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Yes. Also yes. Why is everybody so up in arms about a corps that DOESN'T EVEN EXIST YET? Seriously. I can't believe all this hype over a corps that has no members, show design, or even a style of its own, etc... Yes they will have a younger average age than most other senior corps, SO WHAT? Let me run down the perspective members for Cadets2. Kids that aren't ready for a junior corps yet, kids that can't afford to march in a junior corps, kids that can't sacrifice junior corps time but still want to march somewhere, or kids that just like what DCA has to offer and feel that is more "their speed".... sound like anyone else you know??? Maybe EVERY OTHER corps in DCA? The only thing missing is the kids that are too old to march in DCA, and by elimintating that from their talent pool I promise you they are missing out. Example: this year's bassline at Empire had a combined 19 years of drum corps experience with an average age of 22. I would have put them up against any other line in DCA and openly requested to do so right here on DCP. Of those 5 guys only 2 would be eligible to march in Cadets2 next season. Two are too old and one is too young. Cadets2 will be putting istelf at a disadvantage with its age restrictions, in my opinion. I heave heard people predict them winning next year or even coming in top 4. Based on what? Hype. Incredible. This corps doesn't even have a reputation to precede it, but from reading on these boards you never know that. We will see what next year brings. While I am NOT a Cadets fan nor a fan of Hopkins I see this as a GOOD thing. First, we have one more corps, and one that is likely to put a quality product out. It will at least be interesting to see these guys take a stab at it. Some of C2's mebership will eventually move on to the Cadets, some will not. They will all see this other circuit of drum corps and many may not have even realized DCA existsed. They may get a few years in with C2 and ultimatley "age out". They may then want to continue marching and they'll realize that Cabs, Bush, Reading, et al are right around the corner (or possible closer). A win for the "other guys"! Some of them may march their first season with C2 and see the Caballeros for the first time. Then after that season they may want nothing more in the world than to march in a show with Hawthorne. The possiblities are endless and in the end C2 is bringing a new wave of drum corps people to DCA. Maybe I'm out of my mind, but I am excited for this new corps.

The Boston Crusaders and Executive Director Tom Spataro are pleased to announce the 2012 design and instructional principals: Program Coordinator and Visual Designer Brian Murphy will lead a team of returning staff and designers including Ellis Hampton (percussion), Chad Pence (brass), and Matt Winans (color guard). Also returning to the team for the third year as program advisor is Bruno Zuccala. The newest member of the Crusaders design team is Ryan George, who will serve as Boston's brass arranger/composer. George currently resides in Austin, Texas where he is a full-time arranger and composer. "The Boston Crusaders is a corps that I have always held in the highest regard," said George. "To be apart of a corps with such a rich heritage is both an honor and a thrill! I cannot wait to begin collaborating with this talented team of designers and teachers and I especially look forward to working alongside Chad Pence to create something truly unique with the Boston hornline." "We are all very excited to add Ryan to our team," said Tom Spataro. "His opus speaks for itself. Brian [Murphy] and I believe that Ryan, Ellis, Matt and Chad will lead and define the next generation of the Boston Crusaders and bring us to new levels of success in the coming years. I look forward to sharing the product of this fine team with our fans. Expect the Boston you know and love, only better." Ryan's outdoor ensemble work has been performed by some of the nation's elite groups at state, region, and national venues. His roster of clients hail from 14 states and include perennial Bands of America regional champions, regional finalist, Grand National finalist, as well as state championships in 3 states. He also currently serves as brass composer/arranger for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps from Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007 his music has received performances at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, the MidWest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the MidEurope Festival in Schladming Austria, the National CNDNA Conference, and the CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference. His works have also been performed at several state music educators conferences as well as region, honor, inter-collegiate, and all-state ensembles. His work for advanced wind ensemble, "Firefly", was recently recorded by the University of North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene M. Corporon and is featured in the "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" series, volume 8. Ryan graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in music education. While a student Ryan sat principal horn for 4 semesters in the wind ensemble, was a drum major for the Wildcat Marching Band and also performed with various other ensembles including the UK orchestra. During his drum corps career Ryan performed with both the Cadets of Bergen County and the Concord Blue Devils. Check out Ryan's website at forninemusic.com to hear examples of his work for concert and marching ensembles. The 2012 design team will be meeting in New York this weekend to officially kick off 2012 with a marathon planning session

Agreed. I am sure the remaining members of the Scouts will enjoy having a better group as a result. Why would you not want to improve your team? Hey, Kobe Bryant is a free agent and wants to come to your team, but you don't want him to take Johnny Nojumper's spot because he is already on the team?!?!?!?!

