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Madison Scouts is the new Madison Scouts.

Can I be the first to suggest the Team America theme song? America, **** Yeah!

I can see him back in DCI come 2013 but I can't see SCV changing their drill staff anytime soon. Visually their 2010/2011 shows were superb.

they can clamor for him all they want, but he's not going. Him saying he's taking a year off really means "leave me alone. I want some ME time for a long time" But about the SCV thing. Why would they try and hire michael gaines when their drill is almost similar to that of the cavaliers? scv has a lot more things to worry about than getting them a new drill arranger. Their drill is great. Just dirty.

The latest Field Pass, to be released today, tracks many of the staff changes that have occurred since the end of the season...including Michael Gaines departure from The Cavaliers. Me; "Are you adamant about this? I mean, if a really great offer comes along in the next couple of months, is it something that's just, no, I'm not even going to consider it?" MG: "No. I'm definitely taking the summer off. If I was going to do drum corps this summer it would be with the Cavaliers. Nope. No drum corps for me this summer. Hopefully as a spectator..." Dan

Parents group pulls off a miracle

Well, I'm glad that's all been cleared up now in a totally not vague and comprehensible manner. Mike

New Coke is now Old Coke; Old Coke became Classic Coke then went back to being just Coke; and now we learn through a commercial that Santa actually drinks Pepsi while on summer vacation.

Arguably his drill defined drum corps! Gaines' visual design changed the face of drum corps a decade ago, and you can see his influence in nearly every other visual design through out World and Open class. I'm going to be real interested to see Hinshaw's designs for Cavaliers. I'm not super familiar with BOA, so I can't even begin to stipulate how different/similar they might look with his designs. But change isn't a bad thing, and I'm definitely excited to see what Cavaliers look like in 2012!

Why can't Madison be the new Madison and just become the corps that scores better than the rest of the corps. Why do they have to be a version of a corps that some see as 'better' than Madison? I want Madison to keep their own idenity, strive to get better and not become 'the new' version of anything else. ....2 threads with the same topic, why this kind of hype so early? Or are we just that bored all ready???

Honk, honk, honk! Here we go with the 'my corps is better than your corps'. I think Madison won that battle last year with their main corps thread reaching about 200 pages by season's end. They sure have the most loyal and vocal followers/supporters on DCP....and this thread starts the debate for season 2012! Old Madison, New Madison, Powerhouse Madison, let the stories and the buildup begin! It's always fun to see if the corps/tour/show lives up to the hype.

Madison is the new Madison, Madison is the old Madison and Madison is the the future Madison. 2012 will be year #74 that Madison is Madison.

Madison aint the new anything! Madison is an institution!

could be michaels way of breaking away in general...ive seen it happen just like this many times especially when someone has been a fixture in a place....anyway...SCV I think was so underrated this year by some....i loved everything they did. I would stay on this path for sure

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I understand where your coming from as far as the climb, but Madison is just doing what it didn't do on a consistent basis in the 2000's, they're kicking ### and getting ready to take names.

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).

Ummmmm, Dann Petersen, current Scouts Director marched 89-91 Jr Scouts and 92-97 Scouts. He was on visual staff for a number of years with the Scouts and Southwind. Chris Komnick (executive director) marched for a few years in the 80s. James Mason in 1975. Jeff Spanos is a Scouts legend. But your right. These people know nothing of Scouts history.

To the entire Cabs 2011 Brass line: Thank you for your wonderful demonstration of elegance and class during our finals show warm-up! It was a very warm and memorable moment for the Kilties battery during our first appearance back in DCA Finals!!! We still talked about that moment with you all at last weekends banquet in Racine as "a highlight!". My only regret was not making it to room 711 for the after show party! I'm sure it was also very memorable!!! :) Thanks once again, Scott Pearson (aka "Pearsony") Kilties Percussion Staff

Thank YOU...to Mike and everyone with the Cabs..I thoroughly enjoyed the show this season..As usual, scary at DCA weekend, history always shows the bellbottoms come to play for Finals weekend!!! To my buddy Frank - great to see you back.. Fabulous work as usual..looking forward to seeing you folks next season - hopefully MORE than once!!! Pat

Same here....cant wait to get 2012 started!!!

