zorf

This is fantastic. It takes a well prepared organization and extremely dedicated membership to pull off what you are doing. Now if you could only travel a bit further to Minnesota!

C.Holland, I appreciate the effort taken to provide your reviews. It is my belief that you are accruing a lifetime of free beer since I know if I ever get the chance to meet you in person I will definitely buy you a beer!

Nicely done.

I loved performing with MBI in Downingtown in 2013. I thought it was a great facility and a great drum corps crowd. And it was exciting to have several corps rehearsing at the high school during the day.

The Cabs are the corps to beat this year. I posted a couple years ago that they really seemed on a roll. Looking back at my beloved MBI championship, there is something incredibly energizing to an organization when they come close like Cabs did last year and MBI did in 2010. I won't be surprised to see Cabs on top this year and it makes it all the more impressive what the Buccaneers have accomplished over the past decade. It is a challenge to be the standard bearer and target. All of this is great for DCA. I think MBI will be a challenger. So are a few others who are scoring well. Let's keep this going and get a centrally located mid season show where all corps can compete together. We have been blessed to sponsor DCI Minnesota which for a couple years was the first head to head competition for the top corps in that circuit. (Outside by the way, which is how it should be but that is my personal bias). Wouldn't it be great if we continue to have close competition and then add in a mid season all corps show? I understand the hurdles. But dream big. My hope is that instead of focusing on why not, people will focus on how we can make this happen.

I thought I saw G bugles in the video. What is Sky using for horns?

Apparently this may happen before Biw W finishes the Prelim review!

Agreed Ray. But it can also bring a corps together by getting them out of town together and out of routine. Traveling is also a bit of a crapshoot with respect to the quality of rehearsal facilities. We had some great ones and some that were barely tolerable. So, staying home and rehearsing is more of a sure bet, but from a members perspective I was there to perform and today for non east coast corps that means you gotta travel. I give a ton of credit to the MBI staff for creating performance opportunities. For the rest of my life I will cherish the memory of Downington this year. Yeah, it was a literal pain in the ### and the rehearsal after the long bus ride was a SOB. But the chance to share performances with the Buc's that night was priceless. And it was just the corps members and suport staff in attendance. And, we got a read on where we stood and what we had to surpass since as we all know the Buc's have set a standard for a number of years. Dam, it was fun to sit in the stand and listen to them blow down their show. And do you think they might have been a bit motivated to play well for us? So, it isn't fair but it is what it is and until other regions find a way to build the number of corps and performance opportunities, the non NE corps will have to travel more. But I guess what I want to convey is that for the members who ultimately need to bear a part of the additional cost, it is worth it.

Hey Frank, As one competitor on the field to another, I wanted to congratulate you on your placement for Finals. Although we've only been introduced briefly during Minicorps, I've greatly enjoyed listening to you play and its fantastic to see the Caballeros do well. Of course I sure wish we could have placed better, but I can't complain about placing behind two such great organizations as the Buccaneers and Caballeros. You guys sounded great from the endzone as we were waiting to step on the field and I think we had the best seat in the house for your final set!

In 2008, MBI surprised some people by placing second for the first time in history. The corps we had never to that point defeated was Empire Statesmen. So, who were the first people to run over and congratulate the corps? None other than the Empire Statesmen. I will never forget that as long as I may live. Oh, and I still play the Maynard tribute show as one of my most regular choices. I will miss Empire greatly.

It was a loooong bus ride, especially the one home. But it was well worth it. What a great venue for a DCA show and the atmosphere around the school was electric with several corps in residence and then rehearsing. It seemed more intense in that regard than DCA Championships. What a great experience for any rookies in the corps to experience before heading into finals. Thanks to everyone who attended the show. I’m confident we would have left everything on the field regardless of the attendance, but it sure was great after a long bus ride and rehearsal schedule to finally make the turn into the stadium and see such a nice attendance. And, the crowd enthusiasm was definitely appreciated. Finally, thanks to all who worked on putting this show together. You were wonderful hosts and it was a real treat to be able to share a moment with the Buccaneers on Friday night. What a fantastic organization and I really enjoyed the performance Friday night. I only got to watch a small snippet of the field show as the Bucc’s wrapped up rehearsal with their closer. One of the regrets of performing is that you can’t watch the show live and have to wait until the DVD to see the program. But it sure looked exciting from the endzone! I wish there could have been more time for the members to mingle, but it was late and there was work to be done. But the few people I was able to meet and chat with were great. Drum corps is a great community and the bond between all performers is something that is hard to describe. I know, I've been trying unsuccessfully to explain it to my wife for years. She still can't understand why I would subject my aging body to such abuse as a long bus ride to the east coast. But, she's never been standing on the starting line waiting to perform a program into which you've invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears together with a group of people that in many respects may be closer than most blood relationship families. You don't even need to say anything to one another, just look into each others eyes as you prepare to enter the field and it is almost like reading minds. You just can't explain some things in words.

