Jump to content

oaklandcrusader

Members
  • Posts

    51
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by oaklandcrusader

  1. Thanks for the great story!...I don't remember that but that sure sounds like something Float would have us do -- He knew exactly when to put the hammer down and when to lighten things up...That was one of his many great strengths...
  2. Yes, he was...It really should have been his 1st Drum Title...It's the one that got away lol He aged out after the '74 season with Kingsmen...In '75 he helped out with the Freelancers then came to us in '76 and '77 as our Head Instructor...He went to Spirit of Atlanta after us then on to Blue Devils from there...
  3. Since DCI is just around the corner, I thought I'd selfishly take this opportunity to remind and or inform everyone that this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Oakland Crusaders winning Top Drums at DCI Prelims in 1977 in Denver, Colorado but unfortunately, our Corps didn't make Finals that year...A distinguished feat that was never accomplished either before or after in the history of DCI... The Blue Devils who had a solid Drum Line that year went on to win Top Drums in the Finals posting a score of 18.80 which was still lower than our Prelims score...I was on the Bass Line and if memory serves me well ( I'm 57 yrs old now so it might not ) we only lost once that year and it was to the Blue Devils...Everyone knew that we were the Best Drum Line that year but you know what they say-- If ifs and buts were candy and nuts my Aunt would be my Uncle lol...In other words, that's the way it goes... We were in the stands watching the Finals and during Retreat when they announced that the Blue Devils took Top Drums, our entire Drum Line ran down onto the field to congratulate and shake their hands...I'll never forget the shocked look on long time Devils' Drum instructor Scott Johnson's face who was on then marching on the Devils Snare Line -- I think they thought we were going to jump them lol Our Drum Line staff had a distinct Anaheim Kingsmen flair to it with 3 former Snares at the helm...Al Murray was the builder and architect of the Line in 1975 then 2 DCI Hall of Famers came on board for the 1976 - 1977 seasons -- Tom Float who became our Head Instructor and Ralph Hardiman who wrote some music for us as well...Funny, but when Tom left after the '77 season a 4th former Kingsmen Snare Drummer took the line over for the "78 season named Sammy Kays, who in my humble opinion, was one of the best Drum Line music writers ever in the history of DCI... The Corps had made Finals 3 years in a row '74 ( De La Salle Oaklands ) '75 and '76 with no reason to think any differently in '77...For a variety of reason which are too boring to get into details the Corps got off to a rocky start and we basically re did the entire show 2 weeks before Finals but we fell just short...Another couple of days and we would have made it for sure!... The Drum Line worked their way from the middle of the pack in '74 and kept getting better every year after that to the point where we only finished a couple ticks behind Blue Devils in the '76 Finals...We weren't music majors like the kids are today -- We just a bunch of kids with no real musical backgrounds that just liked the thought of banging drums and being able to hang out with girls that were in the Corps lol...Once we got a taste -- We wanted to be the best and were willing to work as long and hard as we could to do it!... With the invaluable knowledge and direction from the Kingsmen guys we were well on our way...The Bluecoats Drum Line of today actually reminds me a lot of our Lines from back in the day -- just inching closer and closer every year... Our Drum Line left our mark in many other ways as well even to this day -- We were the first Drum Line to use the "Down Stroke Style" which Tom Float developed based on the flawless drumming style of our Lead Snare Doug Bass ...We were one of the first Drum Lines to start singing Dut! Dut! Dut! Dut! before Attacking...A lot of the exercises that Drum Lines use today have been tweaked from our exercises, warm ups, etc from back in the day...They say that imitation is the best form of flattery lol... We also like to think that we were one of the last Drum Lines to play all 26 rudiments in a Book -- Don't get me wrong, the drummers of today are fabulous the stuff they play is fast and amazing but a lot of the stuff that some Drum Lines play today are basically just Taps and Diddles...Just saying -- Don't hate!...I give tons of credit to the drummers of today -- I can't imagine how hard it