Brassman53

Because I was perofrming with Lambertville, I missed Archie, Reilly, and most of the Brassmen, sorry about that. But I thought I'd share some thoughts on the Corps I did get to see.... Audobon Chorus- Excellent rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Sorry didn't see you later in the show St Lucy's - Saw them reharse, and they really stepped it up come showtime. Nice hearing Conquistador ( one of my favorite openers of all time) again. The arrnagement of "More" was also very well played. I was particularly impressed by the percussion solos. really cool "down the Line' snare work alonf with very clean back sticking, and the quad player really added color to the mix.... Bracken- Wasn't expecting much, and was pleasantly surprised. Hornline had a nice blend, and the drumline had some nice old-skool solo work as well. Felt like I was listening to my old Fleetwoods. Really liked Sempre Fi- played it with the Earls of Bucks in the late 60's and it brought back good memories. Yankee Rebels- Much better performance than at their own show a few weeks ago in my opinion. Particularly liked the Miss New Olreans piece., as well as the great mellophone solo work throughout the show. Romeo Cadets- A qunitet of brass ( 3 sops, a bar and contra) that put on a very entertaining performance. They played pupular tunes that had the auience claping along. The Contra player had excellent range , and the bari played really sweet. Loved the triple and double tunguing sop work as well! Lambertville- well from my perspective inside the hornline, we did a decent performance. Solo work by John Arietano, Dan Buruschkin, and Marty Roche was right on. We got through the show without any major problems thanks to the excellent conducting of Ross Creveling, and we mananged to work in "Minnie the Moocher" and avoid disaster....Jamie, Jeanne and Kitty also did a nice job of anchoring the pulse on percussion. Brassmen- Only caught the closer ( West Point Cadets?) because we went on right ahead of them. the 12-13 horns sounded like 30- nice job. The tympani player was a show unto himself- great enthusiasm and rhythmic accuracy! Swing House- Man what fun!!! Exellent musicianship, great repertoire, and outstanding soloists- paticularly the sop/trumpet screamers. and trap player. Every tune had highlights. As a guy behind me said- "Man I could listen to these guys all night." Very exciting and musical. They've got a CD that will be coming out-it'll be worth it to pick up copy! RCC

I received my CD's today ( I ordered the complete Alumni set), and was pleased with the quality of the recordings overall, with one exception. Any of the corps that moved on to the track close to the stands, the mics captured the predominant sound of whom ever was in front of them. Apparently the techincians either had no way of altering the sound feed to present a more balanced sound, or didn't make an effort to so it, thus making for some poor quality show endings.

Great post. The bottom line is are both audiences (DCI and DCA ) being entertained? I think the answer is a resounding yes! So pick your pleasure and support it! RCC

