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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/09/2011 in all areas

  1. What is this?, "pile it on" hour? No wonder people so rarely change their minds on here...first you go through the embarassment of admitting you were wrong, and then after the fact, people keep on reminding you about it! And he may not want me to say it, but it was no under 21 year old MM that talked to him, and there was no 'beating into submission'. He asked me a few questions via PM, and I answered them. Mostly, we've been swapping stories, and finding out that things are WAY more 'the same' then they are different...but a few things have changed, and it gave him a different perspective. Seriously though...its bad enough insulting the people that disagree with you ..... crazy and stupid reason that if drum corps does not go back to the way they remember it when they marched... That they will ##### and moan and make everybody miserable... ... ...but you take it a step further and go after people that are actually on your side! It's no wonder people view the 'progressives' as superior and arrogant sometimes...
    5 points
  2. This is the most accurate post in this entire thread.
    5 points
  3. We have no evidence that he hasn't sought council, all we know is that he didn't seek council from the alumni association. To expect him to is backwards. It's the alumni association's responsibility to support the corps, not the other way around. Having marched in the corps at some point in the past does not give me a vote on the creative team. Traveling up and down the east cost specifically in order to meet with alumni, is not disregard or contempt. Not consulting them before a design decision is also not disregard or contempt either. Was he really expected to take a vote of the alumni about this issue? That's ridiculous. Additionally, there is an alumni voice on the design team, as there are alums on the design team. What else was he realistically supposed to do?
    4 points
  4. How do you know what's going on in his brain? Just because you disagree with what he has done with the corps doesn't mean he has disregard or contempt for the average drum corps fan OR alumni.
    4 points
  5. Haven't read the 45+ pages...but... Fairly recent Cadet here and I feel like I was in the transition from traditional to change in the corps. I marched 01-05 then was on staff and I'm all for the change. Here are my few points, sorry if they've already been covered. 1) They know this is a BIG decision, therefore I would think it's a really solid concept since they're even considering it. 2) The new members have just as much love for that uniform as when the old members wore it. The difference is they don't have 10+ years after aging out to see it unchanged and become more attached to the tradition of it. 3) I bet you a large sum of money they win field visual if their pants are black. :)
    4 points
  6. I wouldn't have a problem with real string instruments such as violins, violas and cellos as long as they're bell-front instruments.
    3 points
  7. Not knowing Michael James very well, I can tell you that he is one of the most well-respected designers in Florida. His style is so unique and every colorguard he works with is blessed to have him. Each unit dramatically benefits from his style. While I can understand similarities from show to show, Michael James puts out quality show after quality show. I personally enjoy every show he has done this year and find each production exciting and moving in its own way. I wish more people would strive for the passion and talent he brings to the activity. Justin Sullivan Asst. Director/Choreographer River City Independent
    2 points
  8. Call my silly, but if, by their own admission, the uniform is such a storied part of their past and identity that they want to make a special ceremony to honor it, why is it changing? I know, it seems such a silly question. But still...am I the only one who see the contradiction? Kind of like the music of old, dead white guys.
    2 points
  9. It has already been noted that this was not the idea of George Hopkins, but the word of the entire original G-7 team that came together to talk about what they thought was best for the future of drum corps. Any shot at Hopkins in the G-7 debate is irrelevant, because his only association as an individual with ANY of the proposals is that the group elected him to voice them at the meeting. Quite frankly, who else would have had the cojones to stand up and voice for the end of the open class, even if it wasn't there idea. Not saying I support the movement, but I certainly don't resent Hopkins for any of the proposals, because there is NO way of knowing if they originated from him or the other 6 members.
    2 points
  10. Whatever one believes are the qualifyers for wearing the Corps jacket, one must be prepared to extend the Corps jacket temporarily to a girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, mother,etc when out of doors and the temperature drops, and he or she came ill prepared for the temperature drop, while you did. They key determinative factor here however must be A) a minimum 15 degree drop in temperature and B)you love the other person, and they love you and C) they promise until the end of time never in the future to throw out any of your Drum Corps stuff without your expressed verbal permission.