is to do all that running around out there and still try and play clean! Below, is the Recap of the Top 12 Scores from Prelims...Back in those days they used the Tick System...2 Execution Judges on the field and one GE Judge in the stands...The Total Execution Scores were made up of 20 points -- 15 points for Execution and 5 for Exposure to Error ( Basically, how difficult your book was ) they then took the Avg Score of both Judges for a Grand Total...The GE Drum gave you a score out of 10 points ( which I didn't list )...I think we were either 9.9 or 10 in GE We had an Avg Score of 18.85 in Prelims which was 6.5 Tenths ahead of 2nd place Blue Devils -- Believe me, that is a huge gap in the Tick System...That gap is kind of equivalent to the way Tiger Woods basically lapped the Field at The Masters that one year... At the end of that year back in Toronto, the Drum Line had a BBQ and Tom Float brought a huge cake for us... He was very emotional and had some very kind words about us then he said he had this cake specially inscribed that was befitting of our accomplishment... We thought it would say " Congratulations Champs" or something along those lines -- Instead in only Float's humorous way, it said -- "YOU SUCK!" lol A big Shout out to DCI who acknowledged our achievement over the PA system during the DCI Buffalo show this past weekend... The Recap is an interesting read...There are 6 Corps on the list who aren't around anymore and Santa Clara Vanguard probably had one of the their lowest placements ever at DCI for Drums DCI Prelims / August 18, 1977 ( Denver, Colorado ) Drum Judge #1 : J. Blair Drum Judge #2 : P. Wojtena Drums #1 Exp Total #2 Exp Total AVG Oakland Crusaders 14.2 5.0 19.2 13.6 4.9 18.5 18.85 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Blue Devils 13.5 4.8 18.3 13.4 4.7 18.1 18.20 6 2 2 5 2 2 2 Freelancers 13.8 4.5 18.3 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.2 2 5 2 1 5 2 2 27th Lancers 13.7 4.5 18.2 13.5 4.5 18.0 18.10 3 5 4 4 5 5 4 Bridgemen 13.6 4.4 18.0 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.05 5 8 5 1 5 2 5 Phantom Regiment 13.3 4.6 17.9 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.8 8 3 6 9 3 6 6 Madison Scouts 13.4 4.5 17.9 13.2 4.5 17.7 17.8 7 5 6 8 5 6 6 Kilties 13.2 4.6 17.8 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.75 9 3 8 9 3 6 8 Anahiem Kingsmen 13.7 4.1 17.8 13.3 4.0 17.3 17.55 3 18 8 6 19 11 9 Santa Clara Vanguard 12.9 4.4 17.3 13.3 4.4 17.7 17.5 13 8 11 6 10 6 10 Blue Stars 12.6 4.4 17.0 13.0 4.4 17.4 17.20 17 8 14 11 10 10 11 Cavaliers 13.0 4.3 17.2 13.0 4.2 17.2 17.2 11 15 12 11 15 12 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recap of 1977 DCI Finals ( Drums ) ( Drum Line Scores are outlined in Overall Corps standings ) Perc. Perc. Perc. #1 #2 Avg. Blue Devils 18.6 19.0 18.80 Phantom Regiment 17.6 17.8 17.70 Santa Clara Vanguard 18.0 17.7 17.85 Bridgemen 18.7 18.4 18.55 27th Lancers 18.6 18.1 18.35 Madison Scouts 18.7 18.6 18.65 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 Kilts 18.2 18.2 18.20 Crossmen 17.8 17.4 17.60 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90 .7 18.6 18.65 19.1 17.8 18.45 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 17.1 17.9 17.50 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 18.5 19.0 18.75 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 19.3 17.8 18.55 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 17.1 15.7 16.40 Kilts 117.8 17.4 17.60 16.3 16.1 16.20 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90
  4. Since DCI is just around the corner, I thought I'd selfishly take this opportunity to remind and or inform everyone that this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Oakland Crusaders winning Top Drums at DCI Prelims in 1977 in Denver, Colorado but unfortunately, our Corps didn't make Finals that year...A distinguished feat that was never accomplished either before or after in the history of DCI... The Blue Devils who had a solid Drum Line that year went on to win Top Drums in the Finals posting a score of 18.80 which was still lower than our Prelims score...I was on the Bass Line and if memory serves me well ( I'm 57 yrs old now so it might not ) we only lost once that year and it was to the Blue Devils...Everyone knew that we were the Best Drum Line that year but you know what they say-- If ifs and buts were candy and nuts my Aunt would be my Uncle lol...In other words, that's the way it goes... We were in the stands watching the Finals and during Retreat when they announced that the Blue Devils took Top Drums, our entire Drum Line ran down onto the field