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I'm mostly just hoping they get their show design game together for once, especially in brass arranging. Whoever is arranging for them now is not very good at all and really doesn't do Phantom's brass justice.

I think my safest bet would be to go with # 2 Entertainment. It certainly is !

It's Don Hill, and I agree. Even though I think Don is a great writer. I wonder if he, like in visual design last year, has been tied down to producing the "concept."

Neither - I'm like the old-timers that think nothing good has happened in drum corps since 1963, except with politics. I really miss being able to argue political beliefs with friends, co-workers, et al. without poisoning the atmosphere for the next century or so. We are/always have been a flawed society, but we used to be better about discourse. Although I couldn't make myself vote for him due to personal beliefs about his platform, I love John McCain - I think he's a truly great American. One of the high points of my life was watching while he and Ted Kennedy worked across the aisle to get legislation passed to help Americans. This current crop are more interested in getting re-elected by scaring constituents than by getting anything done, and I (sadly) include both sides of the aisle, the Judicial, and the Executive branches. We're all Americans. We can't cure the ills of the world, but we can try to take care of our citizens. Otherwise why have a government? And we don't have to agree on the means, the methods, the individuals, but #### it would be nice to be able to talk about it without calling each other names. OK, that's it - I'm exhausted from Texas politics - i.e. the politics of fear and stupidity.

sigh.... I'm so jealous. Have a great time! PS: this thread isn't going any where. Stay in touch Give Ron a call while you are down there.... share some laughs and perhaps some beverages.

God I hate it when you're reasonable... It's funny - I have been vocal about my distaste for much of DCP. I think there are folks that post regularly (not on Guess Who) that are just trolls and ball-busters, and I don't get a sense of their being moderated. On the other hand when I read Ray (the good Ray) post that he was leaving DCP and Guess Who I felt terrible. It's so easy to say "Let's get our own page" when you're (In this case I'm) not the one doing the work. I made up my mind a long time ago not to go on Facebook. I fear that I would end up spending 23 hrs a day catching up with folks that I'd be better off running into in real life. I love the Guess Who forum, and honestly I love it right here - I just don't read much else on DCP. I b*tched quite a bit about Don being banned for life, in part because he functions as well as any of us on this thread, and in part because I find it hard to take a webpage so seriously that one can be banned for life. I mean, for life? By way of full disclosure, Don and I had a little on-line dust-up when he didn't like something I posted. He and I are obviously very different people, but we worked through it on DMs. If the DCP moderators think it's the right call, God bless them, but I'm not a big believer in power, especially little tiny unimportant pieces of power. Being banned for life from a drum corps forum seems way over the top to me (operative word, seems). Everyone on the forum(s) has participated in an activity we all love. We're different - we express it differently. But to be honest, if you want to ban folks for life I could think of three right off the bat I'd jettison just as quickly, and that's the rub in my opinion. When we start to pick and choose who NEVER GETS TO COME ON AGAIN, it's pretty subjective stuff. I hope Guess Who stays active and accessible. I enjoy my time here - I won't be going to Facebook for a number of reasons that are personal more than anything. But I guess I also hope that the moderators be a little more moderate in their bans. Lifetime is really long. The longer the better, except for being excluded from something you love. Even if you don't do it as well as some would like you to.

The tough part is that I'm not a Facebooker - tough for me anyway. But I'm also one of the ones yelling loudest about moving off DCP so I guess be careful of what you wish for, huh?

I don't know that there are that many people so upset. Seems to me the Mods have acted fairly and firmly in enforcing DCP's commitment to maintain civility on these forums. If someone consistantly displays a combative and anti-social posture and fails to heed repeated warnings and prior suspension then censuring that individual becomes the only option....when these progressive efforts fail, there's only one person to aim the finger of blame at! So how are the Moderators at fault? I've been here daily since day one and don't believe I've seen the Mods interfere at all.

Um. Wut? Good job finding a two-month-old list of pizzas, I guess...?

I recopy this conversation from the Staff merry go round thread as it seems germain here as well. Thank you Chaos. kdaddy, on 22 Oct 2014 - 10:52 PM, said: said Chaos in response: Kinda sad to see Michael James go. He's been there since '05 through ups and downs. Truly great person, designer, and instructor. Big loss imo.

I see that Phantom's going with an all-female guard again (at least that's what it says in the audition info on their website). I was hoping they might go back to having guys in the guard again.

Okay. Still not sure why they chose the hybrid technique. It hasn't really been done since the 80s, so maybe they wanted the throw-back. Wouldn't mind seeing them go for a full straight-leg with the white pants. Or at least trim down the pants to a more form-fitting look with the bent knee.

Time to start growing that beard out.

Welcome back, Tony!!

