Leaderboard

What’s this I hear about insurance and gas no longer .39 a gallon? ok having 40 year old flashbacks😛

then don't. 😉 This year just feels different with JD Shaw, and a lot of the other designers back. I'm pretty confident we are going to get something good. Probably not top 6 or anything, but something really enjoyable.

I think that the huge decline in corps had more to do with larger societal and economic changes than the cost of an amp or marimba.

No, not "us vs them". The sponsors were not evil;. Times changed. That's all. Posts and churches that sponsored corps at every level were pulling back. You place the blame on the corps, most of them small local corps. I don't "blame" anybody as you look to do. It was just how time evolved. The Cadets story is hardly as you describe it, but believe what you wish. You can put whatever spin you want on it.

And a reason why senior corps came into prominence after World War II. A number of teenagers... junior-corps members... who had served during the war returned home as 20-something young adults, too old for junior corps. As a result, numerous senior corps... Hawthorne Caballeros, NY Skyliners, Reilly Raiders, Yankee Rebels, among others... arrived on the scene.

Hook 'Em let me know that Houston is to have snow this week. Is it because "Boston" will be in Texas???

I marched in an Eastern States corps, and I'll second that. Some shows were well-attended... we did alright with our home show in Manville, NJ, in part because we promoted it as a "town event"... something to do close to home on a summer day/evening. Lots of locals in the stands. (Including a lot of parents/relatives of the corps members.) But several other shows... a whole bunch of folks dressed up as empty seats.

kick the can down the curb. why not, it got us to less than 3000 paid at finals

It might snow here in Baltimore Wednesday. I'll save any other worries for after that.

We got our Lisle tickets. 2 rows from the top #kneesdontfailmenow

You think increased costs are irrelevant to why there are only 40-something corps left in the junior drum corps activity?

It's gonna be a good year! I'm super excited! (Just stopping by for my annual DCP visit)

The pure sound of an acoustic mallet section is never inferior to the plastic sound of an electronically amplified / microphoned sound. Acoustic sound does not “suffer.” Any judge who thinks otherwise is just following the herd that’s created this tinny sound that seems like it’s coming out of a tunnel. It’s horrible.

I bought 3 tickets for Lisle, in row S. I guess I may be sitting directly behind Terri. I remembered to NOT buy top row T as it is a BENCH - which some years means SQUISH CITY. Jane and Manny are probably in row T dead center.

What I heard too except Korea vets not totally welcome unless they were also WWII vets. After all US didn’t “win” that war either. And VietNam vets were even more looked down on. Source: some of those vets I know and talked to.

Yup. That is part of what I was thinking of in mentioning societal changes of that timeframe. VFW and AL post memberships were primarily WWII and to some extent Korean conflict vets. Their kids made up a good chunk of the small local VFW/AL corps. The kids got older, as did the post members. Those organizations were really hurting for members, so corps they sponsored were folded or cut loose. The Viet Nam returning vets were treated very poorly by society, and many just kept their service hidden and did not join posts. Those organizations are suffering to this day.

I remember my mom not being happy when service stations stopped giving out Green Stamps with a fillup.

compare with the shift in teenage demographics in the Northeast (from the cities to the suburbs) and then retiring parents moving to Florida and South during that same mid-sixties to late 80's time frame. Also compare the shifting demographics post-Viet Nam and Vatican II for sponsoring Vet groups and churches (not just Catholic.)

More than 50% of the total were gone by the end of the 80's. My marching career was 64-72, taught in the Garden State Circuit mid-70's and judged mid-70's to early 80's in the GSC. The circuit was thriving when I marched in it 68-69. By the mid 70's corps were merging with other corps just to remain afloat for another year or two and by the mid 80's the GSC was a shadow of its forner self struggling to stay alive. Many GSC shows had zero audience, with a few lucky ones attached to a community event having decent crowds, especially by the late 70's into the 80's. Corps at ALL levels were dying out as sponsors like the Catholic Church and Veteran organizations pulled away, starting before DCI came along. Class "A" corps in my area like St Joe's from Newark, St Lucy's, St Vinnie's in my area alone never made it to the DCI era, and BS limped into that era in 72 as they moved to Union their final season, when the church pulled away from them, just to name a few close to me. Smaller corps died out throughout the 60's and 70's, and into the 80's, having little or nothing to do with DCI. As others have mentioned, the rise of the corps-style marching bands played a large roll in the demise of the local corps. Why spend a summer NOT making much money when you could march and compete in your HS Band, taught and judged by drum corps people? Especially with a lousy economy and huge inflation of the later 70's. In NJ, circuits like TOB and later EMBA were run by judging associations that saw the corps market drying up. These corps failures were not caused by touring, instruments, etc, as you mention. They were victims of changing times.

