drumlaw80

Hey now ... let's leave Philadelphia Eagles fans out of this ... b**bs (j/k)

WOOOOO there Nelly!!!!!! Don't let ONE person's opinion speak volumes for an entire coast........... Just to bring things back to perspective, aren't you MORE concerned with what the people in stands say, by getting on their feet and clapping, then an internet newsgroup review by one person? Again, DO NOT MAKE THIS AN EAST COAST, WEST COAST THING, NO one else brought that up but you. Now go practice!!!! ^0^ Well, for what's its worth, I just got back from the DCA meeting a few days ago, and I certainly didn't feel any East v. West Coast tension. In fact, I would say that we all left that meeting very, very encouraged at all the positive energy coming from all the corps towards working together to make DCA a great circuit ... which was in stark contrast to the meeting two years ago, where it seemed like everyone was out for one another's blood. Senior corps is on the rise ... and it's all good. B)

I agree with that 100%. I marched Buccaneers in one of George's last years with the corps (1983) ... no matter how we played behind him -- which was often not very well in the early season that year -- George always got the crowd off its feet ... definitely a hype and an inspiration to all of us.

We'll be getting rid of the legos on or about the same day we add a stripe. b**bs

Two out of every three organizations you marched with have the word "wave" in it. :)

Was this your 1st time at DCA's in Scranton? The Nazi youth (cops) were actually nicer than in some years in the recent past. Somehow, I don't think that's ever going to change. :) Speaking of the cops, on Sunday night, they personally visited the interior of my hotel room ... TWICE .... to get Pizza Orgasmica 2.0 to shut down.

That is exactly how far I made it in your post before I started laughing out loud. Good job Tom. b**bs

If I were the lawyer for DCA or the Lakawanna Stadium, I would advise them to cover the dirt piles on the field for the entire competition, which become virtual ice skating rinks when they become wet. If someone from a competing corps got badly injured from a fall in one of these areas, the two principle parties who would be liable for their injuries would be DCA and the Lakawanna Stadium. To assume that every fall will just result in a simple bruise or whatever is a bad assumption to make. Point of fact, the potential for injury in these areas is great, and a little rain and one unlucky drill move could result in a horrific injury that could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in liability for DCA and/or Lakawanna Stadium. This is not a slam on anyone -- just pointing out a very bad scenario that we all want to avoid.

RAMD is Satan: Store now open. http://www.cafeshops.com/crunchyfrogcyms

Don't just blame my guys - they were not alone... ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ Great review! Yeah, they had about two or a hundred other guys on the field with them. ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ What a great picture.

I would add that since this thread has turned into a very interesting Renegade show design symposium, I would formally like to announce that all of my soprano fighter pilot buddies will be incredibly happy with the new evil ending. Subtle, it ain't. ^0^ :)

I will leave my opinion out of this one, but I can see that the "Ugly" part of this thread is about to happen. Hide the women and children and RUN!!! b**bs lol patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... patter ... (running away) Lee

Wow, you were in high school for 20+ years? ^_^ I think I was in high school for 20 years ... or at least that's what it felt like (Crestwood H.S. in Mountaintop PA ... Ug.)

But you were probably better conditioned to deal with the smog... :) ::hack, hack - lungs are still recovering - hack, hack:: ^0^ Actually, having lived in SoCal since age 9, Sunday's show was one of the very few times it hurt to breath! ampssuck I've lived here almost 39 years, and Sunday was one of the worst days in recent memory. Growing up, there were days when it was too smoggy to go out for recess. As far as "home court advantage" goes....the San Diego field is so smooth, it's no big deal if you've been on it before....and if anything, Renegades had the advantage over us on the Jungle in West Covina; they'd done an actual field show there a year ago, while Dream just marched down the 50 to a concert set. I guess I was referring to the 7-hour sleep deprived drive to get there, not neccessarily the actual field, which was mutually hostile to everyone ... LOL. The wierd thing is that I didn't even notice the smog this year (but I am definitely in the minority).

Did anyone suggest that you try to do that? :P In a round about way, yes ... since portions of the front end (after Halloween to Ave Maria) and back (after Ave Maria) of our arrangement -- minus the high end -- is verbatim 87 SCV.

Great review Ryan. As for the Renegades, we have heard comments re: screaming sopranos this year, from the very first time we debuted the corps at LMS 4. Having said that, we consciously decided to take a fundamentally “Renegades” approach as we designed Red Skies at Night. At times, yes, our approach to traditional music is very much “left of center.” The end of Niner Two, for example, has about as much to do with the musical sensibilities of Don Ellis as does an Ozzy Osbourne concert. But, we definitely wanted to add our Renegades’ stamp, if you will, to each and every musical selection. We definitely did not want Russian Christmas Music, for example, to simply come off as our attempt to recreate the 1987 SCV (which anyone would likely fail at). Some people really like all the music, others like only the good portions of the show … others only the evil. Some people love “high end” additions to Russian, others definitely do not. I guess there is something for everyone in Red Skies at Night … LOL. You should come up to our last performance in a few weeks before DCA (or DCA). We’re turning things up to “11” for the new evil DCA ending to the show. I think you will like it. All in all, the reality of having a competitive West Coast senior circuit seems to be sinking in for everyone … and it’s all good. Lee p.s. Join SoCal Dream!

