silvertrombone

Then they would miss finals again this year...not even close...won't be an issue now--10th place, mark my words boys and girls, 10th place!

Are we allowed to tell the kid what SUTA stands for? Don't remember if that's public information. And Tracy Supan was the Goddess around Phantom. Married my good buddy (and fellow Texan!) Ricky Fritsching. Hope I got the name right! It was even worth swallowing that gosh awful GACK to get a smooch from her. Sorry, can't talk about the GACK. Can't even use the real name--I'll be hunted down. And Geoff will delete my post. Can't get in trouble with a Canadian who controls the web! And MOJO is a Texas phenomenon--Odessa Permian High School's to be specific. Permian has one of the greatest football traditions in a state full of them. It is said there are only two things to do in Odessa, and play football is one of them. Well, three, if you count cow-tipping. I don't know which one of you stole the expression and used it in drum corps. (just kidding--please don't flay me--too badly!)

Great thread--thanks for resurecting it! How's this for a scenario? SCV '89 show ('88 too?). POTO is going along and up comes the 'Masquerade' section, and up pops the Phantom!! Now why couldn't a downs kid be the Phantom? Even a severe case of downs, if I'm right, wouldn't keep a kid from hopping up in a costume, waving around a bit and running to the back of the field. And think about the hype that type of situation would provide for members? Then there's the fact that someone from the guard isn't having to leave the field, put on the costume, run to the back, etc. Not sure if that's a valid point--I'm just a simple trombonist/Buick! My point is, there would be SOMETHING your daughter could do when she is of age. I would recommend if she, or if anyone else out there has a downs child who wants to perform, that you contact as many corps as possible and apprise them of your situation. Tell them you would like to have your daughter in some performance role, but support staff volunteer would be the minimum. There's also always Bones! He/she always seems to show up backfield and is a great hype for the Xmen! Another possibility?? Sorry to keep an old thread going, but such a good old thread!!

Wow, talk about love! Thanks--kind of a repeat of '93 with different music. Problem with the de Falla was they wanted it to be some 'Bolero'-ish rendition, but we kept jacking it up about 20 clicks too fast in performance, so they just kind of gave up on it! In the fall we originally had the crab/wedge in at the end of Ritual Fire Dance--kind of cool--REALLY fit well--then we never did it beyond about March. BTW, SCV is always magic, even when their show isn't--OMG!! Kind of like Notre Dame's famous locker room sign, "PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY." SCV must have that in their equipment truck or food truck or something. And I'd LOVE to see Kingsmen. What's their logo? "We will be judged by our actions"--in LATIN! Cool. DCI and youth in general need more of that. So does this forum--except for this thread--you guys are the best! (Bet that gets a reply)

Manuel de Falla, Ritual Fire Dance from 'El Amor Brujo.' Good stuff! They said that this was a drum corps standard, so who all has played it? '94 Phantom opener.

All things Cadets plus select others, hmm?? Oh, I'm gonna get it for that! Good collection.

Be honest--if '05 Cadets happens in '06, this thread isn't in existence. edited for brevity--take note, won't happen often

An arguable point that nobody made. If '05 Cadets happens in '06, Coats are probably indeed 5th. Of course, if everyone had put their best show ever on the field in '06 (despite it being a phenomenal year top to bottom, shocker, this did not happen), Coats probably don't finish higher than 8th. Neither the reply you were answering (obviously, I'm speaking for someone else here) nor my reply are meant to berate '06 Coats, for whom I Bloo'ed vociforously, and whose show I loved! Just sayin... That being said, nothing can be taken away from Coats show, performance, talent level, etc. Two thumbs enthusiastically way up! Crossmen '92 (**biased personal opinion forthcoming--don't flay me**) did not strike me as a tremendously talented corps. They just had one of the best-conceived and designed shows of all time! That kind of helps. I was in Sky and we had the joy of touring with them extensively throughout the year. It was a joy to see the show grow from something that we on tour enjoyed seeing at shows to something the audiences really started diggin', to the judges, to Finals night. Wow, when PR was announced in 8th!! And SCV in 7th!!! And Xmen in 6th!!!!! That was fun. Unfortunately, Xmen could not remain independent, but fortunately YEA was able to rescue them from oblivion. Great move. I've said before, and I'll say it again--the move to Texas is huge. The concentration of talent is incredible. Don't be surprised to see a top 6 move down here. Just a hunch--they all audition here, after all. Sadly, the combination of everyone wanting to march top 6 and Hoppy robbing Xmen for Cadets leaves a bit of a vaccum year to year, so you don't see the results of a Blue Knights or Bluecoats in Xmen year after year (ie, consistently 6-10). Staff's move up, members move up, and Xmen place lower. Texas will change that to a degree. 10th place--been saying that since the day they moved. And tubamann is right...while Xmen endure, many more than 10 other corps have wilted and gone away. RIP SkyRyders.

