JimF-LowBari

I was waiting for someone to mention that Rick was awful proud of THAT finger. :P Can't remember if it was Rick or Jeff Raudabaugh showing Coletti "something" while singing that stupid song. Ric Cs face turned as red as his hair. (Man was that before or after I left?)

SarinaSam had his thinking touque (sp?) on, eh? :P

At my first Westshoremen practice the guy next to me handed me a pen and in a gruff voice said "Welcome to the corps rookie, mark first, play later". Then he started laughing and said not to worry, this is how most of the horn line started out. That was early 1974 and we still had piston/slide Baris until the corps could float another loan. (Corps had been inactive the year before and was scrambling to equip everyone who showed up to practice.)

Right on the first guess Ben... :P Saw Paul at one of the Alumni rehearsals and still get Christmas cards from him, his wife and daughter. He's still down in Colonial Park area.. Think I found my box with my '76 Chocolatiers tape from their show at Hershey stadium. It's off my mono hand held tape recorder so I'll have to check if it's still good. Hope there's more on it than people around me talking as I liked Hersheys show in '76. DCW is selling a CD of 6 corps at the '76 RCA Championships. Problem is 10 corps competed and Hershey didn't make the cut. <**>

WOW, that name just kicked in.. How ya doing bud... Forgot your first year in Shore was my last... JimF (used to ride in the equipment truck with Paul G and Benny (God rest his soul))....

I was a trombone player so never knew the fingerings... So music was marked until I memorized them 1 - piston (right thumb) 2 - rotor (left thumb) 0 - open (no thumbs) X - both piston/rotor All my first season I played by fingering marks and not the notes. Todays history lesson was brougth to you by... :P

OK, my (mumbling the number)th Birthday is coming up this summer and I'm thinking of buying an older Bari Bugle. Thinking of looking for a piston/rotor job like I used to play or something a little more "exotic" (ie rare). Reason why I can't decide is because I've heard stories about problems keeping the rotors working. I remember we had some rotor lever pieces break because they were plastic. Someone in the corps worked at a machine shop and was able to make metal replacements so no real problem there. Also heard stories (urban legends?) about rotor springs going ka-flooey. Can anyone confirm this story or have any other problems that they saw. Ed: Add that I played an Olds Duratone (Frosted Finish) for 6 years with absolutly no problems. Thanks in advance, Jim B)

Know the feeling Lisa. One of the nice things about practicing in the AL Post in Hanover is the history (literally) hanging on the walls and the long time members willing to talk to you. As a horn player I still can't get over what was accomplished with the bugle set ups. As a DC history buff myself, I would just love to hear what a corps with one valve bugles and animal skin headed drums would sound like.

Man I love that idea. My thoughts are a lot of the current members would enjoy and appreciate the history of their corps and DC in general if they just had a chance to hear that history first hand. Also feel respect is picked up from the staff. This goes for both the past for Junior coprs and current Senior corps. Kudos Crossmen.... :)

Not sure how you can have a small town or community type feel to a local DCI corps when members come from all over the country for auditions. I'm also guessing the pressure from competing against so many other talented players doesn't help a group like feel like a family. Wondering if DCI is doing anything to help corps just starting up like DCA does with the Mini-Corps/Class A programs (willing to explain them if needed). Someone said that DCI is not Junior corps but with the exception of DCM who else is left?

it would be a tough choice as to what kind of a statue. To stay with the Superman theme, it should be a telephone booth. On the other hand, I think it should look like the little green guy that was on his shirt! :P Is that little green guy giving the "One Fingered Salute"? Back in the 70s, the T-Birds had a guy in the American Flag section who wore that kind of shirt. Funny part is that the guy looked like he was in his 60s. If you asked him about the shirt he'd just laugh and say he had to wear green because it's the corps color.

As you can tell by the signature I marched in the 70s so I can be considered "old school". But I also had the good fortune of riding with people who were with DC back in the 50s so I got to hear a LOT of Sr history. Gives you a lot of perspectice on change thru the years and where DC is today. As I posted on RAMD a while back, there are people in 2004 who bash the "old timers" for not liking the changes in DC today. I would love to hear their opinion of DC in 2024. Bet they're going to sound a lot like the people they are bashing today.

Two final flashbacks on the 1978 AL Championships in N.O. Least I think they're final unless some other memories kink in 1) Anyone remember who started the "Hawthorne is coming and they are PO'ed" rumor? Day or so before the show a rumor got started that the Cabs were coming to New Orleans to defend their AL title. The details were that the Cabs found out that Westshoremen and Chicago Connection were the only Sr corps competing and to have either one of these corps take their title would be an insult. After we won, we were taking the buses back to the motel. Around the corner comes a local bus that had really seen better days. Sure enough someone had to say "Oh look here comes Hawthorne, think they're a little late!". 2) OK, the statute of limitations has run out on this one. With apologies to the late Chicago Connection. Joe Morella(sp?) was one of the drum judges and actually rode to the show on one of our buses. On the way over heard him telling some of our drummers. "Look unless you fall apart you guys should win so let's give the people a good show. If you see this (hand gesture) it means back off the volume, it you see this (another hand gesture) bring the volume up. If you see, etc, etc." Joe still judged the show fairly but was trying to improve the sound for the fans. And playing in the Super Dome, ANYTHING would help the sound in there.

