DrumCorpsRadio

Rain doesn’t stop alumni from entertaining By, Matt Mingle – Drum Corps Radio mmingle@drumcorpsradio.org A cool, damp afternoon couldn’t stop ten alumni corps from delivering great performances during the annual DCA Alumni Classic, a part of the DCA World Championship weekend events. I viewed the events from the 40 yard line, side one at the very top of the stadium (under the overhang). (Note: I’m writing in voicing rather than figuring out who used mellophones versus French horns and baritones versus euphoniums.) Brigadiers Alumni; Syracuse, NY (36 horns – 15 sopranos, 5 altos, 9 baritones, 7 contras; 10 percussion – 4 snares, 1 tenor, 5 basses; 8 color guard; 9 honor guard; 1 dm) – Opening the show, Brigadiers Alumni performed in a driving rain to an ever-growing crowd as fans tried to figure out whether or not to brave the weather for some good ‘ol entertainment. With a repertoire including “Shangri-la,” “It’s Today,” “America,” “Comedian’s Gallop,” and “Black Saddle,” the Brigadiers Alumni put on a great show, which the corps dedicated to all Syracuse Brigadiers who have passed on. A nice tribute followed the regular repertoire as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was performed. The members in attendance from the Brigadiers competing corps showed strong support for the alumni and the two groups fed off of each other for a fun start to the alumni show. Toronto Signals; Toronto, ON, Canada (19 horns – 9 sopranos, 2 altos, 6 baritones, 2 contras; 12 percussion – 5 snares, 4 basses, 2 cymbals, 1 glockenspiel; 8 honor guard; 2 dm) – The Signals appeared to have a number of holes in the horn line, which were noticeable as the corps performed their traditional military band drill. Considering the relatively small horn line, the group put out a strong sound. Announced as Canada’s Marching Ambassadors, I was a bit confused by the seeming lack of a Canadian flag. My favorite part of the show was the British military band presentation near the conclusion of the program, which most of the fans around me really got into as well. With a traditional military show like this, the Toronto Signals shared a unique experience with the crowd. Skyliners Alumni; New York, NY (46 horns – 20 sopranos, 8 altos, 14 baritones, 4 contras; 24 percussion – 10 snares, 3 tenors, 5 basses, 6 cymbals; 8 honor guard) – Skyliners Alumni opened with the most unique field entrance of the afternoon. A lone soloist called the NY fanfare from somewhere in the lower deck and was followed by the rest of the corps entering from all sides and the stands; what a great way to perform the Signature! Following the fun entrance, the corps arced in front of the front sideline, which took some of the power away from those sitting in the upper deck, but must have been great in the lower deck. Those upstairs needn’t have worried, however, because the large horn and drum lines made sure that everyone in the stadium knew that Sky was on the field. The snare stick work looked great with the white sticks contrasting with the black heads. The Skyliners Alumni earned the first standing ovation of the afternoon with a rousing performance of classic Skyliner charts. Scout House Alumni; Preston, ON, Canada (39 horns – 16 sopranos, 6 altos, 17 baritones; 24 percussion – 9 snares, 5 tenors, 3 basses, 3 cymbals, 4 glockenspiels; 10 honor guard; 1 dm) – The second Canadian corps of the day opened with a traditional off the line to kick off their first ever performance at the DCA Alumni Classic. Scout House performed a full, traditional show including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as the concert piece. Of special amusement to the crowd was the animated honor guard who most notably acted like Toy Soldiers during one segment of the show. Scout House earned the first mid-performance standing ovation of the day. A well-executed drum solo led into the exit of “Waltzing Matilda.” Scout House enjoyed a much-appreciated let up in the rain during their performance. All in all, it was a great first showing at DCA and we hope you return next year. Yankee Rebels Alumni; Baltimore, MD (46 horns – 16 sopranos, 12 altos, 12 baritones, 6 contras; 16 percussion – 6 snares, 2 tenors, 5 basses, 3 cymbals; 10 color guard; 9 honor guard; 2 dm) – The Yankee Rebels performed many of the charts that made them so popular in their heyday. Much to the delight of the crowd, Truman Crawford was announced as a guest conductor. The corps really stepped up their performance at this point in the show and was rewarded with a standing ovation at the end of Truman Crawford’s segment. The crowd really enjoyed Tru’s appearance and most had no idea that his day was far from over. The Yankee Rebels gave a great presentation and the crowd was obviously pleased with their performance. Boston Crusaders Senior; Boston, MA (35 horns – 13 sopranos, 4 altos, 13 baritones, 5 contras; 19 percussion – 6 snares, 4 tenors, 6 basses, 3 cymbals; 10 color guard; 2 honor guard; 1 dm) – The color guard did work throughout the show, which really added to Boston’s show. The drum major stepped out for a great soprano