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Many thanks to the Cadets for posting those recordings. It's like a little drum corps Christmas for this special time of the year, and I appreciate YEA and Cadets for their constant contributions to the fans during the off-season. This has been going on for years now and it's most appreciated by fans, I think. And it hasn't hurt the corps any as well. As for the content of the video/music -- I LOVE it! Musically this will remind me of their 2010 show where they featured a lot of great classical music (Procession of the Nobles, Dance of the Tumblers, Barber, etc.). That was a great book, too, but the show never quite materialized the way they wanted. Last year's music was also wonderful, but more traditional Cadets from the 1980s and 90s with American music. My only caveat from last year's show was their closing minute. Never quite what they wanted, I imagine. I might even say that the 1920s jazz tune was perhaps not the strongest material for field. Otherwise, that's a nice show to listen to. Shostakovich is a nice departure for The Cadets. Amazing Russian music, and the comparisons with Phantom Regiment will be obvious. But this style of music really allows the Cadets to add the demand and flash (along with good content) so needed for a modern drum corps show. I also sense that Bocook has watched closely as Carolina Crown has developed that beastly brass line, and with that killer book they played last year I believe Cadets want to climb into the ring as well. The music will certainly be fun to listen to, and the Cadets always have killer talent. It all comes down to show design. The new year is almost upon us. :-)

This was taken from the suite of 5 dances from West Side Story, and it may be that Garfield asked for permission to arrange, and it may also be that because the music is so stylistically accurate and representing of the Bernstein style that it was allowed to stay. I really don't know. Remember, the Bernstein office, according to an article I read, will no longer tolerate arrangements that are not characteristically accurate of the Meastro's composition style. I will also say this: clearly the bulk of the removed recordings are from the 70s and 80s, and some from the 90s. Back in those days I always had the feeling the corps were hoping no one would notice. Since 2000 DCI and the corps have seemingly done a better job of conveying their intentions with the publishing companies. Things like Permission to arrange, mechanical licenses, etc. Let's see if DCI can renegotiate with publishers/composers and get the recordings back up. I have this feeling they can with most of them. Some of them may never return to online without there being some additional cost, and some may never return because the publishers feel the arrangements are not characteristic of the composer's style. This is becoming a big deal with the national copyright office.

Fran, You left out Sheep Shearing Day in Madagascar. Peace and goodwill to all, (even the bandos). F

Wait - the problem is: drum corps became TOO POPULAR and got itself noticed? My world is exploding.

I may be in the minority here and this is a little off topic, but I wish some of the publishing companies and composers would take notice that when the corps pick their music to play for a summer, its a wonderful advertisement for them and sells CD's and printed music for them. I am sure there are many band directors (like myself) who have heard things on the field from DCI, went out and purchased the recording, then sometimes even went a step further and decided to do it with their own band, arrange it (pay another fee), buy the stock arrangement, buy the concert band arrangement or original work, etc. Back in the 80's and 90's, I was buying CD's of music I never would have heard of otherwise, all because I wanted the source material recordings of things corps like Star, BD, Cadets, Cavies, Phantom were playing... think of the present day - I am sure quite a few people checked the source music for Bluecoats show this past summer, and in the process, gave the various composers or artists from that music some more exposure, etc. My point, instead of the publishing companies constantly charging more and more for video sync rights, online rights, etc., they should realize that wow, these corps performances are actually getting the composers of some of this music some exposure, which in turn puts some money in their pockets when band directors buy music, fans buy original recordings, etc. I know this is a pie in the sky outlook about it, but I really think they could look at it another way sometimes.

Hmmm..another video just popped up.. get it before it disappears.

HEY! Do you have a license from Carolina Crown to post that here?!? There's a cease and desist letter comin' your way, too, buddy.

Ha. See "Lindsey Stirling" on Youtube.

someone slap Bocook for arranging something like that. it's just too ####### good.

In response to the clip GH posted, THIS IS WHAT I WANT CADETS! Gimme 15 minutes of that and I'll be very happy this summer. I'm super duper excited about this now.

So a FN subscription is 70 bucks? All this whining over partial removal of videos for less than half your prescription period? What do you want $10 back? How about you find it in your heart to consider it a $10 donation to the activity you love? Then you can feel good about yourself. And don't renew in June. OR would you rather DCI not remove the content and place themselves at risk of lawsuits? Seems to me DCI is acting prudently out of an abundance of caution, something the whiners here can't seem to fathom. As we like to say, how long till the season starts?

