Tim K

If you ask Star, they wanted a new venture and the opportunity to perform with ensembles like Canadian Brass. Common theory is they were upset about being second in 1993. Interestingly, many believe that is one of the most innovative shows of all time.

You may want to take a peak at BAC's Facebook page for a few clues about what will happen tonight or tomorrow! If you're wondering, they are practicing in shorts with the gray jackets, but you can see a hint of red.

Defenders and North Star stopped competing after 1982. Both had good local representation and I think the interest dried up. There were financial issues as well. 27th stopped competing after 1986. Promised funding was never received and recruitment became more challenging after Garfield won three titles. More and more recruits fro northeast corps came from the south, and in winter months the trip up 95 is much shorter in lousy weather if the final destination is New Jersey. Nationally, 27th was possibly the most popular corps from Massachusetts, though the current BAC is loved too, however when 27th, BAC, and North Star competed against each other, local fans could be pretty tough on them, just as they can be with the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. Defenders seemed to get a free ride as far as that was concerned. However, while BAC has always boasted about how tough they are, and tough can be an understatement, I think they learned that if they wanted to succeed, nothing could be taken for granted, because in the mid to late 80's, we began to see the infancy of the BAC we see today. East Coast Jazz has not competed since 2006, but I heard some people talking about East Coast Jazz at Beanpot last week, and there was some talk about attempts at reviving it. Now Tom Chopelas was in the vicinity and heard the same conversation, who knows?

I'm not sure I'd put Crown in the same category as Star, with no disrespect to either corps. For one thing, Crown started from humbler beginnings, worked its way up, and spent years developing its brand. Star came on the scene with the goal of winning. Once it won, there was nothing left. Star did bring a fresh approach and breathed some life into the activity when one corps was disappearing after another, and they had some great shows, but as I look back now it seems as if they had a plan for success, but not one for longevity. Crown is far more of a long term corps. Regarding 27th and I suppose Bridgemen: if they could have held on financially, they probably would have been competitive today. While we see them as an iconic example of their day, both were innovative and 27th was beginning to change its style. As a matter of fact, in 27th's last competitive year, they probably should have made finals and when you consider how close they were to Troopers in prelims, the late season bus troubles they had that kept them from rehearsing may have been the culprit. We probably would not have seen the wheel or would not have been serenaded with "Crown Imperial" and "Danny Boy," even though I'd consider it to be Heaven. They'd probably be similar in style and popularity to Madison, BAC, and Troopers. I don't think too many, if any corps stopped competing because their style was no longer popular with judges, most folded due to economics and recruitment difficulties.

My guess is tat you are asking this question is to find out if most people who critique shows have actually seen them!

If you want to go retro, perhaps "Through the Eyes of Love" but I'd choose Garfield's version over Madison's. I know, choosing Garfield in 1980 over Madison is blasphemous, but I love Garfield's show that year. Madison's 1977 "How Deep Is Your Love" would be a great first dance. In 1972 CapitolAires played "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" Never saw them perform so I don't know how it worked for them, but it worked for The Sound of Music. Schubert's "Ave Maria" is often a standard at weddings, especially Catholic weddings, though I'm assuming that since you are getting married the day before Easter, it's probably not a Catholic wedding (weddings aren't generally performed between Palm Sunday and Easter in Catholic churches), but it's a guaranteed tear jerker if played when mother's are escorted to their seats. Corpsreps lists quite a few corps who performed this piece.

In 1977, Bridgemen were the corps I loved to hate, which means I secretly loved them but would never admit it. You see, I was a diehard fan of 27th, BAC, and North Star, and in 1977 Bridgemen gave them a run for their money. I'm sure I was also rather pleased about the disqualification. Of course time changes everything. I miss the Bridgemen. Each time I see the alumni corps I get excited. I appreciate the Bridgemen's contribution, but most of all when I see the 1977 Legacy DVD and see the Bridgemen perform, knowing how impressive they were that year whether I admit it or not, I see a group of disappointed young people who look crushed, and I feel sorry about a situation that for the kids, was not their fault. Now as far as winning the title, Bridgemen did beat Phantom early in the season at CYO and DCI East, but closer to finals they placed second to Phantom. They had not faced Blue Devils or SCV until finals. Blue Devils were undefeated that year, so I think it's safe to say they may have placed third if the controversy had not arisen, perhaps second, but I'm not sure they would have won.