to congratulate and shake their hands...I'll never forget the shocked look on long time Devils' Drum instructor Scott Johnson's face who was on then marching on the Devils Snare Line -- I think they thought we were going to jump them lol Our Drum Line staff had a distinct Anaheim Kingsmen flair to it with 3 former Snares at the helm...Al Murray was the builder and architect of the Line in 1975 then 2 DCI Hall of Famers came on board for the 1976 - 1977 seasons -- Tom Float who became our Head Instructor and Ralph Hardiman who wrote some music for us as well...Funny, but when Tom left after the '77 season a 4th former Kingsmen Snare Drummer took the line over for the "78 season named Sammy Kays, who in my humble opinion, was one of the best Drum Line music writers ever in the history of DCI... The Corps had made Finals 3 years in a row '74 ( De La Salle Oaklands ) '75 and '76 with no reason to think any differently in '77...For a variety of reason which are too boring to get into details the Corps got off to a rocky start and we basically re did the entire show 2 weeks before Finals but we fell just short...Another couple of days and we would have made it for sure!... The Drum Line worked their way from the middle of the pack in '74 and kept getting better every year after that to the point where we only finished a couple ticks behind Blue Devils in the '76 Finals...We weren't music majors like the kids are today -- We just a bunch of kids with no real musical backgrounds that just liked the thought of banging drums and being able to hang out with girls that were in the Corps lol...Once we got a taste -- We wanted to be the best and were willing to work as long and hard as we could to do it!... With the invaluable knowledge and direction from the Kingsmen guys we were well on our way...The Bluecoats Drum Line of today actually reminds me a lot of our Lines from back in the day -- just inching closer and closer every year... Our Drum Line left our mark in many other ways as well even to this day -- We were the first Drum Line to use the "Down Stroke Style" which Tom Float developed based on the flawless drumming style of our Lead Snare Doug Bass ...We were one of the first Drum Lines to start singing Dut! Dut! Dut! Dut! before Attacking...A lot of the exercises that Drum Lines use today have been tweaked from our exercises, warm ups, etc from back in the day...They say that imitation is the best form of flattery lol... We also like to think that we were one of the last Drum Lines to play all 26 rudiments in a Book -- Don't get me wrong, the drummers of today are fabulous the stuff they play is fast and amazing but a lot of the stuff that some Drum Lines play today are basically just Taps and Diddles...Just saying -- Don't hate!...I give tons of credit to the drummers of today -- I can't imagine how hard it is to do all that running around out there and still try and play clean! Below, is the Recap of the Top 12 Scores from Prelims...Back in those days they used the Tick System...2 Execution Judges on the field and one GE Judge in the stands...The Total Execution Scores were made up of 20 points -- 15 points for Execution and 5 for Exposure to Error ( Basically, how difficult your book was ) they then took the Avg Score of both Judges for a Grand Total...The GE Drum gave you a score out of 10 points ( which I didn't list )...I think we were either 9.9 or 10 in GE We had an Avg Score of 18.85 in Prelims which was 6.5 Tenths ahead of 2nd place Blue Devils -- Believe me, that is a huge gap in the Tick System...That gap is kind of equivalent to the way Tiger Woods basically lapped the Field at The Masters that one year... At the end of that year back in Toronto, the Drum Line had a BBQ and Tom Float brought a huge cake for us... He was very emotional and had some very kind words about us then he said he had this cake specially inscribed that was befitting of our accomplishment... We thought it would say " Congratulations Champs" or something along those lines -- Instead in only Float's humorous way, it said -- "YOU SUCK!" lol A big Shout out to DCI who acknowledged our achievement over the PA system during the DCI Buffalo show this past weekend... The Recap is an interesting read...There are 6 Corps on the list who aren't around anymore and Santa Clara Vanguard probably had one of the their lowest placements ever at DCI for Drums DCI Prelims / August 18, 1977 ( Denver, Colorado ) Drum Judge #1 : J. Blair Drum Judge #2 : P. Wojtena Drums #1 Exp Total #2 Exp Total AVG Oakland Crusaders 14.2 5.0 19.2 13.6 4.9 18.5 18.85 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Blue