The Thunder will be keeping the current visual and color guard design team for the 2012 season. These individuals are very good at what they do, we simply had a very young group to work with and are very pleased with our first year results! Here's to 2012!

Well, I guess everybody will have to earn their spot then, wont they. We'll see how you feel if the Scouts are scoring better in percussion next year. My guess is you wont be complaining.

Crown is a G7 corps; they aren't in too much trouble. However, one could say that Crown just got "ROCKed" and lost its "STARs."

I'm going to effectively hijack this thread because it's about to die anyway. I'll get back to FTL in a bit. Plan, my friend, if you want to know how warped I am, I've spent the last week thinking about your phobia, not because it's you, per se, but because it's about drum corps. I've been stewing on a what's wrong with your brain - "how do I look at the world through Plan's eyes?" kind of way. I've tried to consider my positions from a "I hate BD" perspective, and I can't. I simply don't hate BD. Yet, you consistently, over may threads, have posited this position that all of the discussions about what's good or bad about the activity reduces down to a lowest common denominator that I do, in fact, hate BD. I hate that they won. I hate their show design. I hate that others follow them (although they are dam-ed to never succeed, say you). I hate where they're leading the activity. On and on. Worse, you contend that this phenomenon only happens to BD. That it's not "the leader", it's BD. If we have anything negative to say about BD, it's because we HATE BD! (dagnabbit!) What intrigues me is not that I might actually hate BD and therefore believe in FTL and other theories. I know I don't hate BD. It's not that you think everyone hates a winner, because you claim it doesn't happen to any other winner. What sticks at me is that you think that the only answer can possibly be that I hate BD. Maybe I need more wine, maybe I need more time to reflect. But I don't think so. I've never hated ANY corps! I don't think I'm alone in that either. I've considered that other winners have gotten hate posts but you continue to say that it's only BD. I don't get it, Plan. I'm not qualified to pass judgement on the source of this everyone-hates-BD phobia of yours, but I suspect it's a disease called "Rabidius Fandomium", and I could never hold you in contempt for your opinion with that disease. But I don't know how else to describe the malady other than as plagued by excessive self consciousness and, possibly, sensitivity towards any criticism, constructive or otherwise, of YOUR corps. It's surely not that you lack confidence in your position. I don't hate BD, Plan. And every thread I start or in which I comment is not coming from the position that I hate them. I enjoyed their drill in '10, I love, Loved, LOVED the mirrors! It was the music that made me puke, but I still didn't hate them. I didn't like Cadets' offerings of The Door and The Poor-is-Me, fireside chat show, but I didn't hate them. I love them today like I did 25 years ago. Your positions seem to follow that same line of thinking, and I'd like for you to think of a discussion from a non-defensive position and grant me that I may simply not like something about BD, or others, without claiming that I have deep-seated hatred for a corps. It's just not true. FTL is a definable, verifiable fact that you did a pretty good job of validating with your prior post. It's all those things. FTL is a natural inclination that takes effort to fight; the "Me Too" syndrome that marks the slow death of creativity. Amps, props, chop and bops, they are all the product of a corps naturally trying to find that mix that gets them to the trophy table regardless of who did them the year before. In recent years, and because of the FTL attitude, I have, rightly IMO, held the "top corps" responsible for the direction they pull the activity - I had 7 corps to "hate" last year - and the MC project was an obvious admission by DCI that I was not alone in that belief. However he influenced the corps it was, most certainly, from a position of "be yourself" and not "We're tired of BD winning all the time." I'm glad this year was not replete with chop-and-bop horn books; but I would feel the same way whether or not it was BD, or Cadets, or Boston that happened to be in the leadership position of DCI corps. I simply don't agree with the programming direction. MC and the judges are working to eliminate FTL, not prevent BD from putting on crazy shows, or winning. In fact, I "hate" the corps that subscribe to FTL as much, or more, than the "leaders" with whom I disagree. I think they're foolish for abandoning their own, unique style to FTL. I disagree, but I don't hate them. FTL exists because of "group think", a desire to win, a crappy judging system, and lack of guts.. It takes more guts, in my opinion, for a corps to hold to it's true values than it does to buy fifteen massive mirrors just 'cause BD won with them in 2010. The MC project, I believe, is a reinforcement of that desire for diversity (while they fix the sheets to reward it better). The MC project is not the outgrowth of a "We Hate BD!" attitude. I hate FTL and the circumstances that reward and propagate it. I don't hate BD.