My thoughts are being presented from a brass player ( lead sop) point of view. I was seated high up on the 35 to the left of the 50 as you faced the field... Vigilantes-Pleasant suprise, Huge tight percussion battery that didn't overpower the 14 brass- nice balance. Some very talented players in this hornline. Loved the sop quintet in " "Don't mean a thing" Gold- Nice to see them back. Musically a depa-tre for them from their past productions which were more pop/roadway oriented. Highlight for me was their visual- very crisp forms- on par or better than a lot of Open class corps- they carried themseleves with confidence. Best number in my opinion was their second oiece which featured a cool pit intro. Grenadiers- Kenton music a good choice. Lots of field coverage.. loved the drum cadence coming on the field. Their guard was the best of class A- very confident. Nice three person mello section. Handled their feamures very well. Nice field coverage. Govenaires- Very Impressive , They have the total package, and you can tell they enjoy performing... Very well staged show, with some nifty body movement that enhances the production. very solid percusssion. 20 brass play really well as an ensemble. Great solo in "Lust" Love the arrnagment of "Hot for teacher". This is definitely their best corps since first coming to DCA. Well deserved title!! The big boys... Corpsvets- I had read they were playing a very controlled show- not tonight... the controls were loosened!! I thought the show got better as it progressed. My favorite was the piece that incorporated licks from " the Saints go marching in" very cool use of sections trading off licks back and forth. Outstanding sop solos as usual. Percussion seemed be struggling a tad execution-wise tonight. Overall a fine show.. Alliance- Man do these guys move. Very impressive jump in size and performance level over previous years. I had heard that this show was probably a little too-DCI-ish. Nah, the crowd got into it. Real strong percusssion, and some real nice brass impact points- all this while motoring high-speed around the field. A little more GE, and look out upper eschleon DCA! Bush- Loved the show concept and the music, really creative arrangements intertwining circus-type ( real and original) music. Percussion very solid- guard excellent. In my opnion the brass line was too contolled, and at times tentative. Play with a little more confidence ( yes I know the brass book was very demanding) and you're back in the upper tier hunt. Brigs- Nicely performed show that to me was missing impact points. The highlight was when the hornline laid contorted on the ground and played. Liked the way the "Common Man" theme was interwoven into the show. Percussion seemed very solid. Renagades- Love the new unforms. A few things stand out for me in their show... The Faces arrangement rocks, I love that tune... the new uniforms look great....Some outstanding solo work as well. Hornline volume was very impressive...Percussion also had a cool feature that had the plays kind trading off with one another. Nice job! Cabs- Who said these guys don't move? Only Reading moves more. This was one of those shows that just flew by. Very entertaining. Loved the Mis Abuelos with it's trade offs between sections. piece and th Rumps opening statement. Lead Trumpets were really nailing stuff tonight. I had them over the Hurcs and Empire. Empire- Highlight for me tonight was the Sing Sang Sung piece...They really rocked it. Don't know why people were bothered by the "pledge", thought it fit nicely. Very nice duet in the ballad. Overall a nice performance , but not enough typical Statesman wow moments for me. Hurcs- This is by far their best overall corps in recent memory. In the past they always seemed to be plagued by individual marching style issues, or brass not playing within the ensemble. Those days are gone. Very nice overall package presented. I just feel it's missing some impact points that would take it to the top. MBI- A complete package! Very impressive. All sections are first rate. Some really interesting body moevement throuout the show that enhances the production. The brass impact moments are many and very exciting. My favorite was Night in Tunsia. great arrnagement, outstanding playing! Bucs- Well I first saw reading in 1964. This is their best corps ever in my opnion. They have it all. No weakneses. I used to be a little disapointed that recent additions of this great corps didn't do much in the way of upper-register sop playing- well this year it's there, and very well done. I think that was John Molloy playing on both the trumpet and mello in a solo- very nicely done. As others have talked about they have an unbelievable quint drum feature , Holy bleep! The drill is awesome, just a great show overall, Congratulations!!! Rcc

Wow 15 lead sops!! The Bridgemen are jealous, we'll only have 11. You can never have too many lead sops! Good luck, have a great show! RCC

Speaking of combined corps, this is a little off topic, but does anyone remeber DCA Finals retreat in '89, when Cru and Steel City tied, and marched off retreat as a combined corps playing an "F" Major scale and a unison drum warm up? I was with Westshoremen at the time standing next to them. It was one of the funniest things I'v ever seen in all my years of drum corps ( which date back to 1960). RCC

I was fortunate to have marched with Blue Rock in '71 ( also 72 and 73), what a great year! I almost sat the year out. I had marched with the Pennsylvanians/Earls of Bucks for 11 years, and had decided to sit out '71 rather than go through another year of scoring in the low 40's and coming in last place. In early March I got a call from a guy who I had marched with in the Earls, who had gone down to Blue Rock. He told me they had really strong corps but needed another lead sop. At the time they had only 33 horns, but a dynamite drum line. I convinced my dad ( who was an ex drum corps guy) to let me drive the sixty miles to rehearsal ( fortunately we had a few other guys from the Earls to carpool with), and the rest is history. We won 24 of 30 shows that year, and lost two of them on flag penalties. I'll never forget the roar of the crowds that year-unbelievable- especially the Dream, I get goose bumps even today listening to that.... . I also remember standing on the starting line at CYO Nationals ( we faced the end zone that year) and seeing how tan the girls from SCV were ( SCV went on first of the big corps that year- that helped us beat them at CYO- the only tie that happened). Yes 1971 was a great year for drum corps, so many good corps that didn't even go to VFW Nationals that ( St Rita's, SAC, Cavaliers, Kilties, Des Plaines Vanguard, Bridgemen, Muchachos, etc)