At any rate, Welcome back, Tony!!! Feel better my friend.

There are so many drum corps groups on FB, why not just start a "Drum Corps Guess Who" group and make it a closed group/membership with approval from Your Majesty? Or you could make it an open group until it starts to get away from the subject matter and then thin the herd, so to speak, and then close it. Just a few thoughts from your humble servant. Ray

There are issues I have where the activity is going. Yet I am reading this forum and DCI.org almost every day. Sometimes I post, sometimes I just read. Every year I buy the Fan Network pass and the DVDs. Every year I scrutinize YouTube for whatever I can find - sometimes knowing it has to be quick before it's taken down. No matter what I disagree with, if the stars were to align and a show would be close to home, I would buy the ticket to attend as soon as I could. it hasn't been that way since 2000. Yet, here I am, 14 years after my last live show, still following the activity. Going to finals in Indy is not possible. I also think that in the event that woodwinds are added, I'll be posting the exact same thing as above.

It amazes me always that those who seek to keep the activity written in stone as in BITD (back in THEIR day) have no problems adapting to the computer to read this post, microwaving their coffee and food, getting to the contests in the most up to date means of transportation, and listening to the corps after the season through the most modern electronics. But should the corps change, NEVER they claim. Yes family life has changed, society has changed, schools have changed, and in those ways, kids have changed. That drum corps has become no longer a local but (inter)national activity has much to do with it as well as/with fan tenure just as much as the proportionate rise in ticket prices, hotel prices, and costs for being on the road. Luxury money isn't available to everyone and some grow more mature with their spendings as they take on the commitments of marriage, family life, and career. Other than it is music on a field with colorful visuals, nope, not much will be the same.

Not defensive at all. Sorry you took it that way or I made it sound that way. Didn't mean to. I do think there were many reasons why drum corps shouldn't or could have not been around today. !. the ever changing world of the 70s when most drum corps were folding due to many reason including bad management or at very least good people not knowing how to move forward. 2. Communities changing and the support of many local groups and clubs etc etc falling by the wayside. 3. The changing type of member. Very different from today's member with a lot more choices today than ever. 4. Money / costs to run things as well as members fees. And its not because of all the new bells and whistles Try getting a rehearsal facility today. This is just a few of dozens more reasons why the activity could have easily gone away.

I think, perhaps, Guardling is trying to bring a more balanced, honest assessment to the discussion of "reasons DCI might have shortened the average tenure of a DCI fan. I think one of his closing thoughts states it succinctly: Most things are not a black/white, cause/effect, simple explanation. In a world where the media wants to boil everything down to simple sound bites for the intelligence-impaired, it's easy to lose sight on the fact that there are so many complex reasons large problems. And that includes why demographic and longevity of DCI fans has shifted. Yes, I don't think people would argue that ONE reason could be changes to the activity, but as pointed out the activity has be fraught with changes from the beginning. I aged-out in the late 90's, and I experienced PLENTY of negativity from people who thought writing was geared too much towards front ensemble 'noise,' drum tuning was too high/brittle, etc. I know people who gave up when brass instruments gained valves or when corps went nutty with props/costuming in the 80's (I actually no someone who was so appalled by the visual stuff in SCV 1987 that they refused to ever watch drum corps after that). But it's also fair to assess that there are a myriad of other reasons why the demo might've changed for DCI. Trying to whittle down the discussion to just 'a' reason is goofy and illogical

The Troopers fan in me says, “Get back to finals.” The instructor/performer in me says, “Max out” scores and placements be ######. 12th place would be just great, but shoot for the moon and max out, then 12th can easily end up 9th or 8th. I’m from Wyoming…but I came into the activity in Kansas and unfortunately I didn’t march with the Troopers. I’ve always loved the Troopers and one of my few regrets, for the years I didn’t march, was not going there. Like you, I’m exceedingly proud of the organization and their approach to our beloved activity. Max out Troopers…Max out!

As would I, dev. Most assuredly and heartily. But...what is wrong with aiming high? I've always felt that we often, at best, achieve the level of which we aim. Aim for 12th...get 12th...FANTASTIC!! Aim for 10th...don't reach it...but finish 11th? In the long run, I (and maybe it's just me) will take the second eventuality every day of the week...and twice on Sunday, as they say. In the end however, I remain first and foremost, an ardent fan and supporter of the Troopers from Casper, Wyoming. And I will be proud of the young men and women who constitute the membership of that group. No eventual placement number will change that. My level of happiness? Maybe. But my pride and support? Not on your life. And not in a million lifetimes.

I predict that in 2015, the Yellowstone Volcano will erupt, and most of us will have died...but the Blue Devils will have prepared ahead of time by colonizing the moon...they will win with a perfect 100...being truly the first Corps to use jetpacks!