kiltiesdrumguy

Gave me a wife. I married the first female Kiltie, a marriage that will have lasted 27 years a week from today.

Here's what I remember about these guys.. 1978 - Marion, Oh. About 2 hours after US Open Prelims our snare tech walks up to us after we begin our post lunch warmups and tell myself and the 8 other snare drummers.."Guys, strange things happen at the US Open". Not a good sign but he continued to tell us that the Greece Cadets had beaten both us and the Cavi's. Pretty strange as I'm pretty sure in my two years with Racine I don't think they have ever come within 20 points of us. In any event, we pummeled them in finals as did the Cavi's but it doesn't end there... 1978 - Denver, CO - DCI Finals After finishing our performance in finals as we marched off the field a bunch folks in Greece Cadets jackets were in the endzone stands harassing us as we marched past indicating that they should be there instead of us.

As do I, because this is the corps I grew up in back when making DCI finals wasn't even a question. Nobody wants them to succeed more than I do. I fear that Mr. Stewart will suffer the same fate as the corps director that they hired from California who talked about quitting playing "at" drumcorps and starting to get serious. He was let go before the season even started. Hopefully the fact that they wouldn't even have made class A finals will be a wake up call.

" If the Kilties are to re-enter the DCA elite, they will have to take a more firm approach to preparation. " Nail....meet head. As long as being a Kilt is practicing 7 hours a month and spending 30 hours a month at DeMark's, it will never change. Trust me, I tried changing it and was quietly disposed of.

As a Kiltie from the 70's and a former percussion instructor from not long ago I knew Joel albeit not very well. My heart goes out to his family and everyone else who loved him. I want to say to the surviving members of the corps how deeply proud I am of each and every one of you for having the strength to go out out there and start your show over after experiencing something of this magnitude, I am not entirely sure I would have had the ability to perform. May you come back strong in 2006

At US Open prelims in '78 we were behind The Cadets of Greece..anyone remember them? We did beat them like the preverbial drum in finals. Those guys razzed us from their end zone seats in Denver as we exited the field at DCI finals, unbelieveable.

Ok so I need to apologize for my "color guard in the back where they belong" crack. Perhaps that was a little harsh. My point, although badly expressed, was that back then (whenever "then" is to you) the talent of the musicians and how clean you were was most important, the overall presentation and effect of the movements were cool, but secondary although hardly unimportant. Color guards don't really even seem to exist now as they all seem to be interpretive modern dance troops being backed by horns and drums. I can really only speak to what I know and I do know this, drum lines now are not nearly as clean as they were when I marched (mid-late 70's) BUT...we never had to march a drill like that, if I did an 8 count turn it was amazing. I think the snare line made a circle and rotated it once but we weren't playing anything then. Also, we played on equipment that masked a little more than the formica tabletops they play with today. I don't know if I just dug myself out of the hole or made it deeper.

I guess I am old school, I did all of those things. I fondly remember the little yellow sheets the drum judges would use, occasionally they would flash them at you to show you how you were doing. Judges had fun with us back then, they all seem too serious today. Of course my favorite thing from the past.... NOBODY DANCED! and the color guard was in the back where they belonged. Thanks for listening

I can say this about Garfield in 1977..without a doubt they had to have the worst drumline ever to make finals, add to that the fact that the best drumline didn't even make finals...

You know the fun thing to think about is how many Midwest corps we are reminiscing about. Kilties, Guardsmen, Blue Stars, Scouts, Cavies..Add in Phantom and almost half of the top 12 was found inside a 100 mile circle, and to think that back in those days the members were 80% local.. Things really do change, don't they?