I'm glad to see some people listed the Defenders. I almost joined that corps but transportation became an issue. It was said that 27th, BAC, and North Star did not train beginners on horns, something I later learned was not necessarily the case, but Defenders were willing to train anyone, included us forsaken woodwind players, as long as they had some musical training. They could pack a punch and at a time that "How loud can you get?" was rewarded, they could give anyone a run for their money. Greatest non-finalist corps may be a matter of debate, but for those lucky enough to have seen them live, certainly one of the most enjoyable. Another corps that I enjoyed and did well but never made finals was Offensive Lions. I did not see Watkins Glen Squires in 1975, but they are always listed as one that should have been a finalist but never made it. Now I could include Pacific Crest and Academy on the list, but since they are still competing and still aspiring, their greatness may be yet to come.

I first heard about future "wows" at CYO, and they would be unveiled at Bristol. At Bristol, I heard Beanpot. At Beanpot I heard Minneapolis. Now I saw major revisions at Bristol, and at Beanpot I saw a more confident performance. So I suppose the rumors could be correct that we did see "wows" and will continue to see "wows" as the show improves, that will have nothing to do with the "wows" people are expecting, namely a uniform switch like SCV used to do. However, a cleaner show will have more effective "wows" than something that can appear to be a stunt, so I'd rather be patient and be wowed in Lawrence, Allentown, or Indy, but just in case the "wows" are unveiled this weekend, I'll be watching the webcast of Minneapolis, and if all of the sudden I see red jackets replace gray, I won't complain. FYI to Ghost: I was sitting in the stands at CYO, Bristol, and Beanpot, so you know my sources would be a friend of a friend of a fiend's cousin said...

There is one key factor for this year that in my opinion makes it different than last year. Carolina Crown was the corps most people believed had a chance of beating Blue Devils, but they did not meet until Minneapolis. This year BD had met Carolina Crown is each of their competitions, so we may have a better gauge of where BD stands. You are correct about the improvements to the show. Last year there were all kinds of comments about how "dirty" BD's show was, but they usually compete in fewer early season shows and take the time to make the necessary changes and clean-up. We'll have to wait and see if the same thing happens this year. Of course there will be some who may question what Blue Devils clean means. While I will say they are cleaner than many people give them credit for, clean is not the first word that comes to mind regarding Blue Devils. Innovative, powerful, fierce competitors yes, clean yes, but extremely clean, I'm not so sure. Now should Blue Devils fans be panicking, depends on Cadets. If they place a solid third or even behind SCV tomorrow, no. If Cadets turn out to be the front runners, which I think is a definite possibility (to be fair, I have not seen Crown or BD live, only recorded shows, but I have seen Cadets live three times), there may be room for some concern.

This year I don't think I'll count anyone out! Academy has tons supporters who argue their cause, Pacific Crest is impressing everyone, Mandarins are claiming their best year ever, Blue Stares and Crossmen are getting ready for another heated end of season, Troopers have promise, and Colts always have great moments in their shows. Indy could be very interesting this year.

It went great at Beanpot too, and since so many of the people in the audience marched with some of the corps known for rifle lines: BAC, North Star, and of course 27th. If a color guard, especially rifles, is approved in Boston, it has to be good. Hope storms keep away and people get to see in tonight.

What I appreciate about this year's Bluecoats show this year that it may be the same show each evening, but somehow feels different each time I see it. I first saw it at a movie theater but I saw it live at CYO Nationals in Quincy and got the somewhat dark feeling some have mentioned. I saw it again in Bristol just before July 4th and it had an innocent feeling to it. At Beanpot I kind of had a feeling of being reminded of optimism when so many tend to be somewhat pessimistic. I guess that's one of eth signs of a good show--keeping people guessing while having the same show have a different feel each time it is seen. However, with all the great musical moments in the show, the thing that sticks in my head is recorded voice of the drill sergeant who yells "Atten-hut" and the corps yells back "bloo." I swear I've been hearing that over and over.

