Cordog27

Every DCI since 1982 except Miami, Buffalo, and Denver. On tour since 2007. The crowds are decreasing. Some due to ticket prices and travel costs certainly. However, many fans are simply not enjoying many of the shows these days and are choosing to spend their discretionary income elsewhere.

Window dressing was never mentioned and I did not summarily dismiss the guards of today. One would be wise to not arbitrarily lump individuals into groups. I currently instruct DCI, WGI, DCA, DCUK/DCE and while the multiple responsibilities that are required with the inclusion of MORE lower body work in the guard books of today is admirable, to say the guards of decades past have no spatial awareness is comical. The vocabulary may be somewhat more demanding physically due to the inclusion of more dance/movement. However, the precision required from full unit phrasing is no less in decades past than is what is required today. There are reasons you do not see extended phrases of uniform work in most marching units today, and that is because they would not be clean. The guards were integral in show design before and still are today, but the judging is subjective and not based on precision. Look at some recent recaps and validate how a DCI winning guard/corps can get a perfect visual and/or guard score with drops and phrasing. I have embraced change and for that reason still instruct on many levels. That is not to say I do not respect and admire the past.

I am currently on staff with DCI, WGI, DCA, DCUK/DCE in the visual and guard captions. If a DCI fan wanted to see the cerebral, high-theatre, modern dance influenced, themed productions, they would attend WGI. Why does every corps think their show must have some meaning, or theme, or through line? Have well played, well marched, well spun productions of in your face music gone the way of the dodo simply because most corps have but one thought at the core of their mental thought process? I speak of winning DCI of course. When the basis for drum corps went from precision to themed shows and subjective adjudication, the losers were the members and the fans. It has become the desire of many corps staffs to present a production that is difficult to comprehend, and as a result difficult to judge. The fans are staying away in droves, you cannot deny that. Evolution is one thing. Changing just to be different and confuse is quite another.

I must disagree with this. Look at the precision of the guard books in the 70's, 80's and 90's, in addition to the actual, "Marching and maneuvering", required by the guard members. Today most guard members do not ever attend basics with the corps proper, learn any form of a marching technique, or even learn, "Eight to five." The guards from the 70's and 80's did all of this in addition to performing an 11.5-13 minute show that was largely unison work. I sat at Lucas Oil last year at Finals and watched more than one finalist guard never actually "March" and even then only have 24-36 counts of full color guard unison work their ENTIRE show. Movement/body vocabulary may be taking more of a place of importance on the field on the guard sheets of today, but if one wanted that, one could attend WGI. Most DCI guards these days do not even learn double time with rifles or double time with flags. Let's see them do 1000 counts of either, just as one facet of a typical warm-up back in the day. You think a rifle line of today could perform the rifle work from Danny Boy in 1980 with that degree of cleanliness? Or Slaughter? You stop the DVD at any point in 1980 27th Lancers or Scouts (or many other years of either), and the rifle and flag tosses are not only uniform in height, but in velocity of rotation. You do not see that at all today. Give me a flawless triple, quad, or five, caught flat with the echo of the uniform "thwappp" of the leather strap, from and entire rifle line or guard, over one featured performer chunking a 7 or 8 and catching it at an angle or worse, like catching a baby thrown from a burning building, any day.

If you look at the recaps from 1988 prelims you will see the Madison guard scored a 99 out of 100 and that was with 6 corps, including the up to then undefeated Blue Devils, left to perform. The judge must have been pretty confident in his scoring to pop a number like that. 27th was, "da bawls" and Madison was as well. Can't go wrong with either group.

It is not a clock wind but rather the tumblers of a safe, watch the guard/brass and watch/listen to the battery. They are the tumblers being manipulated in the safe doors (horn line).

X

Qwerty

The guard is larger than 20.

Talked to Freddie today, thanks man. He said Herc is working with him. What's Solari doing? I keep up with Sue but lost touch with Minnow and Kathleen Russo. Stay in touch with Paul Rennick, Rick Cogley, Rik Carr, and Shelly Irvine. What's up with Jake? The Corps had three standstills today. One at 9am, one at 10am, and then one at 7pm. Good day. Move to new housing tomorrow. Be there 10 days and then hit the road. Let me know when anyone will be around. Corey Oh, and yeah I can see any kids Freddie ever has being taller than him!

1975 Madison Scouts. (Although those guys that marched in 1988 were not so bad themselves.)

Being from the Memphis TN/Southaven MS area, I have been through tornados, literally, and I have never heard of closing schools a day early because of them. I am in Baraboo with the Corps right now so.....

Just a FYI, Shelly Irvine played tenors while Ron Kerns was in the front line. They both went to of University of Akron. They started Panyard in Akron Ohio, not California. Corey Smith, Bari 84, 85, 86 here, hit me up sometime. On the road with the Scouts. -- Corey Smith Tour Director Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps director@madisonscouts.org office. 608.237.8775 x 20 cell. 901.351.7561 4606 Pflaum Road Madison WI 53718 fax. 608.244.1541 madisonscouts.org

1980 27th Lancers. They were 'da ballz! HM 1976 Madison. Could have won if the season would have been one week longer. This after scrapping their show after first tour and learning a new one! Who could, or would, even attempt that today?

Hello all- Drop me a line anytime. I hope to make the reunion gig. I had so much fun in the Alumni Corps last year I hate I missed the one in 1994. Anyone know the whereabouts of Freddie Mendelson? My Brass Caption Coordinator here at Scouts is from East Bridgewater, MA. He was taught there and/or at East Coast Jazz by Bill Freaking Solari and Billy Carnes. Corey Smith