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The 2011 season marks The Sun Devils FOURTH year as a competitive all age drum and bugle corps. The Sun Devils Drum and Bugle Corps will hold our first camp of 2011 on January 22nd and 23rd at North Port High School in North Port, FL. We have openings in all sections including: Brass Percussion Front Ensemble Color Guard (flags and weapons) Our entire 2011 production book, "Chasing The Atlantic", is complete and ready to be handed out. (A formal announcement of the pieces is soon to follow). As always, our doors are open to all, even if you are just visiting Florida on vacation. Stop by our rehearsal and say hi! Click here to join the Sun Devils Drum and Bugle Corps Family! Guess who is hosting a DCA South show this year??? Here is a hint...SD NEXT CAMP January 22nd 9:00am - 8:00pm January 23rd 9:00am - 5:00pm North Port High School 6400 West Price Boulevard North Port, FL 34291

Or not.

Some really good points made. Some I agree with, some I do not. Just a few points: 1. BD - You talk a lot about what BD SHOULD be, but not what they ARE. A lot of people do this, and it's really starting to bug me. This is one reason people can't enjoy their shows lately. But, I'm sure we'll get over it soon. 2. Cavaliers - Agree with the synth sounds. Absolutely terrible. Also agree with the lack of listen-ability. Still a very cool SHOW, though. 3. Bluecoats - While maybe not "jaw-dropping", it still blew me away by how they put so many new and interesting things on a field at once and didn't get flamed. 4. Crown - Loved the Mahler and Nimrod, but latin? SERIOUSLY?!?! Are they trying to please everyone this badly? Also didn't think the "story" was thick enough for fan involvement. But, not a bad show at all. 5. Cadets - A lot of flack about this drum solo, which I don't understand. They went out on a limb and actually wrote a solo that goes with the theme, rather than a stock batch of notes that goes with whatever else is going on (silence, as the horns stopped playing music). Though I did think the children noises were weird, without them, the Geoffrey part would be lost and far too thin. Cool stuff, though! Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts!

and a chorus concert from the Cadets after the show. sign me up!!!!

I'm going to any and every show possible, no matter whom is in attendance. I think this whole drama over the G7 or G8 or ToC, or whatever it's called, is just crazy. Clearly there are thousands of fans out there who love this activity. Maybe this format with hurt the organization, maybe it will boost exposure, who knows? No one can properly learn without making mistakes. The point is, it's not going to trigger some apocalypse that will destroy DCI. If you honestly think that's what is going to happen, I would suggest taking some anti-paranoia medication and sipping on some sleepy time tea. DCI isn't a communist country invading your shores, the G8 isn't going to steal your first born child, and there will be no sacrificial animal slaughtering; everyone needs to calm down.

A little bit of red would go a long way. Like on the sash and on the hat band. And not the shiny red either, the crushed velvet red from 80-82.

Crown, Cadets, Madison, Cavies, and shockingly enough... ... BD (although I attribute this to the stress of the holiday season.)

Ooooo... forgot about the spats... and can we maybe add a little red somewhere...

Just thought I would re-visit this now that its 2011, I thought for sure we would be hearing more about this new venture by now but alas we have not. It may be time to throw in the towel, I know it is hard to do but its time to give it to us straight about whats going on with this new set of shows. Crossmen gonna be at that 1st show of the year? That sounds more logical than them not being there. It is very obvious that this new format is in flux, and there is nothing wrong with admitting that. Giving the paying public nothing and leaving them dangeling in the wind is the problem I now have with the new format. Thought for sure we would be seeing some promotion by now (where is that poster from the pp), am I wrong? Is it really to early to expect something? Where is all the love for this new format? Lots of questions, so little time before the 1st show.

