Pinky's Brain

Am I seeing that right? Guardians only doing two shows? I was hoping to see them at the Dallas show.

Anybody know anything about this group? I stumbled across it on Facebook. I hope there's a new corps in the DFW area since I live a couple hours away from the metroplex. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maelstrom-Drum-Bugle-Corps/496184380417837

I marched in a few corps in the 70's. The first never got on the field or parade route since we were going to start that way first. We had hand me down horns from a corps from another state (wow). A dozen or so practices learning Battle Hymn and Grand Old Flag, and we were done. I was the "outsider" since I lived in another town and had to travel over 10 miles to get to the practice site which was a boxing gym. The next year, I was with a corps that did parades and local circuit shows. We were not good. I don't know if we officially folded as much as the corps director never announced what our next thing was. The next year, I got a ride with my buddy from the folded corps and marched with our "rival" corps. We were not their rival since they beat us by 15-20 points, but they were in the same county. They merged with several corps and did that DCI thing. My family moved west (still east of the Mississippi, but west to me) and by 16 my drum corps was over. The nearest corps was over 500 miles away and wasn't going to travel that far when the furthest I went was 30. I did get to go to a few shows when I was in college that were close. With all the corps that have folded, how many corps were like mine that lasted less than four years? I have to tell people I never marched DCI but did march corps in the early DCI era. I didn't know if I was a corps killer since the three corps I was with either folded or merged. I was excited when a corps started up near me in Texas where I live now and got to meet them at the show where they folded. They had some success and eerily folded mid season like my second (or my first real corps) did.

I know for a fact that Forte has folded and are liquidating all equipment and uniforms to pay off debts. I contacted them last month to see what their status was. I got a reply back from someone (business manager or board member, didn't identify themself) still with them replied back that they were finished and with all their past problems and reputation to end the corps. The kids I met at the Dallas show were super. A bunch of corps are going to get a good bunch of kids this season.

The first corps I was in around 1974, we were lucky the judges couldn't find all our tics. We would have bottomed out. We weren't good, but we had fun. But what did I know, I was only 13-14. We only did about six shows, so it only got a little better. We fixed the ones the judges found. They promptly found our others fast at the next show, so our execution scores never really improved. Which is better? Who knows?

The same one I heard that sued Forte, the corps he's now praising? I will say what he said about the kids is right. I got to meet some of them at their last show ever in Dallas.

Good luck to Forte. Talked to a couple of members tonight after the show. They said it was a flat show. They have one more WC show in Edmond, OK then off to OC tour. I was hoping Crossmen would get closer to Blue Knights. Go Bones!!

After all the banter about Forte this past year on DCP, this corps impressed me. I think they have potential. Good job Forte!! I'm also glad to see Crossmen back up there! 17th is not a place for Bones!!

Thanks for the replies It still doesn't answer the question of what happens if a corps does not pass the evaluation. Do they need to fix discrepancies and then ok'd or are they told try again later after you get your house in order? Are the kids released out of their contracts? Is there schedule stripped to local shows only? I hope this never happens, but what if?

I saw on the DCI site that there's a couple of corps "completing their evaluation process". I wish this would have happened with a few corps I was with back in the 80's, but I digress. What does DCI look at? Do they go to several camps and observe during the summer? When do the corps get the word they're good to go? Has anyone failed an evaluation? If they fail, are the kids released to march another corps? Does DCI evaluate current corps every few years?

So, what did this corps charge last year? Maybe they're traveling pretty far for them this year, like out of their area.

You still didn't answer the question of have you contacted the corps in question directly? Frankly, I could care less who this corps is. I want to know have you contacted them with your demands? You seem to have a personal vendetta against someone associated with this corps, why deal with them instead of posting it here? It still sound like you want this corps gone and the quicker the better. Deal with the corps instead of here.

I don't have one except this. I usually check the historical junior corps postings since that's more interesting than 99% of the posting on drum corps planet..

I've been a non registered lurker for a while until I saw these postings about this open class corps and had to comment. Having worked with and marched with a few small corps in my day, I'm starting to see a pattern that has effected a lot of corps I've been a part of. The corps I've worked with that had this problem, it usually came from the top. Most of the time, the corps director allowed this to happen by allowing kids to march without paying dues and making sure he was paid before his staff at the expense and sacrifice of the kids. That's when the corps staff started wondering where the money went. Mr Brace seems to be blaming the new administration and staff while forgiving the past one. Why was there a change in administration and staff? While Mr Brace is on a one man mission to kill this corps, why doesn't he contact the corps directly instead of bringing it to a public forum. Why does Mr Brace not contact the past director and ask if all the members of the corps paid their dues? Did they over extend in purchasing instruments, equipment, and vehicles? Did they go on tour with a negative balance hoping kids will pay their dues on the road? Mr Brace seems to know that this corps has money in the bank. Did he see that personally or is he guessing or hearing it second hand? Again, did he contact this corps to see the treasurer's report? That is public record for a non-profit organization. While Mr Brace is worried about the past staff's pay, I can empathize with that when corps took up to 6 months to pay me or didn't pay me at all. I think he is pointing the finger the wrong direction for the blame and not assisting the present administration with a feasible solution.