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BD as a performing ensemble, love them!!! However, Gibbs as an architect with Hopkins on the egotistical, arrogant, self-righteous G7 proposal which spit on most other corps was, and is, my point of contention.

The Concord Blue Devils are, hands down, the single greatest time honored, time tested, decorated, storied, best performing drum corps in the world. They know it. They love it. Every other corps knows it. They hate it. DCP is to busy wetting their pants over Carolina Crown, Phantom Regiment and the Madison Scouts to appreciate it. For what its worth, I mean no disrespect to CC, PR or the Scouts. They are all wonderful drum corps who have delivered a ton of amazing drum corps over the years and I love them for it.

I can appreciate the skill required to calculate high-level mathematical calculations, but I don't want to sit and watch people do them. If you don't enjoy the program, there's not much reason to care about the execution.

BD, I think more than any other corps, has mastered the art of designing shows to take maximum advantage of the judging sheets. The criticism some people have (varying from year to year) seems to be centered around this rather clinical approach, and the disappointment that they (the critics) feel because the show has been designed (so they say) with fan entertainment as an afterthought. I can bring up plenty of issues that *I* have with the way BD designs their shows, both visually and musically. I can also bring up plenty of features that BD does better than anyone else, every single year. Whether you love their shows or not, BD (99 times out of 100) will out-execute their opponents on the field. This is why they're always in the Top 5. I think too many critics take their lack of enjoyment of BD's shows and weigh that more heavily than the actual performance level they are witnessing. I loved 2007 and 2008 (even though I agreed with Phantom winning in 08), but I can't stand 2009, and I've been so-so on their past two shows. It's all a matter of opinion. In my book, BD has their share of "under-rated" and "over-rated" shows, as does every other corps in the activity.

The last BD show that I liked was the Godfather. Don't like the direction they took it from there.

times changed sir, and not for the better. says the guy who will still be teaching until June, is married to a teacher,is related to teachers, and is friends with many teachers, administrators and school board members.

Hi All, Premier is back in the US :) Some facts: Marching USA is the sole importer of Premier educational, marching and concert/orchestral instruments into the US and Canada. The drumset distributor will be announced at NAMM. Marching USA is based in Fort Worth, Texas :) and has a 10,000 sq ft warehouse and demo area. Due to historical spare parts and service challenges, the first container received by Marching USA included over $25k of spare parts predominantly for the Revolution range of drums, therefore all spares are available now and in the US. Premier has a full range of battery and pit products including Vibraphone. Our next show will be TMEA, where we will be exhibiting battery products with various premium/chrome finishes, keyboards including marimba, vibe and xylo and a 36" free floating shell concert bass drum - its a beast. Marching USA also offers a full range of very strong, heavy guage steel field frames, they have a 3 year warranty and are manufactured in Texas to our specification. FYI all Premier field keyboards are supplied on Marching USA frames. The weight of the Revolution snare is 15.8 lb Premier percussion will be seen on the field in competition in 2012 in both DCI and DCA circuits. Historical Premier users include Star (many years), 07 Jersey Surf, 96 Phantom Regimant, 85 SCV, 93 Blue Knights, 86 Sky Riders, Crossmen, Troopers and Mandarins, see our Facebook page to find links for most of these groups - http://www.facebook.com/marchingusa All the staff at Marching USA have extensive drum corps back grounds, please feel free to contact any of us - Marilyn, Matt, Terry and Roger. Marching USA is developing a range of forward facing marching brass. You can contact us on Tel 469 422 2681, Email info@MarchingUSA.com, Website www.MarchingUSA.com Happy New Year Roger

to push what they feel the future of the activity is...those of position in most activities drive the activity..i guess either way

I feel pretty strongly about this, agree with some things, not so much on others, but here's my opinion. As much as I loved 2008 and 2011 (2009 - 2010 were good too), the out there programs really aren't helping their fan base. I appreciate how far the pushed the activity in 2009 and 2010 but there's only so big a market for such out there shows, and how people jump on their case sadly does not surprise me. If they continue on their direction, I'll still enjoy the programs, but the bashing probably won't stop just because of the shows small market. I will say though that this year (musically for sure) was a step in the right direction. One thing I can understand is people not liking the shows, but what I can't understand is people totally trashing their success they've had. Like it or not, those shows were FREAKIN good, clean, and well performed. They do what they do the absolute best, and have had a lot of success! 2007 - High GE, High Visual, High Music, High Brass, High Percussion 2008 - High GE, High Visual, High Guard, High Brass 2009 - High GE, High Visual, High Guard, High Percussion 2010 - Everything except Percussion 2011 - High Visual, High Guard, High Music (tie) Judges don't just hand them that, they earn it. Whether their shows are crowd pleasing or not, they're good. And if that's not your cup of tea, fine, don't trash them though. End Rant. lol

