uncle z

either professional or amateur/drum corps!! I'm "old school" so my favorites are: professional: Leigh Howard Stevens amateur: Gary Gilroy--go back and give a listen to '78 SCV or '79 BD and get schooled!! b**bs

......from my heart to yours RobH, FrankBeMe, kiltiesdrumguy,Dan Guernsey,mistertoo, fastbreak and dmfootworks, etc. etc., 'cuz you guys understand!! Here's the setup: No softballs!! No mulligans!! So, don't get out your DCI yearbooks or Popp's "Competitive Drum Corps" or search corpsreps.com--this is strictly from my grey matter to yours!! (and someday you'll thank me for the exercise when you DON'T have to go to the Alzheimer's Unit!) In other words, these babies are H-A-R-D!!! By the way, FIBs feel free to chime in even though you can't win!!!!!! Without further ado........................ 1) Name the Kiltie alum who won '75 I/E tenor champ and later went on to marry Blue Star guard captain Deb Peters. 2) What was the name of the black/white cement jockey statue who cheered on the Scouts from the base of the podium?? 3) Name the 2 drum corps from Eau Claire. 4) Name the 2 drum corps from Oshkosh. 5) Give me the nicknames of the 2 Meyer brothers from the Windjammers who went on to instruct/judge. 6) Give me a name of anyone associated with Parade Specialists, Inc. 7) Who is better known as "Captain Crunch" from the Mariners?? 8) Name the city known in '76 as home to "Blue Stars East". (finis coronat opus) 9) Give me at least 2 obscure corps from Milwaukee. 10) What is the original name of the West Bend Patriots?? 11) In '75, 2 WI corps came OTL with "Everything's Coming Up Roses" Name them. 12) In the 80's, if you drove from Green Bay to Madison with pit stops in Appleton and Green Lake, you could visit with 2 columnists from Drum Corps World. Name them. First prize is a free drink at any bar in Whitewater. Or maybe a shot of embalming fluid from Tom Meredith. Enjoy!!!

Well, I decided to go to the basement to search the ol' drum corps archives and the Auburn Black Watch and Pembroke Imperials kept popping up--anybody familiar with these corps and could give us a little history and show these guys some love??

..............of any corps, any year!!! I'm sure there's not a one of us who hasn't thought at some time "I sure think that my corps should play this song!!!" or "Wouldn't it be awesome if (corps name) played (song title)??" Here's your chance to prove your skills at formulating a show.........and since it's historical, feel free to chose any genre or style you wish--you don't have to have a "theme" show, although if you do, that'd be cool. For example: 80's Cavies--just do the whole "Esmerelda Suite" thing, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "House of the Rising Sun" or, Cavies do a "Chicago" medley--how appropriate!! or, selections from "Der Rozenkavalier"--how appropriate!! following me?? :sshh:

Hey fastbreak and Rocketman, let's not go there!! I think my idea was just to bring some corps up that never get/got any pub, rather than constantly focusing on the top 12!! Let's keep the hard feelings out of it, and just enjoy the fact that the Freelancers, etc. are finally getting some due!!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE BD, SCV, Cadets, Star, etc., but every now and then I like to remember Osage and Belleville and the Fox Valley Raiders............Sorry about the rant, I guess I just miss the days when it seemed like there was a drum corps every 30-40 miles..................(sniff :( )

I remember after '76, listening to DCI albums with my drum instructor and diggin'on the bongo rolls in "Adventures in Time". My drum instructor goes "we gotta get timbale/bongos!" and for sure in '77 had 'em. Anybody know that guy from '76??

I'm just gonna cover my state-- The name I couldn't stand was a merger corps from Milwaukee, the Crusader- Gladiators (Crusaders=nothing whatsoever to do with Gladiators--at least come up with a name that isn't an oxymoron) And the name that is just too cute to resist, a feeder corps--the Pages of the Wausau Story!!! (Wausau being the home of Wausau Insurance, whose motto was The Wausau Story)

When I was playing Iowa in '81, 5 of the 6 basses played the SAME part!! 1,4 and 5 played the beat starting on count #1, 2 and 3 played the same beat, only starting on count #2, and 6 just played quarter notes. It's really not as complicated as seems, unless it's been updated recently.