We will ... LOL. ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^

Beer and all your evil friends. I also want to meet the random girl in the guard named Happy, as I've never met anyone named after an emotion. :) Careful, Lee...in the "real world" she's a cop...really! Last year, on the way to the Huntington Beach Parade, the car I was in (with Walt Counts, Paul Rapp and Happy Snodgrass...that's REALLY her name!) got rear-ended. Walt got out to exchange info...happy went with him. Driver was an older Asian man who had "corrective lenses required" on his license...so of course, he wasn't wearing them. "Ohhhh...no necessarry...no sun out (it was overcast)" He kept pushing the point, even though Happy was in cop-mode, explaining to him that he was REQUIRED to wear his glasses when driving. Her entire body posture was like....make a move, dude...she'll drop your ### like a rock! That's OK. In the real world, I am a ninja assassin. b**bs

>>>> by the way, need me to bring chips or anything to the party? Beer and all your evil friends. I also want to meet the random girl in the guard named Happy, as I've never met anyone named after an emotion. :)

Domo arigato. :)

Arrgghhh. Here we go again ... review controversy 101. Let's just leave it at that I respectfully disagree with your analysis of my comments 1,000,000,000%. I enjoy and respect both corps a great deal, and don't spend four days contemplating how my comments will be perceived before I write them. I just write. It's all good ... and I hereby retract nothing. See you on the 50 ... and the party on Saturday night. Woo-hoo! Lee

Attention Group. We have officially exceeded the show site complaint allocation for one DCP thread. Please refer all future complaints to RAMD. LOL. :P