I know I'm no supposed to spam but check out this fundraiser I have for spirit of Atlanta fans. I am selling wristbands: They can be found at my fundraising website http://www.helpmemar...umblr.com/bands About me: This is my third year with the drum corps marching contra(tuba). Right after the 2011 tour I was diagnosed with cancer. My symptoms included a persistent cough all tour and at some points coughing up blood. 2 weeks after tour they found a mass in my chest, on the base of my wind pipe, and I was diagnosed with 2A Hodgkins Lymphoma. My doctors say I will be able to march and my treatment ends mid January. Due to my medical bills my parents are unable to support me. So please help me march, and if anything check out these cool wristbands!

He left to focus on rebuilding UTEP

96... I was on visual staff that year and DCI week was hell. People forget that the 96 corps was 4th at quarterfinals. We were within tenths of BD the last shows before finals week and to get slammed back down to 4th at quarterfinals was a HUGE disappointment. That corps never gave up and killed themselves the next two days. Was amazing to see it pay off.

drum corps is marching band. always has been.

My bet is that Madison will be the overwhelming crowd favorite again in 2012. That's not too much of a stretch though.

Seems many of us only remember the good times when we marched oh so many years ago. I think there were alot of bad times. Here are a few of my not so good memories. My Ludwig french horm was junk and fell apart alot. My uniform stunk from the last guy that used it who sweated alot. The guy that got my solo always cracked the notes in the show. The school bus seats were hard as rocks. I was hungry most of the time since we didn't have chuck wagons. Several times we practiced in old corn fields. Since none of us could read music we had to learn it by rote, that was boring. We slept in the most god awful places and ate cold hot dogs. We routinely got beat by all-girl drum corps. The daggone drummers beat on the back of my bus seat. My shako didn't fit. We marched so many parades, I still have nightmares of stepping in horsecrap. Just trying to keep it real!

Thanks Michael for all of the looks back at great shows over the years. I understand why the downloads are top twelve shows only, but really wish we could hear your thoughts on some non-finalist shows. Ones that jump to mind immediately are 1991 Spirit of Atlanta, 2000 Southwind, and 1990 Academie Musicale. I would LOVE it if sometime in the future we could get some of the great lesser known non-finalist shows available for download. Z

But... it was *not* the newer generation who created and promoted the G7 proposal. It was the old guard of Gibbs, Hopkins, Fiedler, DeGrauwe, etc... who went for the power grab.

I'm hyping the crap out of this show, the 2 announced selections + JD Shaw's arranging, Rennick's percussion, and whoever was in charge of that AMAZING guard and drill, Holy God this is going to be AWESOME! I know their staff is kinda pulled around form other corps, but I think it's about time for Vanguard to make a major resurgence to their 97 - 04 and from their formation to 92 glory days. This is going to be SWEET.

Congratulations guys, you got your attention with those witty remarks... I don't see why else you would post that. The whole "too cool for school' thing is exactly what makes them so successful in my opinion. If you feel like you're the best, and you're part of the best corps around, you won't have any confidence issues. Confidence in drum corps is a huge thing. For example, there are some fantastic trumpet players out there that can't improv well at all. And there's trumpet players out there who aren't the best, but they can improv very well. It's just confidence. Granted, the whole "too cool for school" thing is probably a reason why they are one of the most hated corps. But not by me.

Thanks to all who read Download of the Week over the past year and helped me realize it is a feature that should keep going. The shows are picked through June of 2012 and by then, all current Finalists will have been presented at least three times, and each year represented at least twice. Every other corps that has been in Finals twice or more (for which we have video) will also be presented. So far, every Finalist (for which we've got video) has been offered at least once. It's been fun for me. I've really enjoyed the trip down Memory Lane.

No, but Slaughter on Tenth Avenue in 2010 sure was.

I'm assuming the guy who "created" these was a fan of stingray drums.

I didn't just design or teach for different HS programs... I was a full-time school district employee.... as in when I wasn't on the filed or in the gym... I was in the classroom... all day.... every day. People seem to make a lot of assumptions, eh? Seriously... if you want to create a program, you can do it for nothing. It is easier to just give in and say it can't be done because school a school district isn't just footing a good chunk of the bill. Also, it seems that people have this immovable idea of what a program must be. Take a winter program for example... I'd love to see the winter percussion equivalent of what San Jose Raiders did in 94. Until it happened... conventional wisdom told you it would be absolutely impossible for a guard to come out with a show with only sabre and the most repetitive song in the universe. They killed it... and changed the game (if you haven't seen it... find it online). Conventional wisdom says winter percussion programs can't be competitive unless they have a full set of front ensemble gear and a solid set of specific marching battery instruments. The right arranger/composer and designer could create a winning winter percussion program out of just a stack of lumber. It is about imagination, innovation... not money.

oh and some horns as well....