solo, not always easy to do on a cool, rainy day. Like last year, Boston Senior sang their alma mater during the vocal break in “Time to Say Goodbye.” The much-anticipated strains of Conquest got the crowd up and cheering through the push and end of the show. Always a crowd pleaser, Boston Senior put on another great show with powerful horns and a fun show. Caballero Alumni; Hawthorne, NJ (52 horns – 22 sopranos, 10 altos, 14 baritones, 6 contras; 26 percussion – 6 snares, 5 basses, 5 cymbals, 5 congas, 5 Latin percussion; 7 color guard; 8 honor guard; 2 dm) – The large horn line was evident immediately off the line. As always, the Cabs Alumni performed a traditional drill. The great rendition of “Land of Make Believe” was especially well received, much to the pleasure of drum major Chuck Bishop and his great style. The presentation of the colors at the push in “Flamenco Cha-cha” led to the first standing ovation of the afternoon for Cabs Alumni. The next standing ovation came a few minutes later as the horn like pushed a company front off the front sideline in “Espana Cani.” As if that wasn’t enough, the corps trooped the stands to perform “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” and earned another standing ovation. Continuing the tradition started in 2000, the Caballeros competing corps enjoyed a lesson in corps’ history and the alumni members gave a little extra, especially the soloists. Blessed Sacrament; Newark, NJ (54 horns – 24 sopranos, 7 altos, 17 baritones, 6 contras; 19 percussion – 8 snares, 3 basses, 7 cymbals, 1 bells; 12 color guard; 4 honor guard; 3 dm) – Continuing the precedent started earlier in the afternoon, Blessed Sac came out to show what a great soprano line can do. The up-tempo small ensemble in the middle of “America” was extremely well executed and technically demanding. The horn line had great blend and everyone looked great in the yellow and black. After performing an encore, the corps proceeded to do an encore to the encore, which isn’t an everyday occurrence. Mighty St. Joe’s Alumni; Leroy, NY (57 horns – 22 sopranos, 10 altos, 15 baritones, 10 contras; 21 percussion – 12 snares, 4 basses, 5 cymbals; 17 color guard; 11 honor guard; 3 dm) – St. Joe’s continued the trend to larger and larger horn lines as the afternoon went on. The pre-performance announcement informed the crowd that the corps was breaking tradition to present “America – West Side Style.” Of all the corps that did an off the line, St. Joe’s was the straightest, earning them scattered applause from those in the crowd who were looking for such things. The turnaround into the opening hit was a massive effect with a huge brass sound. The repertoire was an interesting mix of traditional patriotic with selections from “West Side Story.” The section-by-section solos on soprano, alto, and baritone in “Maria” were great as was the rotating front in the same tune. The crowd reacted to Mighty St. Joe’s with a standing ovation at the end of the exit. Chicago Royal Airs; Chicago, IL (83 horns – 33 sopranos, 16 altos, 24 baritones, 10 contras; 30 percussion – 16 snares, 5 basses, 8 cymbals; 22 color guard – 18 flags, 4 rifles; 11 honor guard; 4 dm) – By far the largest corps of the afternoon and most likely the largest corps ever do to a full drill, the Royal Airs took the field to the most anticipation of anyone. Announcements before the performance included the information that this would most likely be the final performance of the Royal Airs. Membership was drawn from 36 different Midwest corps, although most were alumni of RA. The average age of the members was 54 with over 3000 years of combined drum corps experience. The show was reminiscent of the legendary 1965 corps and started with the traditional starter’s pistol. The off the line front was very clean and the members did a good job of fighting off the mud in such tight intervals. The opener was met with the first of many standing ovations. Truman Crawford reappeared to conduct the corps during another great Alumni Classic moment. A little comic relief before the chart as the alto soloist lost a slide and was then confronted by Crawford. A rotating flag front gave way to the full marching honor guard and a presentation of the colors and, of course, another deserved standing ovation. The all out performance came to a close with the end pistol, but not before the Royal Airs gave one great performance. The uniforms, purchased by each member for the season, looked great and it seemed to me like 34 years of inactivity disappeared real quick as the Royal Airs spent a lot of time making sure the details were solid. The corps performed an encore to an emotional Truman Crawford and all of his members. For those who attend DCA Championship weekend and choose not to attend the Alumni Class, you have no idea what you are missing. Make the effort and get out there next year because it is an amazing day of history and entertainment. Thank you to all the alumni corps members who often sacrifice quite a bit personally to put on a good show and relive some of the feelings that make drum corps what it is.