Lol even older flashback of my grandfather’s garage with “cheapest gas in town .29” sign. of course it was “Pioneer” gas so you probably got what you paid for...😲

monastic penance.

"Hey Jim, I know of another Christmas gift you can get Terri." (The USA Masters Outdoor National Championships in 2012 were held at Benedictine U. Stayed in the dorms, left a BAC label in a desk drawer, and became a national champion in the 65M 300M hurdles. Our Mass Velocity track club pitched our canopy on the hill by the starting line. Great times at a great university.)

Ok see where you’re coming from.. good point

As a microcosm of society, it reflects that people will not spend money on things they don’t like. Even the best marketing won’t change that.

But, are there not more paid instructional currently?

if those smaller circuits were so popular, would they have died out? I remember going to Eastern States and Garden States shows 40 years ago with more people on the field than in the stands. DCI was nowhere then what it is today, so explain that? and by 1979, the number of corps no longer with us had grown drastically. Now why did they die? Easy. Churches and veterans groups were having a hard enough time funding their primary mission, let alone a drum corps. This had started before DCI, and even if the Legion and VFW were still the power players after 1972, it wouldn't have changed a thing

it reflects a lot of things. especially a lack of marketing

IMO those numbers reflect the current interest with all-age corps entertainment quality.

I guess we'll know the answer in the next 4 years. If more corps choose to not exist then we'll have an answer. LOL

Volume 4 is now on iTunes.

Got my tickets! (For semis) My mom likes to sit in 640. 138-140 are extremely picked over probably with the 3 package presales

Too #### expensive for new corps to start up. Mike and I had this discussion before and had Corps disappear before but new ones used to come up. That and social changes are two biggest IMO

increased costs in equipment is a drop in the bucket of what is needed to move a corps today, as has been explained time and time again. Even if you turn the clock back 25 years...no amps, the same duct taped G bugles, no electronics, the same uniforms stitched together by corps moms hoping they don't fall part is nothing when you factor in the cost of fuel, housing, food and insurance.

If that is what you heard, you are listening to the wrong groups.

Thanks Tony!

To be fair, teal was always featured. They still looked like Teal Sound during a time where pretty much everyone was experimenting with different looks.

And you provided the second half of the equation; complaining about complaining. Is this not a message board? People voice opinions and observations.

BD has followed the same genius formula for years and nobody has tried to copy them so I don't think they have anything to worry about. Besides, any serious designer could simply study them to understand the nuances. I miss just hearing designer commentary like George Hopkins explaining how everything in the Jethro Tull show didn't work.

In only six posts! That must be some sort of record.

A simple request instantly hijacked into complaining (especially about BD). DCP in a nutshell

Haven’t watched many of the videos corps put out. What are the chances the BD really want the judges to take a look to understand better the subtle things they have in most of their shows?

what you mean pits didn't shrink?

Agree with you for the most part, but I also really enjoy watching BD360 all summer. They really know how to dissect each BD show and explain exactly what each section of the corps is trying to do and what the show is all about.

i would say every show in finals this year made sense to me. I just like getting a deeper look, and seeing things I missed

Modern Drum Corps? I remember way back in the 70s corps did hand outs into the audience. Cadets and PR come to mind

P.S. He's come a long way.

If they are looking to pursue a life as a musician after they finish college then they better get used to the fact that when they walk into auditions there will be dozens (or many more) talented musicians that are there to fill one opening. That is the life of a musician. You pay for your travel, hotel, meals everything knowing that you have a 1 in (some large number) shot of getting the gig. It's called life. The fact is that in these call back camps their chances are WAY HIGHER than real life auditions. If you are not prepared to meet these realities maybe this activity isn't for you. ETA: Even HS kids as they prepare for college auditions will face steep odds in many cases. High level college studios for brass players often only take 1-4 new members into their studios a year among dozens of applicants. Why should this activity be any different when they are looking for the best of the best?

It is with great sadness that we share this news. Francis “Frank” Speciale, 77, Cavalier brother and longtime resident of Rosemont, passed away on December 3, 2019. Frank marched with the Chicago Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in the 1950s and reconnected with the corps as a volunteer in the early 1980s. He initiated the […] View the full article

Look, I don't want to pee on anyone's parade but, people were saying that about last years show too!

For some who were wondering...spoke to someone at DCI today and asked about why Bristol, RI was taken off the schedule. I was told they were offered a contract but never got back to DCI with the contract. DCI called them and asked about the status and was told they were still thinking about it. Well, I guess they never got back to them. I guess it's not always what we think it might be in the scheduling business. Just an FYI for some of you who might want to know. Hope everyone has a joyous and wonderful holiday season.