Well I was standing on the track listen to SAC and thought the show flew by. It was great to hear all my favorites from back in the day ( like listening to my old Fleetwood's live)! The triple basses in Great Gates were a great addition. It's really cool that after all these years that the Sop line can recreate that unique "Golden Knight" sound of old ( and the low brass and mid-range are no slouches either). RCC ( an old Blue Rocker, now Bridgemen)

-You're marching in parade, and you see three spectators standing in clump yelling, "Play something", and you think, "Dummies don't you know that we're only gonna play where there's a big crowd". -You ride past a High School Stadium and think, "Yeah, that would be a good place for a Corps Contest". - You buy a new CD, and while listening say to yourself, " Yeah, that would be a good song for so and so to play". -You cringe watching a high school band whose trumpets are held at angles like a clarinet. -You do an imaginary "tick" motion whenever you here a brass player crack, miss a note or hand on to a release no matter what type of performance you're at

I used to eagerly await the "Dream" contest lineup lineup (and their ads in DCN with the "Corps to be announced") . The 1966 Dream was one of the best ever. I wore out my recording of the '66 Cavaliers, and as a 13 year old soprano from a little corps from PA, played along regularly with their sop solos in "Ain't Necessarily So".

Here's partial review of the corps I was able to see.... Since I sat 2/3 of the way up on the 25 yard line, my perspective will be a little different than those in the prime seats.... My comments are presented from a horn player's point of view... Hurcs- best I've seen them in a long time..Liked all the musical selections and thought the transitions were very effective. Epecially enjoyed the "Hang'em High" licks as well as 'Billy The Kid". This is the best marching Hurcs corps I can remember. From where I was sitting however you could hear a lot of individual horn issues. Drum Line also had some mudiness early on (snares), but seemed to get cleaner as the show wnet on. in contrast the breass seemed to lose some steam at the end. Guard is very active. Corps is much improved I had them fourth. Bucs- Moved like a well-oiled machine. Very solid across the board. I noticed their trumpets seemed to be playing a little more upper register stuff this year, and are handling it quite well. Ode to Joy was a standout. Could go unbeaten once again. Empire- Percussion to me was really cookin'. Guard uniforms were kind of blah. Liked the use of the show/movie posters to introduce the tunes...Pero was on fire! To me they had the highest enrgy level of all the corps I saw tonight. Very solid brass line. Loved the music, but I felt the transitions between tunes was kind of choppy. Lot's of potential here though. One cool thing they did while trooping the stands was have the snares turn toward the crowd and 'throw down" - a real treat. had them third. Bush- I really like their "Gypsy" Music it's really catchy. When they get all the new horns added in-look out ( at one point about a quarter of the hornline sat out portions of the show. Like somebody else mentioned their guard was really athletic. They also have a lead trumpet or two who was absolutely nailing any upper register stuff they attempted. Don't count these guys out of the top five! Cabs- saw then end of their rehearsal, where they were seriously running out of gas in the brass line. I thought...hmm are they gonna have anything left for tonight? Well they certainly were re-energized. Percussion was cooking the whole show. Strongest section of the brass line right now is the trumpets. In my opinion the Mellos need the most work, especially since they have some key features. Loved the rotating circle during the Rumps Wheel. Guard seemed really on their game as well. Don't know if they have enough to make a run at the title but knwoing how hard they work, they'll give it their best shot. Final overall thought- to me everyone seems better prepared at this point in the season than in the past. Should make for a great championship!

Let me preface ths with some background info- I've been marrching since 1960 ( yeah I was young-7 years old at the time) 1973 Santa Clara Vanguard On tour with Blue Rock that year (a down year for us) in Butler, Pa, when I saw Santa Clara for the first time- unbelievable! We stood there with our collective mouths open. I had never seen anything like it! They opened with a piece I had never heard of, but that night we were alll humming it on the bus on the way to US Open. When iIgot to Marion, OH, I immediately called my dad up ( who started marching in 1938) and said, "you gotta go see Santa Clara in North Jersey this week, they're incredible! He goes to the show (He's a WW2 vet and a Military Style Drum Corps guy), and when I call him from Whitewater he's raving about SCV, going nuts on the phone. Talk about crossing generational boundaries! RCC

