RAM

"Ding" fries are done.......sorry but Ian made me do it!

The 2006 Brigadiers will be unveiling this year's Program, Rouge et Noir (Red & Black), based on the music from the movie "Moulin Rouge", on July 1st in Rochester, NY. Arrangers Wayne Downey, David Glyde and Dr. Rob Bridge have created a dramatic and energetic musical program, which includes “Nature Boy,” “The Show Must Go On,” “Sparkling Diamonds,” “Come What May” and “Tango de Roxanne.” Combined with the equipment work and choreography of Ryan Bronner and his staff, and the staging of Rick Morey, this promises to be one of the Brigadiers’ most ambitious and exciting programs. You will note the many “gateways” on the field. These represent the doorways into the Moulin Rouge and that Bohemian atmosphere which evoked such strong and passionate feelings. Each of the four productions of the Brigadiers represents one of the beliefs of Moulin Rouge: “Truth” – “Nature Boy” / “The Show Must Go On” “Beauty” – “Sparkling Diamonds” “Love” – “Come What May” “Freedom” – “Tango de Roxanne” So, walk through one of our gateways with us as we experience the mystery, excitement, and raw emotion of the Bohemian atmosphere portrayed in “Rouge et Noir.” We will be fielding a full Percussion and Guard Section, but are still looking to fill out the remaining 8 Brass Spots in the coming weeks, basically 2 within each section (Soprano, Mellophone, Baritone, Contra). This year's corps and Program truly embodies the Brigadiers "Tradition of Excellence". Please visit the corps web site for additional information or email me at richardmartin@brigadiers.com We look forward to seeing everyone in Rochester....and throughout the Season. Best of luck to all the competing corps this year! It promises to be one of the best in several seasons! Rick Martin Director - Syracuse Brigadiers Corps Website: www.brigadiers.com

Well said Scott! 8 more quality-minded brass folks would add nicely to the dark, but sweet, and yet ever so powerful music being put out by this year's Brass Line. You just gotta hear the show to understand that statement! :-) The Guard is just absolutely phenomenal with their equipment work and choreography. The Drum Line and Front Ensemble are really smokin....ALL sections have been working so excellent with one another on peforming this show!! We had another outstanding camp weekend with full dress run throughs of the COMPLETE program. Everyone here is really pysched and looking forward to performing for all the fans out there on July 1st show in Rochester. This will be one of the "Great Programs" that folks will be discussing on DCP throughout the summer. And Mary your post on what you will be doing over the next week or so is sound advice for all members! I know I will be practicing everyday as much as I can....especially to keep up with the fancy foot work, fast moving drill, and those upper brass parts in the closer.....This is such an exciting show to be a part of! Opening Night for the 2006 Brigs is just 12 days away!

Mary that's so Disgusting :P Sounds like another T-shirt Idea to me

Check in for this weekends Brigs Camp begins at Noon time on Saturday at the Central Square Middle School. Directions are on the corps website at www.brigadiers.com We have 7 brass spots remaining for what will be one of the most talked about and entertaining shows of the season. Bring your chops and marching legs...gonna need them for this Production!

Weekend was rather toasty in Central NY. Lots of RED faces, legs and arms after Sunday's practice! This year's drill has the corps moving .... 220 during Sparkling Diamonds.. yikes! Tango de Roxanne will cap off this fast paced and intrciate visual program with some moves that will have fans going OMG!! Drum line is really running on all cylinders.....still a few Pit openings left. Guard is full and working some serious moves out there. Brass line is playing one of the best Wayne Downey charts ever for this corps...There will be "moments" out there for sure. Solo/Duet/Trio work is exceptional. From the lushness to the stratosphere....this book has it all!! There are still a couple of sop, bari, and contra spots remaining....but are filling in now that the summer is fast approaching and winter hibernation is over. Don't miss out....BE THERE! Bring your sun screen and be at Central Sqaure next weekend. Check out the corps website for more information and directions. Only one month away folks....be prepared for an EXCELLENT Drum Corps Experience!

Yes we have some fancy footwork indeed with the closer. It should be really HOT.....kinda like this weekend was! I think the greatest moment of this weekend was when our Brigadier Brother Scott Mescon came by practice after having some medical issues to deal with this week. As exhausted and as burnt out as we were.....seeing him come to practice to cheer us on was an inspiration to continue on. Because that is what Scott would have done....The Show Must Go On...Come What May! Scott you are Mr. Brigadier in the eyes of many.....and we all hope that you continue to feel better. THANK YOU for all that you do for motivating us to be the "B"!