I should say so. The opener was stupid (My Favorite Things), drum solo was insipid, Santana was fun, Seaside Rendesvous was ridiculous and Syne was an abomination, for the most part. It was played at half speed because the show wasn't long enough, it wasn't the original closer for the show either..who remembers The Ballad of Billy The Kid (Billy Joel for christssake)? I have said this many many times. We got screwed huge in 1977 and 1978 was a make up call so I consider those two years to have evened themselves out. Anyone with any brains at all who was inside the organization in 1978 could see that year was going to be it for the mighty Kilties, I know I did. The only saving grace is that I met my wife, who happened to be the first female Kiltie.

Kind of off topic but I loved Guardsmen's show in '79. I also have the '78 Legacy DVD's and the only corps I can't bear to watch is my own (Kilts)..hated the show. I have say that Madison's drum line in '78 got hosed huge in finals, they had a 19.something in prelims (that was when getting a 19 in drums actually meant something), clearly the best line that season. Just my $.02 as always

Sorry, that only works for Spartacus not defunct drum corps

We're not around and we made finals in '77..Bridgemen, Blue Stars, Seneca, Freelancers all the same story. Before anyone gets upset, I am referring to the above corps junior division 1 lives, not some of their present iterations. Thanks for listening

Yes Terri, that would be Dave Nelson on the tamborine. I can say it now...I HATED NEARLY EVERY SECOND OF THAT SHOW!!! I guess Mike has donated all of his lost weight to me. If he does read this...Love ya Brother...write me sometime.

If it's Chiodo, I hope it's wide angle.. (although I should talk now) Yes, I forgot the octobans. Thanks for reminding me.

I was telling someone the other day what our drum line was line in the first half of the 1978 season...9 "Clusters" i.e. 14" snare drums with 12", 13" and 15" toms attached. No tenor line, 7 bass drums mounted like snare drums with custom made scoops and one tympani player fixed at the 50 (we put black socks on the tympani wheels to be legal (the original "pit" I suppose) with the standard assortment of keyboard type things. We actually marched a full vibraphone, cut the legs off and everything.. I doubt that anyone actually remembers it but has anyone ever seen or maybe are you in posession of a picture of said configuration? We changed the show somewhere in Georgia overnight, one day clusters, next day snares, tenors, and normal bass drums. That was a day I will never forget. If anyone has a pic, I would sure appreciate it. By the way, those clusters weighed about 40000 pounds... Thanks

Great story BDL. I have said it so many times. The '76 Blue Devils were the best drum corps EVER! I will stand by that statement, that corps changed the way the activity worked forever, and in a good way. That show would still kick ### today. I'm sure your sister was very proud of you, even though she had to feel empty to come so close, the outcome was a forgone conclusion by the time Whitewater happened that year so it probably wasn't a huge surprise but still...

Well, as long as you put the right cover sheet on your TPS reports.... I'll give it a try.

The Yamaha carriers are pretty uncomfortable, who makes a better harness for older fatter guys?

The last snare line I was in was Kilts '78 and we marched match grip that year. My traditional grip left hand completely blows, I still have pretty good chops amazingly enough but I need help. Does anyone have any exercises or gimmicks (stick weights?) that would help me? Thanks again

I wanted the Heavy Hitter pad however they aren't being made right now, apparently they have partnered with Vic Firth to manufacture and distrubute them with the Vic Firth Heavy Hitter name. Not sure when they are coming out..

I'm going to be marching this year for the first time since I walked off the field in Denver wearing my 15" snare drum attached to my body by a canvas strap in 1978. I need to get the feel of playing on kevlar before I make a fool out of myself in November. What practice pad would you recommend? Real Feel has a Drum Corps one that apparently has a neoprene section for people like me who haven't played on high tension in quite a while, has anyone used this thing before? Thanks...

Nice picture, when did snare drummers get so young? I never got those kind of tans though.

I was sitting around at work and people were discussing how they got strange sunburns and it made me think of the snare drum stripe caused by the slings back in the olden days (mid-late '70's for me). I would get back to school after the summer of touring, play basketball or something and take my shirt off. People who didn't know what it was were kind of freaked out. Talk amongst yourselves..