Your group has some very talented performers. I snuck into your rehearsal room to get changed before competing in the soprano individuals, and heard your guys practicing a Big phat Band Tune- Good Stuff! I also heard your Mello and Contra individuals- very impressive. Unfortunately due to our rehearsal/warm up schedule I missed your ensembles and mini-corps, but based on what I heard in Harrisburg last year, I'm sure they Rocked! RCC

Just to add a little more to the tale of the '57 Legion Nationals... my Dad was a member of the Levittown Lovers Sr Corps ( Instructed by Reilly Raiders legend Frank McCormick) who entered the prelims with only a long enough show for prelims ( back in the day when you only had to do a 5 minute show for prelims). As the corps started getting DQ'd it became apparent that the Lovers had a shot at the finals, so legend has it that they were practicing that day attempting to put an 11 minute show together for finals. Fortunately ( or unfortunately as the case may be), they fell a few places short of finals. That year was the Lovers only competitive season, but it sure provided them with some "war' stroies to share to this day... Bob Cook

Heard Boston from the backfield ( I march with the Bridgemen and we were on after right you guys), and you sounded great!! Loved Conquest with the DM nailing the heck out of the solo that used make make draw drop back in the day. Company front looked Tickless from my vanatge point.... RCC

Some comments on what I was able to watch (which was most of the show, can't comment on Lambertville since I was busy performing with them)..... Yankee Rebels- was standing in front of their low brass and mid-range for the first half of show, and they really sounded good. Horns were in tune, and had a real nice blend. Particularly liked Ghost Riders, and the shortened "Requiem" piece. Nice Sop solo work. Moved over to the sop side for the last few numbers, and they too blended nicely. Best Rebels Hornline I've heard in a while. Golden Knights- These guys have a lead sop line that is as good as most DCA field corps. They project really well, and have that signature sound BSGK sound I remember from '69, '70. DM used the podium ( something that wasn't arounfdback in the day), and that presented them with a bit of a challenge ( which he came away from unscathed). Watching them pass in review after retreat, what was very impressive was the way the hornline carried themselves- everybody's horn angle was dead on- something that's very rare in alumni corps. Cool to hear Bachus again. Steel City- Played some nice pop/jazz tunes, Land of Make Believe, Children of Sanchez, All Night Long, as well as Black Saddle , and their jazzed up version of National Emblem. They featured an excellent Baritone soloist, as well as an Iron-Lipped screaming sop- the guy crushed evrything he attempted. Reilly Raiders- Came onto the field very sharp and confident looking ( one of two corps to do some drill). Their guard was quite impressive. They performed some simple but effective moves, which enhanced the show. Really like what the stationary large quads add to the percussion section( I marched with this guy when he played baritone back in the sixties- nice job Ed!). Reilly played a lot of new music ( at least new for me), and it was pretty challnging stuf which they handled well. Would have liked to have seen them feature DM/ Brass Arranger Bill Pusey more- a hell of a horn player. Drumline was pretty tight. Reilly had an intersting set-up the lead sops were in the second row, I believe-never seen that before, but think it enhanced their sound... St Kevin's- Really neat th see those uniforms again, haven't seen them since '67. Opened with a little old school drill and played a neat medley of their old trademark tunes. Put out a sound that was larger than their numbers. I was most impressed by their mellophone section. They nailed everything. I'm guessing some/all of these guys were a part of the excellent Emerald Knights french horn sections of the past- nice work! Archie- Probably the best sounding Archie line I've heard in quite a while. It was a blast jumping in with them and playing two Lambertville tunes "You Made Me Love You" ( Which John Arietano and Duke Terreri played outstanding solos ) and Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Including some members from all the corps, there was some serious talent on that field. It also was a blast playing Stars and Stripes with Archie. From the reaction of the crowd, I'm guessing that sounded pretty good..... All in all a great day. Beautiful weather and a fun afternoon of drum corps. Thanks to Archie for putting together an impressive 75th anniversary celebration

