brassomaniac

It's all good, Mike. Just go ahead and enjoy yourself.

I hope that the mods will leave this up, so I don't go down as a Star Basher, based on some third parties' recollection. I think I ought to have SOME say about WHAT I MEANT, in my own statement. Here's the whole thing for you to see: The original post I commented on: "Very Impressive Indeed. Explains alot. No weekend warriors here. Wish we could be there. Also says alot about Mass Brass/ Golden Eagles et. al to come so close. FANS WIN AGAIN !!!!" (my emphasis added) My Reply: "That is what I have been saying along" My follow up post ( as I can best remember): Clarifying that I was giving credit to the few corps who have almost been able to keep up with "your fine corps". Plus added comments to clarify that I had NEVER slammed Star and was not meaning to slam them NOW. Complimented their program, plan, work ethic and performers. Added that the some of the Bios were impressive and that Star put them up there and might expect to get comments about them. Doesn't sound anything like what you said, above. I think people are hearing what they want it to mean. PLUS, the original poster and I have exchanged cordial PM's and have set the record straight as to what our intents were. But just for the record, since I'll be cut off from reply soon: I don't have ANY problem with Star's performers, never have, and did not mean to imply that I did. And yes, please close this post, so that more people don't come on to speculate what they thought I meant, in a post they think they remember. BONUS: Here's another post of mine, from a recent comment about Star, which reflects my same point about the excellent resources of the other top corps, in comparison to Star- FAR from a complaint that they have an advantage: QUOTE (wishbonecav @ Jul 20 2009, 10:06 AM) www.starunited.org ...the heavyweight champion is coming back to town with guns blazing.... My Reply........ Ha Ha! I didn't say it was gonna be easy! Or likely. But, we do have a few talented players over here, too. And a few Mini-corps' with the same kind of determination and work ethic. So, anything is possible. If you are reading into these that I am slamming Star, then you're hearing what you want to hear. They undeniably have a talented corps, and so do others in the business, and I have repeatedly commented about how GREAT this is.

I am sorry to have to come back on here, because I said that I wouldn't ... but I didn't say anything like that - You are totally misrepresenting what was said, and making it what you want it to mean .... and FURTHER, I clarified my statement, along with compliments about Star, which were later erased by the mods. Seems pretty unfair to paraphrase my words, and impart meaning to them, after they've been erased from here. I said: "That is what I've been saying all along". THAT was the entirety of my statement, And my clarification was added, to state that I was "giving credit to those corps' who have almost kept up with your fine corps". NO SLAM or complaint of any kind against Star. In response to that, I was gratuitiously slammed by another poster for deserving a a good tongue-lashing, then called a whinny boitch, and now after the mods have tried to reset the discussion, YOU again are mis-representing what I said. *edited to reflect MikeB's correction*

edited, because .....why bother?

mods please close this thread

mods please close this thread

mods Please close this thread

edited, because... why bother?

NICE, Ken! We've started our own, similar, Christmas tradition, 3 years ago... a 2-week "tour" of Nursing Homes, Hospitals, Malls. At first some simple carols; lately more complete arrangements. Very satisfying activity at Christmas time. We'll do it again, this year.

I'm sure you'll do just that, Dick! Looking forward to seeing Shen. at Rochester!

Also same trip.... Vince had several parades booked for us, but on the first night we were free.... so for practice... ...we took our bus downtown, where a parade was scheduled... found an alley, cross street, close to the reviewing stand. We assembled in the alley and watched the parade go by. Then, when an opening in the line of march appeared....WE JUMPED IN AND PLAYED PAST THE REVIEING STAND... then exited onto another side street! It was only later that we fouind out about the $200 fine, per man, for illegal parading! Ya can't make this stuff up!!!!

Same Mardi Gras trip..... after one of the parades we did, we were invited to perform a private exhibition for one of those Mardi Gras Men's Clubs, in a conference room inside the Superdome!

Hey... 16 examples off the top of my head... guess I just realized that "Strange places for standstills", is our middle name!

Got a challenging one coming up next week: DESA Military Reunion Banquet. 3 half-hour sets. A real stretch for a group using corps instrumentation. We ran though 24 tunes, in the last two rehearsals. We used a dozen or so, of these, in the Lake George gig, and then had to scramble up a bunch more from our short history, to complete the book for this one. This will be the biggest performance we've had to do yet.