DCA mini-corps light up University of Scranton campus By, Matt Mingle – Drum Corps Radio mmingle@drumcorpsradio.org Ten all-star ensembles gathered in a parking lot at the University of Scranton to present some of the most exciting drum corps performances a fan could hope to see on Saturday evening of the 2002 DCA World Championship weekend. The crowds were large and vocal, even if viewing conditions were less than perfect. Thanks to the continued support from DCA for Drum Corps Radio, I was able to sit on the “50 yard line” directly in front of the judges’ table. My ears still hurt… The weather for the mini-corps competition was comfortably cool in the mid to upper 60s and partly cloudy. Brass players can’t really ask for a better environment to perform in as far as the weather goes. (Note: I’m writing in voicing rather than figuring out who used mellophones versus French horns and baritones versus euphoniums.) Nu Brass (73.0, 7th place, 20 horns (9 sopranos, 4 altos, 5 baritones, 2 contras), 1 percussion (drum set), and 1 dm) – The first corps up for the night set up in a big band set with the horn players behind podiums, which held stands for their music and lights. Some of the performers experienced some problems with the lights throughout the show, but that provided some comedy for the audience member paying close attention. An audience member told me before the show that the corps was made up of Skyliner and Cadet alumni. Nu Brass performed a variety of New York-themed charts and featured a number of great soloists. The Skyliner flavor was there and that’s a good thing! Microwave (no show) Boston Crusaders Senior (72.0, 9th place, 17 horns (6 sopranos, 2 altos, 6 baritones, 3 contras), 4 percussion (tenor, snare, cymbal, bass), 1 dm/soloist) – Boston opened with a great soprano trio right off the bat. They performed Time to Say Goodbye first introduced to drum corps by the Boston competing corps in 2000 and continue by the 2001 and 2002 Boston Senior field corps. No Boston Senior show would be complete without the familiar strains of Conquest. Overall, I thought they did a great job! The Presidents (50.0, 10th place, 4 horns (3 sopranos, 1 alto), 4 percussion (2 bass, tenor, snare), 1 dm) – The Presidents were appearing at DCA Championship weekend for their first time, hailing all the way from Tennessee. The corps struggled and performed only a brief selection, but I give them all the credit in the world for making the appearance. The drum corps community needs to support groups like this and help them to grow. It’s much to easy to pack it in and give up to make snide remarks about a corps like at least one of the judges did at the table behind me during this performance. If I knew the judges name, I’d write to the proper people about the situation. Thankfully, the crowd was much more respectful and I join with them in applauding the efforts of The Presidents. Gulf Coast Sound (72.5, 8th place, 12 horns (4 sopranos, 2 altos, 4 baritones, 2 contras), 1 percussion (drum set), 1 dm, 2 honor guard) – Hailing from Houston, Texas this may have well been my favorite mini-corps of the evening. Sure there were others who generated more excitement, but no one attempted the physical demand that GSC did. There was drill, real drill, to the entire show. The only person staying still was the soprano soloist who was on crutches who wailed throughout the show from his seat off to the side. When he wasn’t soloing, he kept the audience entertained by reading the local paper. When he was soloing, he made good use of a plunger for one feature and just screamed as if he had synthetic lips. I can’t emphasize enough how impressed I was by the drill. I saw marching technique and form control that you expect only of the full-size competing corps. Other mini-corps did some movement, but none to the level of Gulf Coast Sound. I also liked their rendition of Summertime a lot. If there was any placement that I was bothered by, it was this one. They had the most physical demand and still performed with musicality. Thank you GCS for putting on such a great show with incredible simultaneous demand. Golden Eagles (79.5, 4th place, 16 horns (6 sopranos, 3 altos, 5 baritones, 2 contras), 3 percussion (set, snare/bass, tenor), 1 dm, 4 honor guard) – The first thing that struck me about this show was the technical demand in the horn book. Each section was featured and each feature was better than the next. The drum set versus tenor drum battle was well executed and a lot of fun. This horn line made better use of dynamic contrast than most of the mini-corps did by contrasting the high highs with great control on the low end as well. The corps used an arrangement of When a Man Loves a Woman that was close to if not the arrangement from the Blue Devils and pulled it off. This was the first corps do to a non-judged encore, which became more common as the night went on. Like I said earlier, I was most impressed by the high level of the horn line. Royal Airs (no show) Sunrisers (75.0, 6th place, 21 horns (8 sopranos, 4 altos, 7 baritones, 2 contras), 3 percussion (2 auxiliary, set), 1 dm, 1 honor guard) – The Sunrisers performed early because a number of the members of St. Kevin’s had not arrived from the Hall of Fame banquet yet. DCA’s official announcer, Fran