of them said "BRRRRRRT" at the same moment. They had not met before. They looked at each other. Marcus said he wanted to start a band. Dave said what kind of band. Marcus said a band about that. He pointed at the sky where the A-10 had been. Dave said okay. Dennis was at the bar for unrelated reasons and overheard this exchange and said he played guitar and had thoughts about defense acquisition. Marcus said that was relevant. Dennis sat down. Elaine was recruited in March, the only drummer of eleven who could play "3,900 Rounds Per Minute" at tempo. She played it twice. The band was complete.

1991Elaine's AuditionA rehearsal space in Tucson, Arizona

Marcus auditioned eleven drummers with a scoring rubric. Elaine arrived eleven minutes late due to a flat tire. She was the only one who met all four criteria. Marcus hired her. He told her the eleven-minute notation would say "unforeseeable." She said that was accurate.

Marcus Webb auditioned eleven drummers for In BRRRRRRT We Trust between January and March 1991. He had a scoring rubric. The rubric included: tempo stability under sustained high-BPM conditions, decibel output at peak, recovery time after complex fills, and what Marcus described in the rubric as "operational commitment" — the willingness to play at full capacity for the duration without reduction. Elaine Kowalczyk arrived eleven minutes late for her audition because of a flat tire. Marcus noted this in the audition log. She was the only drummer who met the decibel output specification. She was the only drummer who met all four rubric criteria. Marcus offered her the position at the end of the audition. He told her she had met the specifications and that the eleven-minute deviation would not affect his decision because the data from the audition was sufficient. Elaine said she knew. She asked what the late arrival notation in the log would say. Marcus said it would say eleven minutes, flat tire, unforeseeable. Elaine said that was accurate. She has not been late since.