Tim K

I hope some of the uniform suggestions are meant to be humorous. While the Cadets uniforms matched their show this year, I’d love to see them go back to their always classy and traditional uniform. I can’t imagine them in red and green. Returning to the 88-2002 Madison Scout uniforms would be a great change too. Now my question regards Jersey Surf. If they are doing a tribute to the Bridgemen, will they go bananas and wear the same uniform?

Most surprised that I enjoyed the show: Carolina Crown. At first glance I assumed you’d be too over the top. I even had my mind made up that I’d be disappointed, believing that “Bohemian Rhapsody” belonged to Madison, but the opening chords blew me away and I was riveted from that point on. Corps that made me most proud: Boston Crusaders. I’ve followed you longer than any existing DCI corps. Even in your lean years you’ve never let your fans down, and this year’s show reminded so many of us why we love you. Most robbed: Phantom Regiment and Carolina Crown. You both should have placed higher. Most sentimental corps: Troopers. Saw you first at the CYO Nationals in 1976 and have loved you ever since. Though I had to see you on a movie screen since Boston was not in your tour plans last year (or this year for that matter), as soon as you took the field all kinds of memories surfaced. Most enthusiastic corps: Carolina Crown. They love performing “Rach Star” and they loved their audiences. Most happy to see compete: Madison Scouts. Kind of wish “New York New York” was closer to 1977’s, but “Empire State of Mind” had all the makings of a Madison classic, and anytime I see you live you always make the show worthwhile. Most complicated show: The Cadets. Saw you in Lawrence a week before finals, and everyone predicted that if the show was perfected, no one could beat it. You perfected it. Corps from 2011 that I’d most like to see make the top 12 for the first time next year: the Academy. I only saw you via computer last year, but I was impressed and I’m hoping for bigger and better things next year.

If by old, you mean something you’ve done before, I’d love to see 85’s Festive Overture complete with the uniform change, “Hopak” from “Gayne”, or “Bottle Dance” with “Fiddler on the Roof” music again. Anything you did from “Phantom of the Opera” would also work. As for new, I have no idea. I hope borrowed and blue doesn’t mean borrowed from competitors Blue Stars or Blue Knights or your neighbors and rivals Blue Devils. I like what they do, but I enjoy what SCV has done, especially in the 70’s and 80’s. I saw other posts that mentioned “Marriage of Figaro” and “Lohengrin.” These would be great choices too, and something SCV could do well, though would SCV’s Elsa match Phantom’s unless that’s what is being borrowed.

I think it depends on the year and the corps. 27th did it successfully in 79 and 80, so too did SCV in 88/89, although they discovered in 78/79, it doesn't always work (though I thought their third place show in 79 was stronger than their victory in 78, but that's just me). Phantom did it to great success with Spartacus though that was not in successive years and the two Spartacus shows were very different. Madison may be the best at bringing new life to old favorites, but usually not in successive years. I do agree with you than in quite a few cases, the reexaminations are not as good as the originals.

I’ve often thought that all Madison has to do is get off the bus and the crowd goes wild, no matter what the show. No one is better at bringing out old standards from past shows and make them seem brand new than Madison. How many times has Madison performed “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” or “Maleguena” or any Gershwin music and the crowd swoons? I know I love it. ESOM has the potential to be another Madison favorite for the ages, so bring it back. As for next year, it depends on the theme of the show. Of course I also agree with those who mentioned the blocked out portion on 2011 DCI DVDs and Blu-Rays, Madison, get the licensing rights in advance of DCI.

That could have happened in a number of the Boston neighborhoods in 1977. I’d be willing to bet that today, that same neighborhood is integrated, and the residents speak against intolerance and praise diversity. Fortunately times do change!

