arrangerx

After careful consideration of the original question, I've come up with an idea. Have all the shows in Racine, Wisconsin. All of them. Except for Allentown. Then, allow beer. I will be entertained. Now back to our regularly scheduled intentional misrepresentations. your friend, Chuck Naffier

1980 -- my rookie marching year. I'd been seeing my friends in drum corps wearing all kinds of different shirts, but until DCI Midewest in Whitewater, WI that summer, I'd never had the chance to see some of the corps that I'd heard so much about. First 3 Shirts within 10 minutes: 1) Santa Clara Vanguard red-sleeved 3/4 baseball jersey 2) Crossmen white T with classic Maltese Cross Logo, red piping on collar and sleeves 3) Troopers classic dark blue T with yellow logo/cross-swords and the 11 (they still sell this one). At 1980 DCI that year, I went down into the snakepit of souvie land under the bleachers in Birmingham, Alabama (MADNESS!!) and finished out my wish list for my first year in drum corps 4) Spirit of Atlanta 3/4 baseball jersey with the silhouette of the horn player with the rainbow colors 5) Blue Devils T, withe the little guy with arms raised up high 6) Bridgemen "Banana" T, which they released again back in the early 2000's by their alumni corps. Wore 'em all out... and purchased MANY more over the years! Chuck Naffier

It's Paul Winter Consort... I had to lift the original recording FOR The Paul Winter Consort when they played the Gala Event with University of Northern Colorado music department some years ago. The only music available was a scrap of a lead sheet sent along by Paul Winter. They (Paul Winter) never have scored it out to the best of my knowledge. Crossmen did play a version of it in 1992 (So did the Glassmen that year). However, it was heavily "drumcorps-ized" (appropriately so by the very talented Matt Krempansky!), so not sure if that's the one you're looking for. Good luck, Chuck Naffier

DCI, per se, does not actually perform on the field. The corps members do. And regardless of the sponsor, people go to see shows with their high school students for several reasons: 1. To expose their students to a higher standard of performance 2. To show their students what is possible after school 3. To raise standards in their own performances 4. To share the joy of music/marching/colorguard 5. Because many directors have past experience as drum corps performers, and want to share that experience. 6. Because many directors inherit programs that have "nowhere to go but up" and want to excite the students. 7. Because they are asking their students to pay attention with a critical ear/eye to higher level performances. 8. Because they are teaching their students to be active in support of the arts. I'm sure there are more reasons to attend with high school students -- but you get the picture. The adults involved care about the politics. The non-"7" would do well to come out prepared, raise their standards, and understand that the idea of "amateur" performance is far less sustainable than it was when we were a neighborhood and community hobby/activity. The "7" would do well to extend a hand to allow the entire activity to move forward rather than small segments of the activity. This was a wake-up call for all sides... and while it was presented rather petulantly at times, there is a very real concern about the viability of our beloved drum corps pass time that needs addressing. But... back to the kids: Drum corps is a spectacle that comes to their town maybe once a summer, and is nothing more and nothing less than that to non-participants. We who tour, perform, attend more than one show a year, create, teach, judge, administrate and give a portion of our lives to drum corps should not be shocked that our audience is far more casual in their fandom. Bottom line: Great Performances are Great Performances -- whether it's STOMP, Broadway, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mumford & Sons, Lady Gaga, or any of a thousand other opportunities to see/hear/witness great performances -- the sponsor does not matter. The performance level, the ability to completely engage their fands, and the unique and thrilling experience matter. Those who perform at the highest levels will draw fans. Those who perform at lesser levels will struggle. I support a unified drum corps activity -- but I'd be less-than-honest with myself if I didn't acknowledge that the "7" do have certain legitimate concerns, and that the "Non 7" have certain hurdles to overcome as they come to terms with the reality of the performance/competitive/financial climate of 2013. Back to writing -- thank you for your time. Chuck

Lol...Hopkins was younger when he was a corps director of a DCI champion. We're just getting older. I am thrilled to see the mix of experience and youth as we take a bigger bite of the apple this year. :) Chuck