Nice. That one reminds me of a somber one of ours: Played at the grave site ceremony for Donna Marholt this year: players from 20th Century Limited and CB! combined for a beautiful tribute. We played a new arrangement of "Amazing Grace", which I had to come up with over the weekend, and dedicated "For Donna". 20th Century continues to use the arrangement, in her honor. They will perform it at the Kingston DCA show next week.

LOL! We once had a guy forget his shoes, for a competition. We had a pair on the equipment truck, that someone had previously left on the bus... A COUPLE OF SIZES TOO SMALL, THO!!! He had to wear those to march that night - OUCH!!!!!!

In the eighties... Mardi Gras in New Orleans, ... 4 guys from Noble Callahan made the trip to perform with Empire Statesmen. Among many performances there, we went to the French Quarter and set up on the street, to play. A couple of tunes in, the crowd was so thick and close, that we couldn't even see Dave Bruni, out front. What we didn't know, was that, at the other end of the corps, the police were threatening the drum line with arrest, FOR INCITING A RIOT!

This one falls between the cracks, since it was a parade.... Last year they needed music for the Children's Mardi Gras Parade, in Saratoga Springs. The parade kicked off a Festival, and was just a complete trip around one block. They didn't have much $$ to spend and wondered if CB! could put something together. We did the parade with 4 horns and 2 drummers! And, YES, we pulled it off! That was what gave us the idea for Strange News from Another Planet; a flexible, versitle group which could be quickly molded to fit many different venues and needs.

A couple more odd Capitol Brass Ensemble gigs: Opening a new Price Chopper grocery store And, one Winter, as a fundraiser, a small contingent of CBE performed as the Pep Band for Albany River Rats Hockey Games.

ooo, ooo, ooo! I got another one!!!! Last year, the MAAC Basketball Tournament was in Albany. HUGE snow storm in Western NY that weekend. I get a call on Saturday morning... the Niagara team made it to Albany, but the Pep Band is snowed in!!!! ... Could I put togther something to take their place at the Fan Rally.... TONITE? "They need their team fight song played, and they have the music for you." Well, we grab a bunch of the CB! guys and get there a half hour early. We pass out tiny booklets with some standard marches and try a few of those...OK.. those'll work... Where is the music for the fight song? "Oh, we don't have THE MUSIC..the cheerleaders WILL SING IT FOR YOU". So... the cheerleaders did a little demo for us, we figured out the key they were "approximately" in... and in a few minutes, we had a rudimentary "arrangement". A short time later... a 40-minute Fan Rally, including endless repeats of the fight song... and we had helped to avert another crisis!!!!

Another Capital Brass! gig, this year: American Cancer Society wanted something "heroic", to kick off their "Relay for Life" which celebrates Survivors fight and victory over cancer. We borrowed an arrangement that we play with our friends at 20th Century Limited Drum Corps... a medly of: "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones" and "Jurassic Park". Organizer's reaction: "Perfect!"

Here are a few odd ones, with Capital Brass! Strolling the picnic grounds at the Saratoga Race Track. Lake George Band Festival: 11 community orchestras with 50-80 performers, playing legit stuff..... and little CB! (13 horns and a drummer) squeezed between them! VA Hospital: squeezed into a tiny recreation room, to perform a Christmas Concert for shut-ins. Charity Event at Crossgates Mall: playing inside for Holiday shoppers... including an introduction for Santa! National Anthem at Albany Patroons basketball games

Yes! I've done a couple of those, where I thought some of the residents were being rolled out and forced to watch!!! We did one inside, last year.. and one woman in a wheelchair apparently decided, right away, that it was TOO LOUD for her. Problem is, the escape route she chose was right across the front of the corps! Took her the entire first number to escape!

still ANOTHER..... Capitol Brass Ensemble: Big Saratoga company hires us for their corpoate banquet at an area hotel. Marched and played around the perimeter of the banquet room, leading company employees dressed as Cheerleaders, to kick off the banquet. OK, maybe that's our most unusual PARADE!

Yet ANOTHER..... Late 80's, I think... Capitol Brass Ensemble: This one is still a tear jerker for those who were there.... Got a gig playing at a Saratoga Hotel, for a Surprise Birthday Party. Played our current corps stuff, later. . but first, to kick things off... The Birthday Girl enters the lobby to find friends and family... and a Drum Corps! Not a dry eye in the house, as we played Happy Birthday... and everyone donned caps that said "ROSE IS 50!" Back then surviving cancer was not as common, and Rose had been a survivor for some time.... her husband had arranged for the party to celebrate a birthday she wasn't expected to have!