I'd love a new a Christmas CD of Drum Corps playing holiday music, which I understand from an earlier post was done in the early 90's. It's not that far-fetched to say that of it was marketed to a larger audience, it could be a success. Some of the best-selling of all time Christmas CD's are The Canadian Brass' Christmas albums and The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble's "Twelve Days of Christmas" is easily recognizable. It would appeal to a wide audience and for those of us who can't wait till summer, it will give us something to look forward to as we do our shopping, trim our trees, and make the Yuletide bright.

I’m not certain that all that many colleges do all that much to assist with housing unless it’s in a college dorm. It’s not because the colleges are unwilling to help as much as colleges focus on on-campus housing. If BD9 is looking for off-campus housing, he/she’s on his/her own. As someone who has lived in Boston, sometimes dubbed “the Athens of America” because of all its colleges, I’ve seen lots of students trying to find housing at the last minute with little or no help from colleges. It’s also not uncommon to see news reports about college students arriving at apartments in the fall only to find them inhabitable. Finding a good apartment with a reasonable rent and reputable landlord is not easy or a task to be taken lightly. Also, I wouldn't suggest asking parents who have had to load the car, buy furniture, and lug belongings up who knows how many flights of stairs if colleges take care of moving in, especially after freshman year.

This is good advice and appropriate for someone who’s probably about 16 or 17 trying to deal with some serious issues.

I've always thought that young people in drum corps are super-motivated, which I said in my reply, but if you got an apartment and you and your wife planned a wedding, all while marching, you're porof positve of my theory!

The first time I saw Phantom live was in 1977 at the CYO Nationals held that year at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA. I loved Phantom's classical music, being a young classical music buff myself, and they soon became a default favorite of mine. Being a Bostonian, it shouldn't come as a surprise I loved the 27th Lancers. I could not get enough of 27th and 27th never disappointed me, though either did Phantom. Keep in mind Boston drum corps fans know the meaning of robbed. The Crusaders should have first made finals as early as 75 and definitely in 77 and 78, so on many levels I know your frustration. Now, back to your topic. I believe that in 1978, Phantom had a stronger performance than both SCV and BD and a far more difficult show, especially the Stravinsky opener. SCV did have a good show in 1978. It was clean and "The Bottle Dance" always riveted the fans and pleased judges, and as much as I enjoyed SCV over the years, their victory in 1978 did surprise me. In that era, even in the subjective categories, perfection, outweighed difficulty in judges' opinions. That's how Phantom's second place was explained to me. Of the years you mentioned, 1979 was in my opinion the strongest show, and should have topped Blue Devils. The variety of musical pieces gave the show interest and appeal, along with the overall flow of the drill and a phenomenal guard. Whether the guard was better than 27th is a matter of taste since both had different styles, but like 27th, the guard was fully integrated in the show and was not afraid to try stunts the other corps would not attempt for years to come. As far as 1980 is concerned, the judging was way off. I loved Phantom's musical choices, and believed Phantom deserved a higher placement, though I'm not sure it was a strong as the two previous years. Of course if you want to talk about poor judging, I still believe that 27th should have won that year. Seriously BD really had a better show than a drill that was one of George Zingali's early masterpieces? Their drums had the artistry and precission of 27th? Could BD's guard hold a candle to 27th? C'mon. Their brass may have been better, but BD's brass lacked enthusiasm that 27th's brass did have, just listen to "Open Wide" or Danny Boy" from that year. I know, I digress. Spirit and Phantom both deserved a spot in the top three or at least a score in the 90's, and BD and Bridgemenn should have been battling for 4 and 5. Of course we may have to "agree to disagree" about who should have been in first in 1980, but 77-80 were great years for Phantom.

