27thAvantCadets

Awesome! Great job to all.

*****LIMITED TIME ONLY OFFER***** Custom T-Shirts---you design it or I can help if needed. Offer: solid white t-shirt, ring collar and sleeve Medium, Large and X-Large shirts available in this deal. single color ink imprint front and back Mid range quality, (not thin or weak weave),a good, solid shirt, ex. GILDAN $2.18 each based on order of 1008 shirts. (smaller orders will result in higher per shirt cost) Amazing deal and opportunity. I know it is a lot of shirts, but it truly is a good deal. I wanted to share this deal with my drum corps friends. Do you sponsor a drum corps show in the summer? Great shirt for that event. Do you host a bowl-a-thon or golf tourney or 5K road race? We can stack sponsor logos on the back. Sleeve imprints are also available for additional charge. Also available are black shirts for $3.18 each, again based on 1008 shirts ordered. Ink color is just about any color in the rainbow. Additional color are available for extra charge. (sorry no small size included in deal, but small is available, as is 2X, 3X and 4X for extra charge.) White shirts purchased in this deal would cost $2197.44 + shipping. If the shirts were sold for only $10 each, the net profit could be: 1008 shirts sold = $10080 purchase price = $2198 (aprox.) profit = $7881 If the shirts were sold for only $5 each, the profit could be: 1008 shirts sold = $5040 purchase price = $2198 (aprox.) profit = $2842 Either way it is gooooood money! That could be nice. to help off-set whatever costs are creeping in on you as the season approaches. A shirt fundraiser could be just the ticket for your corps this year! Let me help. This is a good deal and most local merchandisers will not be able to get this deal with this quality of shirt and be able to turn it around as quickly as I will. Not to mention...I'm a drum corps alum, so lets keep it in the family. Thanks. Looking forward to hearing from many of you!! Let me help you make some money! Art 518-496-5683 paradiddleone@yahoo.com

I assume it is Brian? Thank you for the thoughtful reply. It will be a fun challenge you face. I wish you the best of luck, truly. Sounds like you are off to a good start. I never meant to sound as if I wouldn't love to see more corps in the state, regional or otherwise, I just speak from experience when I say, recruiting is a nightmare(everywhere, I know, but specifically in eastern NY) and as you expand your geographic reach, you to will start to see your efforts reaching 100+ miles in every direction fairly quickly. (I supposes that is just my opinion, until it is proven to be true) As Tom pointed out, the highs schools, (and even younger) are the area in which to focus your efforts. ~Tom, I can always count on you to put me in my place(uh, I mean, put things into perspective for me! ) I certainly was not bashing to efforts or the proposed interest of a new corps. I think growth of the activity is always awesome, and contrary to some, I believe growth to be DCI, DCA, WGI, MCA and now Arena Corps, so I am not for one genre over another, although I do draw the line at saxophones! Keith, you are right, definitely not knocking a parade corps....you have got to start some where. Again, good luck. Art

HELLO BRAIN, JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE REALLY DONE YOUR RESEARCH? IN YOUR AREA ALONE, (HUDSON VALLEY), YOU HAVE THE 20TH CENTURY LIMITED(NON-COMPETITIVE PARADE UNIT), A GREAT LITTLE CORPS THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS AND RIGHT UP THE INTERSTATE A BIT TO ALBANY YOU HAVE EXCELSIOR(DCA SANCTIONED COMPETITIVE CORPS). THERE IS ALSO DK PRODUCTIONS IN YOUR AREA WHICH HAS ASPIRATIONS OF A DCI LEVEL COMPETITIVE CORPS IN JUST A FEW YEARS AND THEN THERE IS CAPITAL BRASS IN THE ALBANY AREA ALSO. (SEMI-PROFESSIONAL MINI-CORPS GROUP) NOT A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE POOL TO BE STARTING YET ANOTHER GROUP. HAVING EQUIPMENT IS A GOOD START, BUT WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THE BODIES? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW, OR SHOULD I SAY "BRAINS"?

Joey, All the best! Congrats. Art

Actors guild!!!! Bahhhhhaaaaaaaaaa ha ha ha ha Bahhhaaaaaaa! LMAO Don't forget the stage crew, sound engineers and lighting crew!

All I know is that this was bitterly sweet! Cadets march cymbals in Inaugural Parade!