Ducky, you can adopt the Kennedy School as your surrogate home. It's on the north end of town surrounded by corn fields and we used it in '94. Good place, lots of fields around it. Had lightning strike like a hundred feet away one day, destroyed a tree and we retreated to the other side of the school. Still there--went by at the 50th anniversary thing last year for a photo.

Sha...I aged out in '95--how do you think I feel??

What else WOULD they have played? Mass pandemonium would have ensued unless it was "Slaughter on 10th Avenue." DCI would fold--maybe we know what to pray for?? DCP is safe--google owns that really popular video web site that nobody is allowed to mention on DCP. As long as the Big Boys are involved, all is good! I addressed this in my previous post--it would have taken SCV winning in '88, then they would have moved on to Carmen, and we'd probably all be boo-hoo'ing over how Scouts should have won in '88. Of course if they had won in '88, we'd be talking about '87 Russian Christmas (right holiday?) Music, etc. Can't take away '86 from BD, the rule of '6', and all, although that came crushing down last year. '85? SCV's streak hadn't started--chalk one year up to the corps winning that should have won! And we'd move on to another thread happily! If Phantom had won in '89, the universe would simply have stopped existing, dogs and cats would be living together happily--all that Ghostbusters stuff. No big deal.

Oh, so many ?'s. If Star hadn't left the activity, they would have 5+ championships. Innovation on the field would be amazing. Probably no amps, either. And I don't mean to bash anyone who, um, 'dislikes' Star, but maybe, just maybe, someone outside of Bloomington would know something about business management and for-profit businesses (other than BINGO) feeding cash into a non-profit organization. If Vanguard had won in '88. They wouldn't have repeated POTO in '89. Phantom gets the nod just b/c Carmen and Miss Saigon didn't work so hot--I'm making the assumption that SCV would have gone one of these directions, and that also ignores the fact that they were top 2 for four years running! Cut me some slack--I'm biased to PR. Here's a question: What would happen if Hoppy left Cadets to direct Phantom? Oh, sorry that already happened--Doug Rutherford, 1994-95. Dutchboy would still have folded even if they had been top 12 in '91. But Sky was the hometown corps--know how that works. DCI/DCA Cold War...hmm--good question! The 'I' question in DCI is a good one, too. If this organization ever had a clue about how to run the activity, these would be fun to discuss. As it is, only the United States seems to have "World Champions" (NFL, NBA, DCI, etc). Isn't the English Football / Soccer select league champion referred to as "English Division Champion" or some such? Much more humble, IMHO. More accurate, too. I digress... Sponsorships and corps member dues--haven't you been paying attention? DCI pockets that stuff. Pays for the big stadiums once a year, but that's about it. What if DCI were structured more like the NFL and corps were franchises? Each has its own equal voice, maybe you have a dynasty for a few years, but champions change year to year--heck the playoffs this year look way different than in 2000 than in 1996 than in 1992, etc. DCI Finals look basically the same now as in 1988. <flame suit on> What if a September to May age-out corps with all DCI age-outs eligible for AUDITIONS toured the country--sort of a Blast-style 'professional' group? And to have a WORLD championship, at least in DCI, and it be successful, wouldn't there have to be International corps participating? Montreal had quite a few Canadian corps within driving distance, yes? BTW, being--what--60 miles from the US, does Montreal REALLY qualify as International? <flame suit on>

