Comfy Seats…And Cozy, Too!
Just returned from a visit to Rochester and PAETEC Park. Wow! Things sure are coming together up there. Gone is much of my apprehension about the facility being ready to host our most important event. The home for our 42nd Annual DCA World Championships should be broom clean by Labor Day Weekend.
Joining me there was DCA President Gil Silva who remarked “ Gee, I’m feeling so much better about this.” Our last visit was late October. At that time, words were needed to describe areas of interest to us. Yesterday, our eyes took over.
Only the private Club Level will be less than complete for our event. No real problems there. The judging panels, Staff, VIPs, etc. will simply use folding chairs, temporary partitions, etc. Accommodations for ticketed customers are finished.
Parking availability was a pleasant surprise. New paved lots are being laid down as we speak. Visit http://www.rhinossoccer.com/pages.php?id=25 for new parking locations. The common areas of the facility are simply fantastic. Beautiful bricked plazas, television monitors, abundant concession areas, and an awesome undercover booster table marketplace await. Unique, molded plastic, chairback seating, wide aisles, and excellent sightlines will make PAETEC Park a popular place to enjoy all-age drum corps.
As you have already been told, the playing surface and lighting is NFL quality, designed to meet the needs of regular ESPN broadcasts. Have to mention the 2.5 million dollar, 95 ft. tall video scoreboard. To see that ground level prior to being raised this week was pretty cool.
Our team was warmly welcomed by Drum Major David Bruni of the host Empire Statesmen and Allen Buell, his very capable business manager and event chairman. We got a chance to meet several civic officials, the stadium owner, tourism planners, etc. Rest assured, this city is “ into it.” DCA is being positioned as the region’s premier summer event.
Did someone say Cozy?
Here’s the lastest from DCA’s eye on the activity. Enjoy!
Cozy’s DCA Planet
by Cozy Baker
DCA? ‘What’s shakin’, babycakes?’ ~ Jeff Kievet song title
“They danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live….” ~ Jack Kerouac, 1922 – 1969, “On the Road,” 1957
“Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true.” ~ J. Cardinal Suen
“Life is too short to blend in.” ~ Paris Hilton
“Constancy? I opt for contumacy!” ~ Cozyism
Memorial Day weekend is almost upon corpsdom!!! The pitter-patter of Dinkles at corps entry gates is nigh. Once Paul Chaffee and other staff give the word to take the field, corps will resound with the first openers of
Keith Hall posted a thread wishing luck and success to all corps. I can only add that I wish the same for one and all. I’m ready to smell some diesel fumes…if corps can afford it.
Leapfrogging back a few decades, fans applauded incessantly at the antics of one corps after another. Entertainment was the focus, and those corps clambakes included some top-hat off-the-sidelines characters. While some units have become politically correct, many all-age corps are still milking the crowd for ovations.
DCAssociates crowds are quite charmed to see the Govenaires and Chops, Inc., join the festivities. How Minnenippliesota can profusely crank out so many Brass, Incorporateds, is a marvel. The price just to see these northern corps makes DCA worth the entry with fine musicians like MBI’s Roger Grupp, Dennis Tischhauser, and MBI’s peerless percussion.
Anthrax Ripple?
Pepe Notaro, the preeminent showman, not to be stopped by the introduction of artificial turf eras ago, wheeled out, on a wagon, a sand bucket to thrust his gargantuan mace. Chris Nalls, Renegades executive director, portrayed “The Ghost of Pepe Notaro” in the 2004 Crunchy Frogs. Anthrax Ripple? One can only imagine what Rudnicki & Rogues will levitate for I&EMC, Individuals & Ensembles/Minicorps.
Loujaue “Jay” McPherson, Mon Valley Express contra, referring to Anthrax Ripple, posted, “Sounds like a drink from ‘Sanford and Son.’”
Speaking of classy,
Kilties 70th!
Bryan Butler, Kilties visual caption head, sent the following, “Alright, as of now we are about two camps ahead of schedule (from) where we were last year. After this camp we should only have about one minute of drill left. Also, last year we had 12 holes going to the first show; as of now, we only have three.”
The Mad Plaid have an all-new vis staff, including Bryan Butler, ’94-’99 contra, Blue Stars; Pete Harvey, tech; and Jeff Thomas, tech.
