MJH

The only thing consistent is change. Chances are, when you think of The CorpsVets you think of swinging, jazzy tunes played in a southern style. That ain't how it started. When I went to my first open house, the video of the previous year featured mostly patriotic music. Things change. I arrived at Alexander HS about 2PM. I'm already in a good mood if for no other reason than it's about 45 minutes closer to my house than Rockmart. As I drive up the hill and see the stadium for the first time, I can't help but think, "What a great place this is going to be to have a drum corps show!" Let me stop right here and say something. If you are an alumni (or friend) (or family) of a corps, go support your corps. If you can't go see 'em or help 'em, at least throw money at 'em. Buy some suvies or make a donation. See old friends. Make new ones. Be proud that you were a part (no matter how small) of what got your corps to where it is today. After saying "Hi" to the guys rebuilding the trailer and the cute girl at the suvie stand, I take my lawn chair to the top of the stands at about the 45 and settle in to watch some rehearsal. The first thing I notice is how freaking hot it is. And it's only June! How did I do this? From where I'm sitting, I see a June drum corps that is moving and playing better than some of the July and even August corps I've been in. Rehearsal is running at a different tempo than I remember for this time of season. The corps is less in a learning mode and more in a cleaning mode. They were focused and working hard. I see a few people on the field who I can tell have just stepped in to fill holes and are learning drill (and a couple still learning music), but it seems to me like this corps is about a month farther along than I remember being the last couple of full seasons I marched. There were a few lines (upper brass in the little block around the 35) and intervals (bass line) that still need work, but there's no doubt in my mind those things will come. I really like the sound of the new drums. I don't know if it's the new set of Yamahas or a different approach to the tuning, but (of course) they blend better coming off the field than the wedge snares and board tenors and have a warmer tone than the Pearls they had before that. Speaking of drums, this is a great snare line. They're already tighter than a gnat's butt. As a drummer, I think some of this is technique. Every left hand looked the same. Elbows were in the same place. Postures matched. Wrists were in the same place. I can tell this is something an instructor paid attention to. Give this same attention to basses, tenors and pit and this whole drum line will move to the next level. About 4 o'clock they started to show up. Family, friends and former members rolled into the Alexander HS parking lot. I'd say well over a hundred (maybe over 150) people came for BBQ and drum corps. Bill Wear and I agreed the crowd was bigger than the first time CV hosted a DCA show. Rehearsal ended and we all made our way to the school's cafeteria for some delicious BBQ chicken and pork and sweet tea. The BBQ sauce had a delicious North Carolina flavor to it and the pulled pork was smoky and tender. The fellowship at these events is worth the price of admission alone. Some announcements were made and the corps went to get ready for the evening's performance. I watched the drum line warm up. Again, I can't get over how tight the snares are. Listening to them run the music for the show, I was impressed by the range of emotion in both the writing and performance of the entire drum line. I look forward to seeing how these guys (and girl) develop as the season progresses. Soon it was show time. The corps arced up on the 50 near the front sideline. (BTW, T.J. Maunder can sell some 50/50 tickets!) Program coordinator, brass arranger, brass caption head, cook, chef and bottle washer, David Henry, stood up and talked a little about the show. I hope Dave forgives me for paraphrasing... The show is in three movements. The first movement is about hope and excitement as the first immigrants came to the south, leaving behind oppression, famine and a host of other difficulties in their homelands. The corps stayed in their arc and played Appalachian Morning. The arrangement was warm and lush. The guard stood in place behind the horn arc and did their work in place. I couldn't help but notice their beautiful flags. The bold colors really pop against the neutrals and metallic fabrics. I'm no guard expert but this first set of flags seemed to have a springtime color combo but with the tones of winter still in them. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seemed like they represent leaving the dark and grey of winter and oppression behind and moving into a fresh start. Some of the members had mentioned t me this first movement was the most difficult of the three. I can believe it. The corps really pulled it off. The blend within the brass line and the blend of the brass to the drums was magical. The only thing lacking was a little more sound out of the pit, especially on the vibes end. Dave Henry stood up and talked about the second movement. Again, please forgive my paraphrasing. The second movement shows the southern Appalachian immigrants as the pressures of the depression begin to weigh on them. The misery that was the coal mines and the difficult farming and the hard work that was early life in the southern United States is reflected in Inferno; far and away the darkest piece CV has ever put on the field, and I like it. From these difficulties, the corps moves into hope through a gospel tune, Down to the River to Pray. The performance in the arc is good, but I'll talk more about these pieces in a minute. The third movement celebrates the beauty of the Appalachians and the south. Shenandoah begins by featuring the best mellophone line in DCA. As this song begins to transform into Simple Gifts and the two are juxtaposed on top of one another to create a palate of colors matched only by the guard’s silks. The end of the piece and the closing of the show is power-filled and put an exclamation point at the end of the story. Next the corps put on the rest of their uniforms, took their places for the opening set and performed the show in a full field run through. One or two minutes into the show, I'm beginning to be impressed by how well the position of the corps on the field compliments the arrangements and the blend of the different sections. There were some dirty feet and some dirty lines, it's June for Pete's sake, but the forms look great and I couldn't tell if the music was highlighting the guard or if the guard was highlighting the music. What a wonderful blend between sight and sound. As the corps went into the second movement I was again impressed by how dark Inferno is. (I assume the guard hasn't gotten their unis yet, mostly because there was what looked like a guard uni hanging up by the suvie booth.) The horns played this section mostly backfield, the dark side of their uniforms facing the audience. The guard, dressed all in black (looking so cool in this part) left their equipment on the ground and concentrated on body work. The pit added more to this section than anywhere else in the show, using both traditional and non-traditional instruments to enhance the mood. Right when the corps is at its darkest, the brass quartet begins a beautiful gospel melody. The spirit grows, color returns, more sections join in. Mid-brass and tenors make a statement, low-brass and basses answer, high brass and snares add their two cents and next thing you know, there's that wonderful southern-jazzy sound CV is known for. The guard brought in a new set of color and featured the weapon & flag work that consistently keep them at the top of DCA. The third movement began with a great mellophone solo and built and drove to the end. When the corps hit the company front at the end and brought it across the field it reminded me why I got so excited at my first drum corps show. The layering of the 2 songs, Shenandoah and Simple Gifts, was not at all what I expected. Despite having heard it just minutes before in the arc, I liked how the drill complimented the arrangement. This year's show takes CorpsVets to a new level. The staff and designers have done a great job and I can't wait to see what this group looks like come August. Yeah, I'm biased. Sue me.

