IN BRRRRRRT WE TRUST^™

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 the spring of 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 six months later after being the only drummer who could play "3,900 Rounds Per Minute" at tempo. She played it twice. The band was complete.

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.

Their second venue received a 14-page technical rider with load-bearing calculations and egress routing. The venue owner asked if it was a joke. Marcus said that was a negative.

In BRRRRRRT We Trust submitted a technical rider to their second venue that was fourteen pages long. The rider included: stage dimensions required with load-bearing calculations, minimum sound system specifications with decibel output requirements, monitor placement diagrams, cable routing specifications, power requirements with circuit calculations, lighting specifications including color temperature preferences, audience egress routing recommendations, parking allocation for the band van, dressing room requirements including temperature range, and a single-page appendix covering contingency protocols for equipment failure. The venue owner, a man named Phil who had been booking bands for eleven years, called Marcus after receiving the rider and asked if this was a joke. Marcus said that was a negative. Phil said most bands just ask for a case of beer and a working PA. Marcus said In BRRRRRRT We Trust would also accept the case of beer. Phil accepted these terms. The show went on. Phil has since described the rider as the most thorough document he has received from a band and also the most useful.

Three A-10 pilots were in the audience. Dave identified them by how they stand at a bar. The band played the rest of the set with additional weight. One pilot said the band name was correct.

In 1995, In BRRRRRRT We Trust played a show at a bar approximately two miles from the flight line at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Three active-duty A-10 pilots were in the audience. Dave Pruitt identified them approximately six minutes into the set by their specific way of standing at a bar and immediately informed Marcus between songs by pointing with his chin, which is the band's established non-verbal communication protocol for audience intelligence. Marcus acknowledged with a single nod. The band played the remainder of the set with what Elaine has described as additional weight. After the show one of the pilots approached Marcus and said the name of the band was correct. Marcus said he knew. The pilot bought a cassette. Marcus has the cassette receipt in the mission log for that show.

The van died on I-10, ninety miles from Tucson. Marcus had a contingency plan. The contingency took four hours instead of the projected two. They made the show with eleven minutes. Marcus wrote a post-incident report identifying three process failures.

On the way to a show in Albuquerque in 1996, the van's alternator failed on Interstate 10, approximately ninety miles east of Tucson. Marcus had a contingency plan for vehicle failure. The contingency plan called for a rental vehicle, which was arranged. The equipment was transferred to a rental trailer. The contingency execution took four hours. The projected contingency execution time was two hours. The deviation was two hours. They arrived at the venue with eleven minutes before scheduled start. Marcus conducted the mission briefing in four minutes. They played the show. Marcus wrote a post-incident report that identified three process failures contributing to the two-hour deviation. Dennis had missed the scheduled quarterly maintenance inspection. Dave had taken the van to the shop two weeks prior and the shop had missed the failing component. Marcus had not built adequate margin into the contingency timeline. The report was distributed to all members. Elaine filed hers. Dave changed shops. Dennis has not missed an inspection since.

Marcus sent a mission completion report email when the band ended. It had metrics, lessons learned, and a final disposition of assets section. Elaine printed hers. It is on the wall of her teaching studio.

In BRRRRRRT We Trust concluded operations in 2003. Marcus did not say they were breaking up. He said the mission was complete. He sent an email to Dennis, Dave, and Elaine on a Tuesday in October 2003 that was formatted as a mission completion report. It contained: a summary of operations (1991–2003), key metrics (312 shows, 6 albums, 1 van, 37 equipment cost justifications approved, 1,247 mission briefings conducted), a lessons learned section, and a section labeled "final disposition of assets" that covered what would happen to the band equipment. Marcus kept the van. Dennis kept the guitar rigs. Dave kept his bass. Elaine kept her drum kit. The email concluded: "Mission complete. Assets dispersed. Personnel released to independent operations. It has been an honor." Elaine printed her copy. It is on the wall of her teaching studio.

Marcus said the mission had reached an operational pause. An A-10 flew over. Neither of them said BRRRRRRT. In 2014 he called and they all came.

In BRRRRRRT We Trust played their last show in 2003 and disbanded shortly after. The reason was not internal conflict. The reason was that Marcus felt the mission had reached a natural operational pause. He said this in the same bar near Davis-Monthan where he and Dave had met in 1991. An A-10 flew over during the conversation. Both of them looked at the sky. Neither of them said BRRRRRRT. Marcus said the band had done what it needed to do. Dave said okay. The A-10 was still flying. In 2014, when it was threatened again, Marcus called everyone. They came.

The Air Force tried to retire the A-10. The band played a parking lot in DC for six people including two Congressional staffers. The A-10 was not retired. The band considers these facts related.

When the Air Force announced the most serious attempt yet to retire the A-10 in 2014, Marcus called the band. Dennis drove from Tucson with the gear in seventeen hours. Dave flew commercial because his truck was in for maintenance. Elaine flew from Colorado Springs. They assembled outside a Congressional office building in Washington, D.C., set up their gear on the sidewalk with a generator that Dennis had rented, and played a set of six songs to an audience of six people, two of whom were congressional staffers who came outside to see what was happening and stayed for "Congressional Testimony (Metal Version)." Marcus gave both staffers a copy of the band's position paper on A-10 retention. One of them said they would pass it along. Marcus said thank you. The A-10 was not retired that year. The band considers these facts connected.