Yep, Nah 'Lins was '78. I stopped in '80 so I missed the fun trips after that. Remember the trip down took something like 23 hours 45 minutes. Bus #2 which I was on, lost it's A/C in Alabama because of all the dust Bus #1 kicked up. Brand new buses and only the one front and one back window opened. Buses went from brand new to broken in to OMG in one trip. Also remember if you were on the first floor of the motel the water bugs opened the doors for you (Southern Hospitality). Best of all I remember Chicago Connection applauding us when we won. Talked to a few members later on (the next year?). They were not just being polite by clapping, they were really glad one of the "little corps" won. Gotta find my snapshots of the trip....

LMAO, in that case New Orleans didn't happen for a LOT of people. :P At least Larry wasn't the one passed out in the shopping cart in the hotel parking lot. Mmmm, guess this means the state of Virginia didn't exist on the ride home as I certainly don't remember it. Turning 21 a few days before the Nah 'Lins trip really had its' perks. ^0^

Especially when it's at night when they're under a big American Flag. Will admit the few that flew away looked impressive. They when the flag was taken away it was "Oh ####". Hey it rated a question in the "Drum Corps Trivia Game". God bless Walt Kelly and his starters pistol trying to chase them away. I was wondering if he would run out of amo and have to yell "Bang" by the end of Championships.

Just wanted to second what Rick said. In the late 70s Westshore had a wide range of ages (HS to probably early 40s), economic status (had one guy who lived at the YMCA for a while), hair styles (ultra short to "Hippiefied") and just about every other difference you could think of. Still with all the differences we were there for the good of the corps and that's what came first. #### think Congress could take lessons off of us. For someone like myself who was in HS and college during this time it was a great lesson experience in real life. Hmm, wonder if thats part of why I'm tolerant of people with different looks or opinions.

Ditto on Sun following Westshore at '80 DCA. My first year out of DC and remember a lot of PO'ed looking Sunrisers who wanted to beat Westshore that night. Two random memories that just poped up: 1) Westshore DM Mark Plotz(sp?) walking reeeaaal slow up to the line of DMs for retreat. Could barely see it but he had a pigeon on one (both?) shoulder(s). 2) Next year Westshores souvies sold a hooded sweatshirt. On the shoulder of one sleeve was the drawing of a pigeon with a 5 (for 5th place) in the middle. Sigh, gave that to Goodwill years ago as I got too fat for it.

The background on my work PC is a pic of the other side of the corps. Get a lot of questions and comments until I mention that I'm in there somewhere. Then it gets funny as only a few people at work know I "play DC".

Ain't getting late info fun..... Still got my Aussie down in the cellar, just found the gauntlets too..... Aaargh, something else I missed..... The Blue Devils unis were worn for the 1976 season, not bought after the season. When Westshore hosted the Jr show at Hershey in '76 we were practicing in the old BD unis when one of the Devils (literally) ran by. Guy stopped dead in his tracks, stared, then got this look on his face like "Oh yeah, wrong corps" and started running again. :P

My sister went to one of her college classes in Doylestown, PA (near Philly) wearing a DC shirt. Her prof looked up and said "Oh, ever hear of the Reveries? I marched with them in the 60s." Sis hadn't heard of them so she asked me. I told her to ask the prof if he was part of the sit in. She asked and the prof almost fell off his chair. Turns out his last year was the year before. Heh, DC people show up in the strangest places.

Don't know how I missed this post for the last 6 weeks - Thanks for the explaination....

Heh, I was just trying to figure out if it was a Jr or Sr corps :P Hey the Srs post for new members too.....

Always loved the Cha Cha from back when I played in the 70s. Adrian Kreuper (sorry about the spelling) told me about the combined corps doing the song and finally I got to hear it. My wife wondered why I was drooling and repeating "Over 100 horns, over 100 horns...." :P

WOW, have a response to just about every post on this.. Gil - Thanks for the kind words. This is the first post I saw on the show and the first non-biased opinion on the show. (Section 303 was Westshore members, family and friends, not quite objective :P .) Strutta - thanks for the link to Fly. Hear about it at the party but hadn't searched yet. (First time on the net since before practice Sat AM.) Glad the PA National Guard didn't stop youze guyz Fran - Finally we meet! Hope next time it will more than just for a few seconds. Liz - Missed ya again unless we bumped into each other at the (over priced) food line at the hotel :P Jamie - my wife thought Nate was 12! OMG, look at the little kid... I still haven't come down from the show for quite a few reasons. First performance in 19 years. First time my wife ever saw me play Drum Corps. She hung around the horn line while we warmed up and kinda got an idea of what goes on before a show. And in two weeks I go to Coatesville for my first ever Lancer show (had practice at the Hanover AL Post this afternoon).