Holy smokes--audition for State!! I don't know where you're from, but in Texas that's a big deal. Even auditioning. Believe it or not, you won't march with many former All-State musicians--at least that was my experience. Funny, All-State stage ensembles and DCI-types seemed to be mutually exclusive! So as much as I talk about Texas, talent here, and the Crossmen's move, DCI isn't even very representative of how great the HS music is down here. If your corps can't let you out of one weekend to audition for ALL STATE--boy, how the times have changed. I hear stories from the 80's and before where HS directors didn't want their kids auditioning for corps. What a change. And take it from a MuEd Major--get an Accounting degree and minor in music. Pays better!

Curious to know how many of you were trombonists first and played bari/euph in corps. This kind of sprang forth from Mean's comment on all low brass sucking wind. Alternate to Texas All-State Jazz/Orchestra/Bands on Bass Trombone (seriously--alternate to each--Sr year sucked!). Always fun being heard tootin' the pedal tones! Guess I was made for PR, huh?

That's alright, my experience is that the members are generally more talented than the staff! Come to Texas some time...try to get a Rhode Island trombone player in the doors at Region.

OK, here's one I've been thinking of recently. Everybody hates DCI now--down with Hopkins, the music sucks, nobody likes the shows--typical stuff we've all heard here. So come up with something better...would this even work? Each corps picks one show from its past and reproduces/repeats it. For arguments' sake, in 2007. Put out your lineup of corps and shows. Obviously, the cinecast rules are in effect. One corps, one show. Put up as extensive a list as you like. List the top 6, the top 12, all of D1, D2, D3. The rule is, nobody is allowed to take offense if someone else doesn't list everybody in D1/2/3. If you want to do exclusively D2 or D3, go for it! If you want to predict who would win with their 2007 corps on their show from 'X' year, list them in order. If you want to give scores, that's kind of anal and you probably need a different hobby, or a job--but go for it! Me, I'm only going top 12 plus a few others 'cuz a lot of my contemporaries are no longer around, and I've not been real involved the last couple of years. In no particular order... (except for Phantom--bias!) Phantom Regiment - 1993 VERY innovative--now do M&M's! Close second for Spartacus. Santa Clara Vanguard - 1990 Carmen--hard to follow '89--try again! Cavaliers - 2002 was that the right one?? When they scored like 99.9 or something dumb--just so I can see it! Scouts - 1988 - ALWAYS! Cadets - 1987 - Appalachian Spring--Is there another show that can be labeled quintessential Cadets? Close second '92. BD - 1994 - Blew me away all summer--do it again!! Close second 1986. Actually, for Jazz's sake, 1986! RIP VK - 1992 - It would kind of have to be updated--ie references to Vlad Lenin, et al--Magical Mystery Tour--Too cool, VK! RIP Star - 1990 - Was that Belteshazzar's Feast?? Wow! RIP Freelancers - You guys will have to help me out here! Blue Knights - 1993 I think? Kind of like to see the Star Trek thing tried again. Great theme, not sure they pulled it off. Bluecoats - 2006 - Is there any other??? Crossmen - 1992 - Is there any other??? Yikes, don't flame me! RIP Skyryders - 1987 or 1988 (sorry, '86) - West Side Story/Sound of Music--the only acceptable use of vocals ever!! Boston Crusaders - 2000?? Red--sorry if I got the year wrong. Spirit of Atlanta - Sorry for the unfamiliar name, but just about anything from the 1970's! Carolina Crown - not as familiar - I'll say 2005--first impression after a long break from the activity was a good one! Glassmen - 1993--first year in Finals! Colts - 1993--first year in Finals! Those two corps were exciting Finals night--couldn't have cared where they placed!!