    2 points
  11. 2 points
  12. It's also... just a thought... that perhaps the loss of donors has to do with the shift in who the audience is. For example, in decades past, a lot of the marchers in Drum Corps came from the streets to march Drum Corps. Many of them were relatively poor, many from the cities. The discipline that Drum Corps provided to them, transformed these kids, set them on a path ready for hard work and competition in the workplace. While not all became successful in their jobs and careers, many did. Since many of them came from families with little money, money was not something to scoff at. They wanted it for themselves and their spouse and children. So they gravitated towards jobs and careers where the potential was there to make a lot of money. And quite a few of them did. And when they grew up, some of that money went back to Corps and to those Drum Corps organizations that at a pivotal time in their young lives as teenagers, it literally saved their lives, by taking them off the streets where a lfe of crime and early death was all around. Now fast forward to today and the last couple of decades. The typical marcher in Drum Corps comes from a music background. Many intend to become music teachers at the elementary and Junior High, High School level. Many have already done so. They marched Drum Corps. Got their music degree, and are out now teaching band in the schools. That's good. However, from a DCI Donor perspective, maybe this is not so good. Why ? Many of them have no money. They didn't go into careers for money. So many of them don't have a lot of it. Not a lot of dough in teaching 6th graders the trumpet or the flute or what have you. Many are just getting by with families of their own now. So they can't find the time, nor money to willy nilly fly off to Indianapolis or Allentown, or fork over cash to be a Friend of DCI. The older fans, who came up from the streets, are now out golfing or boating somewhere, or they've moved on to follow sports teams,or whatever as the current model of Drum Corps shows has no more appeal to them anymore. Once these fans stopped contributing, a lot of the newer fans from the teaching ranks were tapped out financially to fill the void. Couple this with a few hundred Corps that died out over the years, and it's not all that hard to see why DCI Drum Corps is struggling financially to keep it's head above water. Just a thought anyway.
    2 points
  13. Well, just listened to the Trombone Concerto and wow..... if Bluecoats do justice to this, as they did to Asphalt Cocktail, I can not wait!
    2 points
  14. I remember vividly how happy and excited I was the day I was sent into the uniform room to try on uniform jackets as I was being fitted for my entire uniform. It was a dream come true and an honor to put on that traditional Cadets uniform. I also remember being at a show in 1984 and all the respect I had for my friend after seeing him in his Garfield Cadets uniform. I am very surprised by your statement that "It appears to me that the younger Alumni do not have the same attachment to the uniform that some of us do from "back in the day"". If that is true, that is sad.
    2 points
  15. I don't know of how many people know about this project, but I feel the entire drum corps community needs to know this story: "Written by a recent colorguard ageout, Class of 2010, Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps: In the stands people put their hands together and applaud the corps at the completion of their best show yet. On the field is a girl using everything she has left to hold herself up. Once the bass drum hits, signaling the dismissal of the corps, her body goes out and she hits the ground. The corps begins to exit the stadium as two staff members are left behind carrying her off the sideline. The conditions in drum corps are less than ideal, yet something in the activity is appealing to high school and college students, bringing them back every summer to sacrifice a vacation for one thing: music performance. "There is no easing up in drum corps. There is no off switch," says film director Adam Adorno. Working with Focus Group Promotions, Adorno and videographer Manny Coronado are following Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps from Southern California on their summer tour. The 2010 season will be captured in The Walk to Indy showing the corps as they perform their program Maze and revealing that there are more challenges in the season than just the show. Perhaps one of the poignant life experiences is losing a loved one. In November 2009, Pacific Crest lost its drum major, Zach Headden, who had been with corps since 2006 and served as front field drum major for both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Zach was killed in an automobile collision, and 2010 would have been his age-out season. A Pacific Crest tradition during the Drum Corps International Age-Out Ceremony is for all the age outs to leave their shoes on the field in the shape of the corps logo, the crest. This year's ceremony (Summer 2010) will be especially memorable for the corps: On the field that night will be one more pair of shoes than the number of age outs, in remembrance of a young man who had made a significant impact