Rob H-- I was reading your post on "most influential instructors" and I decided to give you a "Sorny" recollection: 1) the date--winter '78 2) the place--Pioneer Winter Guard and Individual and Ensemble Fest/Cudahy 3) the story--a drum ensemble straight from the heart of Tom Sorenson! Remember, this was STILL during the totally military style of corps-mid '70s, so a drum ensemble typically consisted of 3 snares, 1 tenor and 1 bass, still kind of '60s style. Well, Sorny's plan consisted of 3 snares with suspended cymbals, grounded tympani with two basses laid on their sides on trash cans, grounded bells and xylophone with grounded cymbals. The music--Don Eliss' "###### Wiggle Stomp" in 7/8 at an extreme tempo. The uni--routine Marquis uniform with one exception--"#### kickers" with the laces undone instead of uniform shoes (the better to stomp and clap in 7/8). The entrance--bass drum beat in 7/8 with other ensemble players entering from the side in a shuffle/Groucho Marx pose--TOTALLY filling the hall with spectators. Well, I'm sure you can remember the kind of Sorny writing that filled the chart--extremely difficult and extremely showy, and in all kinds of meters--suffice it to say that 3/4 of the way through the book, the crowd was clapping and yelling and whistling so loud, I could barely hear the rest of the ensemble players. The outcome--after the requisite penalties for grounded instruments and uniform violations, STILL enough points to beat that Kilt ensemble!!! (So sorry). Sorenson grinning from ear to ear at the idea of his forward-thinking being able to win!!!

As a mallet player, I'm going to give a shout out to my '79 instructor Tom Nanni...... And here's a direct quote from him.....(on the teacher/student relationship) ....."as a teacher, I don't teach you anything, a good teacher just motivates a student to learn"....so true!!!! B)

Here's my take on the "old school" thang........... You KNOW you're old school when........ 1) You've been to a party where "Ken Kobold" provided the musical entertainment!! (Give yourself extra props if it was 8-track!) 2) The term "Midwest Combine' DOESN'T bring a mental picture of farming equipment. 3) You had a subscription to Drum Corps America. 4) The term "Marching Tympani" does not seem to be an oxymoron. 5) Any mention of an older corps brings a mental image of a Don Daber line drawing or a Paul Mc Cusker caricature. 6) You wore a T-shirt from U.S. Open/Key to the Sea/American Int'l show. 7) Sorry, StarContra4-85, but my "show" consisted of warm-up, opener, drum solo, concert, color pre, closer and reentry. (and then pass-in-review) 8) You went to a winter guard show where the accompaniment was two snares and a bass drum. 9) You can remember these corps in their "cadet" uni's: Phantom Regiment, Cavaliers, etc............feel free to insert your own. (no 1948 Madison, though). 10) You can remember when Kilties were all-male. 11) You thought Chicago was the center of the drum corps universe because that's where Ludwig, Slingerland and McCormick's were from. 12) You can claim to actually have seen the following: Trooper sunburst, 27th rotating wheel, Kiltie wedge or SCV bottle dance. (and not just on the "Competitive Drum Corps" film with Stan Kenton) 13) You know what the "seventh place curse" is. 14) Your season went from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. 15) You thought that when someone marched with a PVC saber instead of a real one that it was sacreligious. 16) You had spectrum tape on your instrument, equipment, case or corps jacket. 17) You were too untalented to even be a horn plug or guard with a sling, so you were an "A-squad" member!! 18) You spent your lunch hour in high school in the band room trying to play Mitch Markovich's "Tornado"! (Sorry, I know that's weak, but it's true!!)

who were heading for the limelight for a few seasons, but then faded away!!!! for example, '74 Purple Lancers, '75 Royal Crusaders etc.. Or, give a nod to the memory of corps that were consistently good. but just couldn't crack the higher echelon (that old, "with 30 more members they'd be AWESOME!!!!!" thing) for example Watkins Glen Squires, Osage Presicionnaires, etc. Blue Devil Legend, I know you'll represent for Royal Commodores...... I'm going to have to say '76 Marquis......midwest vets, I'm sure you can remember back in the day.........................

