BRASSO

Some are " nicer" than others too.

I could be wrong, but when The Cadets bring in the Woodwinds, I think the uniforms on the right and left will be competing costumes. But it's a good question. Maybe The Cadets have decided to go now with the purple costumes. Time will tell. Things change. Change is good, and I like the purple costume on the right better than the costume on the left, should the Cadets decide to chuck 70 years of history and go with some new threads.

Well for one, since the 40's and 50's anyway, fewer front pant zippers. Other than that, I can't think of any major changes in this uniform since the late 1930's when the Corps first began.

Thank You God. " If it ain't broke, don't fix it "

" closing thread " " thread closing " " closing" " Sorry, this thread has been deleted " and still my favorite..... " In figure skating and in DCI ( fill in the blank)........."

I voted for Tom "Harken" ( Iowa) in this poll. He goes back to he 60's... and he's still talking.

Who knows,.maybe someday it'll all finally come completely full circle and with woodwinds in and whatnot, DCI will just call it the..... ......." Fife and Drum Corps . "

By August 1st, I want to be in the running for " best tan "

This is like asking Socrates....." So,..what'll be.... hemlock, or arsenic ? " Is it any more comforting to know that Socrates said " no " to the arsenic ?

No problem. DCI in this case could pick up another Corporate Sponsor....::" Delta Dental"

Would anybody else like a Corps show designer to develop a show theme around THIS ?( above ) I think if nothing else, it would make for a short pre season get together by judge and show designer. Maybe they could do a 15 second teleconference via the computer, or the show designer could simply mail it in to the judge. Plus, I think the judges can pretty much conclude that voice and narration are out this year with this Corps, and that would be informational headsup for all the judges too.

We can be glad that there are no pictures when the scores were announced. A finger has been known to be raised by a handful of fans and positioned towards the judges box above in a most uncomplimentary and uncivil manner, and this has not made for a picture that these fans would want preserved in the family album to share with the grandkids on their knee by the fireplace in later years.

There could be some value in having the judges sit down with a show designer to listen to the designer try and explain to the judge what the theme will be all about. Particularly, if it's very early in the winter. Perhaps after an hour or so of listening intently to the show designer, the judge wil be able to politely and delicately say to the show designer in a compassionate manner....: " Is there a Plan B ? "

It's The Gift that Keeps on Giving.

It's not my fault. It's all Willy Nelson's fault. Every bronco-ridin', tobacco spittin', bit of it.

You got any money ? In that case, there is the distinct possibility that you are family . And I want you to know that I miss you, very, very much, and hope soon that we can be reunited. On the other hand, if you're broke, well then, as Walt Kowalski ( " Gran Torino' ) would say: " Get off my Lawn !! "

Close your eyes and picture ( say) the Blue Devils or the Cavaliers doing their typical show with saxophones and flutes. Imagine that image of what it would look like in your head....... Let it sit there now for 60 seconds in your mind......... ..........now 30 seconds....... keep your eyes closed..... " feel " the Flutes sound from the Blue Devils or Cavaliers wash over you....... watch in your mind, the Saxophone player march crisply in backward movement ala BD...... watch the final push to the stands....... with the flutes and saxophones elevated high to the stands...... I know, it's excruciating. Your head is beginning to throb, you're getting nauseous. Hang in there............... keep that image in your head....20 more seconds............... now 10............... now 5..... Now open your eyes,...... It's over...... now get down on your knees, look up to the heavens,...... put your hands together and beg the Good Lord that this image leaves your head forever and never, ... EVER ...... EVER.... returns. I..... feel...... your....... pain.

It was some of this, and some of that, euponitone. Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts on the matter too.

These fake instruments creating artificially induced sounds mimicing real instrument sounds will be a real nightmare to judge properly. If DCI allows faux sounds, they'll get faux scores too. Good luck with that. Who knows, maybe someday they'll just suit up sax and the flute players in uniform, drop the brass line, and just synth up some fake brass sounds. The only " frac " we'll hear will be a kink in the electrode filter in the machine. Good luck GE Music Judge in scoring those " fracs ", and trying to 'splain your scores in the post show judging critique. No wonder there is movement afront to scrap the post show judging critiques. Wait'll a judge trys to explain how he or she judges faux sounds. If nothing else, it will be interesting to hear how it's done.

I see no problem with this. Corps Directors can be very adept at putting things on the field where judges and fans are totally confused by the Directors, Staff's confusion. Thus, in my opinion, confusion is no obstacle at all for putting confusion on the field. Plus, we have learned this month that DCI is encouraging judges to meet with the Corps Designers before the season starts so that the Corps Show Designers can try and explain what it is they will be attempting to convey on the field of competition this year. The hope is that it will lesson the degree of confusion on the part of judges with the Corps shows, themes, music, messge, etc. This is good news for judges. As for the paying fans ? You're on your own, and DCI wishes you good luck this year as you try and figure out the theme, message, music, etc.

And of course, we are now at the point in DCI that judges are being encouraged to meet with Corps show designers this year in pre season , so that the Corps show designers can explain in a coherent and rational manner just what exactly their 2010 season's " Total Show Concept " will really be all about for that Corps. This would be akin to a movie or broadway show newspaper critic meeting with a movie or show producer before the movie or show opens to have EXPLAINED to them what their movie or their show will be trying to convey as it's theme. This just demonstrates how far off the track the activity has gone, when a judge needs to meet with show designers over cocktails to have the show designers EXPLAIN to the judges what the hell the show and music are all about in this age of " The Total ( ly confused ) Show Concept ", where admittedly even many of the learned judges don't have a friggin' clue as to the " Total Concept " that many of these DCI Corps are trying to convey on the field these days.

I could forgive Tiger Woods before I could forgive DCI for Woodwinds. Both will get in big trouble for having sax where they shouldn't.

I'd be in favor of someone on the next field..... on the sideline...... pretending to play the flute or the saxophone. I think they refer to this as " mime". That could work. I sometimes will see a guy pretending to play a flute or a saxophone in the underground subway stations. ( at least I think it's a flute, saxophone they're pretending to play ). They don't last there very long unfortunately before security or medics wisks them away.. But I do hear some of the real musicians in the subways playing solo saxophone and flutes. Many are quite good, and I usually will put some money into their case or hat below. And of course, some of the best we hear in tony concert halls of the world. I just don't want them in DCI,that's all..... whether it's real or imagined sax or flutes.

But we' re being told this Week here on DCP" how expensive the maintenance costs for woodwinds are ". Maybe so. And maybe nobody's told the majority of the DCI Corps Directors of this fact, that's all. Once they learn how expensive the repair costs can be with the woodwinds, we can trust that they'll vote woodwinds useage down.

I'm STILL waiting on the royalties from the pictures the Madison Scouts Drum Major took of my family from the DM podium a few years back. It wasn't my best side either. I wasn't expecting it. He just quickly and without any warning turned on the podium, took out his flash camera, and took my picture. The nerve of him. 'Never even asked for my permission either. What a theft of my privacy. But what the heck, I'm easy. I can wait some more for my royalties....................... ( oh relax, I'm just kidding.)