BeenThereDoneThat

Close enough for horseshoes, hand grenades, and a 10 ft. pole. Or at least one long enough to beat the living "essence" out of another of the activity's traditonal highlights. Drum solos, drum features, or drum breaks were once standard, and expected. They were even looked foreward to with anticipation. Now, not so much. And "show bands," may be more honest in comparison.

Okay, I'll play again. Especially for those that need to know the glorious early years of D.C.I. Given, any year: 27th Lancers - "Danny Boy," automatic goosebumps. Kilties - "Auld Lang Syne," you already know the classic nostalgia tune and still get choked up. How about: Santa Clara Vanguard - 1974/1976: "Send in the Clowns." Had to love it. Madison Scouts - 1974: "Brian's Song." The cheeseheads loved a song for the Chicago Bears' Brian Piccolo. Anaheim Kingsmen - 1974: "So Very Hard to Go/Firebird Suite." One of the All-Time great closer/re-entry combinations. Muchachos - 1974 (1975): "Concierto de Aranjuez/It Was a Very Good Year." See immediately above. Cavaliers - 1974/1975: "[somewhere] Over the Rainbow." The corps' song and Wizard of Oz nostalgia, need I say more? Madison Scouts - 1975/1976: "The Way We Were." Memories, are so beautiful . . . . Santa Clara Vanguard - 1975/1978/1979: "Bottle Dance." Fiddler on the Roof Fantastic Fanaticism. Blue Devils - 1975/1976: "Chase the Clouds Away/Feel of a Vision." Hello to one of Chuck Mangione's greatest tunes! Oakland Crusaders - 1975/1976: "El Gato Triste." An overlooked and underrated Chuck Mangione tune. Phantom Regiment - 1975/1976: "Tannhauser." The Phantom Regiment was for real! Blue Stars/Capitol Freelancers - 1976: "Bellavia." Both used the Mangione number, but paired it with different tunes. Blue Stars with Soulero, Freelancers with Echano, another Mangione tune, which was paired with Malaguena by the Blue Stars for their concert piece. Mangione Fever! Freelancers - 1977: "Bellavia." 4M = More Mangione Magical Music. Phantom Regiment - 1977/1978: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "Ode to Joy." That, it certainly was. Phantom Regiment - 1979: "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral." A fitting end to the decade, with one of the most beautiful and glorious closers of all time. And that was D.C.I. in (just) the 70's: Timeless tear-jerkers, all-time classics, sweet jazz and Mangione Fever. It was fan - tastic!

Another correct answer, the fourth, because SCV makes it so.

It is easier to pick out an SCV show and opener that is not many true fans' favorite (possibly impossible). For sustained quality over 40+ years, SCV is far and away the leader. They never put an entirely poor show on the field. Some may have had weaknesses, but those were surpassed by many more great moments.

This is the first correct answer, but may be the first, second, or third BEST.

Some (not mentioned) from the first 15 years of D.C.I. - We were around to appreciate all of these openers. Troopers - 1972/1973/1974: "Ghost Riders in the Sky." Santa Clara Vanguard - 1972/1973/1984: "Fanfare and Allegro." Argonne Rebels - 1973: "Fanfare for the New." Anaheim Kingsmen - 1974: "Mambo," from West Side Story. Muchachos - 1974 (1975): "Pictures de Espana." Madison Scouts - 1975: "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." Blue Devils - 1975: "Space Shuttle." Santa Clara Vanguard - 1977/1978: "Overture to a New Era." Phantom Regiment - 1977: "New World Symphony." Phantom Regiment - 1978: "Firebird Suite." Blue Devils - 1978/1979: "Canon." Cadets - 1984: "Maria," from West Side Story. Santa Clara Vanguard - 1985/1986: "Festive Overture." Cavaliers - 1986: "Canzona." Just to name a few, before the real noobs were born. Then came the years of dilution and pollution (sighing).

This is the third correct answer. Old skool is best skool.

This is the second correct answer. And, yes, the '70's & 80's were the glory years.