For those of you who knew Doug, and for those of you not fortunate enough to have met him... Doug was a "lifer" in drum corps, from the Colt Cadets, to the Colt .45's, the Colts (see if you can find a 1980 recording and listen to him wail on "There's a Boat Dats Leavin'". More of you will be able to find his 1981 Blue Devils performance as the lower 1/2 of the baritone duet in "Dindi". He proudly donned the uniforms of the Kilties, Royalaires Alumni Corps, and others. He loved playing his horn, and lived life as loud as he played. If you never saw Doug coming at you down a mountainside on his skis, full bore and laughing... what a sight!!! He was a good friend, and I had the chance to say goodbye and tell him what a huge influence he's been on my drum corps life, always encouraging me during my marching years. Peace, my friend. Chuck Naffier

Not quite... We had another piece picked, and I was uncomfortable with it enough that I suggested "Here Comes The Flood" instead. No sync rights or copyright issues... just a change of heart. Chuck

Interesting. Rewinding 1992... always seems to come up. But what rarely comes up is that if Phantom and SCV hadn't been having historically low competitive success that year, the Crossmen would have been 8th. Again. I loved that performance that night. It's a nice memory. It was a fun night. As I've said multiple times here, it's now the members of today who get to create their own standards, their own memories and their own legends. Always a process... 2012 was neither the beginning nor the end. It was a good step forward by an organization that has class, energy, direction and purpose. enjoy :music:/>/> Looking back has a tendency to make the forward motion a little less focused. Looking forward to the next set of challenges! Chuck

I'm on it, my friend! Chuck Naffier

There was a time, back in the early 1980's when Don Angelica, (chief DCI judge administrator) and influential judges like Jim Unrath pushed corps in the direction of maximizing difficulty in brass books. While today's books have the added visual component that gives us the phrase "simultaneous responsibility" (the war cry of so many underachieving brass programs), there are a few brass books that stand out as "difficult" that are rarely matched even today: 1) 1985 Garfield Cadets 2) 1983 Santa Clara Vanguard 3) 1984 Madison Scouts While these shows are rarely in the discussion of "best brass ever", they pushed the boundaries of difficulty that we've not seen much of since in terms of responsibility of the individual player for extended periods of time.

Okay -- THAT was funny! Michael Boo? Are you watching? Chuck Naffier

When one part of a group leaves another part of a group, whether for financial, emotional or ideological reasons, there is a sense of inevitable forward momentum. I bet the VFW and CYO didn't think DCI would make it on their own. For better or worse, G7 is more concerned with fighting over the leftover pie than baking more pie. While certain groups may not necessarily NEED to change the current model, there is pride involved... whether warranted or not. Human beings do not always make decisions based on what's good for the whole. It is neither short-sighted or prescient. It is merely to satisfy the overwhelming money-eating machine we have created, rather than addressing the root of the problem... that we are not, in fact, a large, well-financed entertainment industry, but merely have some very good wordsmiths that take educational language, motivational techniques, fund-raising and non-profit knowledge to serve rather narrow needs. One always hopes for the best, but holding a rather small activity hostage to a set of values that not all ascribe to doesn't bode well. I don't have inside information, but I share the general sense of disappointment in the "me first" attitude in what could be a vibrant youth activity that becomes more and more about the adults. That's a shame. The world gets a little colder each time someone decides they are more important than someone else. Is that really the lesson drum corps was supposed to teach? Really? That's all I'm going to say about this, but it was on my mind. sincerely, Chuck Naffier Lifelong Drum Corps Fan/Participant

Don't know... never saw one. Perhaps Jason would know. Chuck

Glad you liked the Dream Theater show... that's one of mine... Looking forward to another year working with my pal Jason! Chuck

Somebody thought the Crossmen show was too hard??? Hmmm... Had variety and long phrases, and melody... some physical challenges on long phrases... but... TOO HARD? We haven't approached hard yet... yet. peace and love, Chuck Naffier

Not practical. New music comes out all the time... Staff and writers do not get rehired... Creativity and inspiration do not occur on a schedule... We do what we can -- but to be a slave to DVD and CD sales is to misunderstand what this thing is all about.