The only constant in the Universe is change. The music and the groups I loved in the 60s sound beyond dated when I listen now - doesn't mean I didn't love them then, or that I'm smarter now, or stupider - times and tastes adjust with the world around us. Some folks hold on forever - someone right now is listening to a 33 1/3 of Benny Goodman and loving every Gene Krupa driven beat, and whoever it is isn't wrong - they're right for their tastes. I started on G-D bugles with a slide in 1960 (little tiny belled baritone). My daughter (my final kid in her age out of DCI - that will be 5 of 6 that age out) got home last night from Crossmen camp where she plays synth and performed a vocal solo at camp. Ironic, I guess, but I'm glad she's getting the opportunity to do the activity I love, in a way she loves. My brother, who passed on 5 years ago, always wanted a "drum and guitar corps" after playing bass drum in the Oceanside Legionnaires (sic) from Oceanside NY, but jazz and rock guitar in the rest of his life. I kind of wish he had stuck around long enough to see this incarnation of the activity he got me into. Have a great holiday season, and don't fret the little stuff. Electronics in drum corps is an example (IMO) of the little stuff.

Touche'.

Ok. That has Crown written all over it.

at least the new uniform gives them flexibility in their color palette for their production number. Thou I loved the cream before, the new uniforms add a lot more color options to their show.

Ok, white too... Oh relax. Just because I marched Cadets doesn't mean I'm getting defensive. I was just saying.

How about we just leave the past in the past and keep an open mind...

Paul reveals some great back-story. There's more in Colt Foutz's book, "Building the Green Machine", including the episode wherein Frank Arsenault shows up unannounced one evening at the corps hall in '54, rolls down the car window and announces to Don Warren that he wants to teach his drumline. Warren is suspicious since Frank has clearly been living out of his car (he'd driven from CT and had his laundry drying on a line stretched across the back seat). Don took him for an eccentric drum corps hobo, and maybe worse, and was not about to hire him. He did, however, buy him a drink at the bar and then go downstairs to mention the "visitor" to his drum instructor, Johnny Line. "You've got Frank Arsenault sitting at the bar?" replied Line in amazement... The rest is Paul's history, above.

They have to. The way copyright works, you are required to *actively* defend it or you risk losing said copyright. That's why every violation no matter how small, is equally important. A great example of this is when Disney has to occasionally file a cease and desist against something as small as a single day care center that has painted Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck on a wall as a mural. Insignificant? Sure, it appears that way. Makes Disney look bad? Yep. But important? Absolutely...because if they let that go, they actually risk losing the rights to those characters.

Happy Holidays to all you "Guess Who" folks out there!!! Whatever you celebrate... Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, May Day, Happy Hour, every third Tuesday, whatever.... have a great time, and safe travels if you're heading anywhere!!

Yes, Frank Arsenault preceded Larry McCormick. Larry was taught by Frank. Frank came to the Cavaliers in '54 (I believe) and stayed through the 1960 season. He did not write the charts. Those were done by several folks including Dick Brown. Mitch joined the corps in the fall of '60 just as Frank was leaving so technically Mitch was NOT instructed by Frank. Oddly, in the Cavaliers undefeated season of '61 there was really no drum instructor and Mitch (a rookie) took on a lion's share of the instructing. Larry then became the instructor in '62. His writing was quite a departure from typical drum corps writing of that era, however, (much more "musical" since Larry had a master's in music) and Mitch wound up re-writing some of it in both '62 and '63 in order to satisfy the judges. After doing that for two years Mitch asked for a more prominent role as the instructor (kind of a co-instructor role). Don Warren, director of the Cavaliers, was not willing to do that for an 18-year old marching member, given that he also saw Hall of Fame written all over Larry McCormick (and he was to be proven correct), so Mitch "politely" left the corps and after working with the Men of Brass senior corps for a year, then went to the rival Royal Airs and kicked the Cavaliers butts for one year in 1965. He stayed with them another three years until they folded after the '68 season. Mitch could have marched through the '67 season. Mitch, Don Warren, and Larry worked out their "differences" and are all good friends to this day. And while Mitch was not technically a student of Frank's, Mitch will tell you that he learned a lot from him. (Paul Milano, a student of a student of Mitch's and a student of a student of Frank's - and honored to be a friend of both and have met all).

