TomPeashey
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Posts posted by TomPeashey
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percussion was VERY strong... headed by Colin Campbell... standing next to him in the snare line was Tom "Fuzzy" Falzone who many claim to this day to have had the fastest hands in the business...
Rudimental basses were Way ahead of their times... considering most corps bass drummers were still only carrying one mallet...
Both were prominent at Vince Bruni's funeral 17 months ago along with their "student" Stevie Gadd who marched with them prior to 1965.
Frankly, I don't remember the breakdowns - I'll have to look it up...
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Yes, in the middle of my mellophone solo...
We played Rocky Horror before it ever made it to the U.S.
we had NO idea what the play was about... just that it had good music...
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in a word.... YES
we were pumped so high we were 2 feet off the ground... the off the line FLEW at the people ... and the rain got worse... we did NOT want to stop... finally at the end of the off the line... the gun starts being fired and all the judges start waving their hands...
I was so ###### I just let my horn fly... clear to the backfield... severely damaging it...
by the time we got under the backfield bleachers I could be found pounding my head against one of those famous Holleder Stadium concrete beams...
It was unquestionably my worst experience in corps on the field...
Suddenly, I felt the hand of a very wonderful chief judge on shoulder and heard "Tom, it's only drum corps, it ain't worth it"
Wiser words were never spoken...
I found out later that Vince Bruni had made the decision to pull us off the field... When I asked why the #### he did that, he advised that he had watched the execution judges throughout the first tune and we had been KILLED - the ticks were flying... He made a quick decision that perhaps after a rain delay, they might be somewhat more lenient the second time around...
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timmartin@carolina.rr.com
I'm sure he will send them out for a small fee to cover his cost
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That means I was chief judge for Jeff Ream's first two contests ever...
now THAT is frightening... and I survived it...
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and for all you neophytes
there is another interesting point here... despite what many in DCI would like to believe (especially the younger generations)
those staff bloodlines beyond the last 10 years or so, almost invariably go back to senior corps...
Yes, senior corps created junior corps to replenish their ranks mainly and also, just because we COULD create them - and it was fun to teach them...
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Exactly...
often it's like reading family trees... and just like so many go back to the Sasso Family, can you imagine how many go back to Hy Dreitzer? or Gus Wilke?
and we've only talked about brass men...
I would love to see a tree of everyone who ever taught percussion who has ties back to Bobby Thompson...
oh and on my list, I forgot Joe Buncie... how could I forget Joe? He just passed in August. I'm sure there's many others I've missed.
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As we span the years... we are pretty much covering the history of drum corps brass... being old, as you might expect, my list would tend to be well... OLD - but I had the priviledge of playing in lines under these guys...
impressive list...
Brad Londgo (Mike's Father) best I ever worked under - never gets the credit he deserves... (or maybe it's just that there's too few of us left)
Corky Fabrizio - knew drum corps better than anyone - cleaned as he taught
Ken Norman - yes I had the priviledge - got more out of a line with his foot than most do with their heart and soul...
Wayne Downey - he was young at the time but he sure learned well didn't he?
Dominic Del Ra - just the nicest guy to work for... besides he invented the mellophone... that gets big points from me...
Dr. Jack Bullock - musician's musician
Truman Crawford - need anymore be said?
Dr. Ed Mizma - was a brilliant scientist which often showed in his music but a delight to work under... most responsible for the 1965 super corps in Rochester...
Sal Sparazza - great Rochester pro player who loved drum corps and was a GREAT arranger
Then there was a litinany of unsung heros who worked the lines I was in who were the men who made the above guys look good...
Ray Shahin - wonderful band director (Bishop Kearney) and great teacher
Dickie Robillato - where would Corky have been without Dickie? Peanut butter and jelly...
Hugh Burritt - currently head of the music department at SUNY Oswego - great teacher and player - played in Sevrinson's band when he was young.
Bruce Burritt - Hugh's cousin and the creator of the West Genesee Band dynasty later to be instrumental in BOA judging
Steve Cooley - as many mentioned... a good one for sure and great guy
Roger Eckers - local pro musician, very very talented
Eddie Cozzelino - made St. Joe's and was a great drum corps guy
and dozens of others...
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Tim Martin...
Your email that I have isn't working so I'll post my thanks publicly... just
received the Phoenix DVD and have already viewed it... Thank you for
thinking of me and making this historically important product available.
well almost 30 years later and now we can look back and appreciate
everything - inspite of the "times" and the competition.
The late Wally Filkins was special and did an amazing job putting this
together with 8 mm movie and records... you would all be very surprised at
how good it is... it tells a story... has surprisingly good "clips"
considering that the music and video were not recorded together at times...
and of course - some tongue in check music over the commentary that we all
found enjoyable... if not downright funny - that was Wally's sense of
humor...
I was the only Crusader allowed to stay back that day at Holleder Stadium in
1975 with Vince Bruni. It was my job to bring the scores over to rehearsal
after they were announced... (talk about shooting the messenger - Yikes!)
In retrospect, we should have kept the whole corps back to watch... they
would have understood - as I did - that something special had just happened
and we (Cru) were simply outplayed, outmanned, outgunned and most of all out
programmed...
the dvd is special... for sure and I especially appreciate seeing so many of
our dear friends who are now gone...
Thanks again
Tom
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For many years Bellefontaine's Brass book was written by none other than my first "big time" instructor, Brad Londgo... (better known these days as Mike Londgo's Dad)
He used to talk often about how much he enjoyed going out to Ohio... did them the same time as he did Brigadiers and then starting in the fall of 1961, he also did Fulton Gauchos
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The Phoenix Story?
