Leaderboard

What a great post! Thanks for putting it together. I've been following posts on DCP for years but until now haven't posted. In 1987 I was on the visual, and color guard staff for the Velvet Knights. I worked closely with Bobby Hoffman on the visual staff and Roxanne Narachi on the color guard staff. I designed and constructed all the silks, designed/built all the props (the California license plate at the end of the show was a major undertaking!) and made most of the costumes that were used throughout the show. (Interesting coincidence - the two corps that tied, VK and Star, probably had more stuff on the field than all the other finalists combined. 1987 is the most important year in the history of the Velvet Knights IMO. To understand it's helpful to have some background information. The Velvet Knights as most of you know them were originally a product of the early 80's Velvet Knights Winter Guard design team - Gregg Clarke, Mike McCool, Roxanne Narachi, and Sandi Turner - Mercadante. After a 33rd place finish at DCI in 81, this team was hired to take over the drum corps proper. They decided to throw away the book and go a new route, loosely based on the comedic style of the Bridgemen but with a Southern California beach vibe (Gregg Clarke marched Bayonne a couple of years before.) The cadet style uniforms were replaced with Hawaiian print shirts, khaki pants, straw hats and of course the now famous red Vans. This was 1982, quite a radical move for the time. On a side note, I feel like the 1981 VK Winter Guard season was the impetus for this new design team's approach to the drum corps proper for the 82 season. In 1981 the Velvet Knights Winter Guard caused quite a stir with their innovation and quirkiness. A lot of those ideas and concepts were used throughout the next few years in the Drum Corps programming. Along with the drum corps, the VK Winter Guard rose through the WGI rankings from 1982 to 1984, with a high of 7th place at WGI 1984. After the new corps concept was adopted in 1981 the VK drum corps began its own quick rise over the next 3 years. In 1981 the corps had finished in 33rd place. The 1982 season saw the highest placement in the corps history, 21st place. The staff knew they had a great idea and doubled down for 1983 and again reached a new high, this time 17th place. By 1984 the concept was refined to such a point the corps made finals for the first time in its history - 12th place. And then almost all of the design staff was let go... There is a bit of Downton Abbey backstory here. What I do remember is surely biased as I was a marching member at the time and emotionally tied to the staff that had taken us this far. Whatever the details, the new staff was headed by Dave and Dean Elder with Ron Dettman, Dale Stephens, and Meg Elder heading the color guard caption. 1985 saw another milestone reaching 11th place with a continuation of the NBC Chimes/Shark/Feel good beach vibe. 1986 was a big departure for the VK, going all female color guard (I couldn't march my age out year), and a darker more serious James Bond theme. The corps fell to 12th place in 1986. And then the entire design staff changed...again. Now on to 1987. In the winter of 1986 Roxanne Narachi and I were sitting in the apartment we shared in Long Beach, CA brainstorming show ideas for the 1987 season. We had just been hired for the next summer and the first staff meeting was coming up. After many hours and lots of laughs we ended up with the "Magical Mystery Tour." The Velvet Knights would take a tour around the world and bring the audience along for all the fun and drama. We had detailed drawings of costumes, every country the guard would change to represent the new location. We had silk designs and even the musical selections that ending up in the show. Beatles fanfare, Chinatown, Brazil, African drum solo, and ending up back in Southern California for the Beach Boys medley. We presented our plan and the staff liked the idea, we moved forward with the planning stages. By Memorial Day camp 1987 we had most of the show on the field. Then, design staff changes...again! Long story short - show designer leaves and enter Bobby Hoffman to save the day. What at the time seemed like a disaster, losing a top staff person at this stage of the game turned out to be a blessing. After 5 years of building the new corps persona, by 1987 we were in a perfect position to allow Bobby to take us to the next level. Bobby is deservedly given lots of credit for his design talent but he was also the heartbeat of our corps that year and in my opinion the main reason we able to go so far with the concept and the execution of Magical Mystery Tour. He was very inspirational, setting high goals and helping the corps achieve them. Roxanne's vision was also key to the overall impact of the show as we used the color guard to a great extent in the story telling. Bobby's experience with The Bridgemen was obviously a perfect fit for where we were at the time with the identity of the Velvet Knights. He was instrumental in keeping the energy high, constantly motivating us, and providing the talent and hard work to take VK to its highest point in the history of the corps. Once Bobby arrived he re-wrote most, if not all of the drill in the beginning of June and then we headed to our first show in Riverside, CA later that month. Riverside is traditionally the first show of the year for Southern California so there was a lot of excitement as we took the field that night. The show was a huge success. She wasn't pretty LOL (the video of that show is on YouTube) but is was obvious we had an amazing program to develop. As we were putting our show on the field for the first time Star was already in the high 70's and had a few shows under their belt. We barely managed a 70 in Riverside and proceeded to loose points the next two shows scoring in the high 60's. But after a few weeks we never looked back. We traded places a few times with Suncoast throughout the season, never beating or even tying Star. By finals we were tied for 7th with Star at 90.0 with Madison in 6th at 90.4. Our total GE placement was 5th, over Phantom in 6th and Star in 7th. Percussion was 3rd in GE. And it was all at Camp Randall, one of the best venues in drum corps history. Getting to that moment at finals when our name was called in 7th place with Star of Indiana involved a lot of difficulty, hard work and patience. Anyone involved with drum corps would not be surprised. However, 1987 is one of the most cherished times of my life because of the accomplishments we achieved over those summer months. Cheers! Brent