Madison is the new Timex: takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin' *edit - not meaning to imply Madison ticking in the old-school drum corps sense, just making light of this discussion by thinking of how many goofy comparisons I can think of and referring to old marketing of Timex watches.

Madison Scouts is the new Star Wars. They started out incredible, breaking new ground and quickly becoming a 'favorite.' They then kind of slid into irrelevance for awhile, even putting out products that turned off long time fans. Now they're making strides to return back to relevance by not only appealing to a new, younger generation but by also throwing in nods to the 'old school' to appeal to long-time fans. Or, we can stop with the goofy comparisons and just say "Madison is doing well, and we hope they continually improve."

Well said!.....................Looking forward towards 2012 along with you..

including madison...lol...........................Madison isnt anything new

I don't think *any* corps could live up to the MadMen hype on DCP :-)

Oh dear God, June can't get here soon enough

Fran, Jeff and Holly...thank you for posting your comments. We are, indeed, blessed to have had the dedicated, bold and selfless service of Lou and Jerry for as long as we have. They exemplify everything that is best about the Reading Buccaneers and they have certainly earned this opportunity to recharge their batteries! We are fortunate that we will still have their guidance and service, albeit in a different capacity. We are thrilled that Bill Snook, Bill Powers and Jami Mills have agreed to enter the fray in their new roles. Each of them, too, will bring a lot to the table and help us be an even better organization and drum corps. Stay tuned for further announcements. We're looking forward to 2012!

There is more to life than drum corps. I'm sure he has no intention on coming back to work for anybody. BTW, i will need all of your paypal accounts to all those who doubted me.

Link doesn't work.

jeffry fiedler to michael gaines on facebook. "Michael, Congratulations. While no one wants to believe you're actually retiring to do some other things in life (what's there to do besides drum corps, anyhow?) allow me to clarify that you're not going anywhere else, but a beach, a rainforest, the lunar surface and maybe the Great Barrier Reef! Send me a postcard from the Amazon, please! Best to you and let's do dinner soon, before the Michael Gaines World Tour begins!""

Oh for pete's sake...

I know that 'tis the season for rampant speculation, but is this thread any less non-substantiated rumor filled than other threads? I know the original intent of the OP was to confirm that Mr. Gaines has indeed left Cavaliers, but so much of this thread has crossed over into "dopey rumor-ville." Sad: in four pages of sometimes nonsense, I've read very little about Mr. Hinshaw's visual design style, what he will bring to Cavaliers, how Cavalier's visual look might be wildly different (or not at all), etc. Instead we revert to goofy rumors.

For what its worth: (from Cavaliers.org) Gaines Steps Down After 25 Years Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 - 2:07 PM By Christopher Lugo After 25 years of involvement as a member, instructor and lead designer, Michael Gaines is stepping down from his role as the Visual Coordinator and Drill Designer for the 7-time Drum Corps International (DCI) World Champion, The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. "Of course this has been a difficult decision, but I've made sure that the corps is in an incredibly strong place before taking this personal break from the drum corps activity," said Gaines. "I've grown up with The Cavaliers, and I'm forever indebted to the organization and its leaders for taking a chance on me early in my career. I have nothing but the utmost respect for and the fondest memories of my mentors, colleagues, students and dear friends from the past and present. It's certainly been a wild ride!" "We're completely supportive of Michael's decision," said President and Corps Director Adolph DeGrauwe. "He has given The Cavaliers, drum corps and the pageantry world some of the most innovative and creative productions of all-time, and we are blessed to have experienced his direction and vision for so long. It has been a privilege to work with Michael, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors." In his letter to DeGrauwe and Koter, Gaines eased the concerns regarding his departure. "Let me assure all supporters and fans of the Green Machine that this is completely my decision, and I have nothing but love and affection for The Cavaliers and all the people who dedicate so much to this organization" added Gaines. "The members, the volunteers, the directors, the tour managers, the administration, the board, the instructional staff, and the design team are all wonderful people whose kindness and love to me has been quite overwhelming. It has meant so much." Gaines closed by saying, "The Cavaliers always taught me to leave a place in better condition than I found it. I hope I have done that, and it is my sincere hope that 2012 is the best year ever for The Cavaliers!"

Seconded Keep dreaming I'm sure that will be heard soon. I only have 2 concerns. If Gaines is not going to be involved daily ... I'm not sure he will turn out his best product Concern 2 ... I can't see JD SHaw rewriting a brass book to match what the drill writer needs to finish the visual phrase. Major Conflict right there.