I recommend Billy McGrath to elaborate on that...
but if you had all night I might be able to explain it...
It sure is interesting... oh well... off traveling again
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Keith
that was Redd Swindells with Oswego Black Knights... he still plays professionally from time to time... on both sax and trumpet.
The avante guard guy was probably Dave Keck from Brigadiers
Hunter Moss is great and true southern gentleman
Chez Mr. K and the rest are special for sure
Unquestionably - although you all mention some great people ... the best soloist now performing in drum corps has to be Empire's Joey Pero... he is a true animal... trained at Julliard by Wynton Marsalis and currently completing his training at Berkeley in Boston... He is the most consistent screacher I've ever heard... bar none... rumors abound about his going pro... with someone like Tower of Power.
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Interesting thread and the vast age differences of the posters show here...
The actual answer to the question asked is probably 1963. "heel and toe and away you go" combined with changing step size from 6 per 5 yards to 8 per 5 yards was all developed by a diminutive quiet giant named Fred Gebhardt.
Simultaneously, Jim Jones switched Troopers over about the same period - it became far more pronounced after the two compared notes... it was not necessarilly an accident that West Genesee looked more like Troopers than Troopers did. The men did admire each other.
Gebby's work at the time was with Brigadiers, Frankfurt Starlighters and West Genesee Wildcats (and later with Mighty St. Joe's)
Both men only utilized the high mark time for a desired effect.
It was the fact that this new controlled movement allowed far better control of the embrochure - consequently much cleaner Brass and Visual - YES fewer ticks - that ended in final acceptance by all. Of course this took almost 20 years to fully kick in. The final capitualation was often spear headed by brass instructors who saw so much more opportunity to play the instruments correctly and accurately.
I would love to have been a little bird at Skyliner rehearsals in the 70's when Gebby switched them over... must have been interesting.
By the way, I'm not a know it all - I'm just OLD and lived through it...
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and if you turn up the volume real loud during Kingston Grenadiers, you'll hear some young Sheriff in the background saying:
"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can................."
:-)
:-)
:-)
:-)
(no he didn't really read me my rights... if he had, it would have been the only thing he did right - I'm sure when asked about "Miranda" he see's thoughts of a South American bombshell wearing a bowl of fruit on her head - as in Carmen Miranda)
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The following is a thinly veiled ad for DCA products - BUT - I speak only
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth... you won't be
disappointed...
I've just completed a pretty thorough listening to the 2002 DCA CD's from
Digital Audio Resources.... Great corps, great recordings... thanks for
another fine job to Charlie, Ken and everyone involved. It is great to have
such a wonderful show so well preserved.
http://www.dcacorps.org (then click on products)
Tom
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you can't fool me Mike... you just liked the "real" beer...
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to the previous post... I have not seen SCV... so can't comment...
as for Patriots Guard... well, the incompleteness of the "total" show and the lack of GE being emitted from the total corps at this time (especially brass) definitely tempers their guard scores. (probably correctly so) That being said, to the person who remains anonymous but chooses to remember my 24 years with Patriots, I might also remind you that during the last 35 years or so, I must have judged maybe 150 (probably more) guard contests...
With that claim to know just a "little bit" more than some about color guard... I repeat and elaborate, in guard and body technique, stage presence and recovery - Patriots guard could teach a lot to some of the Div I corps (even some finalists)
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OK... I'm over it... all the Hopkin Hating hypocrites on ramd can go suck
eggs...
all I have to say is if every corps were like Cadets - within a few short
years we would need major league stadiums for every show to hold all the
people.
and it spilled over to Crossmen, Boston, Spirit and even Kiwanis
There is hope for the division I corps... You can again bring your drum
corps ignorant friends to a show... now... if these corps spill over to
those last couple of hold outs... we're back in a position to market drum
corps again...
and all you "pledge" haters out there... you forgot to tell us about the
breathtaking brass chorale being played so tastefully behind those few
words... amazing and appropriate... I had NO problem with it whatsoever...
and I'M OLD Time Drum Corps... (I marched my first contest in 1959 - is
that old enough?)
Boston Crossmen and Spirit all grabbed me too... well balanced and great
shows... accessible to all...
Kiwanis? Best I've ever seen you... I really thought you had a fun show
out there and lots of guts for holding it together so well this week with
the awful distraction...
Magic is real and will fare well in Division I after the clean up Division
II with no competition... In 28 days they will beat some very surprised
corps...
Patriots... can teach the big boys something in guard... drum line is
solid... green brass is still learning... they will be fine by Madison...
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You can soon read my review in DCW... but I totally agreed with you on Phantom... they were a delight...
and no, I didn't "get" Blue Knights either...
Great evening... big thanks to Rick Bays and his crew from Cap Regiment.
Tom
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before anyone goes crazy with this whole thread... hearing aides are quite common among us old timers... but it's generally not because of db's... rather due to some variation of "trumpeter's ear" which is a loss in hearing caused by playing with excessive pressure... I plead guilty and now sport two wonderful and very expensive new hearing aides. But you know what? I wouldn't change a thing. Have no regrets.
Rochester Phoenix DVD
in DCA All-Age Corps and Alumni Corps Historical Forum
Posted
and what did you think of the Mellophone solo in Rocky Horror? Jack Bullock wanted it loud and forceful... that's what I gave him...
As I stated earlier... Rocky had just opened on the London stage back then and Jack had somehow heard the sound track... we had NO idea what we were getting into... "great music from a new London play" he told us...
:P 30 years later - and it's now cult music...
The scary thought is that were it done today, they'd have probably wanted me to play the solo in a bra and girdle... now THAT is a very disturbing mind picture...