Hey Superman, I march with the Bridgemen, and you guys were across the street from us warming up. Sounded very impressive. recognized Ben Hur from your clip on line. Very powerful. Our guys were saying "Wow Who's that playing!". Unfortunately we went on ahead of you so we didn't see your show, but heard the nice crowd reaction. At finals I was sitting in between a bunch of Les Dips high up on the 15 yard line . You guys were having a good time. In fact I think I saw you with a "Les Mets" jacket on, with Superman on the sleeve. Funny Les Dips story from the past... I was at DCI Prelims in Ithaca in 1974. Got there about 7am to get a good high seat. A couple guys from the Les Dips come up into the stands with a barbeque grill cooking steak and eggs at there stadium seats on the 50 yard line. Cops were not happy, and made the guys put out the fire. Good luck in the future, you're off to a great start. RCC

Some comments on Finals from the 15 yard line, 5 rows up, section 309, the side closest to the souvie area.... When you're on the 15 you get a different perspective on things, you see and hear ( and miss ) things you wouldn't notice from a prime location. I'm a brass player, so keep that in mind when reading my thoughts.... Dream- excellent soloists, real nice duet as well. Contra line was very effective. Show seemed to lack impact points other than solos and closing statement. Appeared that the outstanding lead sop was overpowering the rest of the sops at times. Still and all a nice effort... Sun- saw them in June and felt sorry for them. What an improvement! Brass line had the best blend of all the class A corps, and marching was cleaner than some open class units. Percussion and guard were effective as well. Thought they deserved to win, as they had the most complete package. Govies- The most entertaining of the Class A units. Outstanding bari solo work. "Love for Sale" really had a nice low brass sound. The two snares sounded quite clean from my vantage point. You can tell the corps enjoys performing their show. Seemed to run out of gas a bit during Sing SanG, Sung ( quite an ambitious piece for small hornline-plus it was the closer), and that may have been the difference between winning and taking second. Crusaders- Love the new uniforms. They really give the corps a clean look. This to me was an example of a corps show that fit the members talent level perfectly. Russian music was very enjoyable ( in fact show held my intrest the entire time). if they can beef up the sop line a bit -look out next year ( oh yeah and the large guard was impressive as well)... Corps Vets- Always enjoy these guys. Their brass section really comes to play- Georgia was rockin'. Loved the arrangment of La Fiesta ( a different take on the piece). Soloists are first rate. The tenors did a real cool move running around their drums, and playing backwards that was extremely impressive.... Renegades- Well after being disappointed with them last year, this year was the exact opposite reaction for me. I really enjoyed their show. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the show, at their "coffin" bits, and sitting back in awe at the range and clarity of the lead sops.. Holy Sh@@! Jazz Police was awesome! Also they had a really in-tune Mello section featured that had some range in there not normally heard from mello lines nowadays- very impressive! Brass was one of the most powerful lines of the night... Hurcs- Wow have they made great strides this year... It seems to me just about every year I see them I can count on hearing individuals sticking out of the brass ensemble, and a variety of marching styles. Well something happened this year that fixed all the stuff. The best Hurcs corps in years! They played and marched quite well, and the music was very entertaining. If memory serves me correctly they had a cool feature that had a quartet of brass players playing in an ensemble secftion with the pit during Maria- very nice. Sop solos were spot on. Nice job Hurcs. Minnesota Brass- No question they have an excellent corps this year, but the show didn't grab me like past productions. Enjoyed the opener, and closer, but kind of non-descript in the middle. Also from where I was sitting, the drill sets (angles) seemed to be off slightly all night. Still have great soloists and excellent perc, but something was missing this year Brigs- Very pleasantly surprised with their show. Loved the opening statement with the "Time goes by" lick and Shangrila played by the guy in the old school Brigs uni. Like others have said, "First Time ever I saw Her face" was one of the best balllads out there this year. Impressive entertaining performance. Bush- They always have excellent low brass, and this year was no exception. Guard was also quite effective. Don't know much about percussion, but it seemed to me like their drums were tuned lower than most- and I really liked the sound they produced. Bush's sops are quite good, but tended to be overpowered by the low brass. Empire- Being a big Maynard fan, i was really looking forward to this show, and they didn't disappoint. I think what held them back a bit was drill, which seemed to have less demand than other upper-echelon corps. The soloists were outstanding!! I found myself dropping my jaw in admiration sevral times. People have ripped the Taps segment, but I found it quite effective. The highlight for me was the 7 trumpets on the stage wailing away during "Gonna Fly Now"- awesome! Cabs- I loved the musical arrangements in this show! That said, it seemed to me that the Cabs may have precticed a little too hard earlier in the day, as they appeared a little tired brass-wise, and some mental errors musically surfaced. Marching, ard and Percusssion all seemed to be on their game. A really cool effect was hearing the rumps serving as background for the solo trumpet marching across the field during the center wheel. Reading- From the time they started, through the closer, there was no doubt who the champs were gonna be. It was truly an awesome performance in all areas, unlike last year , when I felt they did just enough to win, this year they owned the field! Not only did they play musically, but they cranked out volume (totally in tune) as well!! Congratulations Bucs on an outstanding performance. Thanks to all the peroformers for providing a great night of Drum Corps!!! RCC