Bluecoats SCV Boston (opening statement, at least) Everything else...well...you have a very nice drum corps.

oh and btw...yes they grabbed that tree and shook it to get what they want...and now they come out and say what they wanted isn't working and it costs too much. boo ####### hoo

I have told corps why they no longer get my dollars. I have drastically cut back how much I spend on DCI...even cancelling a long time Friends membership. guess what I got? nothing. oh I was made fun of in an email for being part of that 1975 RAMD crowd...funny I was 6 in 1975 even funnier, my favorite era of DCI was the years following when I would have aged out. and trust me, if I had a million dollars, I'd be running a corps, and I'd be their biggest pain in the ###

Madison and BK

And ever since, you've carried on as if those few things I listed are the only moments in all of drum corps history that have any value to me. Kind of like if I took your post.... ....and peppered you with questions about all the shows where there were no celeste patches or apple bites. Did music never match visual? Were those shows musically insensitive? Was there no creative genius in drum corps prior to 2009? Was no one captivated by a show with no opportunity to synthesize a biting sound? Oh, and by the way.... You don't speak for everyone.

I'm a grad student who can barely pay rent each month. But you're crazy to think that once I have a healthy disposable income, a large portion of that won't go to promoting my vision for the drum and bugle corps activity.

In 2010 the story could have been, "Crossmen...strong visual performance missing from their show." Here's an idea...don't try to form circles if...you make them look like eggs.

if true, cool. if not, not surprising....and not surprising if added mid season

I've been engaging in online drum corps discussions since the days of Prodigy and Compuserve. I can say with certainty that online (as well as in the stands and pretty much everywhere else) the term "acoustic" wasn't used to define drum corp until electronics entered the discussion in the mid-00s. It's only retrospectively that it's become this essential attribute to some. Or let me put it this way. We probably can agree that it's the sound that matters, right? So if it's the sound that matters, can we also agree it's the sound that matters, not something else? HH

Hate the goo

Rutgers isnt all that far away from Allentown. In fact the couple of years when Allentown was the nights before Hershey, it actually helped walk up sales to Hershey. Plus a lot of people do go home each night of Allentown...hotel rooms can be tough with musicfest up the road. I gave up getting hotels a few years ago and just drive both days...it's actually cheaper. I know many people that do the same

There you go, living in the past again. As for me, I prefer to judge each situation on it's existing merits. I guess there's too much logic in that for you to stomach. Here's a question for you. If you're so willing to let your opinion of the issue be swayed by the old proposal, why are you so willing to discount the ensuing beatdown and clear message sent by DCI that such a thing would never be tolerated. The original G-7 proposal was a bluff to test the metal of DCI, and it got called big time. So by your own logic there is still nothing to worry about, because it is then every bit is fair to say the proposal would be rejected in similar fashion simply based on the fact that it was already.

I will cheer everyone. But I will only attend shows that have corps from top to bottom.

oh of course. you're right. never mind, enjoy your holidays, thanks for the laughs

um.....have you seen the YEA website today? http://www.yea.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=19020&news_iv_ctrl=1401 who's the troll now?

i was being realistic in my hopes, and not dreaming of drum corps gone by

Now that we all know here that a couple of Corps Directors concocted a G-7 scheme that, among other unsavory things, proposed the killing off of an entire Division of Corps, is anybody here naive enough to believe that if things got financially tough in the future for the G-8, that these 2 Corps Directors wouldn't cut off 2 or 3 of the G-8 Corps to save their own Corps skin ? I didn't think so. Knowing what these guys are capable of, I'd keep a close tab on these 2 power hungry egomaniacs here in the future now, if I were the others.. including those currently in the G-8 group slotting system that's been created in the World Class Division, principally as a result of the actions of these two. From all reports, most of the other Corps Directors who took the unprecedented step of calling for a full membership emergency meeting that resulted in the 2 ( and others ) being booted off the DCI Board of Directors by the full DCI membership don't trust these two anymore either. I wouldn't trust these 2 as far as I could throw them either, knowing what we know now.

Hello all! It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I figured I might as well share this. Inspired by the 20% holiday discount, I finally got around to ordering the 2010 Finals DVD a week or so ago. Most of what I knew about the shows besids mine was either snippets from the gate, opinions from friends over the summer with fan network subscriptions, or stuff from DCP. So, I thought you might be interested in hearing my thoughts while these shows are almost completely fresh and new to me. I've only had time to go through the first disc so far, but it's still a pretty long write-up, so I won't bother pasting it all here - here's the link. EDIT: Well, that's silly. Apparently my title was too long and got cut off, but the forum software didn't tell me. If a mod wants to cut it off to "thoughts on 2010" or something so I don't look like I forgot to finish what I was typing, I wouldn't complain.

tuba=horn mello=horn various grounded percussion=drums horns are still horns drums are still drums brass sounds like brass drums sound like drums synthesizers sound like...uh...synthesizers synthesizers and non-acoustic sounds in drum corps are like when you are walking through a pristine wooded setting, and you see a beer can on the ground. Drum corps is sex, and synthesizers are the kids walking in the middle of sex...