OK, how's this--put up or shut up. I'm a PR guy and I've got a good one--sort of. My definition of jazz is pretty broad having been at North Texas. Everything from Basie and Kenton (as in Kenton Hall, where the One O'Clock rehearses!) to Norah Jones, also of NT progeny, counts. So here's my suggestion--not the whole show, but can you imagine the whole trumpet section wailing on this one? Werle Trumpet Concerto #2. I used to play in the Metropolitan Winds, a Dallas area wind ensemble, and we've performed it twice. First time with Arturo Sandoval and in 2004 at TMEA with Adam Rapa, formerly of the Madison Scouts and Blast/Cyberjam. Holy snot! Kid can play!! Funny, too! Sandoval, on his performance, ends the cadenza at the end of the third movement with some little ditty that goes low in the register. Well, I used to be a bass trombonist, with quite a good low register, thank you! Believe me when I say I didn't know the trumpet could play as low as Adam went in the same place--FLAYED Arturo! Loud, too. Sounded like a piccolo trumpet with a Schilke 59 bass trombone mouthpiece on it! Other suggestions???

OK, I'm not exactly new to the activity, but I'm not very well-versed in pre-90's DCI. So to all of you in Silicon Valley, enlighten me (us). I've always been amazed at the string of 2nds run together by SCV from '85-'88. Wow! I'm a PR guy and I've got my feelings on the '89 situation, but man--four 2nds in a row! I'd like to hear from those of you who were in those fabulous SCV corps and the corps that bested them as to your input. Be nice, but basically anything goes. Kindergarten rules--if you don't have anything nice to say... I'm just interested in hearing anything about the show, placement throughout each summer, the Finals placement, unique aspects of Championships week, the show, the competition, etc. Not so much interested in the whole "judges" thing, but I guess that's necessary, too. Just be nice about it. And this isn't meant to take anything away from any of the Champions those years--great stuff!! '87 Cadets and '88 Scouts are among my favorites--kudos to all! But I want to learn about this amazing run of 2nds from all sides. And if I need to go into the old-folks thread to get more input (don't worry, I belong there, too!), let me know. Thanks!

Great thread--boy there have been some good runner-up's! I have to apologize to '89 Regiment but I voted for '06 Faust--never saw New World live--didn't even know about DCI until '91--but oh, what a show it is! I've mentioned elsewhere that I was out of the activity from '98 to '04. Saw the spring cinecast and 1/4's in '04 and '05, saw the corps (excuse me...THE corps) at rehearsal in Wylie, TX in '05 the day after San Antonio. Then the 50th Anniversary thing in Rockford was my first time to see the corps in uniform live since the black uni's in The Ring in '97. I was in San Antonio for business this year and got to see the entire show. So I got to see the corps for the first time in '91 with a hot show, took a long break, and came back with Faust--what a story! Hats off to Star '93--another one I saw live! I posted this story elsewhere, but here's for those of you that haven't seen it yet. Classiest thing I ever saw was retreat in '93. This was before America/Oh, Canada when all the corps played their encore piece and corps song and marched out. Well, everybody else departs leaving Star and Cadets, Star does their thing, the corps marches off leaving their DM and Cadets DM's. Star's DM does that weird/cool salute they did that year, Cadets return salute--and they just hold it for about a year and a half!! Star's DM releases--AND BOWS!! Comes up, marches off, Cadets DM's FINALLY release their salute, and the corps takes the field in encore performance. Classy, Star--classy! I miss Star...

Ah, I saw a couple other people avoiding saying it like the plague so I figured I'd play along. I don't know what happens if you say it. I talked about the angry emoticon and they flayed me--didn't just close it--they emptied it! And I SWEAR the little guy is saying what I think he's saying! And it's THEIR emoticon!! Funny. Post it--the music is in imminent domain by about a hundred years, your video, all's good! Make sure and let us know when you do it. And I don't think there's anything wrong with saying the guy's nickname, but like Nikk said--it stuck--hard! And John hated it!! He was the guy I lined up with to go to the stadiums from warm-up and we had a little contest ongoing to see who was in tune when the tuner went around. If I remember correctly, it was neck and neck going into finals week but I ended up owing him a Dr Pepper! One Dublin DP to John!

