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Certainly not the ladies, anyways... Mike

The Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps is pleased to announce the return of Michael Shapiro to lead its very successful color guard program for the upcoming season. Shapiro is back for his fifth season as Caption Head, Choreographer and Designer for the Blue Stars color guard, building upon the incredible success of his previous seasons with the corps. Read it

You all realize this plays right into the idea that BOA and DCI are becoming more and more blurred

This.

good, he can finish cleaning last year's show.

Anyone else getting the feeling that this offseason is starting to feel like musical chairs on a moving carousel?

Hannum.

Thanks for the reminder that I've been marching for over a decade

Actually, a few years after the fact, Tony "AJ" Schlecta (National Dream and VFW Nationals coordinator) publicly admitted that he'd intercepted the M&M judges sheets (remember, no computers or NCR carbonless forms BITD) before it went to the official tabulators and "adjusted" the Gaw-field score downward because he felt the peace sign at a championship sponsored by a national veterans group was a discraceful insult "while our boys were still fighting and dying in the jungles of Vietnam." BY that time, DCI Finals had emasculated the VFW National Championship to a second-rate show by siphoning off the best-of-the-best to choose to attend the DCI "big show" instead of the VFW Nationals. Carry on.

It certainly seems like the moves this year are bigger news. Especially cause Vanguard is sucking up all the staff in DCI. Good for them though.

Why? They came in 6th in drums last year. 4th at semifinals. Scouts drums came in 12th at finals. 13th at semifinals. An instructor might bring a whole bunch of drum talent with him to your favorite corps. And you have a problem with that? Strange.

Avon high school....2008

Tom Brace

humorn.1. The quality that makes something laughable or amusing; funniness: could not see the humor of the situation (like someone right now).2. That which is intended to induce laughter or amusement3. The ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd.

[quote name='Absolutely Sweet Marie' timestamp='1315452364' post='3082349' Huh. I don't suppose you've ever seen Jeff run a visual rehearsal.. Kinder and gentler are not two word that come to mind. Fiedler basics....

being on stage for The Hit Men's return to I & E- no feeling like that standing O. Running around like a crazy person all weekend, helping with Bridgemen errands, cooking and cleaning to host Star United at my house for Sunday rehearsal, knowing that I live in and perform in THE BEST DRUM CORPS CITY IN THE COUNTRY! practicing with Bridgemen and enjoying Lynn Davis' annual roast of George Lavelle the sustained applause and standing O at the Doubletree as MBI returned from winning prelims parking lot run through at stupid-o'clock on Sunday morning at The Doubletree to get ready for Bridgemen to own the Alumni Corps field. Marching with Bridgemen at MY HOME SHOW participating in the awesome spectacle of the Salute to Heroes finale being a pit bi#*h for Star United's Sunday evening exhibition, to once again hear the front row of spectators repeatedly exclaiming " oh my god...oh my god.....oh my GOD!. "

In my opinion, the most influential Drum Corps " show " in the history of Junior Drum Corps was the show of the Immaculate Conception Reveries, of Revere, Mass. in the year 1966. Without this show it is highly doubtful that the Bayonne Bridgemen style would have been allowed to take hold, nor would DCI have begun a few years after the I.C.Reveries performance at the VFW National Championship Finals in Jersey City, New Jersey. No other single show performance so altered the Junior Corps activity to any larger degree in my opinion as this show performance ireversibly altered the activity like none before,.. nor none since, imo. For context, at this time, Corps participated in rigid sets of rules dictated by the VFW ( or AL ). At the 1966 VFW Nationals Championships Prelims in New Jersey the 14th finishing Reveries were afforded penalties, as was the 13th finishing Corps, Racine Scouts ( terrific Corps at the time ). However for reasons unexplained, the Racine Scouts penalties were purged, and they were told they would be in the Finals on Finals Night ( Top 12 ) The Reveries similar penalties however were not purged, and they were not given a satisfactory reason why ( according to them anyway ). This made the Reveries furious. On the night of the Finals, the Reveries showed up outside the gate in uniform with full intentions to march and compete. St. Joe's Batavia, NY, a qualifyer for Finals, saw them, were informed by the Reveries of their intentions and St. Joe's graciously allowed the Reveries Corps to go by them, and the Reveries proceeded to the starting line ahead of the Racine Scouts who were unsure of what was taking place. Once on the starting line, the VFW saw the Reveries there. They were stunned and demanded the I.C. Reveies leave the field. The Corps refused, and instead orchestrated a " sit in ". The entire corps then sat in the lotus position on the ground in starting position and refused to leave until allowed to perform their show and compete. The VFW Sponsors then huddled in a quick meeting while 15-20 minutes went by. Reveries not moving, still in the lotus position. The VFW show sponsors even called the police as a precaution. The Crowd received word in the stands about the penalty dispute, and became sympathetic to their plight, and began to chant " Let them compete... let them compete ". Finally, the VFW announced to the Corps and the audience that the IC Reveries could do their show, but would not be scored. The Reveries performed their show, but were not scored. Keep in mind that this was a protest, "sit in"..., in 1966 at a VFW Convention. "Sit ins " were taking place in areas around the country as a form of civil disobedience and revolt in that time period in the US. The LAST group of folks that would be supportive of protest sit ins in the 60's were the tradition based VFW and AL... and this was now happening at their Drum Corps National Championships, no less. The reason this Reveries show performance was so influential in 1966 is because from that moment on, the VFW, AL and the Drum Corps community would begin to go their separate ways. The Reveries Management left after that year's " show ", and the Corps Director ( George Bonfiglio who later formed the 27th Lancers from the same community of Revere the next year after the " sit in " ) met with other like minded Corps Directors, and shortly thereafter, they formed DCI... and leaving the Veteran organizations. Once DCI was formed, Corps would be provided MUCH greater lattitude and liberties in show design, styles, etc, and the judging would be developed along new lines as well.... it would be inconceivable for example to witness a Corps with a freestyle like the Bridgemen compete at a VFW or AL with that style of uniform and show. The St. Andrews Bridgemen, yes... but not the Bayonne Bridgemen that would evolve from that Corps a few years later in DCI. So without the I.C. Reveries making a statement in 1966 with their show performance at the VFW Nationals, it is questionable to say the least as to whether or not we'd see the styles of shows we saw the following decade regarding music, show designs, etc. So in my opinion, I'll make the case that the single most influential show perfomance that altered and influenced the activity the most, was not '93 Star, not '77 Bridgemen, nor '83 Cadets, nor the others that had influential shows. It was the show performance of the I.C. Reveries at the Finals of the recognized National Championships in 1966 that had the most influence... by far... on the direction of the Drum Corps movement. That'd be my choice for " most influential show performance " anyway.

