keyp

The color guard was the absolute best I have seen them the entire season. The opening flag work in particular was nailed right off the bat. These fine ladies and gentlemen decided that they would take no prisoners! Congratulations on such a strong finish.

Adventures in Time...possily the most difficult ensemble production I have written...was dead on. There were a few "heroes" in the performance but that often happens with a corps that thrives on performance. The solos of Larry Dastrup, Rich Duarte, Chris Nalls, and Greg Potter really added the professionalism that this corps displays. Stairway to Heaven (the signature chart for 2006) was well-executed with some really nice moments in a piece that was treated with a completely symphonic approach. The middle horns really cut through on their technical displays over such a warm ensemble. The opening attack of "Toccatta was mind-blowing. The horn line was spread front to back and sided to side and they nailed the repeated 8ths! That may have been the biggest WOW moment for me. The ensemble continued to push to the end and we are all very happy with their best performance of the season!

What a difference 24 hours can make! We are no longer experiencing the remnants of hurricane Ernesto with horizontal rain and gusting wind and the corps stepped up showaing what the West Coast can bring to DCA!

I'm still looking forward to hearing the 2006 corps live! Chops done, Governaires are warming up!

Cold and rainy...what a day for drum corps! <**>

I predict that both "Key" shows will be the most exciting ones at DCA! (Because they are both GREAT and VERY DIFFERENT drum corps!)

Hey Jeff! Yes, it is a difficult issue as there is nothing more in the world that I want than more drum corps exposure! I know that I have been going back and forth with this issue the past several days. On a side note, I think a Renegades snippet would be cool up on youtube as long as: a. You (Jeff) control the quality and the section of the show for the video snippet. b. The Renegades obtain the proper permission to do so BEFORE uploading. :) Since I arranged the Renegades music, I am not the person who controls the copyright on their music. And as Jeff knows, permission to record and broadcast takes a long time to obtain! I read that someone said DCI/DCA can turn a blind eye to it. I don't think they can as some composers (not me) might hold DCI/DCA responsible for not doing what they can to get the videos off. There is a way to contest videos on youtube but it is all by snail mail. I gotta run to rehearsal now.

I was wondering how long it would take before this topic hit. Since I have copyrighted music that is illegally up on YouTube right now, my take is that it is that it is.....well.... illegal. To answer some questions, DCI (and the Santa Clara Vanguard/Magic/Caballeros/Millennium...aka corps with my original music this year) are the only organizations who have the permission to record and distribute the various 2006 shows that I have composed. If SCV, etc.. or DCI wants to place snippets of the 2006 shows up on YouTube to promote the activity or their specific corps, they have my permission to do so. That is their choice and not someone who is illegally taping a show. At least there would be a quality control aspect to the video itself! Bottom line, if it negatively affects a revenue source for SCV, etc... (sales of DCI or SCV, etc... DVDs/CDs) that is where I get upset. All corps need to generate revenue in order to keep tour fees lowered so anyone who wants to march...can! With gas prices going through the roof, tour fees are only going to increase. Please help the situation by supporting your favorite corps through LEGAL purchases via DCI or the corps souvie booths/websites. Predicting the future - I'm certain that this topic will be addressed by DCI as well as all of the owners (including composers and drill designers) of the copyrighted material. Key Poulan

Hands down....Star 1987 - Josh in the Elephant costume. :P

The bay area is anxiously awaiting your arrival! :)

Nope.... Brand new!

There are several lyrics that can't (and shouldn't) be posted here but the lyrics for "El Muchacho Grande" (The 1983 Blue Devils beginning before One More Time Chuck Corea) were actually clean. Eric Schedin (Everybody loves the Blues Bari Soloist) and I wrote a little song about the Red Headed #5 Bass Drummer "Jake" who made the mistake of wearing a shirt that had "Karen is my baby!" on it. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED Jake but we also loved making fun of his shirts... Sing along with your CD: Lyrical Section There was a man named Jake.... He loved Karen more than the eye could see... ..and he played his bass drum loud for her to hear, 'cause she was his baby... baby... (echoed by others) And he wore the ten shirts that he got in Concord's best T-Shirt shop... right in the mall... He shops there everyday to buy them all... Those Karen Shirts! (Sung emphatically by others on the low brass part) Those Karen Shirts (echoed by the high brass parts) BABY! (All together) (Quick Tempo Battery Transition) Brass Enters: There's Jake.......... yes he's jammin' on his bass drum..... Under his uniform he wears those Karen shirts that get so sweaty... She jumps from the stands and yells his name real loud.............. (Timpani Solo) JAKE! (In place of the infamous gutteral "HUH!") There you have it. One of the only two clean sets of lyrics that I can recall in 23 years.