Well, I'm sure you're right. And I'd love to hear some of those corps and soloists. I think I said earlier that most corps in the 90's had a few great players on 1st and average players on 2/3. I'm sure the same was the case in earlier eras. To some extent I'm sure its the same now, but there are fewer corps so the really good players filter up into other corps. Makes for great finals, and the D2/3 have benefited as well, but I'd kind of like to see an activity with 600 corps. Can you imagine a finals with 12 completely different corps than the previous year--and nobody folded!?

Oh, forgot the rolled heel backwards march thing Phantom does. Very distinctive, very elegant--and looks pretty darn hard to do! I wouldn't know. The one year I marched we never even practiced it. Didn't ever play Amazing Grace, Elsa, or New World, either! Not bitter!!

Went to a Shriner Corps rehearsal years ago--they had the old P/R bugles. Hideous things. Parade instruments at best, firewood at worst. I was a bass trombonist in high school--alternate to state, etc. Marched bari--didn't want to lug around contra or euph! I always loved playing in a top ensemble with great players on 1/2/3--always got compliments b/c they could hear the 3rd part balanced and pretty. No always the case in corps. But I guess its kind of hard to rob 1st of a couple players for 2/3 parts. How about a speedo under the kilt--I'm a swimmer! Ha-ha--you asked for that one!

I was just curious to hear how many corps' books people were familiar with. Don't take this thread as mean, and don't assault any specific corps. I was familiar with PR's book except for the piano concerto, the theme from BD's "Godfather," and Malambo from Scouts' show (although this was due to PR's '93 show). I'm just curious to see how many of you can hum a tune from the '06 shows. If you marched this season, choose a corps besides your own.

First, thanks for a civil reply. Usually by now these things devolve into cat fights--probably on the next page, huh? I disagree with you on the 250 today vs. 1960's statement, but I base that strictly on the recordings. There were tons more musicians than today participating in DCI, the instruments and recordings were terrible, and the quality musicians could very well have been dispersed between those "600" corps. So I see merit in your statement. Plus I hadn't been born yet, so what do I know? Actually, I would probably make the assertion that the 250 best of the 1960's are in step with the top 1,000 of today. See below. And for every one that is crazy enough to sleep on gym floors and ride busses and rehearse 8 hours a day for their summer vacation, there are probably 4,000 more back home watching ESPN2 who are as good or better. There are simply more total musicians (DCI and band-O's) today than there were then. I did a bachelors degree in music education at North Texas while marching corps. UNT had at the time about 1,600 music majors--second only to IU, supposedly. IU quit publishing numbers when we started gaining on them! Today its more like 2,500 b/c the school has had so much growth the last decade. We were basically the second largest college of music in the world. I mean, we had 40 trombones in our department and that wasn't enough to fill out the jazz lab bands! The marching band wasn't the largest anywhere and we didn't do tremendously hard drill, but I would have put our music up against anybody's--PASIC winning drumline, jazz musicians/soloists from the 1/2/3 O'Clock lab bands (3 best in the WORLD!), and a conservatory full of wind players--wow! The reason I bring this point up is that this kind of concentration of talent breeds better musicians, simply because if you want to be in the wind symphony instead of concert band, the 1 O'Clock instead of 9 O'Clock, or the symphony instead of band, you had to practice and be better--MUCH better! UNT has grown as Texas and DFW have grown. As the college of music has grown, it is because there are more quality high school musicians who come to UNT to do music. These are the type of kids who feed into DCI. And I think its pretty safe to say that with a lot of these students either participating in DCI or being on that level, and the fact that ed majors have to be able to play any instrument in order to teach it, its pretty safe to say that we could probably pick up that G piston-rotor and surprise you. "Carnival of Venice?" No. Play in tune? Yup. Remember Cesario's statement on the through the years thing the last couple years--the 90's saw the large influx of conservatory and music students into DCI--this isn't your daddy's drum and bugle corps any more!