Ryan H. Turner

So glad to know DCP hasn't lost it's appeal to those that love to nitpick things to death. While we're at it, I'd like to discuss the font that was used in their announcement. A bit "in your face" if you ask me. I mean....really....if you're gonna be askin' for bucks.....((rolling my eyes))

Just absolutely one of the very best reviews and REVIEWERS out there. THANK YOU!!!!!!!! (from an old die-hard has-been reviewer)

A Trooper vibe....hmmmmm....interesting interp.

--sigh-- If they would just freakin' keep it in MADISON every year like I told them to, then we wouldn't be having this drama and discussion now would we? Ryan H. Turner, vote for me...KING OF DCI (and The Voice of Southern California)

That was one of the most FUNNY things I've ever read.

Thank you Sam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wouldn't have been any problems with the announcer if they "hired" the RIGHT GUY (cough cough). I'm just saying....sitting here....in southern California....not doing much....geezo Pete....loud Hawaiian shirts packed....ready to go....wherever... I'm just sayin'....

You know mistakes happen. Let's not "sue" DCI over an error. How about a polite email to the webmaster or whatever and say, "We noticed that the Citations were missing....blah blah blah." Sheeeeeeesh.

I'm not a DCI judge, but I am a judge, and I prefer GOOD over BAD. So I think that's the only bias you'll find out there. I know many of the DCI judges and I know they take their roles very seriously, and I don't think there's any logical reason why a judge would "care" about having a bias...it's just not important. It's JUST drum corps. Wait. Was that my outside voice?

Well said Debra...and also the "50-60 brass" is a little bit misleading. I've seen BDB and SCVC with substantially smaller hornlines than that, and they've done well regardless. I don't think the prerequisite to being "good" is based on hornline numbers. Academie Musicale proved that wrong years ago.

AMEN!!! And I can't wait for the ######## "they're cheating" comments that we get every year. So very hard to teach young pups.

Yeah...he does provide GREAT service, even though I'm too poor to afford him this year. I will never forget what he provided for me and my family from 3 different states for the Rose Bowl Semi-Finals. AWESOME STUFF RON! You will always have my recommendation and reference from me, brother.

Jeff...BRAVO MY FRIEND....great review...I like the play-by-play vibe of it. Great job!! Now get back to painting.

Thx Kev...great job.

Burns...no. Mo was 89. Skare....keep running buddy!!!

Bikini girl, 1987 VK show. Married. And OVERAGE!

Thanks Kevin for your hard work...you're a good guy!

I know I'll be tagged an ***hole...but...are you really wanting to spell RHYTHM the way you have it spelled?

I am truly bummed. I had NO idea he was even sick. I just found out--just called and left a message with Kevin Gamin. Wow Cozy...I'm going to miss you my friend. 'Til we meet again...

I was there the night the Velvet Knights won their very first legit, non-rained out show....in 1987, beating Suncoast and Sky. We actually did a Victory Concert. Didn't even know how...but we did it!! I was there the night the Velvet Knights broke a 90 for the first time in corps history at the OLD Port Huron show, and I won high drum major over the gods of Phantom and Star--and the person who couldn't believe THAT feat the most.....WAS ME!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost didn't go accept the award because I thought it was a mistake. I was there at the Stillwater show in 1985 when I found out the entire corps (or so the story goes) of Phantom had been poisoned by bad water. Sort of scared me to be honest.