Wow Puppet, you certainly had the kids in Blue Rock pegged all wrong. I marched 71-73 with BR, and believe me, we were far from rich kids. We had kids from a sixty mile radius of Wiliington, DE with a sizable number of city kids from Baltimore, Philly, and Atlantic City. Our suburban kids were primarily from blue collar family backgrounds. Geez I always thought our uniforms looked classy ( both up close and far away). Our guard members were mostly in there mid to late teens ( I think we had approximately two 20 years olds in '71) and none after that. Yeah, our horn line in 71 was inconsistent ( sometimes really good, most times average), but our drum line was excellent and a trendsetter- avery musical line, and our visual show was way ahead of it's time (I think sometimes the judges didn't know HOW to tick it). Now our busses, they were pieces of junk... had to be push started almost every show. We never has a problem with St. Rita's. In fact I can remember in '73 we lent you guys our rifles at the Kingtson, NY show- we received 3 points in penalties for not having trigger guards on them...you guys were penalty-free (HMMM a little Metro All american judging magic maybe). Funny how we all have our different perceptions, and in fact things are often not quite the same in reality. Anyhow some of the Brassmen shows were among my drum corps favorites, partucularly '69 and '73 ( not that the others weren't good as well). RCC

Yeah, I remember the "TENT". One year ( I think '71 I remember looking at a Bank Temperature display before we performed around noon with Blue Rock and seeing 97 degrees on the display- didn't have to use the tent though. I also recall the checkered flags that were set up to designate the starting and inspection lines. The Cabs NEVER a lost Legion States competition (which ran through '85 I believe -that year with out of state corps filling out the line up). They even came down to defend their title for a few years in the Legion Parade after that. Another cool thing about Legion states would be that they had the Fleetwood Records on sale from the VFW Nationals show, just completed a few weeks before. One feature of last year's show was performing at night ( to the opposite side) and seeing the huge lighted ferris wheel on the boardwalk. Another great Wildwood memory was the Legion States parade in the sixties and seventies. Some years you'd have over thirty corps in the parade, along with the screaming, imbibing fans at Kelly's ( which I was one of, when not marching). Because this show was the unofficial close of the season, kids from corps in Massachusetts and even Ontario would come down for the weekend (you'd frequently see Boston Crsuader, 27th Lancer , and De lasalle jackets in Wildwood). RCC

Thom, It was great to march on Maxwell Field once again facing the original concert side ( I march with the Bridgemen). We rehearsed behind the baseball field, and it was a pleasure to be on such a well manicured grass surface. Sure makes it easier on old legs. I go back a long way with Wildwood drum corps, first saw '62 Legion states as a 9 year old, sitting in the old baseball bleachers watching corps like Sac, Blue Rock, the Victorians, Jersey Cyclones , etc ( and my dad who marched with the Lambertville Volunteers trying to get within 10 points of the cabs every year). I've marched down Atlantic Avenue with various corps over the years probably over 50 times since 1969. In later years (71-73) I competed with Blue Rock at Maxwell Field, and had fond memories of standing on the inspection line, and playing to the fours rows of rickety green bleachers, and GE judges being on top of an Econoline Van. It was great to see the new bleachers up. I was in Wildwood for the Legion Parade, and they weren't even started yet. The lighting is also great. Remember the old Legion States shows where corps were rehearsing at 600am because they had to be on the inspection line by 745am? Can remember one year they announced the scores by just calling out the Legion Post numbers, so everybody was trying to fgure out who finished wwhere. I also vaguely remember the Blue Angels from when I marched with the Earls of Bucks- I believe we may have competed against you in an ensemble competition somewhere- plus my grandparents lived in Villas , so I remember hearing something about the corps back then reading a local paper. The Bridgemen had a great time in Wildwood hopefully we'll return next season. The town is coming along nicely- like all the new condos and lodging facilities springing up, plus it has a cleaner look now. Thanks for the pictures , and updates on Wildwood shows. They are appreciated. RCC