Weather is looking GREAT for this weekend at Central Square. Visit the corps Website for directions at www.brigadiers.com This weekend we will be doing the Tango with the closer! See ya there!

I think it is a sign then.......2002 was a historical year all the way around......2006 will be an EXCELLENT year too!! See everyone this weekend!

Another Camp Weekend approaches. I have to say I am really looking forward to seeing everyone after mini break here. The Drill charts for "Come What May" and "Tango" are awesome. This is really going to be quite the show indeed!

Well when we were considering the Headline for the Newsletter.....that picture pretty much sumed it all up! 2006 Brigs....Positive Energy Throughout!! Look forward to seeing everyone and feeling the energy again this weekend at Central Square!

Our next camp is May 20th and 21st at the Central Square Middle School. Directions are available at the corps website, www.brigadiers.com This is one of the hardest working group of folks I have had the pleasure to be around. We look forward to a few more like minded individuals to join us for an exciting season! This year's Musical and Visual Program will become a Brigs Classic! Beautiful solo work (you go girls :).....Evan too!), Dark deep Brass sound along with some screamin high notes, jazzy tunes, dramatic ballad, powerful closer, smokin drum line, artistic guard, and a fast paced drill that will have the fans out of breath! The Tradition of Excellence continues............

Weather is supposed to be on our side again this weekend for Drill. Also we will be doing some recording Saturday nite. Should be a great time!

For those Brigs in the Greater New England area and fellow DCP folks, The Brigs Winter Guard will be performing tomorrow in Salem, MA at the WGI Regional. For directions and show schedule please go to www.wgi.org. Thanks go out to everyone for their enthusiasm and support of this year's corps! This will definitely be an Excellent year! February Camp is a week away......look forward to seeing everyone!

Camp Photos have been uploaded to the website. (www.brigadiers.com) It was indeed a great weekend! The attitude of the corps this year is exceptional in all sections from Brass to Percussion to what the Brigs Winter Guard is doing in the WGI shows. Thanks go out to each of you for making this the start to an EXCELLENT year!

The next Camp Weekend is January 14 - 15 to be held at the Central Square Middle School in Central Square, NY. Additional information will be posted on our website at www.brigadiers.com Have a safe and happy Holiday Season!

Season's Greetings from the Brigs! Last weekend's Open House was one of the best attended in several years, and things are shaping up for an Excellent season for the Brigadiers. Our First Camp will be held this weekend, December 3rd & 4th, at the Central Sqaure Middle School in Central Square, NY. Further information is available at our website www.brigadiers.com 2006 Program The Brigadiers have set the standard in DCA for many seasons. The 2006 Program promises to be a year that sees another evolution of the highest standards in entertainment, excitement, and raw emotion brought to the competitive field with a team committed to Excellence! This year’s Program titled, “ROUGE et NOIR” (Red & Black), will present music from the movie “Moulin Rouge”, arranged by Wayne Downey, David Glyde and Dr. Rob Bridge. The visual program will evolve around the design concepts of Wassily Kandinsky, one of the original founders of Abstract Art; an innovator for his generation and beyond. The visual program, designed by Rick Morey, will draw upon material and thoughts from Kandinsky’s Bauhaus years. The program will use: “The Show Must Go On”, “Sparkling Diamonds”, “Come What May” & “El Tango de Roxanne” All of these will be woven together with the theme from “Nature Boy”. It promises to be a unique, powerful, and emotional musical/visual program that portrays the “Moulin Rouge” ideals of Truth, Beauty, Love, and Freedom. Membership information and the 2006 Camp Schedule are posted on our website. 2006 Management, Design Team & Caption Heads Corps Director: Joseph Geswaldo Business Manager: Richard Martin Quartermaster: Ronald Blakely Visual Design/Program Coordinator: Richard Morey Uniform/Flag Design & Program Consultant: Michael Cesario Visual Staff Caption Head: James Allen Auxiliary Designer/ Staff Caption Head: Ryan Bronner Brass Arranger: Wayne Downey Brass Staff Caption Head: Peter Blake Battery Arranger: David Glyde Front Ensemble Arranger: Dr. Robert Bridge Percussion Coordinator: Robert Vitti Percussion Staff Caption Head: Chris Perna DCA/Corps Liaison: Bruce McCready

Nice to see some folks who dug what we did. 79 was a great year for us....beating Madison at CYO and making finals. I am a little caugt of gurad by flash in the pan remark. North Star had great shows from 1977 through 81(where we came in 13th) 1980 was my most memorable year changing the show mid season and then making finals. For those of you who haven't.....give a listen to the 1980 show at finals......lot of emotion and Gerry Noonan's last DCI performance.....he was the best soloist in my opionion (from another thread)82...my age out year was a rough one but one I would never trade. We suffered what most "local" corps were experiencing with membership and the cost of touring being a big concern. When I marched a majority of the corps had there membership within living distance.....now most "audition" and travel great lengths to march. Most of the North Star crew went to Alliance in 1983. Allaince was formed by a group of corps from the South Shore of MA. From there many went on to Cadets in 84. Today many North Star alumni and their offspring are still contributing to the activity. I am proud to say that my son marches with the Cadets along with some other North Star Alumni kids......and I am looking forward to more memorable drum corps experiences!