So, why are you excluding the first back to back, 73 & 74 SCV?!

I was commenting on Lefty's leadership abilities ... and I don't wonder "what if" ... I know how Lefty would have reacted to this thread ... he would embrace the inclusion of C2 and so do I ... I have never eluded to anything else ... and with that, I'll leave this exchange ...

If, and I say a big IF, this is true in the current DCI business practices, then DCI (and remember the IF in my statement), then DCI would share some blame for the demise of Revo. The DCI front office is a governing body of a 501c3 organization that is built by corps for the corps with a Mission Statement to look out for one another; therefore DCI has a duty to keep a close eye on the financial status of every corps in the collective.

In their eras, Marty Hurley and Fred Sanford did more to bring musicality to field percussion than any two people I can think of. God bless you, Marty, and say hi to Fred when you get there. Garry in Vegas

Yeah! I mean, the show would've been way less effective, emotional, and crowd pleasing.... But at least we could watch it on a DVD! Hot dang!

Getting a new look might even help launch the corps into the top-three.

As a bugler, is there anyone who will be playing Taps in honor of those who died on September 11th. A few weeks ago I got word of a memorial service for the fallen and I felt compelled to offer my euphonium services for Taps. Those of you who've done this before can admit that the experience is like being on the field for DCI finals. I plan on being brought to tears.

Here's another : Since 1975, no Corps other than The Cadevaliers ( Cadets,'Devils, Cavaliers ) has ever won back to back DCI Titles.

Then those corps will die, and few will even care. Before I go any further, I want to make one thing very clear...I have noting but respect and appreciation for what alumni corps then their members do. They get to perform, and in some way keep alive drum corps of the distant past. I get that, and again, respect and appreciate it. That being said, alumni corps as a whole has absolutely no appeal to me at all. I am 43 years old. I marched DCI from 1984-1989 (after being a fan for two years or so). After teaching in the 90's, I marched DCA in 2004 and 2005. Current alumni corps, save one, do absolutely nothing for me. I'm simply not interested in seeing and hearing them perform, but I get that others do. And that's cool. The only corps that appeals to me at all, that I go out of my way to see and hear, and would ever consider joining, is the Bridgemen. Why? Because they are the only corps that is relevant to my interests. And believe this....I am not alone. The number of folks that feel like I do is legion. If the rest of the alumni corps don't evolve and cater to a younger crowd, they will die. The competing corps are learning this lesson (some better than others). I'm sure that there are many who will be insulted by this and think I'm the devil. That's fine. If they refuse to open their eyes and ears to the truth, neither I or anyone else can do much for 'em. Side note: I also recognize that the Reading Alumni play music that spans the entire history of the corps. That makes them very enjoyable as well, especially considering I am an alumnus of the competing corps. Cabs Alumni also have been enjoyable to me at times, they have something the other alumni corps, save Bridgemen, don't have. Timeless appeal and the ability to perform at a higher level.

0 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Statman! You're amazing Boo.....a living jump drive!

Sometimes copy/paste is needed from one thread to another thread so here we go: Individual corps are responsible to "secure" arranging permissions, and DCI is responsible to "secure" all other permissions; that is technically true. But, who is DCI? An independent body separate from the member corps? Nope. DCI is a collective; a body compiled and governed by the corps for the corps. So, each corps does have a responsibility and duty to help "research" their choices to make sure the probability of all permissions will be granted. To turn that "research" over to just one or two administrative people in the DCI office is just flat laziness on the part of the corps, and it is also a culprit in slowing down the process of securing all of those permissions.