This one hits me harder since I was really impressed with the growth of this corps and after watching their show in 2009 I thought they would really become a corps to be reckoned with. It is very difficult to maintain an Open Class corps.

Jeff, I will be performing with MBI and would love to meet you after reading all of your posts over the past 10 years. So please stop by and introduce yourself to MBI while we are there. But don't bring your wife since I'm 6'6" and I don't want to cause any problems!

I love Empire and Cabs. Two of my favorite corps. But they are my favorites because they are so good at what they do and because of their style that has been developed over years. It would be a mistake for everyone to try and be like them and I personally like the diversity we have today in style within DCA. There is no reason why a corps with the style of Empire or Cabs can't win in DCA. If you want to emulate Buc's, then focus on their preparation but I don't think to be DCA Champion you have a show style like Buc's. Like I've said before, if Cabs continue on the trend of the past couple years I really think they have a shot.

I'm really looking forward to visiting and competing in Downingtown this July! I suspect the rehearsal schedule may prevent it, but I'd love to see the rehearsal home of the Buc's while I'm there.

Well, this is MBI's schedule for those that make the 20+ hour bus ride from and to Minneapoili/St Paul. For this and my tall aged body reasons I choose to fly. Well that and because I want to celebrate after finals and catch some zzzz's before heading home. When I joined corps in 1973, it was supported by the local VFW and American Legion. But it was also a participant supported activity with a lot of fund raising effort. It hasn't changed that much except the VFW and Legion have been replaced by the non-profit corps organizations and members have had to come up with some dues. But, the product has also improved. Look, I'm not naive and understand the substantial financial issues that face drum corps today. But I will be ###### if I see this activity fail on my watch. I have benefited so much from this activity and it goes so far beyond the key of the brass or amplification. If you were a part of this in the past then godammit you OWE it to those today to support this activity into the future. That doesn't mean that you need to endorse all of the changes. But you also need to check your ego at the door and support the decisions made by the majority. I love drum corps from the past and I was a part of that before we had a pit. But as much as I enjoy the product from the past, I also love what is done today. Not all of it. I do not like synthesized sounds that are common in DCI today. But most of the product is outstanding. Things change. It does not in any way invalidate what we accomplished years ago. I have spent a lot of time with my Mom in her Assisted Living home. I firmly believe that those who are most successful in living their last years with joy and dignity are those that embrace life and all the changes it brings. I refuse to be the bitter old man who devotes his time to cursing the present because of some misguided belief that it destroyed his past when the reality is that the present was built on the past. People, drum corps would not be where it is today without the benefit of every one who ever stepped onto the field in the past. Now, just as I was supported by all those veterans from the VFW and American Legion I will support those today.

Thank you for this post! It has been on my mind for some time and your thoughts hit it.

I agree 2B. The competition across the spectrum is great and we are seeing some good drum corps for those spots. But if dangerous is defined as who has a shot for the top, my vote goes to Caballeros. I can't go with my beloved MBI since I hope to march and am obviously biased. I just think Cabs are poised to do something special. Strong talent, great tradition and the incomparable Mr Ponzo. They just need the right vehicle. Kind of like Valhalla was for MBI.

I'm not so sure, Dan. DCA is not a full time touring model where people devote 100 percent of their time to the endeavor. I think DCA will always be more of a regional corps activity. I don't see a lot of people coming from all over the country to march part time over the summer with a DCA corps. I think it may seem like the strong get stronger because they have a well established program in place that is very hard to build. The barriers to entry for a new drum corps are large and go beyond money but include strong staff and reputation.

Since getting involved with DCA in 2004, Empire Statesmen have consistently been one of my favorites each year regardless of placement. Holy Scheit, their tribute to Maynard show has been played so many times in my house that my family has forced me to go to headphones! I don't know the reasons behind this and don't really care. It sucks big time as a fan.

Can the Crusaders come back and fill the void left by Empire?

As a native from Michigan, this is great news. Now, I've had some of my old drum corps friends check out rehearsals in the past and they did not stay. It is so incredibly hard to build a drum corps. People expect to be able to,join in with a group like the Buccaneers. That is clearly not feasible. But I hope the foundation for this corps is solid with good financial discipline but even more importantly great technical staff. I believe it will be the staff that makes or breaks it. Good luck Lakeshoremen! As a Michigan native I will root hard for you.

So with the placement of Mics to record the shows, the pit has already been to dominant in the DVD. We really need to figure out a better way to record the audio that more realistically replicates the live performance.

It has been fun learning about the great staff that has been put together by this organization. What a huge difference that makes for the performers. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you "on the fifty"! I'm confident you all will present another fantastic show. I'm really excited to march this year and to compete on this level, but I do regret a tad the missed opportunity to watch your show live from the stands. DVD's are great but not the same as being there. In any event, good luck to you all and as our Brass Caption Head (Matt Kettlehut) would say, "Let's Rock!!".

It was a great event and set a record for raising money for Minnesota Non-Profit organizations. MBI had a great response, so thanks to all those who participated. Jeff DeMello assisted with a nice promotional video. Worth checking out for that reason alone.