I intended to write reviews starting in Grand Haven but like a dummy I forgot to bring my charger for the laptop. Thanks to the guys in the office I received it this morning. Thoughts from Grand Haven: Nice to see a new corps starting up, The Dimensions from Grand Rapids. Nice horn work with the “Konan” show. Guard could use a few more bodies but overall a nice performance by this group. Look forward to seeing them next year. I Saw Revolution practice at the school where Prelims were held. Great corps with a great staff. They should definitely go DIV 2 next year. VERY impressive! Magic put on the show of their lives that night at prelims. I think it will be interesting come Thursday night in Madison. No onto the DIV2/3 prelims Arrived after the lunch break so sorry about all the corps prior to that. Heard that the Cadets of NYC had their best show to date….it always stinks to not make the next block. Look forward to seeing them next year. Scenic City: Great show with some nice Chicago tunes. Some wonderful solo work and an overall fan friendly show. I thought they should have scored higher. Lehigh Valley Knights: This corps has come a long way in short period of time. A nice take of the Disney Millennium chart…although it seemed kind of pieced together towards the end. Great drum solo performance by the whole corps. Allegiance Elite: Look for them in the coming years. A very strong performance by this corp. Some nice solo work from this group as well. To play off another thread….they had a member pass out while exiting the field and it took forever to have an EMT attend to her. Shame on DCI for not having help nearby to assist. I hope she is OK. Jersey Surf: WOW!!!! The last time I saw them was in Nashua, NH. HUGE improvement. The kids really sell this show and the mellophone soloist is outstanding. I was really blown away by this performance and had them 2 points higher than their score. They should move up tonight for sure. KUDOS to the staff and the corps for the most entertaining performance to date. Marion Glory Cadets: It’s hard to believe that you can get such a nice sound out of 12 horns. The guard is one of the best in DIV 3. I’m not overally crazy about the book but the corps sells it well. Yamato: I wasn’t overally impressed with this group. Another book that was difficult to get into. I do like their uniforms. Americanos: I though they were better at their home show in Menasha. Very strong drum line and lower brass. Soprano line seemed weak at times. Really loved their version of Fiesta. Being a North Star guy, I loved the moving north star at the end of the show. Capitol Sound: Definitely the home town favorites. A nice performance by the corps with some great takes on classic rock tunes. While the green gumbie things are cute…..I don’t quite get the meaning with the show. Taipei Yuefu: I really like this corps. They portray a lot of energy on the field…..much better than last year. Love the spinning sopranos in the closer….nice effect. Very powerful horn line and artistic color guard. The Battery seems to be their week point. Esperanza: They have a huge color guard and perform very well. It seems the book is written around them though. While the horn line is powerful they have a lot of tacit time between sets. The mix of Brass and Chrome doesn’t sit well with me either. They have a nice show overall and it is great to see them moving up. Patriots: Guard had some off movements in the beginning but came on strong by the end. I’m still having a hard time with their book…although they perform it well and have a great sound and balance. It just doesn’t make me jump out of my seat. These kids can play and I hope the staff gives them a more appealing show next year. Blue Stars: Love the retrospective show from them. I forgot that their guard used to where those shorts. Nice arrangements and horn sound. Look forward to seeing them tonight. East Coast Jazz: This corps has also come along ways from the start of the year. Horn line does a great job with this book. The drum line seems to be holding them back IMO. Nice changes made at the end of the show from my last viewing. Overall a great performance. Revolution: WOW again. They should really make the jump next year. Strength from every section and by far the cleanest drill in their division. DIV 3 is theirs for sure. Spartans: By far the best performance this year. Guard was totally on form and the horn line really projected. I really love the Samson and Delilah closer. I had them over Vanguard. Vanguard Cadets: I though they were off today from Grand Haven. Two crash and burns on the field and several kids out of step. They are huge and they play loud but overall I don’t think they deserved to be over Spartans or Esperanza. I think having SCV in their name helps. Mandarins: Great performance by the horn line with a very challenging book. The new uniforms are great! They should think about making the jump next year as well. Capitol Regiment: Not as good as Grand Haven IMO but still a strong performance. Drill seems to need a little work. Another gripe about Madison…the steam vents from the medical building went off behind the stadium drowning out some lovely ballad work by the corps. Should be tight for the second place slot between them and Mandarin. Magic of Orlando: They are DIV 1 all the way. Great show with strength from all sections. Drill is outstanding! I think they will cause some stir come Thursday for sure. Score is deserving over the rest of the pack. They will likely get the highest DIV2 Finals score on record. Well, I’m off to get ready for tonight’s show. I’ll try to post another review later on.