Spoken like someone who has absolutely no idea what they're talking and has zero experience running and maintaining a high school instrumental music program...

Recently announced on Santa Clara's Facebook page, the "new" part of the show will be Eric Whitacre's "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine."

+ 96

He did so much for the UTEP band in just 2 years, that Nov. 1st is officially T. Andre Feagin Day in El Paso...

Not only going to make finals but going to bust thru the doors at finals :P I'm calling the Biggest brass jump in the activity!

New: Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine-Eric Whitacre

Thank you Gil!! We were getting soaked on the field. I just am thankful the rain held off until retreat so the corps and the fans could enjoy finals. On a side note and I still harass him for it: Allen Buell not only had his infamous umbrella with him, but had somebody actually holding it for him during retreat!! Way to go VP!

Pluto is always a planet in my heart

There is the nonsensical puritanical restrictive thinking in America. Beer does not mean booze soaked. In a lot of countries, beer isn't even considered to be alcohol and has no restriction on it at all. 12 year old kids could go to a kiosk and buy it... but they don't... because they don't really like it. Make it forbidden or make it out to be a big deal and you'll have 12 year old kids clamoring to get it. There is such a thing as responsible drinking in public places.

In the past we've had tons of people to stop by and watch. I'm sure you'd be welcomed!

Major networks don't broadcast orchestras... just as PBS doesn't broadcast football. Not really crossover. If marching bands were more interesting to football fans than commentary, networks would absolutely focus on this. The reality is it isn't.. not even close... and that's ok. There are loads of quite successful and sustainable niche activities out there... nothing wrong with being niche (NASCAR mass market, NASA niche). That said... college marching band doesn't have much appeal even for a lot of drum corps fans. I did college marching band simply because 2 years were mandatory. If it wasn't, I never would have done it. But, thankfully God invented beer (I'm a creationist when it comes to beer... the only logical explanation), making unattractive women stunning and college marching band somewhat bearable.

I hate when threads veer in this direction. A member's choice to pick a new corps over a previous corps doesn't mean he is any more correct in the second choice than he was in the first. What's to discuss? Besides, last time I checked, BK finished ninth, better than it had a year before. Firebird. Oh yeah. Great music is great music. I'll take a chance on Firebird. HH

REframed... REmembrance? please

From the Madison Scouts Facebook page - "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, three Christmas downloads soon will be here. A show for next season, reframed from our past, the music exciting, the movement quite fast. So Facebook on Christmas to hear our good cheer, and fill up your iPod with songs from last year."

Most underrated moment that had this old phart in tears and made my 3,000 mile motorcycle ride from So Cal to Allentown PA totally worth it: Troopers' 28 seconds of FFF followed by the down/soft ending in the end zone with the cavalry flag sunburst.

I gave you a green plus to cancel the red minus someone gave you. Why on earth would someone do that in response to the positive note you wrote?

Only if you stop listening after creep

I volunteered at this camp, and my ears are still ringing from it! I was a 2011 rook-out of this corps and I'm so proud to see such an amazing start to the season. Me and several of my ageout friends were there, yelling, screaming, crying...it was awesome! And just for clarification/confirmation, our ageout class wasn't as big as you might think. ~15-20 in the hornline, and ~30 total. That being said, not everyone is going to be able to make it back for various reasons, so we're looking at maybe half the hornline open (I've heard we're making it bigger than the 72 we fielded last year). As for the show concept, I'll wait for the organization to post more details, but I will say that it makes sense as the next step in entertainment and Spirit sultry after film noir. 2011 was a magical year for us, but the design team is not losing any steam for 2012.

Most awesome top 3 all-season dogfight in years (BD, Cadets, Cavies; and for fleeting moments, Crown) Most welcome horn book turn-around (for me) -- BD Most impressive guard turn around -- Phantom Most overhyped -- Madison Most mind-blowing drill design -- Cadets Most complete package in recent years, probably since early 2000's Cavies -- Cadets

This is something that is only relevant to current participants of DC and MB. To anyone outside the activity it's all MB, and all equally inferior to just about everything else including a good match of horseshoes.

quite a few million might disagree.....lol....unfortunately there arent a few million fans for our activity