Yet the sound remained horns and percussion only. Maybe the next step is to REMOVE horns and/or percussion as synths and patches can make the same sound (kinda). Get a foot pedal volume contral and those pesky balance issues can be worked out.

seven of the eight G8 corps have put it in writing that they want full control over all DCI decision making, how money is distributed, and to ban the other corps from competing on the same night. Frankly, it's ########. These corps are trying to make DCI into an 8 corps super circuit. I do not want an 8 corps super circuit, and therefore, I will not support these corps in their efforts to see their goals become reality. :thumbdown: edit: also, lol at the passive aggressive haters who down vote my posts

ok it lost last year. in "compromise" they got one piece of the pie...shows where they get paid more. do you think they'll give up? if so, you underestimate the proposers. Some of them have been talking of this since 1997

Nothing like taking something that is struggling and making things worse. Most talk about a divide in Drum Corps that is now happening, they talk about the 1st g7 pp. and how much it is just going to ruin Drum Corps as people have kown it for all these years. Yes I know its not the same now, but that was the 1st impression. Me, I am on the fence. I enjoy the drama, and I sure would have liked to see the g7 go out on there own with nobody else just to see how they would have faired, man I wanted that to happen. Just so that 7 found out how good they had it, but of course we all know what happened. I sometimes think about when I marched, I think about all those finals I marched in and the stands were packed, how at no time did I ever think I was elite to the other Corps. Every year I marched we beat Bluecoats, CC, Blue Stars, most years Cavaliers, some years Phantom, Garfield, SCV and Blue Devils and never once did I think I was elite. Never once did I want to do a show without the other Corps. Never once did I think I was better than another Drum Corps. Maybe, just mabye that is why the stands are not packed at finals anymore. I cant say I will not go to the toc shows, I might want to check out the drama, I might want to see what is going to happen, as I said I enjoy the drama.

citation please.

speculation. show me the evidence to back up your statement. It just as easily could be said that "every corps thought there was some way in electronics could enhance their product". they voted them in -- isn't possible they actually wanted to use to them ? no -- on second thought -- much more fun to say they were COMPELLED !

Circular argument. Everyone is using them therefore they must not have a choice but to use them.No one is being compelled. Corps are choosing to use them. You've already provided the citation: it was passed by the directors of the very corps who are now being "compelled". And this proves ... that they all felt electronics were worth using in some way their program? I get the argument you're making -- that "keeping up with the Jones'" is in play. But it's equally as likely that all those corps are finding value in their use of electronics as well. It's not an either/or proposition.

citation?

Well at least you put compelled in quotes now. That's an improvement. It's certainly true that some director's voted against the proposal (for I'm sure a variety of reasons). OTOH it's pretty clear that -- even before knowing who was using it and how they were being used -- nearly every corps began the season using electronics in some fashion or other. That doesn't suggest compulsion to me -- it suggests they had a new toy to play with and were going to figure out how best to use it. And that's the case today -- different corps are using electronics in very different ways. I disagree strongly that a corps needs electronics to be competitive. For instance I think PR's show this past season would have played just as well with no electronics at all; it didn't seem (to me) to actually rely on them very much. Amplification -- that's another story. I *do* agree it will hurt you competitively not to be amp'd.

Trotting out that bogus statement again I see...only NOW you pretend to be able to read his mind.

Exactly! A win-win situation for both parties. Now imagine if it was more than just them, say if a bunch of finalist corps did it, or all finalist corps, or all finalist corps every year. I think we might be onto something here!

i think the only thing that can help with hurt alumni is location

why bring me in to this? I have said nothing about BD in this thread at all. and you wonder why people give you ####? there's why

Thanks! I suppose it is kind of a review, but I doubt there's much activity there in January...

It would also be a good gauge on how much support there actually is by DCP posters concerning organizations like SDCA and DCNA.