the big key here is lawyers. big name publishers have no problem dragging something through the courts for YEARS, racking up zillions in legal fees. DCi doesn't have that kind of cash. So a publisher will gladly string things out because they know if the cash dries up, the other side gives up and they win

This. Spotify's last valuation was over $3 Billion. And they are in the business of media streaming. That's it. One business and one business only - streaming. Revenues for 2012 were reportedly in the area of $500 Million. Compared that to DCI. A non-profit that reported total revenues in 2012 of $9,5 Million. Of which streaming is just one element. Is it fair to have the same expectations from DCI's responsiveness to legal matters?

it's not just popularity...publishers pay people to do nothing but search the internet all day long to look for unlicensed usage

I still love Crown 13's look. I remember when it was first revealed I hated it but by seasons' end, I loved it and was so disappointed they shelved it and changed it for the 2014 show........ I also loved Star of Indiana's 1991 uniform as well. I also agree with the Bluecoats current uniform as being one of the best as well.

I really liked their Jethro Tull show.

Scene: SoundStage 1, during filming of group's new Bluegrass video Lead Singer: I am a man of constant sorrow ... Producer: Cut! Hey, Fiddler, you're just standing there playing .... can't you do some squats, or leg kicks while you're doing that? Come on, spice this thing up!!!!

who says the new rules wont help entertain?

Evolution is a bogus word in these discussions because it elides responsibility for change. This change didn't just happen on its own. Some people decided to make this change. Using the word "evolution" implies that there can be no good or bad decisions. In which case, not making this decision sooner was just "evolution" too (the coelacanth and other "lving fossils" are just as subject to evolution as any other organism), and your claim earlier in the discussion that the new changes are "outstanding" is meaningless. And if there are no good or bad decisions by DCA, then there can be no good or bad decisions by the corps, in which case any corps who makes the audience cringe next year with a "Yowza"-style performance can simply reply to criticism by saying, "Don't blame us, it's just evolution".

I wish I had my GE drum tape from the World Open Prelims in the 70's when I taught the Wayne Monarchs/King's Regiment. The judge turned on his tape as we played our cadence on to the field, introduced himself, and then never said another word all through our performance. The guard could have used it as a practice tape. To top it off...his sheet said "See tape"...not one written comment. To be fair...it did not say "listen to tape".

I was watching BK 2000 on the fannetwork and noticed a mello player holding the horn with the left hand and left hand only, probably due to injury, and playing the show with their left had! I recall several other incidents where members wanted to be in the show so bad that they over came whatever condition they were in to be in the show. Wondering if any of you had an experience either personally or someone you marched with having to do so. I know of at least a few more. 2006-2008 (09?) practically blind tenor player from cadets and BD. 2009 My fellow corps mate marching a couple of shows with a patch on one of her eyes. 1983 Cadets soloist. Share your stories!

Yes the carbon fiber quad have an angle cut, but the shape of the cut on the drum is different than Pearl but has the same length on the front and the same length on the back as Pearl does. It give the drums a warmer sound with longer shell like Pearl Yamaha quad cut make the drums sound to bright, as I tried that cut for R&D. As Mapex's cut sound good too in carbon fiber. The cut of the quad shell and the bearing edge is key for good sound quality. The decimal meter tested the carbon fiber quads decimal level, they were almost twice as loud as a Pearl Championship quads. Both were tested with Remo pinstripes.

With my design ( 2 Cool Percussion), there are no lug casing, to weight it down. There is a carbon fiber flange molded into the carbon fiber shell inself all the hardware attaches to the flange. All six shells 10-12-13-14- and 6-8 spock drums; weight of a total of 2.3 lbs. The rest of the weight you lift is the weight of the heads, standard triple flange 2.3mm rims, and tension rods and washer and the back bar. The back bar of the quad is made of all carbon fiber too, but with 4 bolts and nuts attaching to number 3 and 4 drum and the j hook attachment to the back bar The drum shells are all carbon fiber and have the same length front and back as like a Pearl and Mapex quads. Just one of these quads are louder than two normal heavy quads. But everyone says these sound like wooden drums. The bearing edge and the lenght of the shell both front and back and tuning them right are the key to make them sound great.