Haring, opened the show explaining to the crowd that this was the first public appearance by the Sunrisers in a competitive venue since DCA Finals in 1999 (7th finish, high color guard). Sun was enthusiastically welcomed back and, with the largest horn line of the night, the corps was ready to make a statement. The horn line definitely took center stage during this performance and did a great job. Sun’s low brass section added a good depth to the sound and if they can get and keep this many horns during the winter, perhaps Sun might be making an appearance in field competition in 2003. Mass Brass (80.0, 3rd place, 18 horns (7 sopranos, 4 altos, 6 baritones, 1 contra), 1 percussion (set), 1 dm, 4 honor guard) – Considering the media blitz that Mass Brass mounted in the week leading up to Labor Day, the corps had to open strong to support the attention. They did. A powerful opening statement set the tone for the performance. Always popular Malaguena was performed well with the drum major getting really excited and into the show. Like the Golden Eagles, Mass Brass did a non-judged encore “for the crowd” complete with a presentation of the colors. Well received, Mass Brass followed through on they hype and delivered a great show. St. Kevin’s (76.0, 5th place, 20 horns (10 sopranos, 3 altos, 5 baritones, 2 contras), 2 honor guard) – A (brief) delay was caused by some quick changes due to Mass Brass and St. Kevin’s sharing a few performers. The first thing I, as a soprano player myself, noticed was the large soprano line. I expected balance to be an issue, but the corps did a good job of keeping things in check. I enjoyed the up tempo reprise of the end of the opener, but the crowd favorite of the show was Stars and Stripes, complete with a presentation of the colors. Kevin’s took it a step further with the horn line donning flag hats for the chart as well. Erie Thunderbirds (91.0, 1st place, 17 horns (7 sopranos, 3 altos, 5 baritones, 2 contras), 4 percussion (snare, tenor, bass, cymbal), 5 honor guard) – They announced the show as a tribute to New York City entitled “a Thunderbird State of Mind.” The opener included a great soprano duet. Some of the show sounded like the Skyliners had moved to western Pennsylvania, complete with the Signature (Are traffic jams as much a problem in Erie, PA?). The show included some drill and movement. I was drawn to their uniforms, which looked real sharp. They were made up of white pants with black shoes, a dark green jacket with citation cord and buttoned up the front, and white gloves. The shiny black shoes contrasted well with the white pants. The crowd loved the Thunderbirds as did I, but I’m not sure that they were 4.5 points ahead of the Ghost Riders. Regardless, congratulations to the Thunderbirds on winning the 2002 DCA mini-corps title! Ghost Riders (86.5, 2nd place, 19 horns (7 sopranos, 3 altos, 6 baritones, 3 contras), 1 percussion, 1 dm, 3 honor guard, 2 fire extinguishers) – Probably the most talked about corps leading into the competition…what would the Ghost Riders do in 2002? They marched out for their powerful warm-up wearing the Bridgemen yellow coats. At the same time, the honor guard and percussionist were wearing Trooper attire while Muchacho sombreros were around as well. You can’t say the Ghost Riders lack creativity as the banana coats were removed to reveal the Madison Scouts jacket and sequined red gauntlets and the sombreros were removed for Madison’s aussies. Malaguena was exciting with a great company front. Then, the corps removed the Madison uniforms to reveal Troopers uniforms and subsequently performed William Tell Overture and Black Saddle. The rotating front in Black Saddle was well done and well received. The Ghost Riders also did a non-judged encore of Georgia on My Mind, ala Spirit of Atlanta. As always, congratulations on representing the history of drum corps so well and great job! Don’t be too disappointed about a second place finish; you had a great show. Final thoughts: If I could change anything, it’d be to move Gulf Coast Sound up a little. As far as the debate between Erie and Ghost Riders go, both corps had great shows and were a ton of fun to watch. The spread should have been closer, but I think the judges realized that the scores were low and tried to open upwards toward the end. I know I speak for the majority of the people who were in attendance when I say that the mini-corps competition is one of the highlights of DCA weekend. I only wish I could attend every year, but the competing corps usually rehearse on Saturday evening so this was probably my one chance to see the whole show. There’s already been lots of talk about the venue so I won’t bother mentioning much other than to say that it could have been worse had Tom Peashey not convinced the University officials to allow the show to continue. So congratulations to all of the performers on a great night of entertainment!

Dave, the guy who made the movie, was on tour with the Crossmen for a few days this summer as he was making our tour video so we had a chance to watch the documentary during a bus ride. Hard Corps was great and really provides a glimpse into what life on the road is really like. I recommend it for drum corps fans as a way to introduce the unitiated to the activity.