I don't think pep bands get quite the amount of credit they deserve in holding our society together. They entertain us during halftime shows and pep rallies. They help to raise the spirits of our high school sports stars.

Most of all, these are the young heroes who provide us all with much-needed pep, which has to be among the easiest and most fun words in the English language to say.

You may think you have the idea of a pep band securely nutshelled, don't you? Giant brass section. "Final Countdown." Booming percussion. "Rock and Roll Part 2."Military-style uniforms complete with cords and those weird, tall hats. And, of course, "Louie, Louie."

Meanwhile, a mere state away from ours, one high school band is rewriting the pep playbook and standing out from the pep pack, at Ada-Borup High School in Minnesota.

For one thing, their band director, Richard Tuttle, sees their group as a different animal, entirely. "I want us to be taken seriously as a rock band, not just a high school group,"Tuttle says. "We are literally the 'School of Rock' we tour, we search for gigs, we deal with talent agencies and record companies."

Yes, the Ada-Borup pep band supplies their school with the standard duties of a pep band: performing for the school's teams at tournaments. But they do so with a different setup than the norm, using electric guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, roadies and singers. And they do it with a different approach and attitude, utilizing a setlist of Tuttle's original compositions and songs by Christian rock bands.

"The first song Iarranged for our pep band was 'Lose It Again' by Everyday Sunday,"Tuttle recounts. "I did it because I didn't like any of the pep band music that was out there and the group would let me arrange it for free."

Tuttle uses primarily Christian rock songs for their ease-of-use and the message that they bring. He says that he personally contacts the bands whose songs he has used, including Reliant K, Skillet, UnderOath, Newsboys and Demon Hunter, and "they are usually very excited to let me do it."

Tuttle's vision for the band is to secure a national audience for their music. And he hopes to achieve this goal through the power of the Internet and viral video.

"I started posting videos on YouTube in January of 2007, and the response has been amazing,"he says. "I love getting comments back from fans."

Tuttle and the Ada-Borup pep band have set a goal of reaching 100,000 views for their YouTube videos of them performing regionally and during their national "Mad Cow" tour, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wnmcxwSF1M or by searching for "Ada Borup pep band"or "What is mad cow" at www.youtube.com.

If you're near a computer, Iwould recommend you check these videos out, both for the delight of seeing the incredible arrangements this band is capable of and to help them to their goal of spreading non-mainstream music and a positive Christian message.

Meantime, Tuttle says that he and his band will continue to play their music and aim for the stars. As he says, "Something special happens when we perform it's like joy emanates from our group."

(Reach columnist Kelly Hagen at 250-8259 or kelly.hagen@bismarcktribune.com.)