Man, I love the Wild Party music. The year we played some of that may have been my favorite year in drum corps. If you get a chance to listen to it catch my first* and only conga solo at the begining of "What is it About Her?". *first intentional solo, anyway

As long as we're pointing fingers at political causes, let's not forget Reagan's efforts to distroy the middle class by doing things like union busting (PATCO comes to mind). Middle class and working class kids were the heart of drum corps in those days. On my income, which most would consider middle class, I don't know if I could afford to put a kid in a top 12 junior corps. Heck, I could barely afford my all-ages / weekend warrior corps dues. I think there are a number of factors that all play into the decline of drum & bugle corps. I believe most of those already listed are contributors, but I'd like to throw out another idea... If you read the History of Drum & Bugle Corps, what you'll see is that competitive corps started from VFW and American Legion Post members wanting to continue the military traditions they had shared during WW2. In the late 1940's and 1950s drum corps was dominated by senior corps. As those veterans grew older and their kids became old enough to march, the number of junior corps grew. Remember, prior to the start of DCI everybody competed in Legion & VFW nationals. DCI's organization was an effort to open up drum corps to become a more artistic expression than the military traditions of the veteran's groups. As drum corps began to abandon those traditions (i.e. no starting lines, no uniform inspection, guards wearing "costumes" and {oh my!} dancing, judging moving from objective to subjective, etc.) the VFW and AL became disenfranchised. All too soon, the kids of those WW2 vets grew too old for drum corps. Also, in many cases, the VFW & AL didn't welcome the vets returning from Korea and Viet Nam into their fraternities. This contributed to dwindeling numbers in those organizations and forced many posts to close. Fewer posts = fewer drum & bugle corps sponsors = fewer corps. To relate it to my personal history, 45 years ago, my brothers didn't have a choice whether they were going to march in a corps. Dad just took them to the VFW hall every Wednesday and every weekend. Their only option was horn or drum. 30 years ago, I had to beg my folks to let me march. By then, the VFW no longer had a junior corps because all their member's kids had grown up. Myy brothers rode 10 minutes to rehearsal, I rode a half hour. Today, if I want to march it's a 150+ mile round trip and an over-night stay.

