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Most obscure corps you ever saw/competed against


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Purple Lancers came out of nowhere because other corps folded unfortunately. St Joes after 1971, a few of us youinger kids went to Purple, Geneva Appleknockers after 1972, same thing, and after 1973 Syracuse Marauders and Utica Yankees folded and the rest is history. Still standing as the only NYS corps to ever make DCI finals, the 1974 Purple Lancers!!!

54 brass, large drum line and guard and all talented kids from all over central and western NYS. The staff was also combined from other corps to make this a very interesting summer for all of us that were there. Corky Fabrizio, Dick Robilotto, and Jerry Kelsey on brass...Brady Rouse, Phil Cerimeli, Bruce McCready and Vince Monacelli on visual staff, and Bill Decker and Ray Bennett on drums. These guys were the best guys available upstate at the time.

Interesting stuff even after all of these years.

Donny

Hey Donny ... was Butch Anderson and Fred Gebhardt associated with the Purple Lancers ... or was it Avant Guard? Could never keep it straight in my mind ...

Andy "not the Roo" Lisko

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No neither Fred or Butch was involved at Purple Lancers. I know that they both were at Brigadiers for a while.

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If Star couldn't win a DCI Championship with their talent - what?

They did win the DCI title in 1991.

Fran

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Purple Lancers came out of nowhere because other corps folded unfortunately. St Joes after 1971, a few of us youinger kids went to Purple, Geneva Appleknockers after 1972, same thing, and after 1973 Syracuse Marauders and Utica Yankees folded and the rest is history. Still standing as the only NYS corps to ever make DCI finals, the 1974 Purple Lancers!!!

54 brass, large drum line and guard and all talented kids from all over central and western NYS. The staff was also combined from other corps to make this a very interesting summer for all of us that were there. Corky Fabrizio, Dick Robilotto, and Jerry Kelsey on brass...Brady Rouse, Phil Cerimeli, Bruce McCready and Vince Monacelli on visual staff, and Bill Decker and Ray Bennett on drums. These guys were the best guys available upstate at the time.

I have told this story before, but we were in the gym after a rehearsal in the winter of 1975 with yet a bigger corps than we had competed with in 1974, (horns in the 60's, 10 snares, 30+ guard) when the bosses of the corps told us to hand in our equipment at the end of a rehearsal and we would not be going on the road this year. The kids were aghast, but TEARFULLY the directors told us that did not know how to do what DCI wanted the corps to do and had no idea where to get the money to do it. The corps could have handled a small tour, but now as a finalist, they were told that it would be more expensive travelling costs than they could fathom. The directors ran scared admittedly, and the kids went off to other places. In fact the very next year 1975, the Watkins Glen Squires were 13th at DCI with many of those kids and Phoenix rose from the ashes to win the RCA championships and a 4th place prelim spot at DCA...5th at finals after the Hurcs changed spots with them. A good number of Purple Lancers that I marched with joined that corps as well in 1975.

The corps that we were beating the year before were named the Blue Devils, Phantom Regiment, Garfield Cadets, Bridgemen, Boston Crusaders, 27th LANCERS et al...and now we weren't even going out to any shows.

Interesting stuff even after all of these years.

Donny

Hi, Donny. Yes, 1974 Purple Lancers...what a sweet memory! Right on about the vanishing act of drum corps in upstate NY as the 1970's progressed. One minor correction on the Appleknockers, however. The last season was 1974, though most of us alumni would like to forget about that year. In 1973 we were actually quite strong musically, but couldn't march our way out of a paper bag and as a result we underachieved as far as competitive results. 1972 was a rebuilding year with a small corps and very frustrating after reaching finals at the U.S. Open in 1971 (we were a glorious "stepping stone" for corps on the rise in upstate in 1972).

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Yeah I wasnt sure when Geneva finally bought the farm, I know that Ronnie D came to Auburn in 1973. So I stand corrected. Auburn really got the size when the Syracuse crew came over from Marauders. A good sized crew of strong, talented drum corps kids helped that corps be what it was.

DA

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Gebby and Butch Anderson were first together for the 1971 Brigadiers... (Butch as major) although the score in 1971 wasn't that great, it was a very enjoyable year and began a whole new group of lifelong friends... and that set the stage for Gebby (and many from the Albany crew) to jump to the Skyliners and produce one of their greatest shows ever...

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Gebby and Butch Anderson were first together for the 1971 Brigadiers... (Butch as major) although the score in 1971 wasn't that great, it was a very enjoyable year and began a whole new group of lifelong friends... and that set the stage for Gebby (and many from the Albany crew) to jump to the Skyliners and produce one of their greatest shows ever...

The Albany Crew hooked up with Sky in 1970 (Boardman, George Ross, Siddon, Butch, and some others) ... Butch went back to Syracuse for 71 and then returned to Sky in 72 along with Jack Papa, Joe Chezik, Marty and Junior ... Gebby didn't venture to Sky until Lefty "recruited" him in 75 ... a DCA Championship year ... he did well with NY ... very likeable guy ...

:-)

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Actually If you had seen them from 1968-71 they had a gigantic corps

CMCC ROCKED during that time... Voodoo Suite was a killer..

the year they did Ironsides for an opener with the SCREAMING lead sops.. The Chicago Medley, the guard "clicking" in their flag holsters, the UNBELIEVEABLE All Male rifle line.. (that later went on to march Sky) ... lots of great memories of that corps... and good people too!

Also speaking of Yankee Circuit and such, don't forget the Northeast Circuit -a Jr & Sr. Circuit - was big in the 60's thru 70's... eventually going all Jr. at the beginning ot the 70's. I think it finally folded around mid 80"s..

Hurcs, Sun, Marksmen, Imen, Jolly Whalers, Vagabonds ,Grenadiers, Seymour Vanguard, Carver, Pine Tree, Targets, Shoreliners, Royal Lancers, Troubadors, Jersey Joes, Amboy Dukes.Charter Oak, ......etc. etc.

Good conversation

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Hey Donny ... was Butch Anderson and Fred Gebhardt associated with the Purple Lancers ... or was it Avant Guard? Could never keep it straight in my mind ...

Andy "not the Roo" Lisko

If I remember.....Butch was associated for a short time with Avant Garde after the Troy Muchachos folded.

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CMCC ROCKED during that time... Voodoo Suite was a killer..

the year they did Ironsides for an opener with the SCREAMING lead sops.. The Chicago Medley, the guard "clicking" in their flag holsters, the UNBELIEVEABLE All Male rifle line.. (that later went on to march Sky) ... lots of great memories of that corps... and good people too!

Also speaking of Yankee Circuit and such, don't forget the Northeast Circuit -a Jr & Sr. Circuit - was big in the 60's thru 70's... eventually going all Jr. at the beginning ot the 70's. I think it finally folded around mid 80"s..

Hurcs, Sun, Marksmen, Imen, Jolly Whalers, Vagabonds ,Grenadiers, Seymour Vanguard, Carver, Pine Tree, Targets, Shoreliners, Royal Lancers, Troubadors, Jersey Joes, Amboy Dukes.Charter Oak, ......etc. etc.

Good conversation

And great memories - especially of the Troubadors! I loved their guard and ... well, I gotta say: it was fun!

Puppet

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