This may be my sig line in a few weeks. If we have learned anything in the last few weeks... it is that anything is possible. We just had an arranger leave his alma mater, that he won a championship with, to go be with a percussion arranger that people were afraid he would try to throw off the scaffolding. AT SCV. So, we have very, very fraternally committed individuals leaving places for SCV. Plus, word on the street from numerous reliable sources (as in people I listen to) is that the possibility at least exists. Gaines lives in San Francisco and his working relationship with Jeff Fiedler is almost as long standing as his relationship with the Cavaliers. Don't count nothing out, brotha.

Ridiculous assumption right here. Why would Gaines go down ladder instead of continuing up? Another reason why it annoys me when people think they know what they're talking about. Anyways, thank you Michael Gaines for the amazing and sometimes ridiculously hard drill you gave us. You are one of the most influental people i've met in this activity as well as the most talented. Nobody could touch your drill design.

There is NO chance that Mr. Gaines will be at SCV. I'm just sayin

I'm betting the Vanguard will be making an announcement in the near future!

Hands down one of the greatest ever who changed the game and pushed the activity. He is also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. His work is a big influence and inspiration to me. I hope to see him again on the DCI scene sometime.

and it's the end of an era.. :( good luck to them in the future!

Heh - I'm guessing anyone my age or older would read that headline and . That said, we shall have to wait and see, as Madison hasn't pushed back into the top group ... yet. Mike

I would only go to Crown next year if I was hoping to win a brass trophy rather than a championship.

Yes-Keep on point of thread! Yes. I agree that some kind of group would be GOOD for ALL "Alumni Corps" or "Alumni Type Corps". I also think that maybe we could include the more independent "Parade" and "Exhibition" Corps. Perhaps at least a loose Org. that could, keep a place for Official Contact points to those groups. Maybe a place that can show Schedule's of those. Maybe listings of shows and such, and who will be in them. A web site would be nice. (Problem here is cost and someone to run it,)

Unfortunately my experience with the Hurricanes is slightly different. So much so, that I actually had a conversation with my son and told him the the judges do NOT have it out for the Hurricanes, but that they received the score they likely deserved. I also said when it is that close, it is going to be met with resistance no matter which way it goes. I have witnessed and heard staff very loudly saying the judges hate them, and telling the members how they got screwed. That is not how to do business in DCA or any other activity. It is not just an issue with Hurcs tho, as I also heard and witnessed in years past. Sorry to say this, but it is what I have heard with my own ears.

With the exception of one individual on that list, I wouldn't call that an improvement for Crown.

You missed my point. You are assuming they are going to be filled with a bunch of music ed majors... if they are putting an age cap on it, that means they are more likely the get the talent of an Open Class DCI corps, which on a weekend-only schedule, is probably not going to be storming into the top 5. If they are Cadets caliber people, wouldn't they be marching Cadets? Otherwise, why not just march Reading (if you want to be a part of a championship corps). It is primarily going to serve that area as an alternative for people that want to get their feet wet before they move on to the "big" corps. At least, that is what I am reading into this.

Why all new staff? Better placements in all captions and your needing all new staff? Seems bipolar.

Most memorable for me: (I'll list the last 20 years) 2011 - Crown - one of the most entertaining show ever 2010 - Blue Devils - new level of artistry in the drum corps idiom 2009 - Crown - one of the cleanest brass lines I've ever heard.... Crown reaches the top most echelon 2008 - Phantom - duh! 2007 - Cadets - partially for the wrong reasons, but regardless, one of the best performing corps, performing one of the most difficult shows ever 2006 - Blue Devils 2005 - Phantom 2004 - Blue Devils - such a hip show 2003 - Phantom - extreme emotion 2002 - Cavaliers - near perfection 2001 - Cadets 2000 - Cadets 1999 - Blue Devils - fabulous design 1998 - Cadets - very straightforward, in-your-face drum corps 1997 - Blue Devils - this show made me fall in love with the Blue Devils 1996 - Scouts - massive energy, part dos 1995 - Scouts - massive energy 1994 - Cadets 1993 - Star - (see BD 2010) 1992 - Cadets - loved the Holsinger 1991 - Star - along with PR08, probably my favorite all time show