Loved her reaction. Aside from her being so fun checking out videos, people from New Zealand and Australia have this accent I could listen to all day long.

But nobody is complaining except you. Sorry.

Bells have always been part of Drum and Bugle Corps. Some of the top corps today started off as Drum and Bell Corps. Blue Devils are an example and I think SCV too. They belong in the activity and compliment the overall sound. But something’s gone wrong. Really wrong. Pits have become way-WAY too large and are too dominant in the mix. Cut their size down to 6 or less, or move them all to the back sideline so we can’t hear them. Less is more.

She lives in Japan....a little out of the way. Seems i was the first one to give her money to do a react.

I like this series of threads that you've started. We hear a lot of really interesting details about each of the years. Also, no one is arguing in them. LOL

1987....one of the greatest years in DCI history.i can and still do watch and listen to this year often. my first exposure for the summer was in Camden DE, Suncoast on top of Florida wave and Crossmen way back...man did they grow. next day West Chester,......and Spirit beat the Cadets! Dutch Boy jumped between Suncoast and Wave. a few weeks later in Baltimore, cadets like 20 points over Boston and Crossmen, same thing the next day in Hanover...40 minute drive between shows!! then Allentown. SCV!!!! Cadets!!! Madison and Suncoast in there, then the ultimate emotional 180....VK and Sky Ryders! Crossmen creeping up and hey Boston in the 70's! fun BK and Marauders shows too! way down there the Freelancers coming back after a year off. Notable the spread between Cadets and SCV at finals was 1.4!! West Chester later that week and oh my Cadets only down .3 to SCV! Crossmen broke 80. From there, dad had to see his corps Phantom so we drove to the bottom of WV to see Cadets top BD and Phantom and Spirit broke 90! a few days at home then off to Madison for semis and finals...one for the ages! Cadets topping SCV on Friday, Phantom 3rd...Star sitting 6th.....1.3 between 6th and 10th. Bloo making it in, Sky Ryders in the big house...13-17 with Wave, Boston, Dutch Boy Crossmen and Troopers a fun race too...Freelancers 19th, but you felt good they were back. finals...Cadets win, SCV right there...both so ###### good. i'm ok with either winning. Cavies and Phantom swapping, Madison passing Star and the VK/Star tie after VK ties Suncoast the day before...Spirit in 10th after beating Cadets in June no dogs in any of those shows, or even down into say 20th place. many all times classics...Phantom in the all white, Cavies and the dragon/snake. VK 1st mystery tour...and of course SCV and Cadets. Sky Ryders version of WSS still vastly underrated because of the visuals it offered were ahead of it's time. one of the top 5 years in DCI history hands down

Thought this might be some sort of rage thread against Will Pitts. Phew.