Random thoughts from Renegades LA Tour 2003 1. Opening Ceremonies: Renegades first run-through in San Diego. While the rest of the corps marches around him at 200 b.p.m., snare drummer Dennis Mancini does a slow motion Matrix-style back flip in the middle of Halloween. Dennis is uninjured, but stunned that for 1.3 seconds of his life, he manages to defy gravity and play clean sixteenth notes on a snare drum while upside down. All in all, the staff is very happy that the corps first run-through was so good. Apparently, our request to the corps to keep the show in its head through the July 4th holiday weekend break was well taken. 2. Mysterious Opening Ceremony #2: Contra-player-in-a-rage James Bearney trips over a flag on the field and dents his contra. This event eerily parallels his experience at DCA 2002 when his contra was dropped off of an airplane onto the runway and run over by an Air Italia 747 (airport workers and random Italians are still hiding from James). Somehow, James’ mysterious role in the Universe includes the mashing of metal objects by third parties no matter what lengths are taken to protect them. I find this amusing, and I plan to propose to the Renegades board that we either heavily insure the horn that James will use at DCA and hire Air Force One to transport it … or we invent the disposable contra. James has nothing to do with this … it’s his role in the Universe, and somewhere, a sentient being is smiling, as all is going according to his or her plan. 3. Disclaimer: I actually saw very little drum corps this weekend. I spent much of one show at the beach trying to temporarily forget drum corps, and much of the other in transit back home so I could play lawyer this morning. ^0^ 4. Renegades new podium = genius. Thank you to the two people who donated the big bucks to get it. 5. Deep thought: Treasure Island may be the most beautiful rehearsal facility in drum corps, and keeps the Renegades away from Africa-heat for much of the summer … but it does little to nothing to prepare the corps for the reverb and suddenly-loud pit in a concrete bowl-like stadium. Uh-oh. Keep reading. 6. Lesson Learned #1 (San Diego). After the 1.3 mile excruciatingly hot Bataan Death March simulation from the parking lot to the stadium, the Renegades take the field. Although the on-the-field show was OK, the ensemble show was “exciting,” as the unexpected reverb and suddenly-loud pit bouncing off the concrete bowl stadium causes five complete catastrophic ensemble melt-downs where everyone on the field is out of step with one another (literally). I am stunned, as the corps was great in rehearsal, and four out of five meltdowns occur where there never has been one before. Ahhh, nothing like 11 minutes of intense chaos and stress to start the weekend of drum corps shows … Yipee. Note to self: Ignoring pit and reverb is a good lesson for our corps to learn in San Diego … and not DCA Prelims. Go to the beach. 7. Post-Lesson Learned #1 (San Diego). Immediately after Renegades’ performance, staff members Chris Nalls, Dave Watrous, Teri (Chris’ girlfriend) and I head to the beach at La Jolla to watch the sunset and forget about drum corps. We return to the show just in time for a brief viewing of Pacific Crest (very much improved, but still lacking in impact a bit), and the judge’s critique. The judges seem to now realize that we are going to DCA and looking for insight as we clean and perfect the show … so, the input we are getting from them has been great. A few years ago, West Coast senior corps was largely seen as a novelty and the critiques were of limited value … that is starting to disappear quickly. Cool! 8. Random Comment on San Diego Show: Whoever promoted this show needs to attend Marketing 101. Eleven fans and a soggy bratwurst do not make a drum corps show, and there were enough good corps to attract a much bigger fan base. Sorry, but I know the promoters could have done better. D-. 9. Random Comment #2 on San Diego Show: Three senior corps in one show = AWESOME. Hurry back Northwest Venture! Enough said. 10. So.Cal Dream: Pro: Renegades southern evil pals continue their rapid rate of improvement, and stun the Free World by beating River City Regiment … twice. Visual program is definitely Dream’s strong suit, and the guard is clean, clean and clean. Con #1: Pit needed. Con #2: So.Cal Dream takes the field as I walk out of the stadium in San Diego after our five spectacular ensemble melt-downs. Audience members who just walk into the stadium say, “Oh cool, Renegades are on the field.” This was too funny, until five seconds later it happened again. Arghhhhh!! Dear Renegades southern evil pals – the purple shirt and cool uniform design notwithstanding, you look exactly like the Renegades … and there are only three California senior corps. Next year, figure out a way to get your own visual identity, or we need get River City Regiment in long black coats as well to complete the trilogy. I enjoy your corps, but the twilight zone alternate universe effect confuses people. 11. River City Regiment: Pro: Small but very clean and talented drum line leads the way for this vastly improved corps, and they take the field percussion sub-caption in San Diego. Although losing to the Dream both nights, the home court advantage is very much relevant in senior corps, and next weekend, it will be Dream who travels hours and hours without sleep just to get to the show. Look for a possible competitive upset at the Cupertino or Sacramento show. Con: Some members were openly and visibly rattled by the scores on Saturday. Don’t worry … be happy. The corps is 100% better than last year, and the home court advantage is about to be yours. 12. West Covina Show: Pro: Africa heat disappears rapidly upon Renegades belated arrival at show site. Our pals in the Dream accommodate our last second need for warm-up time, and we take the field after them (thank you). Renegades have a very solid and exciting show. The fans were great, and I got to finally meet honorary Renegade Harvey Berish. Con: Slight ensemble tear in the closer, seven-hour drive back home after the show. SPECIAL BOUNUS = Fans in the seats. Show promoter gets a B+. 13. Random Deep Thought: It’s good to be on the road with the Renegades again, and I got to meet a lot of cool people this weekend. Special shout out to Dream staff member Jesus (pronounced “Hey Zues”), as he might be as evil as the rest of us. Chaotic parties held throughout the Elephant Bar and hotel on Saturday Night were really fun, and brought back the concept of sleep deprivation experiments. Next weekend, Renegades to host the party after the Cupertino show, and both Dream and RCR will allegedly be in attendance. Uh-oh. J 14. Random Deep Thought #2: Our tenor line is getting really, really good. When they marched by me playing “scrapes” at 200 bpm with exactly “zero” ticks during a run through, I had a SCV flashback. Murrak Gusseck for President. 15. What’s Next: Two more Nor Cal. Senior/Div 2 shows (Sacramento and Cupertino), and then Renegades go into the “second season,” where we take six intense weeks to clean the show in preparation for DCA, cumulating with the Renegades farewell performance show (River City will be there as well). Evil intense Renegade ending to Red Skies at Night coming soon to a stadium near you. Thanks for reading, Lee

Ya know.... when my mind tries to fathom it..... I can only come up with the notion that I really.....really do not want to know what kind of negotiations went on between Lee's soul and the Devil to get the visual staff that we have. This is by far THE BEST show I've performed or been associated with...ever.....in my life. That is all. Thank you. Goodbye. Actually, the key player who really got the early momentum to assemble this visual staff is a behind the scenes staff member -- Mike McCool (former SCV show coordinator, and current evil show consultant for Renegades);

Lee, the wonderful staff that you and Chris have gathered and the show that has been designed is fu##ing genkus (as you would say) and by far more exciting than my jr. corps experience. Thanks for a great year and the unforgetable a## whooping. Cool beans. I'm still stunned by the fact that our colorguard took the field at Blue Devil Family Day looking better in many respects than they did at DCA 2002. Improvement is one thing, but this is ridiculous. Kudos to Julie, Cathy, Carol and Mark ... and their 32+ evil followers. b**bs