Devils 13.5 4.8 18.3 13.4 4.7 18.1 18.20 6 2 2 5 2 2 2 Freelancers 13.8 4.5 18.3 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.2 2 5 2 1 5 2 2 27th Lancers 13.7 4.5 18.2 13.5 4.5 18.0 18.10 3 5 4 4 5 5 4 Bridgemen 13.6 4.4 18.0 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.05 5 8 5 1 5 2 5 Phantom Regiment 13.3 4.6 17.9 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.8 8 3 6 9 3 6 6 Madison Scouts 13.4 4.5 17.9 13.2 4.5 17.7 17.8 7 5 6 8 5 6 6 Kilties 13.2 4.6 17.8 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.75 9 3 8 9 3 6 8 Anahiem Kingsmen 13.7 4.1 17.8 13.3 4.0 17.3 17.55 3 18 8 6 19 11 9 Santa Clara Vanguard 12.9 4.4 17.3 13.3 4.4 17.7 17.5 13 8 11 6 10 6 10 Blue Stars 12.6 4.4 17.0 13.0 4.4 17.4 17.20 17 8 14 11 10 10 11 Cavaliers 13.0 4.3 17.2 13.0 4.2 17.2 17.2 11 15 12 11 15 12 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recap of 1977 DCI Finals ( Drums ) ( Drum Line Scores are outlined in Overall Corps standings ) Perc. Perc. Perc. #1 #2 Avg. Blue Devils 18.6 19.0 18.80 Phantom Regiment 17.6 17.8 17.70 Santa Clara Vanguard 18.0 17.7 17.85 Bridgemen 18.7 18.4 18.55 27th Lancers 18.6 18.1 18.35 Madison Scouts 18.7 18.6 18.65 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 Kilts 18.2 18.2 18.20 Crossmen 17.8 17.4 17.60 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90 .7 18.6 18.65 19.1 17.8 18.45 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 17.1 17.9 17.50 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 18.5 19.0 18.75 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 19.3 17.8 18.55 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 17.1 15.7 16.40 Kilts 117.8 17.4 17.60 16.3 16.1 16.20 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90
  5. Since DCI is just around the corner, I thought I'd selfishly take this opportunity to remind and or inform everyone that this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Oakland Crusaders winning Top Drums at DCI Prelims in 1977 in Denver, Colorado but unfortunately, our Corps didn't make Finals that year...A distinguished feat that was never accomplished either before or after in the history of DCI... The Blue Devils who had a solid Drum Line that year went on to win Top Drums in the Finals posting a score of 18.80 which was still lower than our Prelims score...I was on the Bass Line and if memory serves me well ( I'm 57 yrs old now so it might not ) we only lost once that year and it was to the Blue Devils...Everyone knew that we were the Best Drum Line that year but you know what they say-- If ifs and buts were candy and nuts my Aunt would be my Uncle lol...In other words, that's the way it goes... We were in the stands watching the Finals and during Retreat when they announced that the Blue Devils took Top Drums, our entire Drum Line ran down onto the field to congratulate and shake their hands...I'll never forget the shocked look on long time Devils' Drum instructor Scott Johnson's face who was on then marching on the Devils Snare Line -- I think they thought we were going to jump them lol Our Drum Line staff had a distinct Anaheim Kingsmen flair to it with 3 former Snares at the helm...Al Murray was the builder and architect of the Line in 1975 then 2 DCI Hall of Famers came on board for the 1976 - 1977 seasons -- Tom Float who became our Head Instructor and Ralph Hardiman who wrote some music for us as well...Funny, but when Tom left after the '77 season a 4th former Kingsmen Snare Drummer took the line over for the "78 season named Sammy Kays, who in my humble opinion, was one of the best Drum Line music writers ever in the history of DCI... The Corps had made Finals 3 years in a row '74 ( De La Salle Oaklands ) '75 and '76 with no reason to think any differently in '77...For a variety of reason which are too boring to get into details the Corps got off to a rocky start and we basically re did the entire show 2 weeks before Finals but we fell just short...Another couple of days and we would have made it for sure!... The Drum Line worked their way from the middle of the pack in '74 and kept getting better every year after that to the point where we only finished a couple ticks behind Blue Devils in the '76 Finals...We weren't music majors like the kids are today -- We just a bunch of kids with no real musical backgrounds that just liked the thought of banging drums and being able to hang out with girls that were in the Corps lol...Once we got a taste -- We wanted to be the best and were willing to work as long and hard as we could to do it!... With the invaluable knowledge and direction from the