It's not a gold or silver streak, but I'd add the fact that Don Warren was president of The Cavaliers for 60 years.

I love playing in corps sponsored tournments! I'll see if I can fly out there for the weekend and sign up, a great way to raise funds and meet new drum corps folks.

so.... is Sage going to pop up on Scouts staff now also?

well if the talent level is the same then the scout member should get the spot...if not ...well thats life

You do when it's been 35+ years.

Actually he past away the very night that he became a Charter Member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame along with Vince Bruni (Founder of the WDCHOF), Jim Costello, Harvey Olderman, Vinnie Ratford and George Bull, and the day before DCA Championships in 1976. I too would feel much better if he were still with us. His foresight with regards to the direction of the activity was nothing more then stunning.

Like a previous poster alluded to... I could see MBI doing almost literally anything and making it work for them. Quite a unique corps.

According to the Mayan calendar, none of us have much time left anyway.

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

As far as techs go, most of his staff from Crown will be joining him at Madison.

Jay Kennedy was great but, I hated his Les Miz arrangements.

Now THAT may just draw the attention off our spats! An additional thought: There are three uniforms in drumcorps that should NEVER be changed, altered or discontinued. Cabs, Bridgemen and Kilties.

Those few brave souls who still write reviews, are to be commended. The comments about the Kilties were not mean spirited at all. It was an honest and thoughtful review, in MY opinion. (and I am a Kiltie).

You should have been here for the Great Colorguard Caption Head Switch a few years ago! Mike

Hurry, June.

When any corps instructors from the Blue Devils or the Cadets step down, that is when we will know the world is truly ending

Tom Brace

This was an acquisition Scouts needed desperately. Their line should be a force in 2012.

There is nothing wrong with the organization. The volunteer base is solid, the BOD is solid and finances are in good shape. The problem is not on the booster/business side, it’s on the corps side. I feel the problem lies with the program design staff. During Fielder’s tenure “Ballet for Martha” was pure SCV and with a little more cleaning and meat, it could have been a top three finisher. It was when the staff decided to go esoteric the problems began. I know that there are fans that enjoy that type of show, but truthfully those fans are in a minority. A decade ago the judges rewarded that type of programming, now they don’t. The truth is, if you want to win, you have to give the judges what they are looking for.

I think Lee Beddis will take over Crown's 2012 show and they will be doing Rush's "2112" ps- this was posted before the announcement that he would not return

Okay, so I spent this weekend closely listening to the 2010 CD's. I know I'm... slightly... late on the timing, but hey, better late than never! I used my isolation headphones, cranked up the volume, closed my eyes and concentrated on both the big and detail sounds the corps were presenting. (And these were an amazing job by both the corps and DCI sound-wise. Amps made the little pit effects audible and DCI's recordings keep everything crystal clear. I mean it - these recordings had a *ton* more depth and detail than I'm used to hearing from corps audio. Bravo.) So the point of this first post - I listened to the Blue Devils, then relistened, then relistened. And I owe them a kind of huge apology. First off, I have to admit - I only made it through the show a couple of times last year. Once from the preseason recording, once from the standstill recording. Both times it turned me off immediately. At the end of the day, I felt that no matter how well they played it, or how faithful to the source material it is, it's just not appealing music. I spent several posts on here detailing that argument as well. This time through, I forced myself, devoid of distraction, to really *listen* to what they were doing. And surprisingly, I found that the show itself really has a rock-solid internal logic to it - you can pretty easily follow where it's coming from and where it's going, especially after the big brass hit in Laura (4:32 into the recording) to the end. From then on, it's pretty much a musical spinning top, getting faster and faster to the climax. It's a more twisted version of the '91 show (Kenton's Commencement and Don Sebesky's Bela and Bird in Bb), with a lot of sounds layered on each other, but a lot of the chord structure, key changes, mood, etc. don't feel out of place at all. The one thing that keeps this from shooting back up into my pantheon of all-time greats - seriously - is that from 1:54 to 4:32 of the field recording, the show drives off a freakin' cliff. 1:54 is the end of the "La Suerte" tag in the intro, and 4:32 is the beginning of the brass crescendo into the Laura theme. In between is dead air, drum hacks, stab chords, tension chords with no release, and not one of those things follows directly into the other. I've never seen a video about this show, nor read any explanatory materials - I cannot figure out why this 2.5 minute section is in there. (For the record, the 2009 show did the exact same thing after Happy Days, but for almost 4.5 minutes.) It's almost like the musical equivalent of watching an Evil Knieval jump - he roars up to the jump, soars quietly through the air with nothing much going on, then lands and the roar starts up again. But even that's kind of a minor issue. Overall, the point is that I admit I was way too hard on the show. Especially if you like Kenton's Adventures in Time, there's a *lot* of familiar-sounding material to latch on to. I will post more thoughts on the various corps, but I kind of felt I owed a total post to BD by way of saying, "okay, I was wrong." Mike