I have received several emails from folks who knew I was there to give a review of this show. It has been a hectic week so I am sorry for the delay. I arrived somewhat late and only was able to see a the last couple of corps. I did hear that the Burlington Citations returned to competition in DIV 3 tonight. Congratualations to their organization and look forward to seeing you in the future. Here is a partial reveiw for those corps I was able to see. Lehigh Valley Knights(70.75): This was the first time I saw them this year and I really enjoyed their music and interesting drill moves. I'm a big fan of the Disney Millenium chart and they do very well with it. I like the guard singing in the beginning of the show and the nice play off sections during the drum solo. Uniforms look sharp under the lights. They need to work on making their hits "HITS" (with quality....don't overblow) and clean up some marching and they should do fine come Madison. So far the best DIV 3 corps I have seen this year! East Coast Jazz (80.45): Much better at this perfomance than in Southbridge. Good job sopranos and soloists. Contra's....keep working on that Pegasus feature and it will come. I really think the end of the show drill wise is excellent.....horn wise it seems to run out of gas........a lot of notes going on out there. They may want to rewrite some of the parts leading to the end. I saw from another post that their was a car accident involving some members. I hope that they are doing better and will be able to make tour. Patriots (81.15): Best I've seen this corps. Guard wasn't as together as the night before but I actually got into the horn book this evening. A lot more dynamics out there than previouly heard....maybe due to the Stadium in Ludlow vs. the HS field in Southbridge. Excellent horn sound and balance with the battery. I still would like to hear more impact and melody......especially in the opening statement (nice drill there) and the closer. I think if they add some tempo changes and a few more eye catching drill moves they should keep the forward momentum up with the rest of the top DIV2 pack. Spartans (83.30): Very flat performance tonight. Probably due to the long stand around and wait time on the track. That always put a dent in the game face when I marched. Whereas this was the first viewing with stadium acousitcs , I did pick up on some issues with balance between the brass and battery. Their drumline is huge so they may want to consider toning down some snare/tom parts at times. Hornline seemed to be overextending tonight to compensate at times. I've seen this horn line practice and produce a nice "ringing effect" in half circle....if they can work on acheiving that then their ballad and hits will sell nicely. Guard was off tonight too, but as posted elsewhere, everyone is entitled to one bad night. I have seen this corps the most this year and they have had wonderful individual moments on the field at different shows. If they can put together all those wonderful moments into one performance they should do very well up against Magic, the midwest, and western corps. They still lead their local competition by 2 - 3 points.... but they are improving as well. This weekend in Wayne should be a nice match up for the East. I'm also curious to see how the scoring in Dekalb is tonight as well. To all the corps....keep up the hard work and most of all enjoy yourselves. Tour is always the best time in drum corps....as well as the time to really fine tune your shows. Thanks again for making this local season an enjoyable one. Good luck to each one of you as you head off for tour! I look forward to seeing you all in Madison.

To whoever topdawg is....you are entitled to your opinions as I am to mine. I wrote what I saw for my reveiw as did you for yours. I am a NH resident so of course I am happy for the home team....as I'm sure you are for yours. You also have me at a disadantage for knowing my name and posting it and not revealing yours. Either way I was at the Springfield show last evening and ECJ and Patriots did close the gap and both had what I feel is their best perfomances to date....Especially Patriots. Making the race closer is never a bad thing and good for the competition. In all fairness, the Spartans did have an flat peformance and where much better on Friday. I can only attribute this to possibly losing their game face with all the wait time on the track before they started (almost 20 minutes). I think this was due to Jersey Surf not being able to make the show and the Spartans were already for their orginal time slot. They had to wait on the track during intermission to be the start of the second block. I can only attribute this to bad logistics on someones part. They will need to overcome these obstacles as they move ahead in order to maintain the competitive edge. FYI topdawg.....I looked at the recaps on DCI and the Field Brass score was 16.4 for last night up from 13.9 from night before. Maybe the emporer got a new tailor? The Spartans did have their troubles in other areas this evening, Guard not up to it's usual and some visual elements to attend too. Everybody has a bad night I guess. Anyway....I really hope that all the Eastern Corps can overcome their individual obstacles and represent us well in Madison. Good luck to them all as they head off for tour and thanks for making the local season an enjoyable one. See you in Madison.