I am currently involved with getting a band off the ground at a Catholic school and there have been some people who know I love drum corps who want me to make it a parish-wide activity and start a full fledged drum corps. There are two huge limitations. First, money. Second, there are no corps to compete against and I'm not sure parades and exhibitions would be enough to keep the interest of a child. I think there's also another challenge to the proposal as stated. I am a key of g guy at heart, love traditional guards, and grew up during the carry-on days. I respect it and see it all as an art form. However, I also know when I marched in a CYO band in a circuit that included drum corps and drill teams in the mid to late 70's, we all wanted to do what drum corps did, namely play like Madison, have a guard like 27th, all while imitating the Bridgemen. Last Wednesday night I was in Bristol and the stadium was field with high school kids. I can guarantee you they will all return to their schools excited to invigorate their music programs wanting to wear gray like BAC to create a mood, have the moves and sound of Bluecoats, blast everyone away with brass power and percussion attitude like Cadets with the elegance and strength of Phantom all while having the "let's have some fun here" like Surf. So I think we would have to have junior versions of what we see today. However, we probably all have ideas of how something like this could work and we are certain our ideas are best, and perhaps they are. There is also the possibility that this plan, as written, could work. However, the original poster's stats are what w should be paying attention to, namely that 80% of those involved in drum corps are over the age of 18. It's my guess that in the past, with perhaps the exception of the elite corps, that the numbers were the opposite, namely that 80% were under the age of 18. If you want to see some examples, look at the 1975 Legacy DVD and watch Finleyville Royal Crusaders, the 1976 Guardsmen, or the 77 or 80 Garfield Cadets. This is something that should be a concern and while we could say that bands are now better and school programs have improved, the same can also be said of drama and athletics, and many communities have drama programs for young people outside of school and most of your better athletes have opportunities in club teams, travelling teams, or AAU programs outside of school. It would be great of we had programs for younger kids and World and Open Class would be something to aspire toward, although as I say this, there are lots of young people in Spartans and 7th Regiment this year and while I've only seen Raiders once this year, they looked rather young, and interestingly, all three corps look better!

You're wrong about North Star. North Star always starts strong and peaks in early August unless you're from the Boston area and you know it's not that North Star peaked early, it's because the judges don't appreciate corps from Massachusetts which is why 27th never won a title (should have in 80), it took so long for Defenders to make the top 25 and so long for BAC to finally make the top 12 (that should have happened earlier too, like 77 or 78). So North Star at this point should be with Bridgemen and 27th.Just attend any CYO, Eastern Mass. or Mayflower circuit show and you'll know I'm speaking the truth.

I was surprised at how good all of the corps were last evening. With the combination of heat and most corps doing multiple July 4th parades, again in the heat, I figured at least one corps would crack just a bit and we'd see a bit of fatigue. I did not expect better performances than Bristol. I know we're talking drum corps and drum corps are tough, strong, etc. and the participants are young and can take a lot more than most of us who are twenty-one plus, but they are human. There's no question that last night was Cadet's show, at least in my opinion. Once again I expected a different 2nd and 3rd placement just as I did in Bristol. I thought Bluecoats were on fire and Phantom was excellent, but not quite as hot as Bluecoats. I felt the opposite way after Bristol. However, the differences were small. I'm not finding Surf to be as terrible as some pundits are saying. They may find next year they have to step their competitive game up a bit, and I think the marching members have that potential, but they excite the crowd, their show has improved, and it's fun. Spartans and 7th Regiment have some good talent and big hearts. Regarding BAC: Their progress this week has been phenomenal. They've made some significant changes and while in theory the origional show worked, it was hard to see, especially last week in Quincy where the lighting was less than favorable for intricate backfield work. While all eyes will be on July 11th when Cadets, Crown, and BD meet for the first time, I'm waiting for Minneapolis on Saturday when BAC will face Cavies, Madison, Spirit, and BK. There could be some very interesting results and since BAC will not have any shows between Sunday and Saturday, we could be in for a few surprises. craiga: you may not have a clearance with the BAC design team, but you're usually right on the money. I'd say always, but anytime you use the word always someone finds an exception.

Two spots this year will make up for 77 and 78 when BAC didn't make finals but should have!