Contra cuties
Click into DCP Forums to see an impressive photo of 11 Hawthorne Caballeros contras lined up. The Cabs’ 60th year is going to truly be as outstanding as Ritchee Price wailing on Call to the Matadors. That pic is not as gorgeous as the scenery Assistant Director Loujaue “Jay” McPherson, contra, enjoys in his Mon Valley Express contra section. BlondeContra is one of two young contra ladies in MVE. Catch Lara, Lindsey, Jay, and MVE at DCA
The CorpsVets have 10 contras; forget Big 6’ 10” Ken Huff, Carey Dryden, Patrick Elmenthaler, former Glassmen, or Executive Director Dave Stollberg – Mary Colleen is the cute one. (Save your correctness tirades. I never claimed to be politically correct. Refer to the “contumacy” quote above.) Frank “El Guapo”
Lisa Dryden, lisard5, quipped, “Yes, the CV contra line is pretty hot.” Lisa should know.
DCA Minicorps – The
Tom MacDonald, brassomaniac, is forming a minicorps, Albany tk2 Project, saying, “…a fun, relaxed atmosphere, a blank canvas with no restrictions, and our own unique personality reflected in our choice of tunes; plus high, fast and loud!
”Also, I agree that a positive attitude is a must – This has to be fun. It’s my belief that, in an up-close performance, the audience will never have any more fun than they perceive YOU to be having.”
Interest in MacDonald’s minicorps is promising as he revealed, “If we get many more responses, we’ll have to move to a larger site – Not complaining, of course!”
D.A., maestro of cheap Ray-Bans
Donny Allen, Hall of Fame and prime pooh-bah for his minicorps, revealed, “All I can tell you about PTB (Prime Time Brass) is that it is a lot of fun. It is made up of players from Empire, Brigs and Cru that can’t or don’t want to march anymore. The talent is enormous!!! We set up like a big band and let it rip.”
Allen added, “I also wrote for Crusaders. They are playing a show called “The Classics,” which includes classical stuff like Firebird Suite, but actually consists mostly of classic rock tunes: Stairway to Heaven (hmm, ’06 Renegades, too), Light my Fire, and School’s Out by Alice Cooper.
Gene, melligene, posted mischief when he started a thread pondering “This Donny Allen guy – What’s his story?” Tom Peashey responded, “Simple answer – He’s Jimmy’s little brother…Tommy’s big brother,” and bariforhire stated “He’s Walt and Monica’s middle son.” Kay, irishcab95, swooned, “He’s a dreamboat.” Keith Hall summed it up, “Donny Allen is a terrific music arranger for band and drum corps. His talent for teaching as well as playing (is phenomenal).”
PMing Allen about “his” thread, Donny responded, “HAHA, too much fun, Cozy…I also have two sisters, Karen, who is older, and Nancy, who is younger. I am the middle child of five that goes boy, (Jim), girl (Karen), me, Nancy and Tom. Dad was the quartermaster, first for the Ridge Culver Statesmen, then, St. Joe’s while Jim and I marched there.”
To those few who don’t know Timmy’s father, “DA” has quite a few feathers in his shako. Just check out the DCP donnymusic signature. Tommy, soprano and visuals, has his own accomplishments. Donny and Tommy have won DCA rings.
Alumni party to ‘Muchasamba’ ~ Jeff Kievet
Frank “Ironlips” Dorritie posted about alumni shows saying, “Alumni shows are the most fun you can have in drum corps with your clothes on.” Dorritie is a member of the Buglers Hall of Fame. The 2006 inductees are: Frank “Buzzy” Bergdoll, Jeff Kievet, Al Chez, Ernie Fessler, Ted Sasso, George DelMonte, Mike DelVecchio, Bonnie Ott, and Bill Hayes. Click into the full DCP news story for more. Get your tickets to the DCA Alumni Spectacular and Championships at www.dcacorps.org . For Kievet’s “For Once” CD and other music, go to www.jeffkievet.com .
