JimF-LowBari

Couldn't remember the year, thanks. Most annoying DCI broadcst ever! Reminded me of the old PDQ Bach routine with the William Tell Overture excepts Pete Ss' commentary was funny. What the heck were those guys thinking!

Like Rob I started "back in the day" :P but did Senior corps so those all day practices were a couple weekend camps where we learned the drill and as much as we could stand the day of a show. We also did two night rehearsals during the week but couldn't get all the long distance members to those. My HS band didn't compete in those days so we learned two halftime shows during the football season and that was it. Not too exciting but got to play music in front of people. By my Junior year I knew I was going to a Community College and had to find something else to be able to keep playing. Found corps by accident and was in Westshoremen after the first corps I joined folded three months after I joined <snipping long WEIRD story>. Westshore was reforming after taking a year off and was a combo of HS aged rookies and guys old enough to be my father (definitely not HS MB ). Besides the age differences we had students, steel workers, manager of a Quickee Mart <$1 to Simpsons>, couple of Viet Nam vets, etc, etc. It was almost a cross section of the local population and my first real experience dealing with non-HS people. Thanks to that and my parents I feel I can deal pretty well with people of different cultures and backgrounds without thinking them strange or wrong if they do things differently than I do. (Had plenty of experience dealing with different types of people in my job.) Thank you all for the interesting posts, I am learning a lot. As far as wanting to be there, discipline, pushing yourself and the rest things haven't changed from my day. Here are things that were different from 70s and today. Being a horn player, back in my day the horns were also a big part of the difference between MB and DC. Besides having piston/rotor and looking totally different those old Gs played different. They were easy to overblow so we'd kid with MB people and tell them "Anyone can play beautiful music with a band horn, it takes practice and skill to do it with a DC beast bugle". (And that was only half a joke.) Because the horns looked so unlike a MB horn even people who never heard of DC know you weren't with a MB. Many times at parades people would see my horn and ask what kind of horn I had and what kind of group I was in. Neat feeling that you played something so unique. That was all part of my experience in DC also.

Send the Allah cartoons over to PA as I could use the heat from the fires to heat my house. Had a flippin' paperwork screw up with my fuel oil company amd I wasn't put on budget plan this season. I get to pay everytime they top off my tank. Yeah I know it's the same in the long run but when I get that invoice for 150-200 gallons a shot. WOW!!!!

Lesson #1 - Never ride the second bus on a hot day on a dusty road...... Took a 24 hour bus ride from PA to New Orleans in 1978. Somewhere in Alabama on a supposed Interstate, Bus #1 kicked up so much dust the A/C filter to Bus #2 clogged and the A/C crapped out. Lesson #1A - Check which windows open before taking a seat. Bus #2 was brand new and only two windows could be opened. Can't remember if that was by design or the bus company forgot to do something when they received the bus. PS - I was on Bus #2 aka - Sweatbox, Locker Room, Smelly Sneaker, etc

Last time I asked about peoples feelings/opinions about Junior corps I was bashed by someone who accused me of trying to harm the activity. So in advance I'd like to say "YOU'RE WRONG!" OK, that's off my chest...... I started marching 30+ years ago *gag* and remember what I felt were the differences between Drum Corps and Marching Band at the time. A couple of boatloads of changes to Drum Corps later and it ain't Jimmys' Drum Corps anymore :P . So this is thrown out to todays marchers both Junior and All Age: How would you compare the experience between Marching Band and Drum Corps today. Also what, if any, do you consider the big differences between the two. Word of warning: Have some "add on comments" to this but don't want to narrow the discussion before it starts. Edit: Second thread line should have "Question from olde pharte" in there but wasn't room. B)

5' 6" sounds like a #### good height to me Tony..... :P (same here) So that's what I would look like standing next to George P..... DCA '81 was painful for me *sigh*. First DCA I missing since I discovered Drum Corps. Was working that night in the computer room b-wording to myself that I wasn't there. :(

Saw one or two tromboniums used by Madison in 1979 at DCI East Prelims. Couple of us made sure we were near where the corps left the field so we could get a better view. Also first time I saw 2 valvers close up. Related question - what do most corps use for mid voices currently (horna and key)?

LOL, know that (painful) feeling. Towards the end of parades I get pain in my left shoulder and have to drop my arm against my side and hold the horn in a wierd way. Hate it because I think it looks bad but at least I can still play. (And I ain't gonna switch to a smaller horn. ) Thank goodness we usually trail the horns when not playing. On the good side, the joint replacement in my big toe feels great. Nothing like having replacement parts :P

Edit - Just looked at the site (no sense repeating what's already there) Answer - Yep, also Alumnis and Minis I did the "Pick two" of Prelims and Alumnis. Recently I heard a few shows from the Finals and sound was really different from Prelims. Not sure if having more people in the stands was the cause or the mics were in different spots or ??????.

OK, dbcna is always looking for updates for their site. I sent in a few a few years ago for PA corps and they were happy to get them.

