MAV

A picture can say a thousand words... From: http://twitter.com/DCI_Live/status/234489935099461632/photo/1/large Mav

One of my favorite shots...the Jersey Surf Cymbal line: BTW - Last year the following corps had cymbal lines: 1. Spirt of New Jersey 2. Colt Cadets 3. Forte 4. Jubal (the largest with 7 performers) 5. Raiders 6. Legends 7. Yokohama Scouts 8. Spartans 9. Vanguard Cadets 10. Oregon Crusaders 11. Blue Devils B (2nd largest with 6) 12. Pioneer 13. Jersey Surf 14. Cascades 15. Mandarins (new in 2011) 16. Teal Sound 17. Pacific Crest 18. Crossmen 19. Colts 20. The Academy 21. Spirit of Atlanta 22. Santa Clara Vanguard I think the three lines I really miss are Madison, Bluecoats, and Troopers. If Cadets are indeed bringing back their cymbals, my heart just burst with joy. Zing and Hooya to all my platepeeps! Mav

I'm so out of the loop! Glad to hear everything went OK, Tom! Ed and I are sending blessings, hugs, and a dose of health your way. Mav

Pulitzer There is an amazing body of work within these winners including "Appalachian Spring" (music) and "Sunday in the Park with George" (drama). Then if the corps wants to make it a trifecta/trilogy, follow it up with "Peabody" where you can cull music from broadcast winners. Maybe end with "Grammy" or "Tony". Pulitzer Music Winners The Music of Murray Gold (from “Doctor Who”) Interesting to see the diverse composers who have been featured on episodes: Bartok, ELO, Glen Miller, Wagner, Beatles, ELP, and Berlioz among the few. Music From Doctor Who Kudos to the guy who created the MP3 of "I Am the Doctor" for drum corps. The bass drum lines rock. (There seems to be quite a number of us fans of Gold's compositions.) Dvorak: Tone Poems We heard “The Wooden Dove” on a classical channel and Ed guessed Dvorak – I guessed Greig. There are wonderful folk themes to the piece. Wiki says it was based on American Indian influence. Bites: “Van Helsing” & “Dance of the Vampires” Perfect for that Crown show about teeth? And to the person who mentioned Glen Miller…yes! There is an energy that would translate to high octane on the field. Also Ennio Morricone - what an amazing life work here as well.

Good morning - You can find a great article by Mr. Boo plus an easy to read list of results here. Really want to thank all the performers who did an amazing job! Best... Mav

Ed Trautner, who wrote a Drum Corps World column as "Trivial Ed", passed away yesterday. He was a fellow DCW writer and will be sadly missed in our circle. God bless you, Ed. Here is the obit... Edward L. Trautner, age 69, of Appleton, passed away at Brewster Village on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Ed was born on August 31, 1941, in Marinette, to Edward J. Trautner and the late June (Brazier) Trautner. He married Lynn Beecher on September 4, 1965, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Ed graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout where he earned his Bachelors Degree in 1966 and his Masters Degree in 1968. He taught Technical Education at Madison Middle School in Appleton for many years. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Lynn; his father, Edward J. Trautner, Green Bay; his sister, Sally (Tom) Quackenboss, Green Bay; and his beloved cockatoo, Ralphie Elvis. He was preceded in death by his brother, David Lee Trautner. Ed was well-known for his involvement with drum and bugle corps. He was a member of the Northernaires Drum and Bugle Corps, traveled extensively with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, and contributed a regular column (Trivial) for the publication Drum Corps World. Ed was also a longtime Green Bay Packers season ticket holder and an avid Badgers fan. He enjoyed oldies music, especially Elvis; traveling, golfing, and skiing. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any memorials be directed to the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps, 2935 Fish Hatchery Road #401, Madison, Wisconsin 53711. The family would also like to extend their sincere thanks to the physicians and staff at Brewster Village for their extraordinary care. Abiding by Ed's wishes, there will be no formal funeral services.

So my first thought was, "Where's 27th?!!!!" "Where's Blue Devils?!!" "And where's Les Etoiles?!!" Just helping you get started on your next column called "Too Much Ketchup Made Me Do It: The REAL Best Colorguard". (Hey you say tomatoes, I say ketchup.) 27th Lancers had a near perfect score back then. And back then it was near impossible to do that with all those tick-happy judges. I'd pick 1980's "New Country" which features a stepped-up version of the Rockford File. Those striped flags and triple line tosses made me cross-eyed. First time I saw that, my mind exploded a little. I am reminded too of rifles spinning on their back. Something that was recreated decades later in 1994 by the Alumni ladies of a certain age. For Blue Devils, who have won more colorguard awards than anyone out there (someone got the stats?) - I'd chose the iconic "When A Man Loves A Woman" from 1992. It's worthy of note, especially during this WGI Championship week, that many of the guard members were coming off a spectacular win with San Jose Raiders World Guard. Those sensual moments were made more so when you realize it was the debut of BD's co-ed line. Les Etoiles? Yes!! The drum feature alone was worth the price of admission. Spinning snares, rifles tossed over the entire battery - more genuinely new "tricks" in one minute than I'd ever seen. I am grateful for the foresight in buying that single video - it's received much wear and tear over the years. Oh - and thanks, Mike, for that selection. Your commentary on the performances make me want to break out the Legacy Collection. Your puppy-loving editor did good too.