We all know the 1995 Scouts utterly DESTROYED the crowd with their performance...utterly spectacular from the moment they entered the field. We also all know the applause went on for a LONG time. But for the first time I decided to time it. It started from the beginning of the rotating company front at the end of Malaga...44 seconds of continuous crowd love...and continued for almost a full minute AFTER then with little cessation. :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: To any and all alums of the 1995 Madison Scouts....I am insanely jealous of you to have been on the receiving end of that....truly.

lol i like it

Hawthorne Caballeros.... I'd change them from Spanish uniforms to Polish Polka suits. Ironically, they can play Lady of Spain as long as the melos can duplicate the sound of a bellows-shake accordion. Joe Dz in NJ

One of the best designed shows I have seen in any marching arena. Incredible.

Haha, honestly its an honest mistake given the level they've been performing at the last several years. the Communiformity show was brilliant

I hope not.

Andrew Markworth as arranger. Not sure about caption head, but I wouldn't be surprised if they promoted from within.

I got picked up at some random bus station

When did they do that? I don't remember any exhibitions other than the Open Class/Div2/Div3/Class A champ opening the show.

MBI should do Led Zeppelin....oh, wait...

Hadn't heard that, so if it's true, that is a possibility. At the same time, how many of the "big name" arrangers and caption heads don't have a home for 2012? If Crown doesn't pick up someone big, and soon, I could see the members easily following Lee, even if the rumors your speaking of are true. That being said, I think he's a heck of a writer and I know he's a great teacher, so I would think if some 19 year old kids don't like it, well, then they may just be elitist know-it-alls that shouldn't go to Madison for that reason. Just my thoughts

Dear Star United: If you want to sound like the Boston Pops on the 4th of July, the howitzers are really important to have! Please make a note of it! Oh yah, HOLY S..T! The arrangement was awesome and your execution flawless! Cannot wait to see what you can do to top this one!

Join Austin Texas' own 2011 WGI World Championships Finalist! ATX Winterguard will be holding auditions for the 2012 season on the following date: Saturday 09/17/11 from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm at St Louis Catholic School, Austin, TX There is a $40.00 one-time, non-refundable audition fee. If you would like to audition but cannot attend, contact us to learn about video auditions. Following a successful 2011 season that culminated in making Finals in Independent A class at WGI World Championships, the ATX Winterguard staff promises to provide you with another season of excitement and personal growth in a fun, encouraging atmosphere. Rehearsals begin October 2, 2011.

scouts need him back...

Yep. Lee is one of the best in the biz! This will definitely help the Scouts. I hope they keep him for a good long time.

That's why I'm asking - "Mungo dunno - cho-cho go thru Rock Ridge"???

I just thought I'd share some photos I took on the field after finals. I wanted to capture some of the emotions. Uploaded with ImageShack.us

With you on that! I have requested that and offered to assist in any manner possible to make that happen. I'd really like the first offering to be the audio from the various collections that DCI digitally remastered from Ken Kobold. See http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php/topic/62503-old-recordings-anyone/ and other posts.

Times, indeed, have changed. If someone came up to me 20 years ago and said, "Someday, two Minnesota corps will win the championships in two divisions of DCA in the same year"... I would have strongly suggested that they give up drinking and go get professional help.

