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haven't checked today; may have changed again - lol

Never heard they literally set a field on fire. Spirit of America is affiliated with the Community of Jesus which includes Episcopalian monks and nuns who follow the Rule of St. Benedict. They also have a good number of lay men and women and families as members. I believe their book publishing company is their major source of income which is how I came to know the group, but their music programs are their pride and joy. They have an Advent/Christmas concert that is well worth the trip. They are also located near Capt'n Cass' Seafood, a somewhat out of the way place with amazing seafood and a Rock Harbor which has amazing sunsets.

My cable provider is Cox. That leads to quite a few funny sounding sentences.

I'm not sure it is technically political, but yeah, that's why I deleted my post within 60 seconds of writing it. I don't want to be that guy when that guy usually annoys me. In any case, it does not seem very relevant to drum corps.

You may have a point. I'm attempting to steer this towards the relationship between how the flag has been historically connected to drum corps and the way it is viewed today generally. That was the subject of the original piece. I don't think that in itself is political, but the vagaries of shifting socio-political attitudes through time are relevant. In my view, drum corps has always been a microcosm of the larger picture. As such, it has always had it's share of internal politics.

Jazz, although a uniquely American contribution nourished by many cultural and ethnic roots, is an acquired taste for those not enamored by how sweet the trumpeter hits a skyscraper note or whether the front ensemble is going orgasmic with manic mallet maneuvers of supposedly improv jazz tempos. Ask any drill writer of the challenges jazz presents: one reason some corps got the rep of stand-n-play, others park-n-bark. That being said, the multi-tempoed, mixed meter contributions of other musical genres have replaced jazz per se in DCI, if one can even find a pure jazz piece in contemporary literature. What works in a coffee house venue or a studio setting for smoke filled late night imbibers or the at home single cam video of the winter wearied music major doesn't always generate the effect audiences (and some judges) prefer for NFL stadiums. Retro stuff comes across as just that, retro in a competitive world of 3D nano-second visual programs and the like. Besides drum corps doesn't allow the woodwinds..yup no saxes or clarinets...jazz purists and licensing estates insist the composer wanted. Ask the logistics crew how many pianos they want to carry to and from the field. Rhythmic music and melody music are other matters more preferred than just the jazz style of composition and play. Jmo. you are certainly entitled to yours.

The props possibilities to accompany such songs would be easy to envision too, imo

I have nothing against Les Miserables, ...actually sort of liked the musical... but please, no more Corps doing it, or songs from it again, for awhile now, ok ? A real quick 3 minute summary of the storyline for those of us here that might've forgot it :

Weekends between September and June are crazy for me, so I do not get to see too many high school band competitions, but I know King Philip in Wrentham, MA has an excellent marching band and its shows are designed by Ed Devlin. Dartmouth High School has a good marching program and has a WGI presence. I know folks who either are or have been involved with Dennis Yarmouth (on the Cape), Jordan Case (Swansea), Melrose, and Mansfield who say these schools strongly support drum corps. A non-school all age band from the Cape, Spirit of America out of Orleans, has an excellent brass choir, a WGI champion percussion ensemble, and has had some members march with Cadets, including a young man who was one of Cadets top soloists. Then there are also the schools that have excellent music programs but do not have as strong a marching component, especially the private schools, Catholic schools, and charter schools. The talent exists, but it's largely untapped.

Oops. You’re right. And I was there.

Of course I agree with Brasso. The footballers are not showing submission; quite the opposite I expect. My personal opinion is that their kneeling is a rather odd gesture for protest. Still, that's their choice. And from their perspective it's not really about the flag at all. I think they are protesting what they perceive as an injustice and are simply taking the opportunity to do so very publicly. The kneeling gesture in this context is lame in my opinion, albeit completely "legal". Others want to spin this as some disrespect for the flag. I do not believe that is the intent. Since 9/11 there has been a resurgence of respect for what the colors represent, I think. In my view, that is a good thing. It matters not if one is a Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Federalist or whatever. This is our country, collectively. Drum Corps has always been one of the manifestations of that, flag or no flag.

ahh Del State......the biggest con job with all of the promises that never happened...and oh hey, group 1, you have to go to Dover HS because Del State has a noon start on their football game. Almost killed the circuit. As a mid level administrator for that circuit, the venue is definitely a consideration by directors and staffs. I'm told all the time "the chance to perform in Met Life Stadium for UsBands is worth the extra $1000 ( or whatever they charge this year) just for that show."That's my fear for Williamsport. it's a decent HS stadium by PA standards east of Pittsburgh, but compared to Paetec/Rhino/whateveritwas this year Stadium in Rochester....it's a high school stadium....with a hill.

That said, I would very much like the ability to see years and years of old marching band videos all curated in one place. I'm not saying that gangsters are all bad.

And that's exactly the point. Symbolic gestures are powerful. In this land, everyone has the right to freedom of expression, providing it's done "peaceably". VPUS exercised this right recently by walking out of a football game, thereby protesting the protest. Even anarchists, supremacists and other wanna-be nazis are entitled to their opinions, but usually forget the "peaceably" part. Yelling a racial slur while swinging a club at somebody doesn't qualify as protest, but does meet the standard for a felony. Children who can't play nice must be sent to their rooms. We thought we fixed all that racism stuff in the '60s. How naive of us. And drum corps, for all its positive social qualities, was not immune from discrimination. One of today's major contenders, located within a large and very diverse metropolitan area, didn't see its first Black member until 1974. It's not that someone stood at the gate with a stick. Those kids just didn't see themselves in that uniform, so they didn't bother to go there. Now they do. It's that subtle, and that obvious. Symbolic actions produce results. They always have.

I could make a further distinction: pre- and post-Gail Royer shows. Gail was the force that developed the musicals, the pageantry and the "semi-classical" shows. After his passing in 1992, SCV gradually moved into the more austere, modern and less sentimental kinds of shows. They have floated back and forth between these styles ever since. I loved Gail's influence and tastes, but I am very happy with SCV's current musical direction.