Relax Francis... The deaf community itself uses (and prefers) the term "deaf" (see Gallaudet University's website for example). In fact, quite a few deaf find "hearing impaired" offensive since they do not (and with good reason) consider their lack of hearing as an "impairment" at all. Can we get off the PC train now? Oh, and congrats to the DM!

Yeah I was, but Blue Saints needed a drum major, so i took the position. For the first show, I will be on snare for the first and last musical piece, but will conduct for the ballad. I will be drum major for the rest of the performances after the 25. I will also be the first Deaf soloist in DCI I/E ever also! Catch me on snare, my introduction will have a unique start!

I could name a few drum majors that I assumed were deaf. I know they never heard a word I said to them at rehearsals...

"DO IT!" "TAKE IT!" "FINISH IT!" Star 1993

I too thought this was going to be about really bad trumpet playing during ballads. I say to those who shout just to make the recording....death by munga munga.... although "I'm still wet" is one of my favorites

I like when the trumpets scream in America-o-Canada

You realize, of course, staff members used to be the ones who were throwing the comments into the recordings: "Take 'em to the beach, Suncoast!" ('85) "That's it, that's it" (Donnie Van Doren issuing an affirmation to the Garfield hornline in '84) "Oh Yeah!" (Eric Sabach, now a DCI Judge, shouting to the '86 Star of Indiana in the second prior to their opening statement) And that strange, high pitched "Ah-ha" that preceded nearly every Blue Devils percussion feature in the mid- to late 1980s. In any other performance setting, these sorts of verbalizations would be intolerable. However, in drum corps these have become part of the culture. I can't imagine not seeing a Cavaliers performance without at least someone shouting "Go Linda." Actually, I'd be more worried if the audience wasn't shouting.

The ones who yell words during inappropriate parts of the music are annoying. Its okay with me if its before the show actually begins, or if its just yelling at appropriate times, not words, but just yelling, say before a big impact. My example of this would be the guy that yells just before the first impact of SCV's 2004 show. It actually sort of complemented the music. "HYYYYEEAAHHH" BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

i thought this past year was funny (in an ironic way) when people were yelling during Glassmen's show when it gets all dissonant and quiet (it was Beethoven going deaf right?). still annoyed me though

there are some recordings i cant imagine without the unnecessary comments during the ballads

I never said a big snare sound is categorically dirty, just that it has the potential to have that quality. If the book is especially note-heavy, a long, wet snare response can overpower the more intricate parts and cover up the notes themselves. All I was saying about the 13" snares is that kevlar makes it easy to tune them up to a pitch reserved for dog whistles. I've heard white max heads on a 14" sound just as good and feel just like a mylar head, with better durability. I'm not a huge fan of the kevlar snare-side head though. It has too dry a sound IMO.

I grew up on Silver Dots and Marathon heads all through junior and senior high school and was taught to play through the head and all wrist. After graduating, I starting marching college and drum corps and it was Falams and using the rebound from then on. So, I think I've been fortunate to be able to really experience both sides of the drumhead debate. Having said all this, I really like the Black Max heads the best. Yes, they a kevlar-type head but still have a bit of give to them. They feel great whether you play into the head or use the rebound. Plus, they sound awesome. However, one thing that upsets me is that all the youngsters coming up don't get to experience the mylar feel and the strengthening required to play on mylar. I think it's something that every player should know. It seems like year after year, I see kids with less overall mechanical control of the stick and endurance due to growing up on kevlar alone. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. I would agree that it was cool when Colin had Glassmen on mylar in '02. The thing that sucked was, the judges didn't know the difference between a dirty kevlar sound and a clean mylar sound. Too fat for their ears I guess. I guess the head change time was a factor too. Anyway, I vote for the Black Max head

1990, Cavaliers...first thing you hear in the recording besides some percussion stuff and random cheering is "IT'S A CAN OF CORN CAVIES!" 1994, Cavaliers..."Wicked!" during the quietest moment in the show 2000, Cadets...random "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!' by some guys in the audience near the beginning

Typical brass player. That shout was DURING the bass drum feature, not before the soprano solo :P

My beloved fans ... No, its just one of those songs that shouldn't be done again. If it is played again it's just measured up against those who have played it and written off. What if BK wanted to do Malaguena, don't tell me you wouldn't think the same way ...

Yes, SCV did a great job with it in 2000. But I don't think that means that BK couldn't. And perhaps we might even have a recording of a drum corps playing it without the obnixious screaming for "Krystal" to ruin the moment.