Austin Stars

That's the beauty of arranging. Sometimes it only takes three or four notes to identify a song.

Good news! Look forward to seeing yall at Brass Hysteria '09!

Awesome, thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing Niagra for the first time, too!

Sold

Gracias, Cozy! Hey, where can I find your report from Douglasville?

Thank you! The good vibes and well wishes from the "big guns" really means a lot. Our Paypal account is "paypal@ausinstars.org" or "theaustinstars@gmail.com". Both of them work... however we prefer that you mail donations to us if possible. PM me for details on that. Blake Waller and I discussed program ideas on the road trip to and from Douglasville, Ga. We liked the genere of music we had chosen for the '08 show so we decided to make '09 sort of a continuation of that thought. The great thing about doing music from theater is that it can be both jazzy, symphonic and rockin' all at the same time so we get to enjoy a variety of styles. This will definitely be a very fun show!

Austin Stars WILL compete at Rochester in '09 even if I have to sell my soul.

NEW YORK, HERE WE COME! The Austin Stars will take the next big step and go all the way to the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) World Championships in New York for the first time on Labor Day Weekend in 2009. We will get there one way or another even if it means selling our souls! (O.K. Maybe not that but some of us might consider it!) There is no other moment that is more important than this and WE NEED YOU TO HELP US GET THERE! The best way you can do that is to donate or become a member. Percussion Caption Head and Arranger We are pleased to welcome Alex Turkovic as percussion caption head! Alex received his B.A. in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts in 2003. While at Berklee, he was a member of the Berklee Dumline and studied percussion under Dave DiCenso, Kenwood Dennard, Rod Morgenstein, Mike Mangini, John Ramsay, Jackie Santos and Francisco Mela with an emphasis on drum set. Alex has recorded extensively in rudimental drumming, drum kit, various rock projects and classical recordings. Alex's full bio will be posted on our website soon. Returning Staff and Current Staff Openings Ashleigh Jacobes returns this year as color gaurd supervisor as well as Brent Unger as brass caption head. Blake Waller will take on a new role as our primary brass arranger. We currently have staff openings for an assistant corps director, visual caption head, assistant visual caption, assistant brass caption head, assistant percussion caption head, assistant color guard caption head. There are also several teching positions available. All staff members are volunteers. 2009 Program The Austin Stars will be taking the spirit of our 2008 show a step further, concentrating on music of the theater with our 2009 field production "BROADWAY!". The show will feature the music of some of the greatest broadway shows of all time including Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, The Jazz Singer, A Chorus Line and Hair just to name a few. It will be a seamless program from beginning to end, weaving some familiar songs into a web then sewing them together with short clips of other tunes that will pop out of nowhere. Open House We will be hosting an open house on Sunday, October 26th from 1 to 4 p.m. (Location T.B.A.) This will be a non-rehearsal gathering with food, drink, conversation and discussion about drum corps. You will have an opportunity to meet staff and members of the corps, ask questions, talk aobut the 2009 program and watch some of our favorite drum corps DVD's! First Rehearsal The corps first rehearsal has been moved up to Sunday, December 7th from 1 to 7 p.m. (Location T.B.A.) The rehearsal fee is $20 which goes towards dues. (Exact dues for the 2009 season will be confirmed shortly.) Openings for Members Our goal is to field a corps of 46 members with 18 brass, 12 guard, 11 battery and 5 pit. Currently there are spots available in ALL sections. It is VERY important that all of you take the time to contact anyone you know who may want to participate. Membership is open to all adults age 18 and up. The only requirement is previous experience in marching band, drum corps, color guard, drumline or other percussion ensemble. Members of the hornline, guard or battery must be capable of marching a moderatly demanding drill and play their instrument (or spin guard equipment) at the same time. WE CAN NOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! Spread the word and get hyped for what promises to be the next exciting step in building this awesome drum corps! Many thanks!

Make that four.

Congrats to Alliance! Thank you for turning it up a notch (actually about 5 notches) in Class A competition. What you accomplished will make us all strive to be better. I learned a valuable lesson from your pit ensemble this year; something that every small corps should do. Having two keyboard players playing the same instrument in unison (marimba or vibe) is much more effective than just one on a part. (Bells and xylo don't need it as much) So if there are only four or five people in the pit, put two of them (at least) on marimba. More expensive equipment wise but worth the effort if you can do it. When I saw yall in Douglasville there were times where it almost sounded like the keyboards were (dare I say) amplified. Very smart! I'll always remember that for our own purposes in the future.

Still searchin'

Thanks, Chris. I've been intending to tell you how much I LOVE what Frontier did with your uniforms this year! Amazing what a little sparkle can do!

Austin Stars are in the market for more members and staff for the '09 season. Show announcement coming soon. Hint... it'll be a chorus of hair from the west side that will make you feel like a jazz singing superstar. Check out our website. Check out our Facebook page.

Again, thanks for the awesome coverage! Thanks also for reminding me I'll probably be doing drum corps till I die! Great to see all the alumni corps out there. My favs would have to be Bridgemen and Preston!

Thank you for posting the videos!

Tough love.

Thanks! We're workin' on it!

The Austin Stars are now accepting applications for the 2009 season. Spots are available for staff and performing members in every section of the corps. We will compete in the Drum Corps Associates circuit and go all the way to the DCA World Championships on Labor Day Weekend 2009. A show announcement including repertoire will be coming soon! Positions for performing members include color guard, battery percussion, pit percussion, trumpet, mellophone, baritone and tuba. You must be at least 18 years old and have previous experience in marching band, drum & bugle corps, winter guard, indoor percussion or other percussion ensemble. All members pay annual dues to participate. We are a small, new corps with ambitions to grow in size and competitiveness. A wise man once said, “Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?” If you love drum corps, challenges, teamwork, having fun and making new friends, this is for you. Staff positions are available in all sections. We are most in need of an assistant corps director and a percussion caption head. Staff members must be at least 21 years old and have previous experience as an instructor, designer or arranger in marching band, drum & bugle corps, winter guard, indoor percussion or other percussion ensemble. All staff members currently work on a voluntary basis. If anyone is to be compensated in any way, caption heads and designers will receive first priority. Your reason for joining our staff should be because you love drum corps, teamwork and building an extended family, not because you want to boost your ego or income. To apply, click here to send in the online registration form.

That's enough. I think everyone knows how you feel. You're beating a dead horse.

My apologies to everyone here. Shadow7 does NOT speak for the Austin Stars.

Austin Stars are taking applications for the 2009 staff. Specifically looking for an assistant corps director and a percussion caption head. We will have a full line of Yamaha battery this fall. If you're interested, contact me! Thanks,

If DCI did retreats more often at more shows, maybe corps would have more practice at being a class act instead of all the horseplay and messing around on such an important night as finals.

We're searching for a percussion caption head. Contact us via our website for more details.

Agreed. Phantom has been taking high percussion all season long and they've been getting that from every percussion judge. I'd say that makes it rather unanimous.

I'm just glad there were no violins. I like hearing classical music played by an awesome hornline and percussion section. If I want violins, I'll go to the symphony.