Puppet

Tom … Tom … Tom … You are kidding, right?! You're not gonna just sit there and, oh never mind you've got to be kidding - not getting enough attention, lately? Puppet

Which was very difficult to do when marching OTL in a company front to the fifty yard line which many corps tried as an intimidation against both line judges. You passed muster on the OTL and they pretty much let you march the rest of the show unscathed. Same with the sun/star burst move. If you nailed it you were good to go for the rest of the show. Troopers used to mostly take high M&M when they included both in one show. Show offs! Puppet

No mellophone was ever easy to play in tune - (now that I know her name) Barbara was indeed a cut above - our four man line was pretty darn good - intonation and all of that but we were a section. Hy even wrote our parts (especially in loud sections of the music) in two part harmony kinda like 1st and 3rd Horns in an orchestra. But I would never have had the "guts" to do the solos she was capable of. My shako's off to her! Puppet

Thanks for the props and I might be out of line but having bested Blue Rock at the World Open in '73 placing 2nd just behind the Bridgemen might earn us a placement in that year as well. If… You know what I'm saying. It's all about the "if" Woulda - coulda - shoulda Puppet

It's a bit dated but Purple Rain by Prince Let's Go Crazy as the opening Take Me With U / Darling Nikki / I Would Die 4 U - medley Purple Rain as Concert When Doves Cry as exit Can you bring a motorcycle on the field? And there's a couple of Concept Drum Corps could kick around Dream Theater's Images and Words has a bunch of great tunes easily transformed to brass if you take your time and don't hurt yourself. Phantom could kick this thing. You could go all the way retro with some tracks from Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters - original funk jazz fusion stuff that could inspire great work for the guard of the Corps brave enough to take it on. Hey - this is fun! Puppet Purple Rain

Yeah! What he said! Thanks Garry. I couldn't find the words. Puppet

What the…!? To pick from almost 50 years of listening, marching and watching - all the different styles, instrumentation - from G to Bb - from Martial to Genuflecting - from Marching to Running - inspections to wear anything you like - Just one from a half century of Junior, All Girls and Senior Drum Corps? You're kidding, right? I'll try to get back to yo on that … 'cause … you know … I … may … not … be (passes out from memory overload) Puppet

Not from me, you're not. Although after reading this particular post I am hard pressed not to think those people should have been put to sleep. Once, on another forum altogether, I tried to explain how wonderful, honest, trustful, trustworthy and consoling (without the insipid hand holding that sometimes attends that!) our Directors, Staff, Moderator and all the adults were for us kids. It's no wonder why Wes Hobby always introduced us as The Cinderella Corps From Brooklyn New York. We met some of the Kingsmen corps in 1969 and I've always had the utmost respect - especially for the lushness of the hornline of that year (also '70 & '71) '70 we tied you guys at the CYO Nationals, '71 you beat us by 10 placements #2 - #12! Of course, I like most were glad when the Mickey Mouse Club went away in '72 but will always love Sing, Sing, Sing! To have come through just a portion (I know you didn't let all the skeletons out!) of what you described, my hat's off, my shako's off to all of you. Oh yeah not to mention the powder blue Cadet Style uniforms that reminded me of our St. Joseph Patron Cadet uniform. Puppet

Loved that Bari and soprano going on in Harlem Nocturne. Al D had a great tone - always reminded me of the trombone guy Sammy Davis Jr. had in his band for a while - George Roberts - and how could you ever go wrong with a rep that reminds everyone of SKY?! Just saying. Puppet

Wow! I guess that's how all that ticker tape parades and crowds waiting at the airport for the Championship team after the big win got started. And a thought just crossed my mind - as a youngster I thought all Drum Corps would one day travel to shows via air. Oh to be a naive teenager again! But all that aside - read the article it's amazing what those guys went through. Traveling by train woulda been cool, too! I think the tic system was more "honest" because you could at least know when a particular judge was just ganging up on you if you were scoring at a certain level throughout the season in a certain caption and then bam! - you're in the cellar! And that "That's as close to perfection as I've ever seen!" from that one (of two?!) judges line is priceless Puppet

