MJP

I'm very excited to hear the Don Hill arrangements of WIH, Barry White, and Boogie Wonderland!

I take exception to the comment made by ironlips regarding "you will find no small amount of criticism for DCI in the books mentioned above" as I am the author of "Resume" and have read all three of the first books mentioned. Taking the time to read them you will see that there really isn't any criticism of DCI, quite the contrary. There is no doubt that DCI impacted many of the smaller corps throughout the country and the books all shed a light on just how the overall activity of drum corps/ marching arts was transformed by the emergence of DCI, but as for criticism, it just isn't there. As for gunther's comments regarding the global mentality of DCI, the post makes for quite the conspiracy theory.

Stuck on "what to get your marching arts family and friends for the holidays?" Looking for a great distraction to get you through the long cold winter? Want to know what really happened throughout the evolution of our beloved activity? Last year several books came out about the history of drum corps, they are as follows: Mike Piskel's "Resume March: Confessions of a Drum Corps Addict" examines the history and characters of traditional and modern drum corps (DCI) in a seamless narrative memoir of his marching and life experiences in the Emerald Knights and Blue Stars. Well researched, honest, and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious, "Resume March" takes the reader on Piskel's coming of age journey through the activity. Learn, laugh, and gain better understanding of how drum corps emerged from its military origins into a truly unique art form during the transformative 1970s. Available on Amazon and also through the Blue Stars online store for ~ $18. "Echoes in the Valley" is authored by Jud Spena, a long-time marching member and instructor for the Watkins Glen Squires Drum and Bugle Corps. This is a large book of 476 pages of detailed drum corps history in Upstate New York. A beautifully crafted and researched scrapbook of sorts, Jud provides the running narrative alongside a vast collection of newspaper clippings, interviews, and magazine articles and photos that takes the reader year by year through the activity on a local level. If you or a family member have an interest and love in the history of the marching arts this book does an outstanding job of documenting the progress and evolution of drum corps in one community. While much of it focuses on the Squires from mid 60s to early 80s, a lot of it easily translates the continuum of events leading through the growth and sadly the demise that took place in many small and large town drum corps during that period. It is available on Amazon for ~ $44. On a similar note, (pun intended) the book, "Osage Precisionnaires: A Small Town Drum Corps That Dared To Be Great" written by Keith Richards and Scott Lee, follows the '66-'76 growth and rise of one of the most innovative and cool little drum corps from a tiny Iowa town. With over 100 interviews and 200 photos this book again contributes to that magical time in the history of drum corps. It is available on osagecreate.com for $50. Finally, "My Seven Decades of Drum Corps Adventures" is penned by Bob Cook. Bob, who seemingly marched in just about every East Coast corps around, examines just that, the exploits of a drum corps brass player documenting the many aspects of a drum corps life well and thoroughly lived. Organized by categories such as Bus Adventures, On the Inspection Line, Where I Slept and Judges, We don't need no Stinkin' Judges, provide plenty of stories to amuse and entertain the die hard drum corps enthusiast. Bob's book is available on Amazon for ~$15. You can find out more and read samples and reviews of the books offered on Amazon. I hope you take a moment to consider these titles and the opportunity for a trip back in time and a great gift for yourself or that drum corps nut in your friend/family circle. Happy Holidays.

Hi Good People, My book, Resume March: Confessions of a Drum Corps Addict is garnering some good reviews both on Amazon and from Steve Vickers in the recent November issue of DCW. That issue also features an interview that I had with Steve regarding my history in corps and how the project unfolded. The best part of writing the book was the opportunity I had to reconnect with my marching friends from forty plus years ago. Anyone interested in a new look at the old history of the transformational 70s will no doubt find this book compelling, as I was able to connect a lot of dots in the evolution of the activity in a rather unique way. My experiences with both the Emerald Knights from Cedar Rapids and the La Crosse Blue Stars provided the vehicle to reveal this unique time in the marching arts. The book is available on Amazon.