How did I miss this thread???? I've had a few gaffes in my time (yes...FUSION!!!...thanks Sam...I'm going to my grave with you riding me about that, hanh?). Apparently with the Kingsmen Alumni Corps as I was their Official Traveling Announcer, I had one heck of a time with the name HECTOR BERLIOZ. I have nooooooooooo idea why I wanted to say anything else BUT Burrrrrr--leeeee----ohhhhhhzz...but my brain would twist things around to where it came out Hector Spaghettibreath. I mean...just horrid. Kingsmen folks just LOVED that. I was a TICK!!! But my famous gaffe is actually winter guard related, but it deals with two legends in the drum corps world. I was announcing for the WGI Regional at Riverside Community College. Can't exactly remember the year, but it was the year Blue Devils did "Summertime". Sitting with me at the sound table as I also mixed the sound as well as announced was none other Mike McCool and Jay Murphy. Blue Devils, tremendous as always, just was killing the crowd. By the time they were finished, the gym had erupted into complete and utter pandemonium. I mean...it was nuts. It was CRAZY loud. And I, sort of caught up in the moment, proudly and loudly proclaimed, as only "The Voice of Southern California" could do.... "LAAAAAAAAAAAAAADIES AND GENTLEMEN......THE SAN JOSE RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Probably not the thing to say with Mike McCool and Jay Murphy sitting right next to me. Never seen two grown men snap their heads around quicker than those guys. Thankfully, because the crowd was too busy throwing babies and motel rooms key on to the floor, no one else heard me. That's my story...and I'm sticking to it....oh, and I'm available for hire as announcer for a show near you. Today, "The Voice of Southern California", tomorrow, "The Voice of Fran Haring's Assistant!!!"

But then...you have the stories like mine... Scene: Brea Mall, early 2000's. Center court. Near fountain. Wife and I watching our then little girl running around the fountain and having a grand time entertaining herself. I'm people watching/daughter supervising/yapping with the wife when I make eye contact with a younger male walking with a notebook in his hands. For whatever reason, call it sixth sense, call it whatever, I just KNEW this guy was a squirrel. And I was right. Walks up to me just as my wife starts to go running after our daughter, and he strikes up a conversation, that went something like this... HIM: "Hey how ya doin? Just hanging here with the family?" ME: "Yep." HIM: "That's cool, looks like you have a good time with your daughter." ME: (Eyeing him coldly...) "Yep." HIM: "So, what do you do for a living." ME: (IMMEDIATELY knowing what he was going to do...I just felt it in my bones...because right then I predicted he was going to try to sell me on some "business opportunity", so I played with him a bit...) "I'm actually self employed. Run a home-based business." HIM: (Eyes get this wild-###ed look) "REALLY?!?! That's funny. Because I was just going to ask you about if you'd be interested in a home based business. What do you do?" ME: (Should have said, "AMWAY!!" but I didn't...) "I'm a show designer, and teach and design for competitive high school marching bands." HIM: (In the single most desperate attempt to create a "foundation" with me...rookie...) "ohhhhhhhh that's cool. I used to march in band. I played trumpet. Up north." ME: "Really, where?" HIM: "Concord." ME: "Ohhhhhhhh, you must know about drum and bugle corps." HIM: "Ohhhhhh yeah...sure...I marched in that group up there." ME: "You mean the Blue Devils?" HIM: "No no no...the Velvet Knights." ME: "From Concord?" HIM: "Yep!" ME: "Gotta go. See ya." True story. Wish I could have recorded it. Don't EVER try to ######## your way into the membership of a corps with someone who actually MARCHED corps--ESPECIALLY someone who bleeds the corps colors. Jackhole.

Hey bud...I know the pain and I know it well. I lost my mom completely unexpectedly. She was my biggest supporter--loved drum corps, loved music, loved all that I was doing. But just like you, my relationship with my mom (and my dad for that matter) had gotten so much better after I stopped being a self-centered jerk and realized how lucky I was to have such great parents. And I know that even though I lost my mom when I least expected it, she KNEW, absolutely KNEW, that I loved her and dad and appreciated their parenting. God bless bud...hang in there...and know you have an entire activity that shares a brotherhood and sisterhood right behind you propping you up.

So...I've asked this before and I sincerely don't remember the answer... There's a difference between "loud" in tune, versus "loud" by decibals, right?? Which SOUNDS louder? A jet engine, or an "in tune" Cessna?

NUCLEAR--REALLY REALLY REALLY F***ING LOUD I may have missed it...but no one posted ROOKOUT--A rookie to the activity that is aging out the same year.

OK...I relent...I'll stop being grumpy and slightly "anti-Blast"....that video was FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!! Jeeeez...to be in my 20's again...