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Earlier this week, a few Marching 110 alumni published a song about their love for all things Athens, the 110, and OHIO Homecoming. Soon, they will see their musical memories come to life when “The Most Exciting Band in the Land” performs their song – Hit the Bricks – during this year’s Homecoming Weekend.

The effort began with a conversation among brothers, all �������� graduates and former Marching 110 members: Dan (BA’98, MA ’00), Joel (BBA ’94), and Mike (BMUS ’91) Voytek.

“My brother Joel came up with the title, and it just snowballed from there,” said Dan. “The idea from the very beginning was to make ‘Hit the Bricks’ sound like a Marching 110 chart, from the horns right down to the drum break.”

The Voytek brothers came to �������� from Conneaut, ��������, in the late 1980s and 1990s, performing in the Marching 110 for over a decade. Joel’s daughter, Maecy, is a current 110 tenor saxophone player. Many of the song’s lyrics allude to traditions and memories associated with the Marching 110.

“‘The threads are tight, alive and faded’ is certainly a nod to having a band jacket that doesn’t fit like it did back in the old days,” said Dan. “But it also could mean having an old OU shirt or clothing that always feels like home every time you put it on.”

The phrase ‘it never rains in Athens’ is repeated at the end of the song and evokes another Marching 110 memory.

“It definitely means Athens is always a happy place, even when the weather isn’t so great,” Dan explained.

When the task of writing the song was finished, Dan assembled some additional 110 alumni to lay down the track: Chris Blosser (BSC ’98), Mike Eubanks (BTAS ’21, MEd ’23), and Josh Radcliff (BSC ’00). Their band, “FunkyBottleRocket,” produced the song with FFS Studios in Leesburg, Virginia. The final piece also includes special guest vocals from the 2025 Marching 110 drumline.

Mike, who is one of the Marching 110’s music arrangers, also arranged the marching band version of “Hit the Bricks” that the 110 will perform during Homecoming weekend.

Dan shared his gratitude “to the current 110 percussion section for the drumline chorus, the Alumni Association for being engaging and supportive, my non-biological band brothers and studio master John C. for making ‘Hit the Bricks’ possible, and my family and OU friends for making Athens such a meaningful place for most of my existence.”

He invites everyone to “play it loud, dance, and enjoy OU memories with one hundred of your closest friends. It never rains in Athens!”