N.E. Brigand

Because Kamen reversed the more common phrasing? And if it is absurd, should we expect Phantom to be thinking along the lines of the Blue Devils in 2008? (You may already be aware of this, but for anyone who isn't: the phrase "old moon in the new moon's arms" (or the reverse) refers to the phenomenon called "Earthshine", when the rest of the moon's Earth-facing surface is dimly visible next to its sun-lit crescent.)

Indeed. This internet connection is very slow, so I couldn't get more than the first 20 s. of that clip to load, but from what I could see, they appear to have at least 225 members. This fall, for the first time in more than 15 years, I attended a couple marching band contests here in Ohio, and the "class AA" (large school) bands appearing there averaged about 175-200 members. But these were almost always the best groups, as well -- musically they have coverage for the holes more evident in the smaller bands. I was there because my own former high school's band director is retiring at the end of the school year, after 24 years there (and eleven more elsewhere). His was the largest group appearing at this year's state finals, with 248 members -- down from 339 six years ago. The impression I got was of continuous marching that never got anywhere, because there was no room to move. But it was cleanly done and the music sufficently difficult and properly controlled. So for all their unwieldy size, they received a "superior" (OMEA allows only for rating, not ranking, at state -- which they also don't call a "competition") as they have every year since 1990 -- the season after I graduated. We/they were much smaller through the early nineties: just 120 in my senior year, for instance, and then the school was in the "A" category. Which is a roundabout way of returning to the original question. In 1989, to help us understand a bit of drill he'd scripted, our director showed us a brief clip of the DCI finals PBS broadcast from which he'd lifted the idea. I'm sure we marched it rather slower than the corps in question -- if he named them at the time, it didn't stick. More than ten years passed before I got hold of a video myself and learned that what we'd seen and borrowed from was the Freelancers, in their E.T. / Empire of the Sun show. Our musicials selections were completely different, however: "Caravan" and some Ellington. As for the reverse, corps borrowing from bands, I know it must be a coincidence, but when a couple years ago, I first heard the Scouts' delightful show from 1998 (which I've not yet seen) I certainly was startled at the passage where the "Hall of the Mountain King" melody is played first by a solo contra then repeated by all the contras together. Am I remembering that correctly? Because that's just how my college band opened "Mountain King" in a Halloween halftime show in 1992 (I think that was the year; what I remember most is that it was it was snowing) -- while I played (poorly) the sousa solo, my fellows, like myself all in cheap mummy costumes, lurched forward to join me for the repeat. Even had someone later with the Scouts been in attendance, I can't think that our performance would inspire anyone to take up the the idea! And no doubt I show my classical ignorance: is that perhaps how it's scored in the Grieg original?

Being merely an admirer of drum corps who never marched (apart from h.s. and college band; the former competitively, but only at the state level), I don't expect to be contributing much here, but wanted to de-lurk long enough to say that I am really enjoying reading these forums and expect to learn much by doing so. Thanks to all of you who are sharing your experiences and insights.