For those who think this young person is "taking time off" for vacations, he/she did say in a later post that getting supplies, finding a palce to live, and money to march and go to college are all issues. While I agree that staying with his/her current corps rather than marching to prepare for marching with the Blue Devils would be a good idea and has far more integrity, jumping from corps to corps seems to be the norm these days and has been for quite a while. A topic for another issue. You certainly have important decisions to make. Hopefully you have good people who can guide you, and if those guiding you know the ins and outs of going to college while balancing drum corps, all the better. I graduated from high school in 1981 and I recall a few people I knew who marched having to make a similar decision. For most, preparing for college meant working, and from the sounds of it, that's your situation, and in challenging economic times it's not easy. One thing you may want to consider is your major. If you are planning on majoring in music, or more specifically music education, marching may be the equivalent of an internship, albeit one you are paying for, but may qualify you for merit scholarships at music schools. It will also look great on future résumés. You may also want to look at the availability of part time jobs near your college which may mean you can march this summer and work in the fall. It seems that most kids who march in drum corps are super motivated and I'd be willing to bet you're of the same ilk. Even though I won't know who you are, I hope to see you performing if not this summer, then next! Now for people in my age bracket or older, I know that three major corps from Massachusetts: Boston Crusaders, 27th Lancers, and North Star worked tirelessly to make sure that anyone qualified to march was able to do so, hoping to keep drum corps from becoming an activity only for kids who could afford it. Ask people who marched with these corps and they'll mention how some of the corps they competed with had all kinds of advantages and that the members were often from well to do backgrounds. It's also well known that all three of these units faced tremendous odds, and sadly only one of the corps has survived to this day. When we see campaigns for academic scholarships for those who march or opportunities to sponsor someone in a corps, maybe it would be a good idea to respond. For those who marched, it's a way of keeping the tradition alive and for those of us who were in the stands, it's payback for all the great shows and memories.

The Bridgemen always looked older to me, perhaps because I saw them somewhat frequently at shows in new England where they competed with corps that did have members as young as 13 and 14 which included 27th, Garfield, Boston Crusaders, and North Star. When I watch the DVD’s, they still look a lot older, probably due to the long hair and facial hair. Now if I directed a corps that was disqualified for an over age violation, I’d probably make all the guys shave twice a day, whether needed or not, just to be on the safe side.

Here are some of my favorite closers of the ages 1. 27th Lancer’s “Danny Boy” any year, but especially 1980 and 1982. In 1980, we were certain it would be a victory march at DCI and some of us still believe it should have been. Each time I watch DCI’s 1982 DVD and hear the guy in the crowd yell “Bring it home, Boston” and the crowd erupt as soon as the circle is completed, I long for the old days. However, what may be the best version could be the reunion corps’ version in 1994. It was at DCI at a venue many Lancers knew well: Foxboro Stadium where the Patriots played and back in the day 27th often performed at half time. 2. Spirit of Atlanta’s “Let It be Me,” not the 1980 version that is so beloved, and deserves to be beloved, but the 1978 version. Spirit is still new, they’re still climbing, and you can hear the effort in the sounds and sense a satisfaction that they know they are driving the crowds wild. 3. Madison’ “Maleguena” though I am partial to the 1996 “A Drum Corps Fan’s Dream” version. Speaking of Madison, I also love the 1977 “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.” 4. I can never decide which “Phantom of the Opera” I enjoy more: 1988’s second place finish or 1989’s victory performance, but Santa Clara Vanguard belted an ending few will forget. Speaking of Santa Clara, any year the “Bottle Dance” was included was a great closer. 5. To prove I’m not all “Old School,” I loved two great closers of this past year: Carolina’s Crown’s version of “Free Bird” was amazing and Phantom Regiment’s “Elsa’s Precession to the Cathedral” was a powerful ending. 6. Speaking of Phantom, in 1977 and 1978 did justice in slightly different ways to Beethoven’s Ninth. They integrated the guard into the performance in clever ways and gave new life to this honored classic.

Love the Scouts and Madison’s Maleguena, and it’s up there, no doubt, but “Danny Boy” defined 27th and never failed to elicit an emotional response from the crowd. I recall one evening at a local competition, either 1975 or 76, 27th performed an exhibition as a favor to the host which I believe was a local drill team. The crowds went wild as soon as the first strains were heard. Everyone was so enthusiastic, they performed it as an encore. Maybe I’m just sentimental and it touches my Irish heart, but 27th’s “Danny Boy” is my all-time favorite and I believe the best of all time.