Right on, Mario! "That's because this material, by and large, is written and performed as an academic exercise, not an entertainment. It can be the musical eqivalent of watching someone solve quadratic equations: interesting, impressive even, but only for a select few." Right on, Frank! Amen.

Just an observation from my limited DC experience... Shouldn't modern drum majors be called "horn majors" as it seems they tend to spend way more time w/ the horn section than the drum section? Maybe it's just me, but when I saw Cabs Alumni warming up a few years ago in Clifton, their DM (Ralph?) led the drum line through their warm-ups. I know in our corps, on the field, the DM and the center snare have a special bond but in rehearsal it seems like it's very seldom the DM is rehearsing the drumline.

The last couple of years, '05 & '06, I've gone to finals as a fan. This year I was back on the field. As a fan, the scores only matter when the corps that entertain me don't finish as high as I would like. I want to be entertained. If the hair on the back of my neck stands up or if I get goose bumps, then I got what I came for. I enjoy excellence, and I understand that competition drives people to excell, but at the end of the show I know who was best and I'm usually peeved the judges didn't agree with me. As a performer, I hate the scores. Still, I caught myself getting sucked into worrying about where we would place and what our score might be. Too many people get way to serious about the whole thing. Maybe it's because I played in rock bands for years or maybe because I'm too old and eccentric to care what some guy with a tape recorder thinks, but I want to go play my show for you, watch you play your show, drink a couple of beers together and tell each other how good we were.

You should consider returning to CorpsVets. I'm guessing you're still in the Atlanta area. A lot of things have changed since you were with the corps. The quality of drum instruction was through the roof compared to when you were there. I think this year's drum book was the best the corps has ever seen, too. You can look forward to it being even better next year. Shane Hicks played tympani in 2007, but he said he wants to play something else next year. CorpsVets open house is November 18th. Come and check it out!

Maryland & Virginia! Whew! Don't wear the wheels off the equipment truck! From down here MD & VA still look pretty far north east. A few corps did meet in Winston-Salem for a rainy show ONCE. There are two or three shows in the south EVERY year. Y'all c'mon down!

What about VH1? Didn't they have some sort of education through music campaign a few years ago?

I love marching in my CorpsVets, but... If there was an alumni corps down here in the south, I'd march in it. I don't need a score to know whether or not I played well. One of these days I'm going to move to NJ and join Cabs Alumni just because I've always wanted to march those double conga drums.

I'll start off by saying I'm a drummer. I didn't get to see all that many shows this year. (Clifton, Salem, and a few corps during finals weekend) I ended up in CV's pit by the end of the season, so I'll leave them out of this since I'm biased. These are my opinions and what sounds good to my untrained (but experienced) ear. Best sounding horn line in competing corps (not counting my corps) - Empire Statesmen - playing G bugles. Best sounding middle voices (Euph - Mello) Bucs - playing Bb Horn line that year after year makes me go "d@mn" (by being good - not necessarily loud) - Bush - playing Bb My favorite horn line induced goose bump moment of 2007 - Kilties in Salem during Eli's Coming - playing G When I saw the combined Cabs Alumni & competing corps in Clifton they had soloists from each corps on the front sidelines. Now I don't know the guy from the competing corps' name, but I know he's no slouch. Standing there next to Ponzo, that trumpet didn't even come close to keeping up. So, to get back on topic, my vote for best DCA screamer is Frank Ponzo. Period. Loud. High. In tune. What a player.

Sorry. Don't get your AARP card in a wad. I meant to say "The old seasoned guys on the Historical Forum ..."

Why those years?

I saw that bus roll up in Salem, then found out that you squeezed two busses of folks into one and I told everyone who'd listen "there ain't no wussies in the Govies." OK, what I really said only rhymes with wussies. Like I needed another reason to love you guys. Good luck and have a safe trip!