OK folks... 1. Buses...yes, there are indeed charter buses that exist that have large capacity, ie; 60, 62, 65. But how many corps are using them...(that would be zero). And as far as I know, I do not know of any corps looking to flip their fleets in the off season from the 5 year old buses(rare)-25/30 year old buses(more common) that they are currently using to new, top of the line charters, (roughly a million bucks!). Even the corps that own and operate charter bus companies established to create income in the off season, Spartan, Cadets, ect. are not rolling with the T9 Altano Van Hool has a 65 passenger, or whatever! So, lets really figure it out. 50-54 passanger bus, lets use 50 for math sake, 50 x 3 = 150. (staff bus, is the staff bus, no members ride on it unless breakdown or bizarre situation occurs). In some cases, staff buses are smaller or have been modified to include tables and couches/cots/beds. 2. College bands (EVEN THE BEST BANDS), are not drum corps. They are college bands. not going to be the same caliber or quality. DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING.....College bands are good, some are exceptional, but they are not competitive drum corps that have 1800 hours in rehearsals targeted toward one 13 minute show. College bands in general change the show weekly, and in general do not spend un-godly amounts of time rehearsing. (some do rehearse alot, but certainly not as much as corps in the summer. The college students have to go to class after all.) And I also agree, that a 250-300 member band does not march or move nearly as much as a smaller corps, or band for that matter. I also agree with whoever said that if you watch one member of a 300 member band, they will actually not be moving very much. (that is a very broad stroke opinion/observation and does not apply to every band everywhere), but for the most part, in a 300 member band, trombone #21 marches between the 25 and 40 yard line on one side of the field up and down the field, and that equation basically applies to all members. I want to add, and this is not disputing what I have said above and certainly not covering my ###, but will say, there have been college band shows that I have adored, some that I have been absolutely impressed with and even other that have wow-ed me musically, so I am not a "drum corps rules, college bands suck" kind of guy, but quite the contrary, but they are two different animals and need to judged and critiqued as such. 3. Z-pull with 300 people...ahhh, no! Drum corps need to be smaller both from a logistical point of view and an artistic point of view.

AWESOME!!!!! Talk soon, Art

Wake up on the wrong side of the bus seat did ya? Or did your bus partner lean on you and drool on your shoulder? Man, this is supposed to be fun. Thanks for flaming!

Personally I think this entire thread is in very poor taste. To make mention of hardships your OWN corps may have been burdened with is one thing, but to call out corps that you thought "should be put out of there misery" is completely another. And blaming the management of a corps that you were not associated with is yet again something that you may not be completely educated on. If you want to laugh at some of the crazy uniforms we once wore or poke fun at some of the silly gimmicks we put into shows over the years, that is completely different than actually calling out a corps because they were small or "embarrassing" to you. Personally when I see smaller corps struggling to field a corps or any size or even to march an entire show, I applaud even louder for those kids and even for the management for giving those kids the chance and a place to perform. Many props to VOreason and Keith Hall. Great points made by you guys throughout the thread.

So many great moments. and I know it is not really part of the show, but for me it was Phantoms 2 asst. drum majors dragging the dead drum major out for finals retreat and just dropping his lifeless body onto the front sideline with all the rest of the drum majors standing at attention! That was great! Taking the theme right to the end! Of course he had to jump up pretty quick after he was presented with the first award of the night, the Disney award. The best finals in many, many years! Cant wait for this year.

Holly, I was thinking of coming down but I don't think I'd pass the "I not a Psycho" test! Glad to hear your new year is off to such a great start. Best of luck to you and the gang in '09~ Art

That being said, I wish them the best of luck this year! Nice Disclaimer Metaltones! Way to be supportive and yet cover your butt!~ Gotta love the competitive "love" that flows through this activity.

how has the search for your Grande contras going? Interested in possibly one of the 3 valve converted contras...still available? Thanks

Color of drums? Photos?

2 or 3 valve?

Holly and Ralph, I wish you another great season in 2009! You have started to assemble another fantastic staff for this season, as you did last year. It has truly been fun to watch this thing grow and do so well! Congrats and best of luck!

LOVE IT!!!! Seriously LOL! And don't forget the disclaimers to avoid conflict!

Well what was old is new again! Welcome home Mr. Hannum!

Couldn't find the music to go with the cadence I had playing in my head....so I just wrote it myself. Thank you all.

it is certainly different....which are the ivory and which are the ebony keys? Hmmmm. So, who will be the first drum corps to have one?

Great pick up for Spartans. Always enjoyed them, and now should be just that much more! Looks like Aungst is going to be busier now more than ever. Hmmmmm.

I saw the show semis and then again in finals! Amazing!!! I think they had it won after finals. However even if they didn't, when the two drum Majors dragged the third dead DM out to retreat did it for me!

Avant Garde did the flash bulb thing in 1985. I saw a local Marching Band on a parade and they had battery operated single flashing lights (ala, starsky and hutch single light off the dash and reach out the window and put it on the roof, get it?) They had these on the bass drums and it was a neat effect. Oh, given the new rules....water has a ton of possibilities, just not the bass drums turned on their sides with water on them, thats been done!