Michael, I think you're being a little hard on the corps (I jest, of course.) by setting such high expectations, although, as an alum, you certainly have every right to (not that they may not deserve it, especially after the way they marched [NOT] at DeKalb last year) - but it certainly made me laugh! It helps to ease the pain of witnessing that performance. My eyes are still grieving - by the end of the show they had stormed through denial and were consumed with anger. After the contest, they were bargaining, as I wandered trying to find someone of the old guard to set things right. They have been in depression ever since, unable to accept that a corps that I taught, and that produced some very good instructors in their own right, could stray so far from the standards of excellence once enjoyed. As Gene Wilder/Dr. Frankenstein said to Marty Feldman/Igor in "Young Frankenstein" - "#### your eyes!" And Marty Feldman/Igor replied - "Too late." Alas, the damage had already been done. Apropos of what transpired in DeKalb. One may still hold hope for the future, and once again there may be a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I'm not sure this year's program is it, but that's only because I have a "Jaded" view, my friend.

Sunday, March 2, 2014 - 1:00 p.m. Rock Falls High School 101 12th Ave. Rock Falls, IL 61071 Featuring Guest Percussionist, Judge, and Clinician Kevin Donka, the 2013 D.C.A. Solo Snare Drum Champion, whose technique and expertise can be found on YouTube. Featuring Guest Percussionist and Clinician Washboard Jo, nationally renown as a washboardist extraordinaire, songwriter, singer, and entertainer. Featuring The Knights Drum and Bugle Corps Alumni Drum Line. Featuring the Crystal Lake, IL, Strikers Drumline Featuring Rhythm-Quest Performance Ensemble Percussion-Palooza is an educational and entertainment event featuring a solo and ensemble competition prior to the state contest for snare drum, melodic percussion, multi-percussion, and drum set for Middle School (Grades 5-8), High School (Grades 9-12), and Senior (post-secondary) level percussionists. The emphasis will be on performance, and the top three preliminary performances in each category at each level will receive awards. The individual champions will be announced, and perform, at the Percussion-Palooza Premier Showcase, with exhibitions by guest percussionists, guest percussion ensembles, and the Rhythm-Quest Performance Ensemble. Visit our website at http://www.rhythm-quest.org

The Knights Drum and Bugle Corps Alumni Drum Line will be appearing on Sunday, March 2, at the PERCUSSION-PALOOZA Premier Showcase in Rock Falls, IL. All former Kewanee Black Knights, Knights of Kewanee, Geneseo Knights, Quad-City Knights and their families will be holding an official get-together in Rock Falls for this event. A facility has been reserved beginning at noon and continuing throughout the day and after the performance. More information for Knights Alumni can be found @ http://www.knightscorps.org/ and @ http://www.rhythm-quest.org.

Michael, Michael, Michael, my friend. You fail to mention the third, and the best '70s "corps style" marching band in the state of Illinois. The one that appeared in exhibition while they tabulated scores at Whitewater in 1971, before D.C.I. existed. The one that did the same at numerous drum corps shows in the early '70s. The one that marched in competition at Auburn High School in Rockford with the Phantom Regiment and the Des Plaines Vanguard, the victor to be decided by crowd acclamation, and the marching band won. The band that battled the Dundee Scots tooth and nail at the time, and beat them. Herscher's director, Dale Hopper, wrote musical arrangements for this band. The band whose director, Rchard C. Davis, and members assisted the band director at Dakota High School, Ken Miller, who went on to become the first band director at "hot" Irving Crown. The band that had former members march in the Phantom Regiment, the Blue Stars, the Madison Scouts, the Kilties, the Troopers, and the Geneseo Knights, and had former members on the staffs of the Phantom Regiment, the Blue Stars, the Cavaliers, and the Geneseo Knights. Before you and I competed with each other in the summer of '75, at my first Blue Stars winter marching rehearsal, Bobby Hoffman asked me what drum corps I had marched with, and with a smile I told him "I never marched drum corps, I marched in . . . (you may remember the answer from when I related this personal anecdote to you) . . . (oh, and I was on the staff of the Cavaliers when you composed the opener "Jade," in 1983) . . . The Rock Falls Marching Rockets. We marched military "corps style" better than some corps, and many of us went on to march in corps, and some to instruct the Marching Rockets and other bands, as well as corps. I was a saxophonist turned baritone player before I graduated from high school - as preparation to march in drum and bugle corps. I firmly believe that woodwinds belong in marching bands, along with concert french horns, trombones, and Sousaphones. (Sorry Dan B., but all forms of bass clarinets, along with all double reeds, should not even be marched in bands. They should march in the guard, or play saxophone. ) It's good to read your thoughts, Michael, on this momentus occasion, as you have a unique perspective, above the fray, from whence to view it. Pardon, please, the vigorous defense of my alma mater's place in Illinois marching band history. We were American Legion, V.F.W., and "state" champions of that era. Those days are gone. I fear the golden years have passed for drum corps, too, and it's sad. "The future looks not so bright to me . . . ."