you are quite correct. Perez Prado was the man. Puppet

In the spirit of the Holidays and to my friends in this forum. During my short stint here I have come to love and respect all of you who post here. I love the diversity in styles, ages and all of our different foibles. So, it is with humility I want to share this with you: My Mom had been suffering terribly with Cancer to which she succumbed on October 30, 2008. She was 78 and although her body was going, she spent her final weeks on her blue tooth hands-free canvassing all her friends to get out and vote for Obama. I know I rarely spoke about her when I was marching. She didn't approve of Drum Corps in general and of me traveling to Brooklyn for rehearsals and "all over the place" in particular. She wanted me home with her - studying. She did attend a couple of shows - grudgingly. My Father, after Jesuit School, worked for the Diplomatic Corps (read: C.I.A.) and traveled a lot. My Mom had worked as a JAG lawyer for the U.S. Army - they met in the single most unromantic place in the World - the Pentagon! I grew up (my Wonder Years!) in Austria, Germany, France, Japan, Korea and The Phillipines. Five different States, here in the good old U.S.A. We finally settled in NYC when I was 13. Mom left the Army and began a short career as a General Manager of of the Retail and Credit Division of Chemical Bank while working on her law degree at Columbia. She worked as prosecuting attorney for the NYC D.A.'s office and become a Circuit Court Judge City Of New York, New York County in 1972 and spent the next twenty years on the Bench. My Mom loved to cook, and loved to travel to places outside the norm. In 1994, at 64 she embarked on a life-changing pilgrimage to Jerusalem and on to Cairo and studied with Dr. Ben-Jochann and received her P.H.D. in Mid East Historical Studies. She leaves behind me, 4 daughters, 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren - my son and daughter among them. My Mom was strict but fair and a mentor to many - I share this with you because I'm proud to be part of her legacy. I pray for all of us who have had losses in their lives - Stay strong for those who love you. And please take the time during this party season to give a thought of those who loved us - no matter what we did or when. Thank you for your friendship and your patience. ATLATT Puppet.

I didn't notice at first - just couldn't keep my eyes off those gauntlets! And what kind of horn is that, Dave? Puppet

… and that rhymes with "G!" Puppet

May I just say that in 1972 there were over 125 Class "A" marching Junior Drum Corps out there. Anaheim amongst the best that year if memory serves. Blue Rock, The Kilties, 27, Bridgemen, Garfield and even us lowly St. Rita's could hold our own against the best of the best. By 1982 there were only 12 in the top 12. I'm not pointing fingers and I don't do math but isn't that a tremendous drop off in such a short time? Yes, much of that is our fault, the fault of the times, etc., Communities changed and I know I stayed with the same organization until I aged out. 8 seasons - 8 glorious seasons without one "big" win. Didn't care 'cause we came close a many a time. We didn't go to the Open that year but even the DeLaSalle Oaklands, Blessed Sacrament, Racine Scouts, and yes the Purple Lancers were pretty darn good - Purple blew my socks off a couple of years later! Yeah, I'm sorry and I'm no longer in Drum Corps - but if I lived in new York City I would be wearing Brassmen Alumni red for sure. But there ya go. Puppet

I had similar thoughts - but in the spirit of the season… But marching in 17º weather - at my age?! I love the idea of it - don't get me wrong, but I'm 60 and besides I think the Brassmen red would clash, don't you think? Puppet

Over a million views! Awesome! Puppet

Ahh, wait. 1978 I'd already been out for 5 years … '04 - you do the math, I'm that old! 32 years! I'm going to need a walker to get into the stands this year, for sure. Puppet

Who could forget that summer?! The first time the folks in the midwest fans saw us in Kenosha the day before, they went nuts! I was feeling like a total star! the Saint Paul Scouts beat us by 1/100th of a point and Anaheim by less than 2. The show(s) you're talking about was the Racine Scouts show and quite possibly the only show where we scored less than 70 points all year. Riding high one minute - down the next. A real lesson that tour. For sure, touring is hard work on so many levels. Puppet

Just for putting up with you people. Wow, this is one stinky "IMO" thread. Regional or Circuits competitions I agree with. Have a corps have a real sponsor ie. if I had a corps in Seattle I'd be talking up Bill Gates every day until he gave in - he's no dummy. Atlanta - Coke / Delta / get what I'm saying? But I think "IMO" Directors don't want to give up the power. Let the Drum Corps do their drum corps thing and let DCI do it's organizational thing. Build from the ground up. Start your own Oh yeah - stop whining about Michael Boo - it's not his fault. Puppet

I'll bite: I was there in Jersey at Sound Off '65' in Roosevelt Stadium when the Skyliners first play Flight of the Bumblebee by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. O! M! G! I was student at NYC's Music & Art High School at the time learning what is known as Horn in "F" (as opposed to "Eb") and playing French Horn Bugle in "G" - I knew that piece - I was like: You can do that on a bugle???!! 1 piston 0 rotary just a slide - It killed. Oh yeah, St Joseph Patron Cadet was there as an exhibition. Two shows Senior and Junior. Sky and The Cadets took 1st respectfully. Puppet

You're right. I've seen this and others quite a few time and once I click "play" I'm glued. Puppet

Wait! I may have gotten the years mixed up but that wasn't my point and I did say "I think…" Hey, I'm old. My thinking thing sometimes don't work all that good. Puppet

Oh, for real true. Especially during the short week of those three biggies in and around Boston where you could come in second or third by a few tenths and really think you had a shot during the next two shows. Gives me goosebumps just to think of those days. Puppet

I'll go one step further with that. We we blessed to have some of the best there were at the time. Innovative and responsive to the time (and even to a point, patient with the various level of talent we had marching) and to me, most important - they were smart! And that's what I was saying when I told the story of the Queenaires earlier in this thread. They bleated and hacked and stumbled - but goodness gracious they were proud! Puppet