You are free to have an opinion. You are not free from criticism from said opinion.

I'm sure his reaction would be different if it was BAC if ya know what I mean

It's relevant to your biases and how in tune you are with the current generation who actually participate in DCI. None of the things you listed are what the younger generation want or care about.

Look at the camera work at the end of '83 Garfield. Rumor has it there was a Z-pull in that show.

Courtney reacts to 2014 Bluecoats (you can thank me...I paid for her to do it)

Throwback to when people from a particular demographic were saying the website didn't need to be updated. It looks fantastic. If DCI survives the pandemic, the website will no doubt help with recruiting in addition to the new staff.

sit higher.

I suggest the op strap on a glockenspiel and march up and down his driveway if he’s pining away for the good old days.

10 bucks it's not the last time you'll say it, to our misfortune.

You've been on a roll lately.

I believe your problem is more with current writing trends than the number of mallet instruments in the front ensemble. For better or for worse, the mallets in the front ensemble currently shoulder a majority of the weight of beginning and ending musical phrases, something I assume your long-listened ears were once used to hearing the brass do. Cutting the number of mallets won't change modern drum corps writing style, it'll only make it sound thinner. It is what it is, and I'm not saying it's good or bad, merely pointing out that gathering from your posts, your problems might be more with a current writing trend itself rather than with the number of mallet instruments present.

edited for correctness

i say cut the tubas since a synth can go lower in octave and be louder and cost a lot less than 20 tubas. 2 can play the stupid analogy game, tho mine actually is far more cost effective for corps....i just happen to want neither to happen.

I'm fortunate. The only show I went to in 1987 is available online. Even the retreat. Make sure you stick around for the SCV Russian Christmas encore. Link is to a playlist of 5 videos combined for the entire broadcast. August 6, 1987 Bloomington IN 1 Santa Clara Vanguard 94.900 2 Star of Indiana 88.800 3 Velvet Knights 88.400 4 Dutch Boy 78.200 4 Troopers 78.200 6 Boston Crusaders 74.000 7 Colts 73.700

We at DCP have a rich history in solving perceived problems that maybe aren't actually problems.

durability. maylar heads only had so much crank before they blew, and extended exposure to sun could also affect the head. trying to get consistent tuning drum to drum could also be a pain in the ### to say the least. kevlar has it's flaws, which anymore are mostly related to the person tuning them, but the days of carrying boxes of spare heads to warmups are thankfully long gone.

Yes, that's right. Cut that pit number in half because a little goes a long way especially where they're situated. They've multiplied like rabbits and they're WAY too prominent in the overall sound. 7-11 parking lot at 11:00 p.m. Friday night. I'm in the 1996 Corolla with spray-painted grey doors.

yes i posted the link. which i went to find after reading the actual newsprint newspaper that was on my front step. guarantee you online outcry had zero effect on any decisions DCI made. lawyers and the fear of bad PR or loss of income did. they could give two flying ####s what people complain about online. i am all for information getting out however it gets out, and for fans airing grievances like it's a Seinfeld episode airing around the holidays. I also understand how DCI operates internally. if online oucry was a factor, Hop would have been gone years ago, Dan would have resigned or been fired 10 times by now, and half of BD's recent victories would be overturned.

so 80 brass isn't enough, but 14 in the pit is. i'll gladly fight on the non mobile percussion ensembe's behalf.

What is your solution? I don't see a problem here given this is not the 1970's. Do you really thing that corps will go back to the "good old days"...

The activity needs to start funding chiropractors everywhere.

One of the greatest year-to-year comebacks in the activity. Almost a 10 point jump from the year before. A complete identity renewal which had the audience in the palms of their hands all season. It must have been so amazing to be part of that. We've witnessed many incredible things in the history of this activity - this is one of them.

Time to bring this baby back out

Most corps have 4 or 5 marimba players. Parts are often split like a 1st, 2nd and 3rd trumpet part. They also use different hardness of mallets in different ranges to get a richer sound. Each player having their own responsibilities. Also it's drum corps. We don't have 3 trumpets, 2 mellos, 2 baris, 1 euph and 1 tuba on the field. Do we? More players with identical technique and musicality shows skill ... and creates a more impressive sound.

