faramirtook

Well, if you want to look at consistency, look at the Caballeros in the AL circuit in the 50's and 60's: they won '51, '53, '54, and '58-64. Then the DCA was born.

The main reason I would be against it is because I like how DCA truly is the combined front of its member corps. The corps are DCA. Also, I'm a fan of the low-key and rough-around-the-edges image that DCA has. It's rustic, and I like that. It keeps DCA being a little bit more than just DCI's older and less-excellent brother-- it keeps DCA unique. Which is certainly not to say that these gentlemen do not do a superb job with their own corps, and that DCI is somehow inferior or too slick in some way. But I stand by my love of DCA's little quirks.

You can't beat the Post. It grows Coors Light.

Nothing quite says drum corps to me than fast-paced, latin music. Pictures of Spain, Malaguena, Malaga, Bully, Echano, and the rumps. Of course as a Caballero I'm a bit biased, but I think Latin music just fits the drum corps ideal so well: entertaining, fast, exciting, loud, high, rhythmic, intense, hummable.

In 2007, the Caballeros had a great young man from Japan in the Baritone section named Naoki. He was a fantastic player and marcher and such a fun guy. We can't wait until he can come back for another summer!

The Hawthorne Caballeros would never have to worry about rehearsal space, dues, equipment, trucks, uniforms, or buses ever again. I'd also make sure American Legion Post 199 never went under.

I'd like to see a corps tackle 1812 Overture form start to finish. Or perhaps a show dedicated purely to one of Bernstein's ballets. Or a "Ring of the Nibelungen in 12 Minutes" show.

I might be biased, but Drew Wilkie's Concerto de Aranjuez solo for the 2006 Cabs was stellar. In fact, that show was a bonanza of fantastic solos. That lead soprano line was epic.

So is there an extra weekend in there somewhere, with the way DCAs is super-late this year?

This is brilliant. 10 points!

Phantom '89. Two boxes meet and form one box in the opener, and they shift around. Pretty simple. It's reprised in the closer in double time. Brilliant effect.

I thought the same thing! I love rehearsing at home. :)

It could only be a rickroll if they only did it at finals.

Blue. It's all about blue.

Bernstein's MASS, presented in a way that resembles the actual production. Have a baritone soloist be the center of the show. Dress him in priest's vestments. Separate the corps into the church choir and the street choir. The only narration I think that would be necessary would be someone saying, "Mass has ended. Go in peace." at the very end. This would have to be a very progressive show. I think you'd have to toss aside (or at least get very creative with) the convention of the uniform to make it work. However, I really think you could pull off, in a minimal way, the central message of the work. The Ring Cycle in 12 Minutes. Kinda like "What's Opera, Doc?" :D Rite of Spring, conceptualized as a 12-minute ballet staged by a drum corps. Seriously. With the way guard is now, you could seriously make the argument for calling this show a ballet. The guard would be the feature of this show, for sure.

And this, my friends, is the most convincing anti-woodwinds argument I've heard. Woodwinds just don't look as good as marching brass.

I've always thought a mass or requiem show would be a great idea. Sounds like a great plan you've got!

I had the honor of giving a short talk at the open house, and I couldn't stop thinking how many people there were in the Post! HUGE turnout-- old and new faces alike. 2009 is shaping up to be pretty nice right about now.

cotton boxer briefs, underarmor or equivalent shorts, comfortable athletic socks, asics sneakers, a baseball cap, sunglasses without rims, and white practice gloves with no grippies. No shirt if it's about 70ºF; if cooler, the plainest, lightest color shirt I can get my hands on. With requisite SPF (whatever I can find below 30) sunscreen. I prefer 8.

I demand a low brass groove section from this show. :)

I'll be working the table!

Not that I don't believe you, but I've never noticed that happen, and I've read most of those authors before... And obviously we're talking about contemporary (not modern) American standard English. E: maybe this discussion is best for PMs.

While colloquially using "they" as the 3rd-person singular pronoun with no gender identification is common, it is a syntactical gaffe to use anywhere else besides common speech. And it's one of my grammar pet peeves.

Both forms are fluently used interchangeably, in my observation. But I'll agree with you, the plural dominates so long as the word "corps" is not the simple subject. Like this: "The Buccaneers are..." which relates to "They are..." "This corps is..." "The Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps is from northeastern New Jersey."

Why not? If the entire group acts as one, it is a singular unit. "The Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps is the winningest drum corps in history." "The hornline is arcing up on the other field." "The corps are divided as to whether or not they like the new instructor." Here is where the plural is used. "Phantom Regiment is in total agreement that this section needs the most work." If you want to get into the issue of which forms are most commonly used, I'd stick with a descriptivist approach and accept both, because both are easily understandable.