on the corps. In addition to focusing on this story, a few individuals will be followed allowing us an inside view of their drum corps experience. As described by Adorno, "The Walk to Indy isn't just about Zach's shoes being left on the field, but everybody's journey to Indianapolis and a celebration of Zach's life." Being on tour separates a member from "real life" for a short period of time, but in this film real life finds ways to catch up with people. It is more than just handling the stress of intense rehearsals and more than dealing with extreme exhaustion and fatigue. Watching The Walk to Indy will show the audience a deeper layer to this demanding sport. Adorno and Coronado will continue to film Pacific Crest through the end of tour. Focus Group Promotions will begin editing at the conclusion of the season and is projecting the release of the film to festivals starting in late 2011." Unlike many documentaries, while this film does follow Pacific Crest, it does include perspectives, members and experiences from other drum corps as well. Please spread the word about this amazing project. To contact for donations, inquires, or comments, please email thewalktoindy@gmail.com The Official Trailer can be found on youtube
    1 point
  16. Hi All , Well its almost time for the Buglers Hall of Fame Boston regional show . this years show is once again sponcered by The St. Kevin Emerald Knights Sr. Corps . It is our pleasure to have everyone back from last years show plus some added competition & exhibitions & some surprises too. The show is at a bigger venue this year to accomidate the expected large gathering of Drum Corps fans. It is also our pleasure to have that "golden tone MC " Andy Lisko back at our show. So ,all you Drum Corps nuts ,DO NOT miss this years Buglers Hall of Fame competition & show in Boston !! Proudly hosted by The St. Kevin Emerald Knights . March 19 ,Boston Teachers Hall . Please go to our fine website for all the details http://www.skek.net. All the Best, Mike D. VIDEOS ARE NOW UP ON YT. CHECK THEM OUT !!!!!!BHOF Boston 2011 BFDTV
    1 point
  17. Hmmm...just seems like a way to keep major donors and volunteers from revolting. Hop better be careful though. "Change" can be a cruel mistress, and he might find himself on the bad side of it someday.
    1 point
  18. sounds like a latin piece of some type to me
    1 point
  19. WOW! I hope a lot of fans come to this show! Its important to recognize and remember the history of every corps.
    1 point
  20. Count me in as someone who did not renew their Platinum membership this year. For me a lot of factors played into my decision. 1. I'm just plain tired right now of the activity. It's not the shows, design, or the kids, it's just something where I've sort of lost an interest. After I marched, I was to poor and trying to finish my education to go to finals. Once I had a job, I was able to donate back to the activity and I got good seats in return. It was fun. It's just lately championships is becoming more burdensome. I live out here in the west, and it's hard to arrange travel plans to bring the family, take time off work, and get excited to go to Indy year after year. I find using my $2,500 to go take a nice vacation somewhere else much more fun and exciting. I guess I'm just at that point in my life where I want to do other things than save $2,500 to be a Friends member and then save another $2,000 to go to Indy with my family year after year. 2. Like others, I sight customer service as being an issue. Sure they are helpful, but it just seems like when you request for something from DCI, they're doing you a favor. Customer service should not make you feel guilty because you are requesting something that is not that big of a request in the first place. Up to this point, there has been no follow up as to why I did not renew for the 2011 season. No e-mail, nothing. I know I shouldn't expect it, but it's nice to know they're still thinking about you and care about your patronage. I pick five corps to donate to every year. They always change from year to year so I can spread the wealth around. Even when I don't donate for a two to three year span, these corps still request for me to donate every year or they continue to send news about what is happening with their corps. Follow up is a good thing. You lose customers when you don't. 3. Being a Friends member, I got to see more of the inner workings of how they treat their customers. Just like any activity, the sponsors are the ones who DCI really caters to. And that's fine, they pay the big bucks. The problem I have is how they view the die-hard and legacy fans. I wholeheartedly agree with other's opinions that DCI does not embrace the die-hard and legacy fans like they should. They simply expect that they will always be there. It's kind of sad, when you look in the suites and no one is paying attention to the shows and are instead making a social event out of it. 4. I've met enough people in this activity that I can still get tickets between the 40's and other places in the stadium that require a badge without paying the premium. The activity will always be dear to my heart and I'll go to the local shows and regionals, but being a Friend is just not important to me anymore.
    1 point
  21. that could be cool. I hope disgruntled fans/alumni don't get stupid with it
    1 point
  22. I think GM is already ahead of you in such a creation that's in the works Michael. It'll be called the Chevy Camaro, Commode Limited Edition. Like most of their contraptions over the years, it'll run on wheels, it'll be big on gas, it'll have a small motorcycle like engine attached, and it'll run like s....... oh, never mind.
    1 point
  23. Was there an actual timeframe to compare when arranging was great, and the shows reflected a musicality or were melody driven? Sure. There might be a consensus, on some years. But, I don't think I can answer the question posed in the beginning of the thread without having something of an understanding, or something to compare 2011 to... I like all years, and respect what all corps do. But the "awesomeness" of brass, musicality, and arranging, hitting its peak to me, (or what some might refer to as a Golden Age), was somewhere around 1992. I only say that in personal preference. Maybe others will agree. Others wont. Proof is from 92 being a CD in the car. Its also what I like to call a 2 hour joy ride up to San Fran or somewhere far in California, where I don't change the CD till its over. Whereas, in other years I might get 1 show or maybe 3 or 4 in the "rotation". If 2011 can have a Top 12 as good as 92, (and I like the selections so far)...let "awesomeness" reign.
    1 point
  24. People haven't been complaining about the musical selections, they've been complaining about the arranging. So we won't know if there is a "paradigm shift" (or would "pendulum shift" be a better term?) until we see the shows and see how all these great pieces have been arranged. If they are sliced into elements for use as sound effects in support of what is mainly a visual presentation, as has been predominant these past 10 or so years, then the answer is no there hasn't been a paradigm shift. If on the other hand, the shows use the majesty of brass and exciting visuals to fully accentuate the melodies, harmonies, rhythms and forms of these brilliant musical compositions in a way that only drum and bugle corps can, then yes the pendulum will have shifted, and I will start attending more than one or two shows again.
    1 point
  25. Plan9, I would like to respond to you in a couple ways. First, speaking for myself only as a 50 year old who discovered drum corps in 1979 and never left it.... I am someone who does NOT neccessarily need "recognizable" source music....but as I am not a music major, melodic arrangements are in fact needed (by me at least) to enjoy the show. When I was 19, I had no clue who Stan Kenton was, but BD's "Pegasus" is something which I find myself humming in the shower to this day. I had never heard of "Dindi" or "New York Fantasy" but BD engrained those tunes into my internal MP3 forever. The same is true of SCV 87...and of course, my all time favorite, Boston Crusaders, whose "Conquest" from a rather obscure movie in 1947....well you get the picture. This is all stuff that was arranged incredibly well, thus has withstood the test of time-for me at least. As incredible as Star was, I cannot humm the Bartok if my life depended on it. My other observation, is, hopefully, a positive note. While I am not an official spokesperson for BAC----only a volunteer these days---I have overheard ENDLESS conversations by their management/design team centering on programming and arranging that is very much audience-focused. Like them or not, I think most folks would agree that since 2008 at least, Boston has been bending over backwards to program and arrange shows which are audience-friendly. Their show as announced for 2011 is no exception, and I have reason to think that many other corps are trying to do the same. I think this summer will be one of the best in recent memory in that regard....
    1 point
  26. AWESOME NEWS!!! But....Has she ever won the Dream? (Sorry....I couldn't resist)!! Good luck Defenders!!!! Can't wait to see you guys at the Lawrence show in July where I will be performing with the Caballeros!
