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From where I sit on Oahu, both coasts are on the right. Aloha…🏝😎

Along the lines of audience participation, I’ve often thought it would be a cool idea if the drum major would select a younger kid from the audience and have them stand on the DM podium. The DM would give a quick “how to” in conducting a 4-pattern (“follow what I do”); the ensemble would play and if the kid “gets it” the DM would stop for a few seconds and let the kid keep going. Of course the ensemble would be following someone hidden from view. Second idea: The Vaughan brothers (Stevie Ray & Jimmy) did a duet where SRV would play the top neck of a two-necked guitar, and Jimmy would reach around his brother’s waist from behind and play the lower neck without looking. “Rach Star, Part Deux”!

Best Cartwright Memorial Hair Flip: Phantom’s field conductor after her salute. Everyone in the cinecast theater— even the bandos two rows back— gasped.

I predict that SCV-A will once again pass over a bunch of talent developed in SCVC over multiple seasons, field three dozen-plus age-outs in SCVC while the A-corps finishes 5th playing a closer written when Star was still on the field. Meanwhile, a few of the VC kids who got passed over go will to BD-A and win, just like they did in 2022. Edit: a pic of the ‘22 SCVC age-outs at OC Championships was posted on the SCV Alumni page; I counted 40.

Last night was my first viewing of this show…while I appreciate the little subtleties woven in it just didn’t grab me as I hoped it would. The highlight of the show (for me at least) was the extended snare feature as they do move laterally then swing backfield. I was also disappointed in the down-soft ending, as I thought the brass would be playing it ** like they used to do ** (says this Tenderland ‘84 vet.)

I think it was Troopers that did 8 counts of real, honest-to-goodness high mark time last night— goosebump moment.

I am already seated in the theater in Honolulu at 12:30PM Hawaii time; we’re just about to start! EDIT: Here we go!!

I began marching at age 12 In JHS. My JHS director was VERY anti DC (he called them “dumb & bungle corps”.) I began corps in ‘79’ on a piston/rotor and continued through my age out year while marching HS and college. I was fortunate to win an Ott Trophy while playing a G bugle with proper intonation while playing Bb instruments during the off season, which for some reason is considered impossible (“Impossible, you say??”) by modern standards. That is because we were stupid and did not know better. Fast forward to October 2021, and my son (who marched with the org 2016-2018, went to Blue Stars in 2019 and aged out in ‘21) and I marched together in the San Jose Parade of Champions wearing THE classic SCV uniform; he wore my age-out star. I have a pic of him standing in the Kingsmen Alumni Corps horn arc with his 2V G sop in our run up to Pasadena 2007; he was 6 years old. Got him started early.

“When The Smoke is Going Down” found on Scorpions’ 1982 album “Blackout”. No DC of course has performed it but the lyrics (told from the POV of an exhausted musician who gives their all to the audience show after show) and melancholy of the tune remind me much of marching during Nationals Week.

Bzzt…404 Error / File Not Found 🤣

The last of the GM contingent aged out in ‘84; Andy was on the podium and two of their FH gods were in our hornline. Andy was the loudest DM I ever heard next to Rick S.

That’s right! I now remember the Guardsmen connection between BCH Tim S. and Len when I was there; my brain cell short-circuited.

I do not believe that Dr. Len K (who took over the directorship of SCV following GR’s passing in ‘92) actually marched in the corps, though he did instruct the CG for many years prior to that. I just know you never saw Dr. L snd singer Mickey Thomas from Starship in the same room. 🤔 Jeff F. came over from Rosemont after alum Jeff P (whom I marched with) left; did JF march SCV? I thought he was “Cavies only”?

I won’t go into salacious details about the acrimonious split between my DC-alum ex spouse and I, but I surprised my son at a DC show like this before step off: His Mom: “Go ______!!!” The “other” DC alum guy she ran off with sitting next to her: ”Go _______!!!” Me, 10 rows further back: “Go _______….from your REAL dad who just flew in!!” The Spectators around me: “Woooooo!!!!!”