I have attended every local Div2/3 show in the area and I was really interested in seeing how well the corps have improved at the midseason point. After a two hour rain delay the show started and the weather held off. Silver Nights (exb.): These kids do an admirable job for their size (6 horns, 7 drums, 3 guard). They have one of the hardest working baritone players out there. They play a nice arrangement of the Planets which is no easy task given their size. The local crowd really cheered them on and can I only hope they get recruitment going to be back in competition next year. Targets (57.10): Being an old North Star guy, I really enjoyed their arrangements of old Mangione tunes. Their soprano soloist is very talented and has great range. He does a nice mellophone solo (ala Bonnie Ott) during “Chase the Clouds Away”. In speaking with a staff member, this kid is only 13 year old!! Look out for him in the coming years. While the soloist is very good, the corps as a whole hasn’t improved much from the start of the year. They are very entertaining but they need to work on playing/marching concept a lot harder. Keep up the effort kids. Taipei Yuehfu (73.30): WOW!!! This group blew me away compared to last year. They are smaller but that doesn’t take away from there performance at all. Very powerful brass line playing unfamiliar, yet accessible music. Their drill, although still somewhat dirty, is one of the most interesting in the division. They do a great job of playing off the oriental feel during their drum solo with authentic drums and the horn line doing karate moves (similar to last years’ guard). The crowd ate them up and was very disappointed when the scores where read. I and the fans around me had them in 2nd tonight. I’m not sure what the GE judges where at but they definitely out performed the Patriots and ECJ. Look out for them in Madison for sure. Spirit of Newark (53.5): I felt really bad for these kids following a performance like Taipei. This seems like an extremely young corps. They do some interesting things with African drums during the drum solo and the crowd really enjoyed their tribute to the black high school marching bands. They end the show yelling “The Spirit never dies” I hope this group continues on with their efforts and I’m sure will improve with age. Cadets of NYC (65.7): I have posted on this site on how I really like this corps. I have to say I was rather disappointed with their performance tonight. Yeah the drum line can still crank it up but the corps as a whole doesn’t seem that improved from the start of the year. Marching is definitely a weakness that distracts from an otherwise pleasant show. They seem to get their act together during the closer of “Knights in White Satin”. If they could apply the same to the first half of the show they could do well in Madison. Patriots (79.15): This corps is known for playing “new age” music, and I really enjoyed their book last year. After several viewings. I’m still having a hard time getting into it. It all sounds the same throughout with numerous section exposures without a lot of melody. That being said I concentrated on the drill and guard. Their guard was on top form tonight! The crowd really responded to every toss they did and the huge red flags at the end of the show work very well. They seem to have some holes in the drill that I didn’t notice before…maybe some sick members? They also need to work on some technique issues. If they could do something to spice up the music and clean drill, they should be able to pass ECJ. I had them in 3rd tonight. East Coast Jazz (79.20): This corps does a nice job with some classic BD hits. The lower brass comes across nicely but the soprano line still seems to struggle with the book. The guard added some new equipment but didn’t have that finished look that the Patriots and Spartan guard portray. The had obvious holes out there….I’ve see all year…..come on guys time to close them up. This corps has always come on strong by finals. I hope they do soon because they don’t seem to have improved as much as the others. I had them in 4th . Spartans (83.10): Definitely the most polished unit out there. The guard was non stop from the dance moves during the opening baritone solo to the flurry of flags in the closer. They scored a 17.0 and are well on their way to taking top guard again this year. The horn line really came through tonight….although they never seem to catch a break from the field judge. The moron had them with a 13.9.… 4 tenths above Cadets? Funny how they took high GE with all the supposed field errors. They should have been around a 16 or so easy. Drum line is greatly improved from the start of the year and they have one of the hardest working pits out there (check out their drum solo if you can). There is still some phasing issues during the Samson & Delilah portion of the show that need to be addressed. I noticed several new drill changes and some nice horn visuals that where added. A very strong performance by this group. They seem to be hungry to take on Magic, CR, and the West coast favorites. Should be interesting indeed come Erie and Madison. RAM RI Picadors 74-78 North Star 79-82 RI Matadors 84-88