Wish I could be there to see the Kingsmen. If the video clips are any indication, you'll be fantastic. I marched with Blue Rock 71-73, and we always respected you guys-what a great corps! I first saw you in '69 at VFW Nationals in Philly, (Fanfare for the New I believe opened the show- almost wore out my Fleetwoods on that show. I presently march with the Bridgemen Alumni, and can tell you after doing DCI East last year, that you're in for the thrill of your lives with the crowd reaction that's gonna take place. We had about 6,000 people go nuts over us with 62 horns, I can't imagine how loud that the Semi's crowd reaction will be with 150 horns and 20,000 fans. Enjoy the moment it'll be one you'll never forget! RCC

Back in the day, NJ Legion Sates parade used to be the biggie, with sometimes over 30 corps marching, but nowadays the Wildwood Elks Parade draws the corps, and an appreciative audience. had a chance to see most of the corps pass by Kelly's Tavern, so thought I'd share some of what I saw and heard..... Melrose Blackhawks.... about 17 brass 3 perc.... played Copa Cabana, some nice playing by a couple of lead sops, and low brass. They marched very well..probably the best of all the all age corps.... Blessed Sac approx 32-33 brass...had the crowd clapping to National emblem...usual fine, crisp sop line. I believe 4-5 snares and four tenors. Jersey Surf- real big corps, too large to count..played a patriotic medley... very nice tone quality and blend. Sounded real fresh even 3/4 of the way through the parade. Drum Line very impressive... Skyliners alumni- recognized the street beat from several blocks away..... forgot what they played but the low brass was really putting out some sound ( in contrast to the usual powerful sop line) Had a very large contingent of snare druumers... Estimate hornline size in the high tweties, low thirties Light Brigade- A little smaller than in the past, but did a nice job with "Danny Boy" when passing by Kelly's. Emerald Grenadears- about 12-14 brass and 8 percussion... the only all female all age corps in the country ( to my knowledge) projected a sound much larger than their numbers... RCC Archie- Brass numbers in the twenties, about 8 perc. Sounded good playing "We are the Musketeers" Reilly Raiders- the snares and tenor drums filled up almost the entire width of atlantic avenue. Stopped turned and played directly to the fans at Kelly's and they roared their approval. Loudest corps of the day. 30 plus brass. Played two tunes from the '64 Reilly the opener and "My Romance". Nicely done! Fusion Core - only saw them breifly ( was coming out of Kelly's at the time). Looked good. Sounded a little tentative- prbbably because they've been concentrating on getting their field show ready-understandably so.... Broolyn United- Good sized brass and perc line proabaly about 28-30 horns and about 10-12 in battery. Did a nice job with "Under the Boardwalk" Sorry, didn't see Yankee Rebels or Raiders. All in all a very enjoyable day Wildwood- perfect weather, good company, and lots of corps

[Hey Marty, Were you the guy securing the "preferred parking lot" before the show? If so I remember you from Brookhaven. I marched with the Earls of Bucks ( remember the "Shouting match between usin Philly after the "Kathy Walsh Invitational at Olney High?) , then went to Blue Rock '71-73, and marched with Brookhaven guys- Bob Payne and Bob Apppenseller). Now I'm with the Bridgemen, thanks for the props... Bob Cook

1971 Dream Contest....I was marching with Blue Rock, during our full horn line wheel during "Requiem for the Masses" the crowd starts roaring and doesn't stop until a full minute after our last note! All 9 lead sops nailed the double "G" last note -something that could only be attributed to the adrenaline rush from the crowd response. My chin still quivers 36 years later when I hear that recording. RCC