Kingsmen guys we were well on our way...The Bluecoats Drum Line of today actually reminds me a lot of our Lines from back in the day -- just inching closer and closer every year... Our Drum Line left our mark in many other ways as well even to this day -- We were the first Drum Line to use the "Down Stroke Style" which Tom Float developed based on the flawless drumming style of our Lead Snare Doug Bass ...We were one of the first Drum Lines to start singing Dut! Dut! Dut! Dut! before Attacking...A lot of the exercises that Drum Lines use today have been tweaked from our exercises, warm ups, etc from back in the day...They say that imitation is the best form of flattery lol... We also like to think that we were one of the last Drum Lines to play all 26 rudiments in a Book -- Don't get me wrong, the drummers of today are fabulous the stuff they play is fast and amazing but a lot of the stuff that some Drum Lines play today are basically just Taps and Diddles...Just saying -- Don't hate!...I give tons of credit to the drummers of today -- I can't imagine how hard it is to do all that running around out there and still try and play clean! Below, is the Recap of the Top 12 Scores from Prelims...Back in those days they used the Tick System...2 Execution Judges on the field and one GE Judge in the stands...The Total Execution Scores were made up of 20 points -- 15 points for Execution and 5 for Exposure to Error ( Basically, how difficult your book was ) they then took the Avg Score of both Judges for a Grand Total...The GE Drum gave you a score out of 10 points ( which I didn't list )...I think we were either 9.9 or 10 in GE We had an Avg Score of 18.85 in Prelims which was 6.5 Tenths ahead of 2nd place Blue Devils -- Believe me, that is a huge gap in the Tick System...That gap is kind of equivalent to the way Tiger Woods basically lapped the Field at The Masters that one year... At the end of that year back in Toronto, the Drum Line had a BBQ and Tom Float brought a huge cake for us... He was very emotional and had some very kind words about us then he said he had this cake specially inscribed that was befitting of our accomplishment... We thought it would say " Congratulations Champs" or something along those lines -- Instead in only Float's humorous way, it said -- "YOU SUCK!" lol A big Shout out to DCI who acknowledged our achievement over the PA system during the DCI Buffalo show this past weekend... The Recap is an interesting read...There are 6 Corps on the list who aren't around anymore and Santa Clara Vanguard probably had one of the their lowest placements ever at DCI for Drums DCI Prelims / August 18, 1977 ( Denver, Colorado ) Drum Judge #1 : J. Blair Drum Judge #2 : P. Wojtena Drums #1 Exp Total #2 Exp Total AVG Oakland Crusaders 14.2 5.0 19.2 13.6 4.9 18.5 18.85 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Blue Devils 13.5 4.8 18.3 13.4 4.7 18.1 18.20 6 2 2 5 2 2 2 Freelancers 13.8 4.5 18.3 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.2 2 5 2 1 5 2 2 27th Lancers 13.7 4.5 18.2 13.5 4.5 18.0 18.10 3 5 4 4 5 5 4 Bridgemen 13.6 4.4 18.0 13.6 4.5 18.1 18.05 5 8 5 1 5 2 5 Phantom Regiment 13.3 4.6 17.9 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.8 8 3 6 9 3 6 6 Madison Scouts 13.4 4.5 17.9 13.2 4.5 17.7 17.8 7 5 6 8 5 6 6 Kilties 13.2 4.6 17.8 13.1 4.6 17.7 17.75 9 3 8 9 3 6 8 Anahiem Kingsmen 13.7 4.1 17.8 13.3 4.0 17.3 17.55 3 18 8 6 19 11 9 Santa Clara Vanguard 12.9 4.4 17.3 13.3 4.4 17.7 17.5 13 8 11 6 10 6 10 Blue Stars 12.6 4.4 17.0 13.0 4.4 17.4 17.20 17 8 14 11 10 10 11 Cavaliers 13.0 4.3 17.2 13.0 4.2 17.2 17.2 11 15 12 11 15 12 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recap of 1977 DCI Finals ( Drums ) ( Drum Line Scores are outlined in Overall Corps standings ) Perc. Perc. Perc. #1 #2 Avg. Blue Devils 18.6 19.0 18.80 Phantom Regiment 17.6 17.8 17.70 Santa Clara Vanguard 18.0 17.7 17.85 Bridgemen 18.7 18.4 18.55 27th Lancers 18.6 18.1 18.35 Madison Scouts 18.7 18.6 18.65 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 Kilts 18.2 18.2 18.20 Crossmen 17.8 17.4 17.60 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90 .7 18.6 18.65 19.1 17.8 18.45 Blue Stars 16.8 17.0 16.90 17.1 17.9 17.50 Cavaliers 15.8 16.1 15.95 18.5 19.0 18.75 Seneca Optimists 15.6 15.3 15.45 19.3 17.8 18.55 Freelancers 18.7 18.5 18.60 17.1 15.7 16.40 Kilts 117.8 17.4 17.60 16.3 16.1 16.20 Garfield Cadets 15.0 14.8 14.90
  6. Someone sent me a note informing me that Ralph Hardiman may no longer be working with the Blue Knights Drum Line anymore...If that is indeed the case, then kudos to whoever is instructing -- job well done!