D.C.I. is headed into irrelevancy and obsolescence, to the delight of B.O.A.

A marching brass band?

I suggest that D.C.i. look in the mirror, be honest, and rebrand itself as M.B.B.I. (Marching Brass Bands Imternational), at least until the woodwinds hit the field.

Minor correction: 1982 Visual Staff consisted of Steve Brubaker and Jeff Fiedler, who hired former Crossmen drum major Mark Metz (now Dr. Metz) and myself from outside the organization. Dr. Metz and myself were assigned the task of coordinating the marching basics and fundamentals program during the winter, and developing a distinctive style and technique. One which, in the words of a member from that time, former staff member, and current marching band judge, "was good enough for twenty-five years." The "one new guy" for '81 in visual, the late Steve Brubaker, whom we all loved and respected, and Jeff Fiedler, who evoked the same emotions, are members of the D.C.I Hall of Fame. Look at the Cavalier's winter guard '81- '83, for example. Thanks to Steve and staff: W.G.I.champions! The summer guards were always better than good! Messrs. Brubaker, Fiedler, and I were there, along with some new faces in '83. (That year a real injustice was done in Miami regarding the visual program. [italics mine.]) Members trained by Dr. Metz and myself later became staff. The legacy continued. Dr. Metz went on to became a D.C.I. judge. I later instructed the second of the two top five D.C.I. corps in which I had marched: Bobby Hoffman '75 Blue Stars (5th - 2nd in M&M), and Norman Wheeler, '77 Phantom Regiment (2nd - 2nd in M&M), a future D.C.I. judge. I later worked under Norman Wheeler, esq., and the late John Brazale, a D.C.I Hall of Famer, while on the Phantom staff. All good people. I will always speak up and support and defend their legacies and memories. They earned it, and deserve it. To have the opportunity to march for, work with, and work for such luminaries in the field, genuine, quality individuals, is something I will always cherish. I continue to respect, appreciate, think about, and miss them all. If you believe the Wikipedia articles, regarding the Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment: The Cavaliers (staff 1982-1983) - "During the early 1980s, the judges were looking for "cutting edge" performances, and they were not getting them from the Cavaliers. However, the Cavies' winter guard was providing that cutting edge under the leadership of Steve Brubaker, winning the Winter Guard International championship in 1981-83. In 1982, Brubaker, who had also been working with the Cavalier Cadets corps since '78, was named head drill designer for the Cavaliers. This brought about a change in attitude and, along with the music selections becoming more and more classically oriented, eventually saw the Cavaliers rise to the top half of DCI Finalists. . . . It took some time, though. 1982's Pines of Rome started the season with near-disastrous results, and the corps felt that it was luck as much as talent that earned the corps an eleventh place finish at DCI in Montreal." (It was unrecognized and unappreciated effort and talent. They deserved better. [italics mine.]) As Slingerland stated above: "Still, I think you can look at the opener and see the seeds of what eventually became the Cavaliers of the mid-80s through the 90s, so the season wasn't a total bust." That's what we hoped to achieve, and liked to think so, too. Thank you. The Phantom Regiment (staff 1985-1987) - "The corps that is recognized today began in 1987. After a difficult 10th-place finish in 1986, the corps took a fresh new approach. The corps made a dramatic change inspired by Michael Cesario, with new all-white uniforms more closely resembling costumes. This new look and approach led to three years of dramatic improvement, culminating in 1989 with a second-place finish and the second highest score ever, at the time, 98.4." To be there, involved in setting the cornerstone for building the foundation of two great D.C.I. success stories is priceless. Thank you to David Kampschroer, Bobby Hoffman, Colin Kloss; Bob Lendman, Norman Wheeler, Bob Grier; Don Warren, Adolph DeGrauwe, Steve Brubaker, Jeff Fiedler; John Brazale, Norman Wheeler, Mark Glascoe, and all the D.C.I. judges who mentored, educated, and guided me, especially those from the C.S.J.A.. I owed it all to you. I'll reserve any further comments about the Cavaliers' respective placings in '82 and '83. (We were better than that.)