But it's not too late!

Nah I'm good bro

It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to drum corps if I’m being honest. I needed a break from it. Yesterday while filling out residency applications I decided to listen to the last decade of blue devils music. Listening to all the shows from 2014-2019 especially brought a tear to my eye, I forgot how amazing the ensemble balance and blend is. Their sound just sizzles and hits you unlike any other corps. I do hope we will get to hear them again soon.

They do both every single year

One of my favorite memories of all time was when SCV played their retreat song. Instead of playing towards the stands, they turned and played to the Crossmen who had beaten them. Crossmen went nuts. Total class. And it made me realize what a brotherhood/sisterhood drum corps is.

Why would you assume a restart means slipping back into the dark ages of show design? I’ll be the first to admit that it’s going to be a challenge in 2021 for DCI, but modern day MM’s aren’t going for this plan at all. At all.

This would be an incredibly fast way to kill drum corps.

That was at Byers Field in Parma, right? My first introduction to drum and bugle corps was, I think, in the winter of 1987-88 when our director welcomed a couple representatives of the Bluecoats to do a recruiting pitch. I loved marching band, but it wasn't a very effective presentation: people pay to play weird two-valved "bugles" all summer? I know nobody from our school ever tried out for Bluecoats or any corps until a few years after I graduated in 1990. I think what was presented just seemed out of reach to many of us. For some like myself it was partly financial concerns. But also i think some people remembered how two of our best players from the year before were now at Ohio State and had tried out for the marching band there and been nowhere near good enough. If they weren't good enough for that group, how could any of us hope to be good enough for a group where you had to pay (what sounded at the time like) hefty fees to participate? And then next year, when we arrived one morning during our three-week band "camp" (which was just daily rehearsal at the school), we found buses in the parking lot and a bunch of people sleeping on our gym floor. We were told that they were the Garfield Cadets, and after they woke up, they practiced all day long, seemingly without a break, in one of our fields. We learned that they had a performance that night in Parma (just one suburb away), and a few of the others went to see the show, and the next day all they could talk about was Santa Clara Vanguard and the Phantom of the Opera. Funny to learn that more than 30 years ago, friends of mine were watching the same show you were. And when the Garfield Cadets showed up again at our gym floor the next year, in 1989, I watched a bit of their rehearsal during our lunch break. I specifically remember our director telling us during our afternoon rehearsal that if he ever yelled at us the way Cadets' instructors were yelling at them, he'd be fired the same day. And this time I joined the group attending that night's show, which was again in Parma. And it was awesome! And what a shame I hadn't gone to see this show a year earlier.

Top five personal Crown shows: Inferno E=mc2 The Grass is Always Greener Rach Star Relentless!

Isn't that basically what this entire activity is, though? Goodness. It's a positive video of someone being introduced to an activity we all ourselves love. She seemed to have fun with it! We could all learn to have more of that "fun" thing.

Adam Tan is an Australian marimba performer and composer who has a YouTube channel. About a year ago, he began checking out marching arts videos people were sending him as part of his "Let's Watch" series. Australia has nothing close to what we have here in the United States for the marching arts, and it's fun to see him blown away by the musicianship the performers exhibit. Here's his latest Let's Watch, featuring a Finals lot video of the 2019 Bluecoats front ensemble and the Vic Firth video of 2019 Carolina Crown.

Then don't watch or comment on it. The rest if us will appreciate her reaction to our activity while you play the role of Debbie Downer.

Verbals aren't nearly as good as verbal AND visual. You're complaining about the wrong thing. The only thing she might be promoting would be more people to watch her reactions, which means more reactions to things NEW to her. Seriously, your priorities are ####ed up here.

Dude....she's giving publicity to our activity. She's also watched other vids not related to what she normally reacts to (a couple of great vids on the Tomb of the Unknowns, for example). And you're #####ing about it? Jesus...what is WRONG with some people? Yeah...how DARE someone with an internet presence be so presumptive as to actually watch and react to a vid of an activity completely alien to that person....and react COMPLETELY POSITIVELY. SERIOUSLY??