It’s a 10 hour flight from my home in Hawaii to Indy; I wouldn’t mind the West Coast at all. 🏝

I just wanted to add that ‘84 was Year 2 or 3 of the subjective/“build-up” judging system vs. the prior tic/“tear down” system where every mistake or equipment drop cost 0.1, so Owens (like others of his day) were pushing boundaries. The corps did very well in the Visual captions under his leadership. i watched you from the stands in Denver; a lot of fans were willing SCV to win and I lost my voice that night. 🥳

The alum who commented about marching instead of dancing would have been appalled at the camp we had in February 1984 where professional choreographers were brought in from San Francisco to teach the “new” coed hornline (from its formation in 1967 to 1983 the horn line had been traditionally all male) dance elements and whip us into shape. The entire brass rehearsal room was cleared out like a dance studio, and we worked our butts off. To make a long story very short, visual designer Dave Owens’ original vision for drum solo (La Boheme Musica) involved a huge joint guard/hornline dance routine that (then) would have predated Star 93’s body movement by 9 years and set the DC world on its ear. While some like myself were “getting it”, not all of the brass folks were up to the physical challenge of what was being asked of us at a time in the activity when brass players were not tasked with knowing dance fundamentals. Looking back I wish we had stuck with Dave’s original concept perhaps with a scaled down dancing brass ensemble, and not the very watered down version we put on the field at Finals. That said, my son spent 2016-2018 in the Santa Clara org on trumpet then went to Blue Stars in 2019. What drove him away was (in his eyes) the over emphasis on dancing brass when he just wanted to march great drill “…like you did, Dad.” Blue Stars gave him that in spades, although he lost his last two competitive seasons to Covid. Finally, I sponsored a couple of the ‘03 members and later marched with a few when we did the ‘04 Rose Parade; holy mackerel those folks could play loud!

Aloha from Hawaii and hope you are doing well too! I’m the skinny baritone player seen in the field cam close up during the push in ‘85 Tenderland with our euph extraordinare (and Madison alum) on the right.

Glad I could help with your dad’s insanity, lol! (I was on the field with SCV 85)

You are correct; it was not fun and the source of much stress, as it was absolutely chaotic. Source: I was The Last Man in & out of that infernal tunnel. When I popped out the crowd went insane (“The gag worked— ahhhhhh!!!!”) but getting through it felt like you were tempting the Uniform Malfunction Gods especially during the low walk sequence since it was done as a straight pass-through.

Maybe my son will get his age out year in with them in some way (he marched 2019 and was contracted for 2020.)

I know you are saying that in jest but PC’s trombone soloist from 2019 had plans to march 2020 and age out in 2021 with them. On a sadder note, that performer’s father is currently hospitalized and on a ventilator due to the virus; we are all pulling for him!

SCV ‘85 dropping into the low walk during the Perc feature and the Tunnel of Doom uniform change. The poor contras had to go in first like this and since we went straight through (there was no “roundy round” action inside the tunnel to buy time) the potential for disaster went through the roof either by tripping & falling, snagging another uniform and dragging it out, or tearing off the wrong part. At the San Antonio Show (I think) we had a major hiccup and the last baritone player came out with both green halves (tunic front & pants) torn off by accident AND no uniform V-star in the mad scramble to recover. That person was also a set point and boy did he stick out. Following the trademark Royer Nuclear ☢️ Meltdown afterward a contingency plan was hatched such that if a uniform malfunction occurred, the affected person was to ditch their horn in the rolling uniform bin, stay inside the tunnel, then “act” as part of the guard when the tunnel was collapsed and moved to the back sideline.

That was an “all star” type band from the islands that I’m pretty sure had an SCV alum from the late 70’s on their staff. There aren’t a ton of DC alums out here; in 2019 I think we had about a dozen-ish kids march DCI spread amongst SCV, Mandarins, Gold and Blue Stars. We even arranged a “welcome home” pickup at HNL airport as they came back on the same flight.

Probably not high on everyone’s radar but out here in Hawaii (where SCV’s 2018-2019 (and ‘20) superscreamer came from and where he attends college at UH) two of our county mayors (our municipal government structure is different) are very wary of the October 15th “Mainland to Hawaii” tourist opening with those having a negative test 72 hours prior to travel exempt from our 14 day quarantine. The kicker is, ** interisland travel ** by residents like myself hasn’t been addressed...I can travel to Honolulu County (Oahu) and not be subject to quarantine; however, coming back to my “home” county (Hawaii/Big Island) I am subject to quarantine UNLESS my trip is under a medical exemption (which I have to apply for, as my eye doctor is on Oahu) AND my trip out & back from Hilo Intl Airport takes place the same day. Anyone from a Neighbor Island (Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, Big Island) TO Oahu is okay, going back home; you’re toast if you stay even one night. The mayors of Kauai & the Big Island think one test isn’t enough and that a 2nd test should be done 72 hours AFTER a Mainland visitor (or returning resident from the Mainland) arrives on a Neighbor Island. During that 72 hours, they’d be quarantined. As you might imagine, our state Governor Ige is against this. If you’re confused, try living here. Meanwhile, the politicking and finger pointing in the media is beyond surreal. No one is in charge, no one knows what’s going on, and no one will admit what they’ve done.