Fran Haring sent, “We had a good time at the Reading Buccaneers’ "Spring Preview" concert Saturday (May 13). The concert was bigger and better this year (the second year it has been held), with a bigger crowd – Excellent facility, too, at
Buddy Rich once refused to meet Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd, member of the exclusive league of extraordinary gentlemen drummers, is semi-retired in “Rachacha,”
A hometown buddy, Dave Carpenter, walking bass guitarist artiste, told me that when Gadd once tried to meet Buddy Rich on Buddy’s tour bus, Rich refused to go forward to meet young Gadd. Gadd, the gentleman; Rich, the guy who once said at the mike in a show in
A much better gent with a microphone is Fran Haring. Haring is “the voice” from the Reading Buccs concert to
Pepe made a guest drum major appearance with ’86 Empire
From DCWorld, Sep. 1986, by Ed Cagney: “Two corps tied for first place in prelims; neither corps won finals; the new champions had never won a contest before today; there was more changing of places than ever before in a DCA finals …The high-spirited Skyliners of New York City won a standing ovation for just coming off the left end zone in a company front at the start of their show! DCA fans went delirious and got excited with the emotion of seeing a good corps perform an old-time entry so well. Sky could do no wrong after this start, and even though their scoring might not be as high as some of the other corps, their entertainment level was terrific! The ending "traffic jam" and push to the front sidelines won another standing ovation, full of joy, from an audience who truly loved them. Skyliners also won two special awards: best drum major–Butch Anderson, one of the classiest and most personable leaders today; and best honor guard (or A-squad, as we used to call it!). The class of Butch Anderson shone…With the smallest corps in the finals, the Empire Statesmen of Rochester, NY, won the hearts of the crowd with their fun antics and appealing music. Unique features included segments with the Three Stooges, the Andrews Sisters singing group and the indomitable Pepe Notaro making a guest appearance as a mace throwing drum major!” Subscribe at www.drumcorpsworld.com .
To John Zaragosa, CorpsVets sop, and other
Get off your glued-down gluteous maximus and perform!
‘Tis hard to believe that many corps are still looking for performers in spring. I beckon one and totality to get off your derriere and rotary dial BR-549 to contact your nearest DCA corps. The dues are relatively cheap, the weekend warrior (politically incorrect? Pffft!) timetable still allows most work schedules. If you are a burned-out age-out, get over it. To bandos who have pondered, “What is all this corps crap?” – Life is a wasting. Believe this sagacious sageness: You’ll be sorry about lost years, and they can’t be recovered. Marching DCA, even as a last-minute newbie, beats the heck out of scouring flea markets this summer for Elvis on velvet. Drum corps is the next best thing to canoodling.
Contact your nearest corps for openings. A few:
Steve “Hair Bear” Masters, ’90 and ’91 DCA Showmanship trophy with
I’ve enjoyed numerous e-mails and PMs from my new and old Renegades pals. I’ll see y’all July 5 – 12 for LMS LA and two DCInternational shows July 8 – 9. I can’t wait to see Dream, Kingsmen Alumni et al. in sunny
Speaking Of Howdy Doody, Lew Anderson, 84, the last and best of three Clarabells, died of prostate cancer May 14.
Corpsdom could use more Jolly Jesters. The Velvet Knights have a winter guard and an indoor percussion unit. Fantastic, but I’d love to see the drum corps back on the field in “Magical Mystery Tour IV.” Fortunately, DCA has primo entertainers.
Lee Rudnicki, entertainment lawyer, Renegades marketing disher-outer, sent to me, “I am finishing ‘The Triumph of Evil,’ a novel about the Renegades that will be released this summer.” Maybe, the book will explain Lee’s post: “Guitar players can be a good thing…(Deleting my story until the book comes out).”
‘Corps’ is ooh-la-la French, ‘Corp.’ is Dynasty
Not many DCA aficionados make this mistake. Typically, one spots it more as an eyesore on DCI posts by newbies, some vets. Folks, we’re “corps” (silent “s”), which works singular or plural.
Liz Duguay, LegalEagle50, caught me in Cozy Mistake #169, this year. Duguay correctly reminded me that 1994 was the year the Hurcs entered the Flavian Amphitheater with “Ben-Hur II” with sop soloist John Glynn. I must have been bushwhacked by a “Nightmare Before Christmas” lapse. The Roman Colosseum was begun by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian.
While Googling for Pepe Notaro info above, my own ramblings came up first…Googling from another angle, I popped up again. What can this scribe say? I adore Notaro. Can someone recover the mold? Off to listen to Flight of the Bumblebee….
“I am Merlin who follows the Gleam.” ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson
DCA in aught six promises to be the finest year ever in its resplendent annals. Buy your tickets for the Peanut Gallery at www.dcacorps.org . The CorpsVets have tickets for sale for the DCA South Championships in