1984 DCA finals - Cabs show is my all time favorite drum corps recording. I'd love to see it live. Also, Sun doing niner-two, Bush doing Thriller, Sky doing A-Train, and Matadors doing Paggliacci 1972 DCA finals - The old guys on the Historical Forum are still fighting over a timing penalty. Sounds to me like any of the top 5 could have won that year. 1976 DCA finals - My 3rd fave Cabs show. (85 is 2nd but I'm going to '84 already) Also- the begining of Sun's 1st golden era, Yank-Rebs last top 10 finish, Bucs playing LaFiesta...

Back when I understood it, your "seed" score was the average of your top 2 scores in August. That number was used to "seed" you for prelims. Corps that didn't have / weren't able to get to any August shows could be given an exception for their seeding. They would be seeded based on their placement from the year before. To get the exception, they needed to have been a member of DCA for a set number of years (I can't remember how many). There was also a rule about member corps (the top 10 from the previous year) went on last, preceded by associate corps (not sure how they got that title), preceded by affiliate corps (I'm guessing they must have been the new kids on the block). Now I think your "seed score" is just your highest DCA score. Period. However, it seems they have left the exception rule in place.

This is my 5th year going to DCA finals as a corps member. I joined mid-season after not marching since 2004. Never in those 5 years have I been to such a great last camp. The corps worked hard and most importantly worked together to take us to a level above anything this corps has ever done. The staff has grown and matured beyond anything I've ever seen in CV. I'm so proud to be a CorpsVet right now. This is my 4th year in the pit and I've never been in a front ensemble this musical. A lot of that is due to some great writing in the pit book, but a lot of it is the talent of the players and a lot of it is the quality of instruction. This weekend, we stayed as focused as a laser beam and really upped the musicallity and the performance of our book. Not having a show this weekend gave us a great advantage. There's no way we could have had the great rehearsal we did with such a huge distraction. I know those shows were important to the corps that marched them to get that one last score, but we gained so much from the work we did. Look out DCA, here we come! To my friends in the Renegades - I'm so glad we get to go on next to you. One of the reasons I quit marching after 2004 was that I never got to see some of my favorite corps perform. I'll be standing at the goal line with my pit equipment cheering for you guys. I know your show is going to get me psyched to play the best show I have in me. Good luck and kick butt! To the fans in the stands - you're going to see a corps that has a whole bunch of fun playing their show. Our number one job is to entertain you and I think this corps does that as good if not better than anybody. I love playing for you guys. Give me a wave and a shout out when we're setting up. I love hearing from our fans. I can't wait to get to Rochester!

Correction: That rule applies to corps that haven't had a score at a DCA sanctioned show.

Is this the prelims line-up? Do Renegades really go on second? What happened to the Member, Associate, Affiliate rule? What about the MBI rule? Buccaneers - 94.325 Empire Statesmen - 93.388 Caballeros - 92.663 Brigadiers - 91.075 Bushwackers - 90.813 Minnesota Brass - 90.725 CorpsVets - 87.188 Hurricanes - 86.875 Crusaders - 84.675 Kilties - 83.800 Music City Legend - 81.800 Govenaires - 78.763 Sunrisers - 78.738 Alliance - 77.900 Fusion Core -76.075 Chops Inc. - 75.875 Gulf Coast Sound - 73.463 Frontier - 72.863 Lakeshoremen - 72.863 White Sabers - 71.338 SoCal Dream - 68.763 Renegades - 68.738 River City Regiment - 66.613

Is that lock or LOCH as in "Kilties will be in an oversized muddy pond with a legendary monster"? By "Legendary Monster" I'm not refering to what might be under someone's kilt. I mean, I ain't sayin' nuthin'...I'm just sayin'...

You're selling yourself short if you don't include MCL in that hunt. I've seen 'em a couple of times and y'all better watch out!

Those lows are like sub-arctic temps after what we've been having down here in DCA-S! brrrrrr

Maybe a little less "Huh" with as many DCA corps as there were at DCI shows. I think DCI is starting to realize that DCA provides a great place for their future members to get some on-field drum corps experience and training and for their members to stay active after they age out. I think DCA is more like that eccentric uncle that your parents don't really like, but the kids love. You know, the one that wears shirts that are too loud, drinks all of Dad's beer, pinches Mom on the bottom, spills food on the carpet, puts his feet on the coffee table and tells embarassing stories from your parents past whenever he comes over.

6-10 Day Forecast for Winston-Salem Friday Scattered T-Storms High 80°F Low 64°F oops...sorry, wrong city