1, Cadets--not my original choice but they have something to prove this year. 2. Carolina Crown--may be wrong and I won't be disappointed if they win. 3. Blue Devils 4. SCV 5/6 Bluecoats or Phantom 7. Since 7-10 is a place where there will be a lot of excitement, I'm going to give 7 to BAC. 8. Madison They are doing great this year so far, but they could peak around Allentown. 9. Cavies 10. Blue Knights though this prediction may change when Blue Knights return from the west. 11. Spirit-if they add to their show, this prediction could also be wrong. 12. Troopers, but if I had to place a life or death bet on whether Blue Stars, Troopers, or Crossmen would take the most likely open spot for finals, I'd probably end up dead. This will be another hard fought fight.

I remember going to a few shows on the Cape. They must have been sponsored by Boston Crusaders. It would be great to have a few shows on the Cape.The venues on the Cape would be small, but it would be a great atmosphere for a show. They probably could make a financial killing. The Cape has to be filled with alums from BAC, St. Kevin's Emerald Knights, Majestic Knights, Holy Family Defenders, etc. Alums of 27th, North Star, and Beverly Cardinals probably headed north, because everyone in Massachusetts know, crossing the Tobin Bridge or travelling through the airport tunnels except when you're going to Logan is a day's journey! So North rarely goes South and South rarely goes North. That being said, 27th used to refer to "out of staters" in their corps. Were they really from out of state or were they from Norwood, Quincy, Needham, and other suburbs south of Boston?

The Open Class show in Manchester, NH on July 20th (show some love to Open Class). East Coats Classic in Lawrence, MA (five minutes from home), Allentown, and it's looking more likely I will be going to Indy.

Just a word of warning: Don't tell a Cape Codder that the Cape begins in Plymouth. You have to cross the Cape Cod Canal bridges and you always call them Sagamore or Bourne. A frappe (said frap, not frappay) has milk, ice cream, and syrup so it's not quite an ice cream soda, and I think Brigham's are all but gone, though there may be some private shops using the name and you can still get the ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Their vanilla is perfect for anything a-la-mode. However, if you are headed to the Cape, and you want a great frappe, stop at the Seafood Shanty across from the Canal's visitor center. Since the drum corps will be in Pennsylvania on Sunday, that's where you might be able to find me.

First of all, "the Cape" is always Cape Cod and you only arrive at the Cape when you cross one of the two bridges: Sagamore or Bourne. Plymouth, Wareham, and Onset are not the Cape.Only tourists use "Cape Ann." Locals just use the town names: Gloucester (Glostah) , Manchester (Manchestah) by the Sea, Essex (Essix), or Rockport While I hit Cape traffic with a vengeance going to Bristol, if I hit Cape traffic going to Lynn, my sense of direction is way off. I live in Haverhill and once lived in Lynn, so I know all the back roads quite well. Cadets will maintain their high score but my hope is BAC will edge closer to Bluecoats and Phantom.

Surf is at the same place this year as last year, the difference with this year is that the concept is no longer new. The fact is that Surf is where it wants to be. They feel that providing a solid experience with drum corps and having a good time while doing it is what matters most, so they are achieving what they want to do and they really can't be faulted for it. They may find that this may not be enough and will have to be more competitive to recruit new members, but for now reinventing itself, reminding people how much fun a drum corps performance can be, and exciting a crowd are all worthy contributions to the activity and something Surf is doing well.

I went to the Norwood, MA parade today. Planned on hitting Bristol, but it took so long to get there yesterday and quite a while to get back home, so I stayed local. Saw 7th Regiment, Cadets, and Boston Crusaders along with Connecticut Hurricanes and Le Titans de Quebec. 7th Regiment generally has serious shows but they can let loose with the best of them at a parade. Le Titans have quite the maneuvers in parades, almost like a mini marching show along the route. Hurricanes played a little Bruno Mars as they passed. There was a back up where I was watching and it was in front of a hospital so the corps that were at stand still could not really perform. Cadets took the opportunity to get up close and personal with the crowd, a nice touch, and BAC entertained the crowd with a great drum solo.

I voted Bluecoats, though my heart would be with the person who suggested BAC who will surge this year, of that I have no doubt but I'm not sure it will be to first place, but I'm not sure SCV has to "surge" to win unless Cadets turn out to be the front runners, which could be possible. While my hunch is it could be Crown's year, at least at this point, I think we will see Crown, BD, Cadets, and SCV trade victories back and forth, so if SCV wins it wouldn't necessarily be a "surge." A surge for me would need to be a dark horse so I picked Bluecoats.