I.R. Baritone

I.m having problems with the RSS feed. It won't let me download the file.

I stand corrected. Thank you for the info.

You're probably right. I haven't been keeping up with things in DCI (or drum corps in general) as much as I would have liked to; what with school, work, family and other obligations. I'm still playing a bit of catch-up. My opinion (and that is solely what it is) is based purely on the experiences I have had personally. So, what have I missed? (This is not meant as flame bait, I seriously want to know what has changed.)

As per your request, I have removed the Kilties from my signature line. However, I would like to set the record straight. My time with the Kilties was brief, that I will admit. I only attended 3 or 4 practices and marched a Christmas parade with the corps before personal and financial difficulties forced me to quit. I meant no disrespect to the corps or its members. I consider my short time in the corps to be one of the most important and rewarding times of my life, right along side my military service. I learned more about music and marching in that short time than any other time before or since. With such a distinguished history as the Kilties have, I considered practice to be a drum corps-style approximation to an NFL training camp and took it just as seriously. My decision to quit was one of the hardest and most heartbreaking decisions I have had to make. I had fully intended to return to Racine and finish what I started, but circumstances did not allow it. I have tried to be a supporter of the corps as much as I was able in whatever capacity I could. Usually online, but sometimes in person when someone asked me about the Kilties T-shirt I was wearing. My inclusion of it in my corps experience was my way of showing how proud I was of the experience I had and of the extraordinary people I met. Few people have a "brush with greatness"(speaking within the activity), but this was mine. I apologize for any offense taken, but I hardly think that a public dressing down was called for when a private message or email on the matter would have sufficed. Coming from a group that I have admired and respected for so many years is beyond disheartening. You have lost a supporter and a fan.

Call me a hater if you like, but all I have to say is: NO HOPPY IN MY DCA!!! I STOMP HIM!!!!!!!

Call me a conspiracy theorist (and I have been called that), but this sounds alot like a prelude to a take-over. Dan Acheson's statement has the feel of someone getting a foot in the door; that this deal is only a prelude to bigger things. I think Gil Silva's statement strikes the right tone; that this is a temporary alliance that is used for mutual advantage. Nothing more. DCI has bad-mouthed DCA (and senior corps in general) for as long as I can remember. Whenever I talked to former DCI members about joining a DCA corps, they would laugh at me. I think the general consensus was that DCA was a bunch of old, drunk has-beens that wouldn't give it up and couldn't march their way out of a paper bag. But here recently, DCA has grown tremendously while DCI has not grown as much. I think they see us as a threat to their popularity. Does anyone remember a few years back when DCI tried to raise their age-out limit to 25? It didn't work and now, all of a sudden, Hoppy wants to start his own DCA corps. Coincidence? Possibly. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? Maybe, but I'm not willing to buy that just yet. Gil Silva needs to be very careful when dealing with these people. I see DCI being in a posaition that, if things go south for DCA anytime in the future, they will be in a position to swing in and make DCA an offer it can't refuse. At which point, DCI will, for a few years at least, have a senior division and then will discontinue it and that will be the end for all-age corps in America. Leaving DCI as the sole competitive circuit. It happens in business all the time and when it comes down to it, at the league level, drum corps is a business.

We 've been dealing with this for some time now. Growing up in northeast NC, football ruled all. Marching band came in a distant fourth behind basketball and baseball. Drum corps wasn't heard of and those who did know, knew about it from the DCI broadcast of finals on PBS. I didn't even know what senior corps was until my friend Brad "Beef" Myers (if you march with the Yankee Rebels, you know who Beef is) recruited me to march with Southern Nights back in the early 90's. I was so jazzed about this whole senior corps thing and never aging out that I tried to recruit people from my HS band. This is where I came smack up against the prejudice you still see today. I didn't have many takers, but I did have one. Her name was Beth Allen. Her brother marched and was a soloist with the Bluecoats back in the 80's and came back to teach in the 90's. She was really excited about marching in a corps. Especially a local one like ours. That was until she talked to her brother. I don't know what he said to her, but she immediately didn't want anything to do with us. As a matter of fact, whenever I did talk to anyone about coming out, she'd go behind me and talk them out of it. From that point on, I was forced to go to other local bands to get recruits. From what I heard, during that time DCI instructors and directors deliberately discouraged their members from marching in senior corps. The overall impression of senior corps was that we were a bunch of drunken fools out there making a mockery of drum corps. I don't really think that's the case now because of the huge explosion in popularity and the quality of shows of what is now called All-age corps, but I'm sure there are still a few around that still have same type of attitude.

Winston-Salem, NC was mentioned a few years back. I wonder if they're still in the running.

I'll have to check on the alcohol thing because I have friends in the computer and math departments over at VT and I've heard stories. But barring that, I'd have to fall back on my normal suggestion which would be RFK Stadium.

Not sure about this so I figured I'd bring it up to you guys and see what you think. Hokie Stadium; Blacksburg, VA. Huge Stadium, decent parking, lots of hotels. Also it's close for the southern corps to show up, but still far enough north for it to be not much of a haul for the NE corps and fans. Also, it's a bit closer to the west for some of the midwestern guys. If you want to go a little bit closer to the north, how about Charlottesville and the campus of UVA? Thoughts?

I'm surprised anyone else hasn't said this... "The Force is strong with this one. I can feel it." *ducks* *runs*

Yeah, NOW they are. But who's to say of the future? That is where the (DCI half anyway) activity is headed.

Yeah, they're called college bands. And when the kids realize that they can get the same amount of education and performance opportunities from college band AND a degree out of it, DCI will empty. Either that or they will do like Spirit has done and partner up with some major universities. Then they will just be folded into the music programs of those universities. DCA will hang on, but they have to some hustleing to keep the membership coming in. We've depended on DCI to help us recruit. People come into the DCA ranks to train to go into DCI. Once they're done there, they come back to us. Without that influx of people, we may not be able to be as big as we were. Either that or we're going to explode with all kinds of new people who come to us simply because we're different. Maybe it might be somewhere in the middle? I don't know. Only time will tell.

The Presidents Drum & Bugle Corps is currently seeking qualified people to fill the positions of Executive Director and Hornline caption head. We are seeking hard-working people for a challenging assignment: taking The Presidents to the next level. All intrested parties should contact Bill Clendenen, interim Director and percussion caption head. For more info, check out our website at www.presidentsdrumandbuglecorps.com.

My question is this: Is the Winston-Salem show still going on or was it a one time thing? And if it was only a one time thing, why hasn't it continued as a regular season show?