I wanna know who had a Vibra-slap that didn't constantly break--always on the field where the wooden top would come off and the pegs would be lost forever!!! I can't believe no one voted for finger cymbals :(

cabasa??????? nope guiro????? nope tambourine??? please cowbell????? oh, God triangle???? never!!!! I'm voting for the ever-lovin' FLEX-A-TONE!!!!! feel free to represent for your fav!!!!

Anybody wanna side with me on '76 Bridgemen "Land of Make Believe"?

I can verify that Paul Milano story....when I aged out of Cavies I got a belt buckle plaque in which the belt buckle had been scraped on the edges to make it a little bit "sharper"

feel free to ask your own "Who was that guy" I just wanna know........... 1) Who played timbale/bongos in 1975 Blue Devils??? 2) Who played chimes for 1975 27th Lancers?? 3) Who was that drum major from Etobicoke that everyone loved?? 4) Who was that drum major from 1977 Bridgemen that put on the Pagliacci makeup?? or Gene Gene the Dancing Machine?? 5) Who played Alice in Madison's 1971 show?? 6) Who will admit to being in The Thing?? 7) Who can claim to having done the "bottle dance" for SCV?? 8) Who was that Contra from 1974 Cavies who passed out after "Somewhere over the Rainbow"?? 9) Who was part of Star of Indiana's Circus show?? 10) Who was part of Cavies' Circus show??

I'm voting for 1975, and here's my random thoughts on why: --Madison wrestling the title away from West Coast domination --27th Lancer's "wailing" baritone solos during "Chameleon" --Royal Crusaders made finals --three, count 'em three Wisconsin corps in finals!!!!! --Cavies last year of cadet uni's --off-season hockey competition --first time finals were televised on PBS --first DQ for overage (sorry Muchacho's) --loved Phantom's opener (American Overture for Band) --my first year!!

That's hilarious....................... :P C'mon, I know there's more out there--don't make me start with the x-rated versions!!!

I'm gonna have to side with the "old school" types and narrow it down to three favs with the idea being that this closer was played for mucho years and therefore becomes: Danny Boy--27th Lancers Auld Lang Syne--Kilts Somewhere/Somewhere Over the Rainbow--Cavies Honorable mention to You'll Never Walk Alone--Madison Scouts Thanks to those who voted for '81 Softly As I Leave You--any guesses to how many guard members got stepped on when that step-over got put in at the end of the year??

that would sound something like.............. odeen, dva, tree, cheteeree???

oldtimedrummer--you made me remember some mid-70's to early-80's drum line old school recollections!! remember?? That era's "atypical" drum line member, e.g. --74 Phantom Regiment concert snare in the marching snare line --75 27th Lancer Chime player (lost the mallet one time and played with his knuckles) -- timbale/bongo player (79 Blue Stars we called this guy the "drum plug") cymbals with a "spinner" instead of a strap? snares with a strap so they were canted (with Frank Arsenault "high sticking")? 76 Blue Devils with the "UFO" triple tenors? 77 Spirit of Atlanta quintoms?? 78 Seneca Optimist conga/bongo lines?? Here's a question for the rest of you non-drumming types.................................. Having been a bass drummer for the Cavaliers, I got to play that walking beat off the field. It's actual title is "Iowa". Did you have a "name" for that beat?? The best alternate title I have ever heard was "Sneakers in a Dryer!!!" Also one more question for the "non-p.c." fans................................................... One of the most hilarious parts of marching drum corps was the nicknames that you gave to other corps. Would you mind listing some of your favorites?? Here's some of mine: Santa Clara was always known as "Christmas Tree" Bridgemen were "The Bananas" Madison was called "The Masculine Scouts" or "The Dancing Bears" Phantom Regiment..................."Random Sediment" Blue Stars..............................."Blisters" "Blah Stars" Cavaliers................................."Cavities" "Can of Beers" Racine Kilties............................"Obscene Filthies" Spirit of Atlanta........................."Sperm of a Llama" go on, you know you want to list them, and you know it's all in jest...............