    1 point
  27. Steep rise at the top, while most other groups stayed level. A "booming economy" doesn't necessarily correlate to individual incomes, and individual incomes are a better indicator of what kind of money is available for discretionary purposes like charitable giving. As I said, both numbers were correct, but from a professional fundraising standpoint, the absolute number is more key - because each donor is a person, not a statistic. Without knowing who the donors were, why they left, etc, it's hard to pull much meaningful information from the numbers. And, again, the more interesting question to me is why the program was so anemic to begin with.
    1 point
  28. I disagree. Citation, please? Here's the fact... No matter how you slice it, 100 donors is 25% of membership. To say "It's only 100 donors" sugarcoats the truth and hides the impact.
    1 point
  29. LMAO, how many times have I asked that question when I get the Fund Drive calls. Just once I'd like to give a smart ###ed answer to "How are you doing?" to see if the stundent on the other end still follows the script. "This is IUP calling, how are you?" "Dunno... the SWAT teams on the other line waiting for me to come out with my hands up. How are you?" "Just fine thank you, as you know it's that time of year again....."
    1 point
  30. "Purposefully difficult to listen to" almost has to have "purposefully difficult to play well" as a corollary, and playing something difficult well, even though you have to be highly musically educated to appreciate it, is certainly a strong point with judges.
    1 point
  31. As a brass instrument, I don't think a trombone soloist would be that radical for a drum corps. Personally, I think it'd be awesome if they did, but even a bari or euph player getting that kind of significant role as a soloist would be cool to see.
    1 point
  32. Mike, I worked in mortgages from 04 til now. the market was not hurting until 2007,and the sub primes that folded were because they got caught doing illegal things and making loans people couldn't afford. that report is soooo misleading of the real truth
    1 point
  33. "and you will address me as Dan Acheson. I think I've earned it"
    1 point
  34. Darn, so I'm 2 years shy of being a member? But I was soooooo close! :-p
    1 point
  35. lol. i'll defer to wiki always. like gps.
    1 point
  36. Wait, BD design staff is the equivalent of Charlie Parker! Uh, no! They're great people, but this isn't the same sort of thing. Sorry.
    1 point
  37. They will have a good show, the uniforms will be "interesting", but they will have lost a lot of the core support they've worked for over the years.
    1 point
  38. See, everyone? Free speech does have it's moments.
    1 point
  39. This was just leaked from the DeMoulin factory. I hope it's not accurate.
    1 point
  40. No doubt, you guys rocked the house in 79.
    1 point
  41. No way - you have to at least talk to a few members, so when someone asks, you can say "oh yea...i marched with so-and-so"!
    1 point
  42. or you just dont like the fact people will disagree with you and your "keeping it real" approach
    1 point
  43. You may all think I am crazy for this, but I am now even MORE adamant about staying away from ANY G-8 show. George Hopkins is out of control at this point, and anything that he "likes" I will dis-like. The de-friending of people that volunteer for your organization, that MARCHED in your organization, over issues they had is just the last straw for me. He will get what he wants at all costs. That is not a situation that I can support. Sorry to rant, but the uniform change and the treatment of the alumni/volunteers is just unacceptable.
    1 point
  44. heh heh i couldn't figure out what the heck you were basing your bold PR prediction on until i read your sig line. i love your enthusiasm for your guys but let's be honest. PR isn't going to touch BD in CA, and they probably won't beat SCV either.
    1 point
  45. You beat me to it... Dutch Boy '88 and '89. Loved those shows.
    1 point
  46. Cavies '91 was a Christmas show, complete with the "Tree-pull" at the end.
    1 point
  47. Me too... * Cavies will take top spot * Little bit of shake-up in Top 3 as Phantom and SCV take #2 and #3 slots * Cadets won't like this year's outcome and will abandon years 3, 4 and 5 of the series. * The Big Blue Flip... In are the Stars. Out are the Knights. * Fierce battle for #5 between Cadets and Crown. * Bluecoats will be in a season-end battle for the #9 and #10 spot with Glassmen.
    1 point
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