Lots of things come to mind but swimming through Jersey on public transportation isn't going to make it easy to list them all. I'll keep it simple and list one for each day. Friday: Star United's performance. IMO it topped Sin City. Don't get me wrong. I thought Sin City was amazingly fun, quite cool and would enjoy seeing a production like that again. But Star, as a competing unit, plays with such absolute beauty to the edge of perfection. (Both groups beat Dinosaur BBQ into a distant 3rd.) Saturday: Watching history. Sunrisers returned to the field, Windsor Regiment came out in their 1st year and made Class A finals, Tampa Bay Thunder did the same in Open. MBI brought their A game and ended Bucs winning streak. Sunday: Not just watching MBI win but sticking around in the rain to watch them sing their corps song on the field. I teared up watching it. I will never know what winning it all will feel like. I've watched close friends have that honor and shared in their joy. It was very cool to watch them from the stands get to enjoy their moment for the very first time.

in b4 Bluecoats, 3 other corps, and 15 other marching bands use this next year

So, is there any reason that Chopin has essentially never been put on the field? Granted, it would take a VERY imaginative arranger to pull off something like that. But, I imagine that his prelude in E minor could be used to create an incredible, beautiful, yet somber ballad. Plus, there is a multitude of other works that might give some good material to a show. Another piece that comes to mind is Vientos y Tangos by Michael Gandolfi. Certainly not the whole thing, but there are moments throughout that would work really well on a field.

I can agree with this comment, and it's finally a decent one. Thank you for saying it tactfully and more accurately! Much appreciated!

I've rekindled my love of drum corps less than 5 years ago after a hiatus of 22 years. We went to finals in 2010. I did not blink when I watched drum corps live. I couldn't travel in 2011 and watched lots of Fan Network (btw the Denver footage was awesome :) and did not blink when I watched and listened to 2011 SCV numerous times. It's intricate, fast, dynamic. I liked it alot and will watch and listen again to find another innuendo. Very cool SCV! signed a fan of SCV since 73 :) Perhaps I'm esoteric and shouldn't go to a show 'cause ya don't want me there :(

Govies on the side showing the Minnesota love!

Ditto!!!!

Okay. I didn't know much about the Cavaliers before 2001, I wasn't into DCI at the time. I just know the way they are now, and the not-so-subtle insults to other people's corps was a bit much. Saying a corps isn't as mature or talented as the Cavaliers is a bit of an insult to everyone. Just saying. There's boosting your own corps, and tearing down other corps. He missed the mark quite a bit, I think.

Most of the staff was from before 2000, but between the whole staff, and the caption head, they had won every single championship with the Cavaliers. So I'm going to take their opinions on what worked with my corps over yours. I had the best summer of my life, and we had plenty of "maturity" and "talent", so please, stop trying to label people you don't know.

Except the cadets have more titles than the cavaliers.... 3 more, to be exact. And I marched in a corps that has multiple titles, so I think we were ''mature'' and ''talented'' enough

Edit: The key term here is "influential," that is, was what the group did not only something new (or a refinement of something new that someone else did), but did it influence others to follow suit. I picked three shows that measurably influenced how other corps (and bands) have approached marching/design ever since. Santa Clara Vanguard - 1980 - As the hold of the old VFW rules slowly loosened, SCV performed the first true asymmetrical drill for much of their show. It may not have been as technically difficult as the symetrical drill of their contemporaries, but I'd say it caught on. (Incidently, that must have been an amazing year to have been at finals) Phantom Regiment - 1981 - Spartacus (I) - Though sometimes debated, this is largely credited as being the first 'themed' show in which the music was all related to a central story and the visual was aimed at conveying that story to the crowd. Sure, you needed a libretto to understand what they were trying to do, but you can only ask so much from the guys who tried it first. Cadets of Bergen County - 1983 - They took the asymmetrical drill that SCV pioneered, and took it to a whole new level. This show was iconic on a lot of levels, and set the tone for much of the high velocity drill that we see today. Short of those three shows, I really feel like everything else is refinement and nuance added on top of the breakthroughs which these groups undertook. Sure, you have your first all Original Show, your first Political show, etc. However, as great as those things were, I'm not sure that they really rise to the level of these four shows, and what they did for the marching activity as a whole. The only recent show I would be ready to consider might have started something new are the Cavaliers 2001. THat show did something markedly different than even the 2000 offering in the way it fully integrated all aspects of the corps in order to portray the show theme throughout the show. If anything, it was an evolution of the concept of 'theme' that propelled it much further from a design perspective. I am not sure whether this has really had wide-spread effect on the activity as a whole, but it certainly put the Cavaliers on a different level for much of the 2000s.

Generally one of the choices is 83 Gahfield....

Trying to ride the coat tails? Thats an ignorant statement. How in the world could you possibly arrive at that conclusion? Nothing about the entire corps has been anything like 04, ESPECIALLY the percussion.