  7. I agree mfrontz... I want all the corps to do well too!...I just feel sorry for the marching members especially, the Overagers -- Can you imagine ending your marching career on that? lol
  8. These are some of my random thoughts and observations from the 50 yard line at the DCI Buffalo show this past Sunday - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in no particular order... Smoke 'em if you got "em and please feel free to talk amongst yourselves.... -- As always, great to see old friends at the show in Buffalo! -- "Blue" seemed to be the color of the night -- Blue Stars, Blue Knights, Bluecoats and Blue Devils -- There seemed to be 3 levels of competition out there-- The one between Blue Devils and Santa Clara then a slight gap down to the one between Bluecoats and Caroilna Crown then a bigger gap down and almost a Pick 'em between Cadets, Blue Knights, Phantom Regiment and Blue Stars -- I thought Phantom deserved a higher score and were the best of this group -- Last year it seemed to me that shows that were a blend of both old and new school drum corps which I really liked -- This year it felt more like new school again -- I have to admit it -- For the time in over 40 years of either competing against them or just watching them as a fan, I wasn't bored to death watching The Phantom Regiment...I enjoyed their show and really liked their uniforms * Speaking of Phantom Regiment -- 2 HUGE thumbs up to their Color Guard! --They were simply fabulous!...I thought they were the best Color Guard out there...I couldn't take my eyes off them and this coming from a former drummer who usually just focuses on the drum lines for the most part (lol) ...Those girls didn't stop the whole show! -- Congratulations on a great performance! * My only minor knock against the guard would be that the first set of flags that they used in the show (orange and black) were kind of dull and didn't enhance their flag work the same way that the more eye catching and colorful flags that they used the rest of the show did -- Was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Blue Knights drum line...Great job Mike Jackson and all drum staff! -- Whoever the idiot was that came up with and designed The Cadets show should be fired!... Just another example of some delusional, self serving show designer trying impress the "Drum Corps World" with what a great visionary they are instead of thinking -- Hmmm??... What can we come up with that will not only be high energy, highly entertaining and fun to watch but will also be a showcase for all the great talent of the marching members??... Believe me, whatever the answer to that question was -- This isn't it!....It's the total opposite!...Instead of "Rebirth" -- It should be a complete "Re Do!" You would have to think that there had to be some staff members and instructors that said if we go thru with this idea-- I quit!...But, I guess not?? -- The Off the Line set up and drum intro of the Blue Devils show this year reminds me of the Bluecoats from a couple of years back * Speaking of the Blue Devils Off the Line -- Gotta love and be impressed with the 16 snares ( which includes Quad and Bass drummers ) playing drum intro from Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor to kick start the show ...Also, loved the Old School feel from all rifles spinning as they come off the Line! -- Can we please stop with all the voice overs and singing that is part of a lot of corps shows already!...I say that not because I'm Old School or anything like that -- I say it because it's confusing, distracting and most of all -- boring!... Here's an idea -- Do something that is high energy and entertaining that will get the crowd behind you -- Don't leave the fans scratching their heads thinking -- "What the hell is going on here?" or "What the hell was that??" A fan shouldn't have to be in on the staff production meetings to know what's going on in the show -- We want to cheer for you -- Help us to do that! -- Getting back to Garfield -- Sorry, The Cadets -- I didn't time it but it seemed to me that their Horn Line probably didn't play a note for at least 4 or 5 mins of their 12 min show -- Hats off to the Santa Clara staff who decided that "just" being a Top 5 Corps isn't good enough anymore...They broke tradition and changed with times a little bit for them and went with a more jazzier sounding show...Looks like it might pay off for them as they are very serious contenders to win their first Title since I think 1999... -- I liked Bluecoats show but I don't think it's good enough to repeat them as Champions this year...Always a big fan of their Drum Line! -- Crown's Horn Line sounded was crisp and clean as always...The Drum Line which is usually lags a little behind their Horn Line and Guard were pretty good...Didn't think the Corps overall show was as good as it has been the last few years though -- I like Blue Stars uniforms so much better nowadays -- After watching all the Corps, I really thought Santa Clara put on the best performance of the night and were going to stop Blue Devils winning streak -- Shows you how much I know (lol) -- Finally, a very big thank you to DCI for the shout out over the PA system during the show -- Acknowledging the distinguishing 40th anniversary of our Drum Line winning Top Drums at the 1977 DCI Prelims but unfortunately our Corps not making Finals that year -- A feat never accomplished before or after that year in any caption That's all Folks! Duz Ga Duz
  9. Attention all Drummers! Doug Bass and Dwayne Dumont would like to invite all drummers who marched in Oakland Crusaders, De La Salle Oaklands or Etobicoke Crusaders to come out to a Drumming Jam Session during the day of the 40th Oakland Crusaders reunion on November 14th... We will have drums available for those who wish to drum...If you don't wish to drum you can still come out to watch and socialize with old friends... More details to follow but it looks like the Jam Session will go from approximately 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the same banquet hall as the reunion... So far the response has been really good and we hope that you can come out and join us... We have alumni drummers coming from the States and all across Ontario so there is no excuse not to attend -- especially if you live in the area. If you are interested you can reach either of us at: Doug Bass - dbass@rogers.com Dwayne Dumont - ddumont@rogers.com Duz Ga Duz The Oakland Crusaders will celebrating their 40th Anniversary Reunion at the Rembrandt Banquet Hall on November 14th ( details can be found at doca.ca under the Events tab )