Bought a single valve Bari with a valve lock a few years ago on eBay. Seller didn't know what the lock was so didn't even mention it in the listing. Should have seen my face when the horn arrived. Anyway, while checking the horns age I was told that valve locks are a pre-WWII thing. When the valves came out only "rich" AL/VFW corps could afford them. So AL/VFW mandated that the valves could not be moved during performances, so the "rich" corps wouldn't have an unfair advantage. So horns players could only play the open or valve 1 notes, not both during the show. To keep 'em honest the locks were designed and I'm sure checked at inspection. If the "poor" corps wanted some members to play the valve 1 notes, they could buy an extra piece of tubing ("crook") to stick between the lead pipe and mouthpiece. (Still looking for those suckers)

Compliments of www.dbcna.com. Less detail than corpsreps but they have listings of older corps that corpsreps doesn't have. No slam on corpsreps, dbcna just goes back farther. Hurricanes All girls (spon) AL James C. Ludwig Post 139 Baltimore, MD Junior corps The listing doesn't have years when the corps existed so they don't know. Edit: Just looked and see a Sacred Heart Boys and Sacred Heart Girls listed for MD but absolutely no info except the names.

Any idea of the age of the pics? Second from the top (Wildwood parade pic) looks like an early/mid 50s corps. First line of horns look like they are playing single valve (Tenor) Baris. Which group in the first pic looks like Westshoremen to you? I know what some of the old unis look like but the corps members are too small to tell.

Playing a horn..... First competition - Week before DCA 1974 at Amhearst, MA. We set a record for worst score in a DCA contest 37.35. (Close to JDs numbers.) Last competition - 1979 DCA Finals came in 6th. (Skip ahead five years) Being in the Honor Guard (yeah I wanted to be with the corps THAT bad)..... First was 1984 DCA Prelims - only show we did all year Last was 1985 DCA Prelims - did get to do Exhibition at Finals though

Great news for Drum Corps all around. Kudos to Buccs, DCI and Mr Achinson. Should kill some more All-Age stereotypes for people who don't know better. :)

Oh Lord, I used to take swimming lessons from Jims mom at their pool.... What the ####, did you have to live in Harrisburg to be in Baltimores triple line??? Did that with Unca Stormin' Norm one time to Reading when the bus was full. Still remember his line "C'mon, you'll have more fun with me anyway" Best Norm line in Westshore was another concert we went to in the bus. Pull up next to Readings equipment truck and Norm says very loudly. "Oh look, the ####-a-####s are here!". Had a bunch of new members on the bus and you coulf hear their jaws hitting the floor.

And don't forget when Jeff was young he spent a good bit of time with Wally in the Womens bathroom at Hamilton Post. ^0^ OK it was Yankee Rebels triples sectional practice, but still..... :P (Too good a story to forget.) First time my folks were exposed to Westshore insanity was waiting for the bus in 1974. Steve Filipelli, complete with Blackbeard the pirate look, was walking around with a shirt that said BULL#### (without the #s), a farmers straw hat and "Howdy Doing" everyone. Howdy Do - wave by just wiggling the fingers. My dads comment was something like "#### wish I was going". Then again dad was sitting with Benny Behrens when the drunk hit the bus coming out of Giants stadium. Drunk hit right about where they were sitting.

:P Flashback from 1975 or so. Carpool buddy telling me that a new (HS aged) drummer was having problems talking to the drum instructor. Turns out the youngster and the instructor were at the same HS and the kid couldn't get used to the idea of calling the instructor by his first name at corps practice. :P "ahhh Mr Sund.... ah Craig????"

:P <Need a smilie expressing absolutely NO surprise... ^0^ >

Here is one from the Senior side from years ago. Started doing corps because I knew I was going to go to a community college after High School and could not play music anymore. First two years were rough because the corps had just reformed but at least I was still playing a horn. Each of the six years I was in were interesting as we got better each year and our placement in DCA went up. So I got to play music, entertain people, make new friends, meet and work with people of all different ages and life experiences (I did say it was a Senior corps :P ) and see new places. And because the corps was improving, each year was a different experience in that way. Last weekend I went to my old corps Alumni practice and talked to people I marched with almost 30 years ago. Including LoveSOSs dad. I joined an Alumni corps a while back after not plaing for about 20 years. Found out I missed playing a horn and entertaining people. Now I'm why a new group of friends with different backgrounds. And my wife thinks it's great that I have an outlet instead of hanging around the house.

Gee it wasn't just me wondering about the title then. Especially since the biggest involvment between Alumnis and DCA is the Alumni show DCA weekend which only has about 10 Alumni corps a year. It's not like DCA and Alumnis are really connected together. And groups like Buccs and Cabs Alumni are there more for the competeing corps benefit, not DCAs. "Only" as in there are more than 10 Alumni type groups out there.

I am. :P Don't forget I was there for Ricks rookie season..... Hi Rick....

Not THAT's a scary thought and I didn;t even see those pics....

Wonder how my years my corps would have been on the field from 1974-1997 if there had been an Over 21 only policy. As Jeff said we were like a Kiddie corps and Retirement Home all rolled up in one. And having that mix of ages and experiences was an interesting experience. Hah trick question - We never would have had enough over 21 year old warm bodies to return to the field in 1974.

:sos: