Fire n' Ice

Not all reviews are constructive. Its a review, not gospel. Xmen are going through growing pains. New staff. New approach. New members. Etc. Its obvious. But this thread is getting close to the 'beating a dead horse' stages. :bla: Credentials or not, its a review from a fan of drum corps ......who cares? Let's move forward. I digress, they have another month to bust a move

Hey Josh....hope all is well in Blacksburg after yesterdays events. Hope you and all of your friends are safe. My condolences go out to all Tech Students and Parents. Come back and see us.

I wish you all the best of luck. Hope all is well in Sterling.

Zang za dam!!!

Oh how I love the analytical minds of DCA

A little delayed with the response, but the Open House went great. Beyond a full battery and some new faces in the hornline. This is my first involvement with this group, and the previous posters dont lie. These people are genuine, and they are hungry. They are really eager to put out a solid competitive group from Virginia. I was with CG from the first time we stepped on the field in 2002 (and won class A percussion), and was a part of that growth into 2 finals finishes. I am not going to compare the two groups, but this group has a ton of potential and just need the exposure and members to do it with. Come check it out if you are in the area and looking for somewhere to march. This organization is terrific and waiting for the right people to take them to the top of Class A.

It was an honor to stand up in front and accept that award in front of so many outstanding people. Like I said during my speech, I could find 2 reasons for every member of the percussion section why they should receive either MVP Rookie, Most Improved, or MVP Vet. Thank you to the percussion section for the best year of CG I have had yet. Its sad to see the break in the corps, but its for the best. Who knows, after we take a year off, we all come back and add others to our 'F' list. So far, we have three members. Thank you Carolina Gold and all its past and present members for everything you have given me. A box full of memories to last a lifetime and some life long friendships. Thanks for working hard and moving us into 7th in Percussion this year, especially with the youth we had. I could write a novel, but I won't. All I have is many thank you's to everyone, even the people in the corps that hate me. Ain't no thang. I Love you too. It was an honor and a pleasure being a 4 year section leader of a truly darkhorse percussion program, an incredible membership, an unforgettable staff, and a great drum corps. Nobody ever expected us to do the things we did (and constantly trash talked us when we did do it), and that is what made it so #### fun(its b/c they were scared). I played next to, and for, some of the funniest and genuinely friggin awesome people ever. You guys and gals are awesome. Carolina Gold will always be in my heart. Danny Raymond is truly the 'top banana'.

Sucks Indeed....thats all I will say. Its all I am allowed to say. Well done in 2006 perc, I will miss you guys. GET ON THE BUS!!! and groove to Randy's sex beat.

What did everyone think of DCA placements in the Percussion Caption? I thought MBI deserved a better score. Thoughts?

You were pretty dag on right. Thanks Jeff. See ya in two weeks.

I understand that and agree. But, when you are constantly written off, it gets a little annoying. We were underwritten last year, we came out and got 8th in finals, shocked alot of people. I guess we will see if history repeats itself. This weekend oughtta be fun :sshh: .

Thank you halfemptycooler for being the first person to finally give us some respect . I personally appreciate that. I think after this weekend we will have a better set of scores to look at. Thanks again for the support.

Although I dont agree with your percussio execution comment (we played much tighter, still not there yet though. And our field score jumped over 10 points...... Still a great review.

My $0.02....... I have played on Yamaha, Pearl, and Dynasty(most recent for 4 years with Gold). I like the sound of the Yamaha snare the most, I dont know what it is, its just something about a clean ping that gets to me. BUT, the Dynasty drums as a whole arent as bad as people say. Horn deals or not, they are just as good as any other company. BD's sound comes from, previously quoted by a BD snare, bottom falam 2's cranked to ####. If you do that to any drum, it sounds dry and non-existent in a horn arc or on the field. Dynasty Tenors are the best sounding tenors out there, again, my opinion. And if you put some Evans MX5's on the basses, they are beautiful. Rust is an issue with Dynasty's, but like many have said, they are working on that. We have 4 year old drums. Put some black hardware on them....and....####. IMO, the best snare tuning setup for Dynasty snares is extra thin plastic on bottom, decently cranked, with a white max on top. Plastic bottoms usually present a wet sound, so spray the guts with laquer and/or tape them on each end about 2 inches in from the rim. Oh.......And with any drum, to get good sound, you have to play into the head with some balls.

Winstom Salem will rise again, hopefully a fair consideration next time.