  10. Attention all Drummers! Doug Bass and Dwayne Dumont would like to invite all drummers who marched in Oakland Crusaders, De La Salle Oaklands or Etobicoke Crusaders to come out to a Drumming Jam Session during the day of the 40th Oakland Crusaders reunion on November 14th... We will have drums available for those who wish to drum...If you don't wish to drum you can still come out to watch and socialize with old friends... More details to follow but it looks like the Jam Session will go from approximately 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the same banquet hall as the reunion... So far the response has been really good and we hope that you can come out and join us... We have alumni drummers coming from the States and all across Ontario so there is no excuse not to attend -- especially if you live in the area. If you are interested you can reach either of us at: Doug Bass - dbass@rogers.com Dwayne Dumont - ddumont@rogers.com Duz Ga Duz The Oakland Crusaders will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary Reunion on November 14th, 2015 at the Rembrandt Banquet Hall (details can be found at doca.ca under the Events tab)
  11. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of it and who knows what they're going to come up with next?...I'm all for trying to come up with new and creative ideas but I think that the pendulum for creative expression has swung over too much to that side...Basically, at the rate that things are going we're just going to end up with a hybrid version of drum corps...I think they have to pull the reins back a little bit because it's almost like a -- "the barn door is open and the horses are running around all over the place" type of mentality when it comes to the use of props, amplification, voice overs, etc...Instead of enhancing the performance I found they were more distracting at times and overshadowed the music... The show coordinators have to remember that the marching members should always be the stars of the show and that their musical and marching talents should always be at the forefront...The funny thing is by trying to go over the top creatively they've made the shows less entertaining and more boring...As I mentioned in an earlier reply, there was a huge crowd in Buffalo and there was hardly any spontaneous applause from the audience while the corps were performing which I can't ever remember happening before...The applause at the end of each of the shows was kind of lukewarm at best...I don't think there were too many people clapping thinking -- " I could see that show 20 more times! " ... And I think that says a lot Cheers,
  12. Thanks for your reply... Don't worry it doesn't bother me...I was just throwing out some thoughts and observations out there...wasn't trying to make a Federal case out of anything...if some people agree -- great!...if they don't -- no worries Cheers,
  13. Thanks for your reply... We all love drum corps and just want to see it continue to be strong and thrive...I have no problem with progress and having corps try to take things to the next level but I think the pendulum has swung a little bit too far...hopefully, they can pull in the reins a tad and make it a little bit less like we're watching a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas ...lol
  14. Nobody seems to have their own distinct sound or style -- I`ll argue that you could switch Devils line with the Cadets or Cadets line with the Crown etc and you wouldn`t notice much of a difference You're probably right when you say because I've been away from the game for a little while that my observation may be off...but if you notice my original thought above I said that I could argue (debate )the point I made...I'd love to sit down with you or any other drummer and debate it over a couple beers and maybe you could show me of the error of my ways or vice versa...lol That's what it's all about -- we all have a passion for drummming and drum corps and we love talking about it... Duz Ga Duz
  15. Thanks for your reply... People march in drum corps for basically 3 reasons : 1) they love music and enjoy playing 2)friendships 3) they have a competative spirit ...Don't kid yourself, all the members of Phantom would love to win a DCI title...I'm only suggesting that maybe it's time for them to change directions to achieve that goal by possibly moving to a more high energy type show which would get the crowd behind them more and also be more fun for the members to perform...Their show which may be technically sound is boring and not very entertaining to most people in the stands and obviously not good enough to have a shot at the title... I never said BD needed props to be on top...as a matter of fact, I'm suggesting quite the opposite -- that they're better than that...they don't need to use the props to the the extent that they're doing to win...the cream will always rise to the top... I don't mind change or progress but when something to me is boring -- it's boring...there are a lot of things I've mentioned in my post that I like about the drum corps of today and there are somethings I don't -- but that's just me...I'm not saying it's right or wrong -- just my opinion....bottom line -- I still love drum corps no matter how many people try and screw it up...lol Cheers,
  16. Thanks for your reply...It's just an general observation on my part...and for the record, I was a drummer on one of the top Drum Lines in DCI history for a few years that was instructed by Tom Float-- so I know a tiny, little bit about what I'm talking about...Have you ever marched on a DCI Championship calibre drum line? Cheers,
