Commander71

Ok, so I took a chance and downloaded this book because of the subject matter and the excellent price being offered. I was SOOOOO NOT disappointed! I read most of it in one sitting. I had tears of laughter running down my face in many parts. ANYONE who has ever been in a start-up corps or ever marched senior corps anywhere can relate to this story. I found myself comparing my own drum corps friends to Renegade members and found that so many of the incidents described compared to many of the incidents we have all lived in our own corps days. My own early days in the 1970 - 73 Burlington Commanders were full of similar incidents, stories and a cast of unforgettable characters just like the early Renegades. It is written in a breezy style just as if Rudnicki is telling you the story across a table at a shabby bar. The initial DCI meeting story is hilarious. Aside from the humour you also get the underlying message about the sweat and incredible work ethic that drum corps instills in a member. No, some of us never really made it big...maybe a lot of us. But we all worked hard and played hard. I really recommend that anyone involved in drum corps or band download this book and get set for a really great read.

As long as he isn't a Marine...our spiritual guide is US Army...Be All That You Can Be! Eddie, send me an e-mail and we will talk...you would be more than welcome to join us!

The Gauntleteers are making preparations for their pilgrimage...

One of my colleagues at work is married to a member of the current Lighthouse. Skip does not hesitate to talk about his drum corps days when on stage doing a gig.

"nice band...where are they from?"

[Madison Wyoming? Hey, that might be worth something!!

The infamous Gauntleteers had their rehearsal on the Friday before the show in Niagara Falls Ontario. This consists of beverages and a bbq at my house followed by an evening of drum corps videos. The wives love it. No, really. The Gauntleteers get together once a year on the last Saturday in April to make the trek to Rochester for the MSJ (Curt Anderson Memorial) Classic put on by Mighty St. Joe's Alumni Corps. We cross the border at Lewiston NY and head down Route 104. Our mission: to stop at every bar along the way. Oh, and go to the show too. Mostly. Western NY is hurting in this economy. When we started doing this about 15 years ago there were a lot of joints to stop at. Many are closed now or don't open until the evening. We just about cried when Boyers, our favorite biker bar, was closed. The owner, who lives across the street, saw us and recognized us and came over to offer some other suggestions (which turned out OK actually). He hopes to be open again in the summer. However, some of our old favorites were still there and welcomed us back like long lost family. Along the lines of "You're the guys who steal s---- of our walls aren't you!!" We dont really do that...the barkeeps and owners always respond to our request for a souvenir from each place. This year we handed out Canadian flag pins to the bar tenders along the way.We got some nice souvie stuff in return. There is no friendlier place than up-state New York in the rural areas. Anyway, after a lot of adventures we finally got to the school where the concert was. Mike Linton was kind enough to unlock the back door of the school for us so we didn't have to stumble around to the front door. We bought our tickets and were immediately sorry that we had evidently missed the Ghost Riders performance. Western New York Alumni was already in the middle of their show. WNY Alumni is a first time visitor to the Classic. This group has had a few ups and downs in their brief history but I can tell you that they are definitely on an "UP" now! My numbers are always off (especially considering where we had been) but I can tell you that they had "about" 28 horns and these guys are players. Most members hail from the old Dunkirk Patriots with some Erie folks in the mix. Even some Murray Hose guys! Light blue golf shirts and black pants make for a comfortable parade uniform and these guys are good. I hear a certain Steve Cooley has something to do with the bright sound of their horn line. Percussion was a touch on the small side but sounded good in this venue. Next up was Prime Time Brass. Wow, what an ensemble of all-stars. Anchored by Billy McGrath Jr sitting at his kit this 22 member brass ensemble was belting out New Orleans Mardi Gras tunes and their signature "Do What You Wanna". I thought they could have played a little longer...they certainly have the book to do it. I could have listened to a few more tunes...why not? After PTB the jazz theme continued with the Greece Jazz Band (like in Greece NY...not the other place...)They even had a female vocalist who did a fine job. Really loved their off beat version of "Sing Sing Sing". They were not out of place on this stage with other drum corps...the change of pace was refreshing. Again, I could have listened to a lot more from these folks but it seems this show was tightly scheduled. The United Alumni from Simcoe Ontario is a group I have watched for a few years now. I think they had about 28 brass. Contra section was outstanding in their voice and richness. Soprano section was excellent also. Drum line was smaller than I am used to seeing...are you guys missing Rob Judd? Drum Major Len Adderly is firmly in control and his showmanship and enthusiasm go a long way to taking the corps to a great performance. "You Will Never Walk Alone" was a beautiful chorale and "Danny Boy" was well received. My favourite was "Ontario"and I found "a place to stand" during this piece. So reminiscent of the De La Salle version of the late 60's and early 70's. Finally, the host corps took to the stage. The pre-positioned drum line began that signature street beat and out came my brothers from the contra section with the arm swing in full force! Wayne must have phoned in the arm-swing speech from Florida. I think there were 45 horns with 6 contras. Maybe 5 snare and 6 tenor drums along with 3 bass drums. Couldn't see my girls in the cymbal section from where I was sitting but I heard ya! "Bully" off the top. It's a classic for the Classic. I know they talk about dropping it every year but the members still seem to enjoy playing it. Frankie on lead was on fire that night! Wooooo! Backed up by Brad, Tommy and the Ace himself...this lead line rocks! AND who should be hanging out with these animals but Harold McJury and the inimitable Donny Allen himself! You guys look good in that green top...you should stick around more. "Swing Battle Hymn" and "Children of Sanchez" were flawless and the crowd loved it. Hey, the working guard up front did the entire show with clean and crisp flag work. You ladies were ON. Great job. An abbreviated version of "Auld Lang Syne" and reprise of "Bully" had the crowd on their feet. Most improved section? The drum line. Clean, crisp and great execution hi-lighted this Bill McGrath line...some new faces there and they looked like they had been there forever. The Ace (Ken Petersen...like you don't know that)stepped out to start the intro to "Georgia" like he does, and the power of that hornline when they are off the leash was very evident. Criticisms?? Where were some of the other corps?? This was one of the top spring previews in the country at one point. We would see BSGK, Reilly, Kilties, Boston Crusader Sr, Empire, Brigs...I know, it's money. Some corps dont travel as much as they used to because they simply can't afford it. There is nothing wrong with the venue at Greece Apollo Middle School. Why did Statesmen choose to put on an event the same evening? They would have been a great addition to this show...they have been there before and MSJ always does the exhibition at their home show. Again, no second guessing on my part...I just long for this show to have that lustre that it had at the old Kodak Centre years ago. I understand dollars and cents. Another thing we wondered about was why the groups that were there were so limited in what they were allowed to play? PTB and the jazz band could certainly have done a few more minutes each? Perhaps the school was only rented for a limited time? THE PARTY: Oh my...the Gauntleteers arrived a little early for the party. Pretty much the only people there were WNY Alumni. As we got settled near them we broke into song ( it could have been wind ) and began "The Boys From The Salvation Army". Now there are more than a few guys in WNY who remember what a REAL old time corps party was like, especially in the RCA Circuit. They applauded our efforts and immediately launched into one of theirs. We replied, they riposted. It was GREAT! That's what used to happen at the old time parties. When the Commander Bus was announced as departing they all shook hands with us. They get it. United Alumni are no slouches at a party either...they claimed the dance floor until all of MSJ arrived to show off their line dance skills... Commander Vic Genburg threw us out after the second bus announcement and we departed whence we had come...back along 104 to the border. I was surprised they let us back into Canada. The Gauntleteers took stock on Sunday morning prior to going our separate ways and we all agreed..It had been an epic!The Classic is a do-not-miss for anyone in up-state NY or southern Ontario. We'll be there next year (yeah, I know, I shouldn't make threats) and we hope to see a LOT more of you then. Happy Alumni Season to All and Best of Luck. The Gauntleteers D&B

Do I get an invite?? I was drum-major-for-a-day with you guys in 1971....

Again, I really think it depends on the individual official at the border. My step-daughter is with Canada Customs working in the immigration section now but has certainly spent her share of time working the booths at the bridges.She has shared a lot of stories with us regarding people's attitudes when crossing the border. If you treat the the officer with the respect due to them you will probably have no issues as an individual.People who admit to a criminal record can be refused entry. I recall a bass drummer in one corps having to get off the bus and wait at the border crossing until the corps came back after the show because he stuck his hand up and admitted to a very recent drunk driving conviction.Hardly a terrorist but there ya go...I also know many corps have had issues with bringing their souvie wagons across the border again because they are working and making money in a different country without a work permit. Drum corps have been crossing the border both ways for more than 50 years...how did we manage back in the day?? But as one US Border officer told me, "Just because it's a hobby doesn't make it legal".

I know that there are two major issues; 1. Everyone needs either a passport or an enhanced driver's licence to enter the United States from Canada. Passports can be expensive for some people and enhanced licences are not available in all provinces. 2.There is an issue in proving that you are not being paid to work to in the United States.To be paid to work in the US I believe you have to have a work permit. As a member of Mighty St. Joe's Alumni I had to have a letter from the corps director on corps letterhead that specifically stated I was not getting paid to be in the corps. I dont know how this works for Canadian corps who cross the border as a unit to attend a US show...is the corps not paid something for its attendance at that show? Finally, it has to be said that a lot depends on the individual Border Patrol/Customs officer...in all the years of crossing the border at Buffalo and Niagara Falls I have met a LOT of great men and women checking us in with no problem at all. There have been only a handfull of incidents where I had to go to great lengths to explain what I was doing and why and even sent for a secondary inspection (fortunately no rubber gloves required!)and had the car searched.It's also handy to have my Postal Inspector badge in my wallet too! If you are respectful and treat the officer the way you would like to be treated, and have the required documentation, you will probably have no problems at all.

Scout House (alumni) from Preston, Ontario Canada...how could we miss them??

Geez...in my old phart alumni parade corps if you can walk down the stairs without assistance you have passed the audition...