It's interesting that the number of corps declined between 1975 and 80, even though DCI was broadcast on PBS. The broadcasts may have introduced new people to drum corps, but the publicity did not translate into new marchers or donors to back corps financially which is too bad. I know that in Massachusetts where I hail from, a depressed economy forced schools to severely cut music programs at the time many corps folded and the economic challenges made fundraising next to impossible. Lack of potential new members and funds caused many of the corps to fold, including corps we believed would be invincible like 27th Lancers and North Star. I never knew PBS was burned by drum corps fans at fundraising time, although I do recall hearing that the volunteers answering the telephones at WGBH in Boston when DCI aired took their phones off the hook during the performances of North Star and 27th Lancers. If I'm not mistaken, the phones were staffed that evening by drum corps parents.

Thanks for the info. Judging from your credentials you would know since you were there. By the way, 1980 is my favorite Cadets show of all time, perhaps because I remember everyone in the stands being so rivited with Garfield's performance at the 1980 CYO Nationals, something captured a bit by the DCI DVD as well. I know greater glory came later, but everyone in the corps seems to enjoy performing the 1980 show.

My comments are somewhat long, but I’m reposnding in general to quite a few posts. DCI was on both PBS and ESPN for a few years. It was first produced by WGBH in Boston when New England had a plethora of marching units, so there was already a good sized audience in this area and it was often rebroadcast during the Christmas season as part of PBS fundraisers. It probably would have continued if PBS could have broadcast from Canada in 1980 and 81. ESPN would show highlights from the corps that placed 7-12 and the entire show of 1-6. It was glitzy , but the camera work was superior to PBS, through this may have been due to better technology. My guess is that ESPN stopped airing drum corps due to ratings. A major problem is going from live show to television. Since I follow the corps, I know what to expect, but some shows will never make the transition from field to small screen. Some don’t even make the transition from field to movie theater screen all that well. I just got the Blu-Ray from DCI 2011. Crown, Boston Crusaders, Blue Devils, the parts of Madison that were not blocked, and Phantom were great. The Cadets performance, which was supposedly their strongest performance of the year, lost a great deal on DVD. There are also some live show experiences you can’t capture on TV. Being in the audience, hearing the old school/new school debates, being reunited with former marching mates, how can TV capture these things? It happens to some degree when DCI broadcast portions of the prelims live in movie theaters, at least audience wise, but you need to see the show live, using an entire field, to truly experience it. The reality series concept has potential. In the mid 70’s, I believe 1976, WGBH aired a documentary on the 27th Lancers. It was based on the previous season. DCI aired about a week later. I remember some non-drum corps people who watched the show also watched DCI and began attending shows. Yes, I’m sure some referred to them as marching bands, but they attended and supported the corps. The kids in drum corps make drum corps what it is, and I think following a few then seeing the show would hook audiences. Also, we may need to be careful about looking at “marching bands” in an inferior light. There are very few feeder corps today, and most drum corps participants come from bands. Also, in the days of some of the great Boston area corps: 27th, Crusaders, North Star: many of the members had their start in CYO bands that were judged competitively using the same “tick” sheets and categories as the drum corps. Friends who joined the Crusaders claimed they wanted band members because they could be retrained and could read music. Perhaps it was a slam on the smaller drum corp. The rivalries were great back then, even if the critiques were not always accurate.

I agree with many of the posts about great soloists, and the solos by North Star always riveted audiences, but one soloist seems to be omitted, the young man, probably about 13 or 14 at the time (I don't know his name), who does the solo in the Garfield Cadets 1980 "Elk's Parade." Now I've heard the rumor that he is just playing around and someone else is hiding in the drum line actually playing the solo. If the young man did not play the solo, whoever did certainly deserves to be among the best.