Drum corps is evil....

It's really easy to get the facts. 2003: My first year as SCVs brass arranger. The "Vanguard yell" in the closer was not programmed, silence was. Trust me, the "Vanguard yell" was not of concern to a new arranger to one of the top Div 1 drum corps. In fact, Bill Watson (jokingly) was the first person (during either the March or April camp) to mention that the crowd would most likely insert the "vocal" there. This was 3-4 months AFTER the music was arranged. So, to solve the conspiracy, both myself and Jim Casella were not being sarcastic in the 2003 commentary. We are/were amused that it is/was such a "big deal" to people. 2004: Knowing that the crowd would be inserting the vocal anyway, it was time to program it. Notice that it is located right before the big push in the closer. We wanted applause during the Scheherazade push and we knew that the crowd would not only love the push, but would ACTUALLY APPLAUD THEMSELVES for having such a major "part" in the show! In fact, I mentioned to a couple of DCP-ers exactly where it should be during the May camp and as I recall, it was deafening at finals in Denver. Just remember, a "pause" in our music is all about the musical tension and release, not the "vocal". Participating with the crowd on the "Vanguard yell" as a large group is cool. Yelling something individually to hear yourself make the CD/DVD is probably not only the most selfish... but the LAMEST attempt I can imagine at attempting to create one's own glory. Just my 2 cents. See you in the stands!

The good new is there is no need for either group to worry (as Lee just stated) because this is what I do for a living. You can bet I will give both corps my VERY BEST work. To answer one question, Steve Brubaker did Star and The Cavaliers the same year. (I was working with The Cavaliers on both the visual and brass staffs at the time). I'm not really certain if anyone has done this in terms of arranging/composing. I know that both corps have a different vision of how they want things done and I definitely see them as 2 very different and exciting animals. I work well under each system as my main gig involves writing for many groups each year with their own "way of doing things". I can guarantee that both corps will have a different sound, flavor, style, etc... and I have no intention of "changing" the sound of the Renegades especially when Ed Teleky has some amazingly large shoes to fill. I must send a heartfelt and public thank you to the administrations of both the Renegades and the Hawthorne Caballeros for allowing this great opportunity to work with fantastic (all-age) people from the East Coast to the West. Cheers to a great 2006 DCA season! I'll be signing off DCP until after finals... :)

If you are wanting to stay "dark", how about themes revolving around: The Blair Witch Project or The Salem Witch Trials (Music picked from many potential sources....) Carmina Burana would be fantastic but I personally have only experienced difficulties trying to obtain the permission to arrange. Do you have a good entertainment lawyer?

LOL! Yes, Crunchy (The one and only Crunchy T. Frog) is coming and although he has been practicing his Contra, I saw him with a saxophone last week wearing a maroon shirt...

Not at all! Recordings of my charts are on the web for a reason...Exposure! Even Kosmos playing them helps with that! (Of course printed music would be an issue) Look for a live recording to replace that one in the near future. Have fun!!

Go Kosmos! :)

:)

Hey Rob, It was $250 in 83.... Key

...and don't forget that Key Poulan tends to read DCP a lot (well in between writing tunes). Since I'm technically on contract not to post in chat rooms (via SCV), just remember that I'm right there reading along all the time! I hope all of you have a great 3 weeks and let's make my first DCA one that I will remember forever!! (In other words... practice your ##### off!). This will be my one and only post so be nice to each other... :) Key Poulan Composer/Arranger 2003 Hawthorne Caballeros (Sr. Corps) 2003 Santa Clara Vanguard (Div 1 Jr. Corps) 2003 Esperanza (Div 2 Jr. Corps)