  17. Thanks for your comments --some them were very insightful...I'd like to respond to a few of them -- Why are some corps allowed to play a street beat or cadence off the field and others not? I think that may be part of the Tournament of Champions format. Corps can do that if they choose. Not sure, exactly, but that would be my guess. The reason I mentioned this is because even back when I marched they would tell before we went on that you couldn't play a Cadence off the field only a single bass beat then half the other corps would end up playing a Cadence off the field...I think the reason was to not interfere with the next corps warm up...I saw the same situation in Buffalo which gave me a flashback...lol -- My absolute favorite part of going to a drum corps show is definitely watching the drum lines warm up in the lot before the show -- brings back memories of when everyone always crowded around us to watch us play ( wish YouTube was invented back then...lol ) Tell me about it! Could you imagine lot videos of the old Bridgemen lines? The lot has been and always will be one of the great things about going to a drum corps show. I would gladly pay to see the lines play in the lot...better not say that out too loud or DCI will get some ideas...lol -- Do we really need 20 people in the pit? -- I can't remember which corps it was but one corps pit was so loud I could barely the horns and the drums the whole show That may be an amplification problem, it can be annoying and it is a common complaint. As for the numbers in the pit, I don't have a problem with it. Those are some of the best musicians on the field and so often in the past, aside from some quieter moments in the show, I could never really appreciate their true contribution to the musical presentation. I appreciate actually getting to hear the different sounds and textures they add to the performance. I would agree, however, that they are often amped too loud. You make a good point about the pit players getting their due but I just think it's a little overkill sometimes -- I hate to say this but who ever came up with Phantom's show should be fired -- not only was it boring and not entertaining but more importantly, the kids didn't look like they were having any fun out there Not sure how "them having fun" manifests itself in your eyes. Even in their most "Phantom" of years when they were firing on all cylinders, I never really got the impression that they were having "fun," but then again, they (like SCV in some ways) are a very intense corps and "them having fun performing their show" can manifest itself in different ways. Are we expecting them to smile or something? It may be that you just didn't like the show and you projected that dislike onto the performers? Just a thought. What I meant by having fun was that they didn't look like they were enjoying performing the type of show they have...it was merely an observation and gut feel on my part and you're right they are of a more serious type of corps but maybe it's time for them to move in a different direction...how many DCI titles have they won over the years doing it their way? ...they obviously have a lot of talent but you what they say about the definition of insanity -- it's when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result...lol -- It used to be that the General Effects were there to visually enhance and compliment the music -- now it seems like it's the other way around -- something is way out of whack here Not sure I understand what you're saying (in relation to how you said it). Is it that you think the visual is getting rewarded too much? If so, a lot of people agree with you. I'm more of a visual guy and I think the balance is right. What I simply meant was that the M&M used to be built around the music but now it seems the music is built around the M&M -- Keeping their the long and great tradition of excellence in mind -- tell me the Blue Devils didn't just jump the shark this year? -- marching around 100 pylons out there -- really? Meh. It's not like they're the first one to use props, or even props like that before where the performers march around them. The 1995 Cadets had a similar thing going on with "trees" all over the field (their props didn't move). In addition to a park bench and several wooden crates for the guard to dance on. And oh yeah, a whole bunch of drum sets on the field. Talk about prop overload! (But I digress, it was the 2012 Blue Devils who totally influenced the direction of prop use in drum corps this year….sorry, that was an argument for a different person in a different thread.) Never thought BD would need gimmicks to help put them over the top...like you basically said, props as an accessory are alright but when they become the main attraction of the show that's overkill -- I'd like to meet all the idiots who put the together the concepts for some of these shows and ask them one question -- what were you thinking? Just because you don't like the shows, doesn't make them idiots. They're actually very deeply invested in the drum corps activity and have been for many many years. They've devoted their lives to it, in fact. They are FANS of drum corps just like you, they love drum corps just like you, and they work very hard and are extremely good at what they do. That you don't care for the product is your right, but lets leave the name calling out of it. My guess is that if you actually sat down and spoke to some of those people, you might just get a better idea of where they're coming from, even if you still don't agree with it Maybe I was a little harsh but that's the way I feel...like I said, I would love to be able to sit down with some of these people to find out what they were thinking and where they were coming from...to me they're like those fashion designers who's outrageous clothes you see on models on those runways...lol Cheers,
  18. I didn't mean my comment to be taken as a criticism...I was just making an observation that I'm usually a lot more familiar with the music that that the corps are playing...I agree with you that hearing certain music over the years thru drum corps has opened up my tastes to a lot of different types of music that I enjoy still to this day( jazz, blues, opera, classical, etc ) Cheers,
  19. I'm sure if I was around the lines more often I would notice the differences between them a lot better but I still think it's a lot closer than you think...it was just a general observation on my part that is also shared by many other people...I also know that lines play a lot of complicated stuff -- I saw the Cadets in the lot first hand but would it kill people to throw in the odd Pataflafla or Ratamacue...lol The really good news is that there are a lot of very talented drummers out there which is great! Cheers,
  20. I'm sure there's lots of great soloists in all the corps...I'm just saying I wish they were featured more Cheers,
  21. As I mentioned in my post, a bunch of people and myself unfortunately didn't get to see the Cadets perform because the ushers wouldn't let thru the tunnel once they hit the field -- getting into the stadium was a gong show...I also mentioned that I thought the Cadets drum line was playing some crazy good stuff...I'm sure if I see these corps again I would pick up more of these nuggets that you're talking about and like the shows more...
×
×
  • Create New...