Why would any corps go into the season without having been granted the permissions needed for their entire show? This seems like an affront by the music company, but the onus is on the corps admin to play by copyright rules.

Just to add a different perspective...the drum corps show that changed lives the most is the one that each of us marched.

I liked 77 Bridgemen fine, but what it really was was a well-executed senior drum corps show (I'm talking style, not the actual overage controversy). Look at that show in a 2011 context, and it's fun, but dated, and it's hard to look at anyone on the field this year and say "yeah, I can see the '77 Bridgmen in that show." Look at '83 Garfield, on the other hand, and you see a new vocabulary in show construction, percussion arranging, and guard work. Today, when you see someone hauling arse at 180 bpm, and 200 sets in a show, and the guard focused on serious dance work as well as equipment work, you can correctly identify the roots as being '83 Garfield. As much as I like '83 BD, they already seemed retro that year in comparison to the show that won.

Yea, because not winning visual or guard makes your first year corps a complete failure. What a stupid and ridiculous post. And I mean that with all due respect.

There is no ethical issue, because neither Scouts nor DCI tried to hide the fact that ESOM wouldn't be included. In fact, they've been nothing but above board in making sure people knew that possibility existed. If you choose not to buy the DVD because ESOM isn't there, that's completely on you. Neither Madison nor DCI has done anything wrong. At all.

It's become a popular annual event. I buy my tickets early to get the best seats!

And sadly Dan you appear to just have one. Any comment that doesn't kiss the Kilties and shower them with praises is someone with a grudge against them. The woman said she loved the corps itself. There were aspects about the show she didn't like. And yet that wasn't good enough for you. For the record I agreed with what she said about the guard uniforms. I would have said worse. She was polite IMO. So based on your line of thinking I now too hate the Kilties. When in reality I don't blame the corps but a guard designer who didn't give 2 hoots what the membership would look like in garbage bags with splashes of color.

To which some will be up in arms over too. It won't be alumni corps to them. It will be too modern.

well...no. I mean yes drum corps misses him and his influence is still found. but if you grieve and allow yourself to wonder what if 35 years later, stagnation sets in. Look, I miss my grandmother terribly. A few times I've wondered if she would have liked my wife. But she died in1997, and I know full well if I sat around a lot wondering what if, she'd kick my ###.

If a corps does not have the rights to all the music they are going to use in their production before they begin their season, they should just not use it. Period.

I have lost a lot of respect for the Kilties organization. Any time there is a negative comment about them in a thread or review, they get all defensive and start to rant. It getting old. If you have issues with what people say on here about your corps, dont read DCP. If you dont want to have people to say "mean" things about your corps, get better. Kilties IMHO, are not very good. Sound wise they are ok but visually, I hate them. People give you bad reviews because they write about what they see. If you dont want a bad review....dont suck. Use it as motivation to get better. Maybe its time to have a talk with the members of the Kilties. Your negative comments are starting to reflect poorly on your organization. If one member post 1 rant comment from a corps, no big deal. But every time kilties are mentioned, multiple members/alum freak out. GET OVER IT.