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ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

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Everything posted by ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

  1. Are you talking Mankato? I'm not certain on the details, but it's been around 8 the past several years. I think a few more groups could be accommodated though.
  2. Subdued ... it was pretty f'ing hot for most of the day, and the lineup was akin to an old DCM show + BD (I'm not saying it's a bad line up at all ... but it didn't have the same luster as the lineups from 2010 to about 2015). I've gone to every TCF show since 2010, and the weather has always either been stupid hot or torrential downpour ... at this point I'm wondering if moving it to US Bank Stadium would get more groups to come in. Also - if you're looking for an intimate venue, the Mankato show is where it's at. It's bigger than your usual HS stadium and the stands, the stands are abnormally steep, and there is almost no distance between the performers and the audience.
  3. I strongly recommend not seeking advice on DCP or /r/drumcorps. In all seriousness: it comes down to if you want to do it. If the money and health aspects are enough to make you not want to march, don't. If your health is fine, and if money isn't a huge enough concern to make you think twice ... then do it. The one caveat (assuming you're of average-ish talent) is that filling a hole can suck ... especially early on. March 1 to July 3 is a lifetime as far as the development of the season. You'll need to hit the ground running as soon as you're rehearsing.
  4. Mandarins Those uniforms are disgusting. There's too much sex in drum corps. [logs into a VPN and watches late 80s VK shows, featuring the Sex Cymbals] BK I laughed for a solid 30 seconds ... but for as cheap and as garish as they look, the colors are going to pop on the field.
  5. I dig: attention to detail that sets these apart. These definitely have a militaristic look ... but for a different type of military (like, an army in an alternate dimension that's ruled by a snake king). Usual disclaimer: doesn't mean butt if it doesn't look good on the field.
  6. I always thought not purchasing items during fuel/rest stops was a standard thing, especially if it's a full-size group. Not allowing bathroom breaks is just silly, though. That's horrifying, but not that surprising. I know several people who marched with you, and saw some early shows when you guys were in MN (including a rehearsal in Mankato that seemed pretty brutal) ... I'm amazed by how different/better the product was by the end of the season. What's funny is he also wrote drill for Southwind, who also ended up rewriting a bunch of his stuff as well.
  7. I've been trying to hold my tongue on this ... but you're not completely off the mark. The HS marching band scene in MN is weird and complicated. First off, there are two separate entities: competitive summer parade band and competitive fall field show band. - The summer parade band scene is specific to MN, with most of the groups and parades taking place in central MN aka "Michele Bachmann territory" (there's no "state" competition, just the Vikingland Band Festival in Alexandria ... two weeks from now). The activity has evolved to the point that some groups are learning over 30 sets on the street (each "show" is something like 3-5 minutes, and repeats several times throughout every parade). Most of the bands are HS-affiliated, but a couple are community ed. organizations that take in students from multiple schools (i.e. the 728 Cadets ... where a bunch of MBI members teach at/come from, and the Mankato-area 77 Lancers ... which is next to St. Peter and has instructors/members from Govies). Because of the intense, but short season, a lot of these kids have time to do fall activities/athletics ... or fill drum corps spots. It's also worth mentioning that a lot of these "summer" groups have strong indoor guard/drumlines (i.e. 728 Cadets). It's such a weird and niche activity to me, and I'll never understand its popularity ... but it continues to be popular, and many of those kids end up doing drum corps. - The fall scene also has no real circuit behind it. The closest thing to a state competition is the Youth in Music show at the Vikings stadium ... which brings in as many out-of-state bands as it does MN bands. Most of the bands are Twin Cities suburban high schools, with several outliers in southern MN and one super outlier in northern MN (Grand Rapids). There are a handful of bands that consistently travel to BOA regionals, and a couple that have gone to Grand Nationals. Of those ... Rosemount HS and Eden Prarie HS are the two that have made finals in the mid to top tier of the St. Louis Super Regional (mostly Rosemount). I've taught field groups on-and-off again ... so it's hard for me to gauge the popularity. Some traditional powerhouse schools have ebbed-and-flowed with recruiting. - The indoor scene actually has circuits behind it ... the Northstar Circuit for guard (not as strong or well-represented as it used to be, unfortunately), and the MN Percussion Association (which has consistently grown over the last decade).
  8. Usual disclaimer: I'll reserve full judgement until I see it on the field. So far, I don't hate these unis as much as other people. ... that program write-up though ... woof.
  9. Fair point -- it's safe to say color guard has a strong female majority, and it would definitely open up the recruiting pool for that section. But good recruiting+competitive success+member retention mainly comes down to who's on staff ... whether it's a big name or a trusted person from within the ranks.
  10. I'm ambivalent. I don't buy the "widening the talent pool for a competitive advantage" argument. Madison's struggles pretty much all derive from financial issues, which has an effect on staffing and show design. Opening up membership won't automatically make them better. If they're going to allow female members, they're going to do it for educational/ethical reasons ... which I'd be cool with. That being said: I don't believe that a performing arts organization that's also a fraternity is inherently "discriminatory" (I know several alums who have used that word to describe the membership policy ... which is stupid, and waters down actual examples of discrimination). Somewhat related, and this falls into the "pro-coed" camp: an interesting article on study conducted by the Norwegian military ... https://qz.com/1217098/norwegian-experiment-shows-how-to-change-mens-ideas-on-gender/
  11. In the music captions, yes. Everything else was far from a runaway.
  12. EXT. - A PAYPHONE, SOMEWHERE OUT EAST George Hopkins [in a high-pitched, Paul Giamatti-like voice]: "... Hello!? .... Fred?! ... Fred Morrison?! ... It's George, please don't hang up! You're the only one who can help me! Listen ... you're a big 'second chances' type of guy, right?! I also hear you got connections ... ... You ever watch 'Breaking Bad' ...? I'm looking for an extractor, kinda like that guy played by Robert Forester ... You know: someone that can give me a new identity and a new place to live! Maybe I can be a bold visionary lumberjack in Montana, or a bold visionary fisherman in Mexico! ... ... LISTEN TO ME: IT'S GETTING BAD OUT HERE MAN! I'M LIVING IN MY CAR AND SURVIVING ON STOLEN FUNDRAISER CANDY BARS! YOU GOTTA HELP ME ... hello?"
  13. A director of an in-state rival is publicly contradicting a fellow director. Every corps is in "protect your own ###" territory now.
  14. The inactive corps listed by the OP are almost all A) groups that never really took off to begin with, or B) groups that have already dealt with inactivity in previous years. The case of MBI is unique: the organization is in stellar shape financially and have two fairly successful WGI programs. Even with their hornline recruiting issues, many people said they were on a better track this year. MBI's decision not to field was a top-down decision (a short-sighted one, IMO).
  15. Just transfer to DCI and be done with it. Don't screw over other groups just because the highest ups are afraid of having a repeat of last season.
  16. This is just the beginning. We're going to see more stories like this. After aging-out, I volunteered for several weeks with my corps. I saw how inexperienced/incompetent/overworked/change-averse the leadership was ... giving safe harbor to predators (plural) within the organization. Folding was the best thing to ever happen to my organization. GH and his Mugabe-like presence in his organization (and the activity) needs to go. If it means disbanding the Cadets for a season, do it.
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