An original piece of music? Chuck

We'd see a lot more holding calls... Chuck

Hmmm... so am I the only one that caught the "April In Paris" reference in the show? Chuck

Now we're talkin'!! I also propose that F# and Cb should no longer be used, as it's been done before and by the best. Chuck

Troopers: 1981, 1982 En Sueno, Troopers: 1980, 1981 Central Park (Chick Corea) Phantom Regiment: 2004 show, 1993 Estancia, MF's version of Pagliacci in 1977, and revisted in 1991? C'mon... you don't hear the attempts at playing that style? Chuck Naffier

Answer ANY of the 15 or so questions I posted previously? Please? Picking one fight after another is no way to make progress. You have my attention for about another 10 minutes before I decide you're just another guy complaining on the 'net. Let's be brutally honest okay? I'll ask you to pick apart my work, any corps, any year, and we'll have a discussion. Ready. Set. Go. Chuck Naffier

You mean like the checklist in the late 70's and early 80's? Rockford file? Check. Scatter drill? Check. Concert arc? Check. Weepy closer? Check. Drum solo? Check. Brass pick up flags or streamers? Check. Soprano soloist? Check. High mark time? Check. Company front? Check. Make form and rotate slowly from side 1 to side 2. Check. Play Spanish sounding music? Check. Play same closer as last year? Check. Or the checklist of the 90's? Dancing soloists or lovers running to meet each other? Check. Brass small ensemble? Check. Take this block, and rotate it. A lot. Check. Pass guard through horns? Check. Found newest wind band piece with ink still drying on it? Check. 2000's? Do the lower body thing? Check. Guard do gymnastics? Check. End in key of Bb? Check. Play soft and call it tone quality? Check. Got new mics... should probably sing/talk into them? Check. Snare soloist? Check. Ballet positions 1, 2 and 3? Check. There are derivative visuals in every era. There are derivative musical ideas in every era. Again, there are always groups in every single era that set the standards, and groups that follow the trends. The things that don't work well tend to drop out of sight after a few experiments. Not hearing anyone sing "Rent" songs lately, ya know? And yowsa, yowsa, yowsa... was short-lived. Narration? Some still try it... but what do you bet that it's a phase? Stick around for a while and watch. You'll see. It always comes back to music. Always. Whether on the move or standing still... it's still about the music. Let's have fun, and get specific. Want to? That would be fun! Who had a theme specifically that you didn't like? Could the theme have worked with different music? Could the theme have worked with different visual? Was the theme good, but the design unclear? Was the theme good, but the performance level too poor? Were there abrupt changes in continuity that didn't allow you to be in the moment with the corps on the field? Who used electronics poorly? Was it a balance/blend issue? Was it a tonal/frequency choice? Was it because the tone/sound picked seemed out of context somehow? What would have made it work better? (0 points for answers like "make it go away") Who had music that left you scratching your head? (0 points for just typing "Blue Devils") Was it because you didn't know the original piece? Was it because you knew it so well in a different context? Was it because it didn't seem to make sense in this context? What would you program specifically? What artifacts from the past would you bring back? What would you avoid -- specifically? What new would you bring to the table? Now look objectively at your list, then your birth date, look and see which songs correlate most closely to the music you listened to between ages 10 and 25, and really check to make sure that your ideas aren't just your favorite old junk tape from your old IROC or Trans Am. Nothing wrong with those pieces... but is that objectively what you think is best, or just what you know best? (Not sure when your music was written? Go to www.allmusic.com and look it up). Interested in more substantive analysis. Hopefully we're not just having another thinly-veiled "I hate the Blue Devils" conversation. I do find value in reading comments on DCP... but reading specific ideas is always a more engaging exercise to me. all the best, Chuck Naffier

No... there is most definitely a choice... and the choice that's been made is to maintain connection to the world as it is, not as it was. As in any era, there are crowd favorites, anti-heroes, those who do it really well, and those who don't. Only fans can answer your question about leaving or staying... neither you or I know enough to be relevant to the conversation. best, Chuck