Actually, another breakaway corps, also from the Bay Area, had a similar experience with choosing a new name. The original corps was called Shockwave, but, wanting to do more than parades, all but two broke away and started a new competitive corps. Initially called the Bay Area Renegades, (how appropriate that an 'senior' corps was going to be nicknamed BAR) within a year or so, they choose San Francisco as their home base (hello, Treasure Island!) and became the SF Renegades, a name chosen by the 'renegade' members. OK I know someone will correct me - but that's how I remember it. Mav..who regrets not being part of the initial '7', but can claim being #8

Good morning, all - Great interviews by Dan Potter, who spoke to representatives backing each of the proposals. (And thanks to both Tom Spataro and Dan for the mention). I just wanted to give props out to Director Tim Rall and Brass Instructor Steve Wolf of 7th Regiment who also backed the vocal I&E caption. Steve especially for his input on the proposal and going out on a limb with his barbershop quartet last summer, instructing the group who performed in exibition at the Open I&E. With crossed fingers... Mav

God bless you, Chris. Thank you for your contributions in corps, band, and scouting. And blessings on your family during this sad time. Mav (the obit)

Met Steve and the four young men after their performance. Good people, all of them. Here's to seeing them again next year!

Really enjoyed 7th Regiment's barbershop quartet. Thank you for that!

Here's one...including pictures!

Check out the wrap up report from I&E Day One. (BTW - I really have been enjoying Darcy's reports this season.) See the scores and schedules. Welcome back Bluecoats & Crossmen! We do hope The Cadets, Phantom, Teal Sound, and Glassmen come onboard in the near future. And I wonder about Jersey Surf - since they were not in the mix this weekend, will their performers get an opportunity in I&E Open Class? Several observations: On the first day, only members from the two all male corps duked it out in Color Guard. SIX Cymbal lines will be competing in the tourney and only two Bass Drum Ensembles. Four Mixed Ensembles - Crossmen, Madison, Blue Knights, Pioneer - are vying for honors and so far Madison is the topper with their rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody". And remember: *Note scores from Saturday will be combined with scores from Sunday to determine Individual & Ensemble Champions in each category.

AND....? Did anybody hear about winners? Exciting entries? Anything? Bueller?

I'm curious how many I&E performers we have on DCP. Did you compete in I&E? How was your experience? What would change as a performer/audience member? What was the most unique I&E you've ever seen? I've seen a few over the years, but here's just a few off the top of my head: Tim Jackson (BD tenor) playing "The Godfather Theme" on three (?) tuned full tenors and winning once more. Kiimberly Springer (PR) getting a perfect score on keyboards. 2006 Spirit Cymbal Ensemble doing moves I've never seen...blindfolded. Does anyone remember this rule from 2006? "In an effort to allow as many performance opportunities as possible for drum corps youth, new for 2006, all-age corps members who compete in Drum Corps International competitions and are under the age of 22, or turn 22 on or after June 1 of the current year, will be permitted to compete." There actually were several people who took advantage of this from the west coast. Also several performers who competed even though their corps season ended And there use to be an 'electronic' category which Blue Devils won the first year, and then Spirit of Atlanta won. Check all the rules (well...from 2006) here.

It's I&E Day World Class I&E Competition Saturday, July 24, 2010 Beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 25, 2010 Beginning at 11 a.m. Judson Performing Arts Center Judson High School 9142 FM 78 Converse, Texas 78109 2010 will be the 20th anniversary of S.O.M.E. (Sponsors of Musical Enrichment) sponsoring the Individual & Ensemble!

I'm sitting here laughing - 'cause I LOVE how you review like you're sitting right in front of me. Engaging and spot on. And just throwing it out there - SCV guard actually took first last night. :) Hope you can review Championship week at some point - sure to be another doozy of a tale!

Seen just hours ago...

At least once a year, I search out this post. And cry. Thank you Ginger and Tom for being our angels in the field. And to our Drum Corps Buddy in the Sky - I hope you are enjoying the bird's eye view, Jason. You are missed on the starting line, in the stands, and on these boards. With love, Mav

win.

Just got back from Normal...and the scores from Clovis are...?

Where's the 'like' button?

Good morning - Traditionally an age-out member leaves his/her shoes on the field following their last performance. One of the most poignant moments I still recall was the first year Pacific Crest came out to Pacific Procession - it was their last show of season. The sight of the many age-out shoes was very touching. Another one was the first year Star left DCI and performed their stage show in Boston. At the end of the evening, as everyone left, I noticed several pairs of shoes on the stage floor. These dedicated members stayed with Star even though it meant they wouldn't march their age-out year. Finally, I wrote an article on aging-out featuring Jersey Surf cymbal Peggy Smires. With her permission, her entire letter was reprinted. In the past, there use to be a lot of letters, but now a days, many members don't even know about the tradition and there's typically only 2 or 3 left on the field. I do hope members feel compelled to write again. You never know... Mav

I miss Boo-naks!