Having marched with a popular corps - high energy and high fan approval - the audience rewarded us greatly. A few years later - I was teaching my corps - and the response was still there - only the corps was much better. In 1980....you might already know. At the end of the day, I always wanted to judges to like our show as much as the fans. However, it seems as though the champs seldom get the fan support that the other corps get - unless there is a monumental upset (1988). While we could bang really well, and our guard was second to absolutely none - yes - I wanted to be the first east coast corps to bring it all home. The title as a marching member seems to say, your hard work paid off. As a staff member, it's an acknowledgment that your philosophy and teaching has made a difference. I am one of a very few FMMs that can say - as a marching member and instuctor - that my corps had defeated every corps in the country. Think of that statement.....many people have done one or the other but not both, so I am grateful for where I have been and what I was able to do with my friends. And like Sam has said - I am loyal to my corps through thick and thin - for better or worse.....but it would have been nice....

I kind of liked sleeping on the gym floor without the benefit of an Aerobed.

Although Carmen Cluna, Hy Drietzer, Eric Peroilix and the other various instructors who guided us at St. Rita's there was one man who (in spite of all the bad press they have received over recent year - especially during the 60 - 70 decade!) is a complete stand out! Father Dominic J. Schiraldi was our moderator and mentor and all around cool guy. My most vivid memory was of him dressing down a restaurant owner in Jacksonville, Florida. If you don't know our history, St. Rita's Brassmen were perhaps the most diverse drum corps of our time (yeah, maybe Madison was a close second - loved that corps!) but this guy refused to serve us and Father Schiraldi lit into him Until then we'd always seen him as a quite, level-headed guide. A Priest, you know? But here's the thing: Father Schiraldi was the founding director/instructor of the Mount Carmel Cadets with Tom Costa who developed three of the top drum corps instructors and future members of the World Drum Crops Hall of Fame. Carman Cluna, Joe Genero, and Robert “Pepe” Notaro were members of the Mount Carmel Cadets’ horn line. All of their paths would cross again in years to come. Dominic followed his calling to the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, and was ordained on May 22, 1948, in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Fr. Schiraldi’s first parish assignment was at Our Lady of Loretto R.C. Church. At that time, the parish had a Boy Scout drum and bugle corps. Fr. Schiraldi wanted to transform this group of young boys into a championship corps and requested that Tom Costa be brought in as their new instructor. Sal “Sonny” Calvagna, a future director of St. Joseph Patron/St. Rita’s Brassmen, was there in 1948 when Major Costa arrived. He was a horn player in the Boy Scout corps. After only two years at Our Lady of Loretto, Fr. Schiraldi moved to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Ozone Park in 1950. Once again, he called Tom Costa to come to his parish and organize a drum corps. The Nativity Cadets went on to become one of the top standstill corps in New York State. In 1959, Fr. Schiraldi was reassigned to St. Rita’s R.C. Church. Years later, Tom Costa received the inevitable telephone call. Fr. Schiraldi wanted a drum corps. Unable to refuse his friend of so many years, Tom started a beginner corps. Because of their close relationships throughout the years, Carman Cluna and Sal Calvagna contacted Tom Costa when the St. Joseph Patron Cadets were left without a home. Tom approached Fr. Schiraldi and requested that the corps transfer to St. Rita’s parish. Fr. Schiraldi welcomed the corps members with open arms. The cadets adopted a new look and name: The St. Rita’s Brassmen. Fr. Schiraldi remained at St. Rita’s for thirteen years, his longest parish assignment. In 1972, Fr. Schiraldi moved to St. Dominic’s R.C. Church, his final assignment. Sadly, he passed away in 1978 at the very young age of 57. He was truly a wonderfully kind and pious man. Some of his happiest moments were spent marching alongside his parish corps in local parades. Wherever he went, he brought his love of drum corps with him. A hero of Drum Corps? You betcha! Wish I had a picture -he's engraved in my heart. Puppet

Thanks Chris for bringing this up. For we are about to celebrate our 40th anniversary with a reunion on October 12th-14th in Plymouth, Mass. (As John pointed out to me..lol). Details are on the website. :) www.27thlancers.net. My personal favorite 27th Lancer show is 1980 with an honorable mention of 1981. My favorite horn line is 1981, my favorite drum line is 1984. My favorite color guard is 1980. My favorite concert piece is "classical gas" or "African Suite" from 1973. My favorite otl is "Crown Imperial". :P I also love "Niner two" for a concert piece..oh I could go on and on, but I'll see if anyone else wants to play. :P Of course I can't forget to mention "Danny boy". :)

Not really a fair question though, is it? You'd get more accuracy for one thing, but less dynamics for another... What WOULD be nice is to find a way to use the current system, but to encourage the cleanliness of the show (especially guard) as well.