Howdy

The future of Heritage Drum and Bugle Corps at this point in time is uncertain, but perhaps it is better than it has been in a long time. http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=236501631478 We will be holding a feasibility meeting about restarting Heritage Drum and Bugle Corps this fall. OT: The horse trailer was great for puppet shows, as the back doors opened half way up. Only the puppeteers ever entered the horse trailer, never children. The horse trailer was not good for moving sound equipment because it was not fully enclosed and equipment got damaged. Chuches have had a well respected longstanding tradition of holding vacation bible schools and kids bible clubhouses in local neighborhoods for years. One reason for this is for logistical reasons. http://www.hopeingod.org/document/backyard-bible-club-information The recording studio is coming slowly. I now have most of the equipment that I need. I am currently finishing up my instrumental trumpet and flugelhorn DOVE cd at Upperbandwidth Recording Studio. I anticipate that I will start recording at my new home recording studio once DOVE is released.

I agree with John, enough with your classless cheap shot inaccurate personal attacks. Thank you John. Jeff they were in poor taste.

Bravo. Dig this, I even have a puppet names Jonathan who has hands that can work the valves of my trumpet. Can you imagine all of the ge points if an entire hornline of puppets did this?

I know what great drumming is, after all I was once in North Star, seen by many in this activity as one of the greatest drumlines in the history of DCI. Knowing what great drumming is is not the same thing as being a great drummer, or being able to properly judge DCI drumlines at the top level. Yes brass and visual is my thing, and in my humble opinion I like to think that I great in those areas (mostly because I had the finest teachers), but in the real world where there are limited finances judging and teaching drummers is something that I have been asked to do. This by no means makes me a world class drummer, I just want to be helpful and fair. My scores from the Atlanta show were given out here in DCP just for fun. I think that in my opinion they perhaps show not as much as I am right but more that those hard working DCI judges that we love to criticize get their scores right most of the time. I stand behind my placements, and I believe that the Cadets and Cavies deserved to beat BD. As for being perfect if you are looking for the perfect horn player, marcher, instructor, volunteer, judge, skateboarder or even ventriloquist I am without a doubt of any kind, not him. Please don't knock the puppet shows, the art of puppetry is more difficult than you might think to pull off well, and kids often rate puppetry as one of their favorate childhood experiences. I think that DCI could even use some more puppetry. Be blessed, MIKEY Athens, Tennessee

Being that you are a teacher and all, I think you were trying to say splendiferous. (hate to see you teach parochial kiddies to say the wrong word, but hey that word that you used was also once used wrong in a kiddies book so does that make the wrong usage now the right usage*) Things are going for me much better than I deserve. Better than you know. [That usually happens to those who follow Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover plan] http://www.daveramsey.com While I no longer am well enough to skateboard or teach/coach skateboarders anymore, from time to time as a past award winning and former professional skateboarder I am asked to judge skateboard competitions. (note to self please try to completely retire from doing that). While I do not have that trailer anymore and have not for years (I think about 8 years now), I do have a much nicer 10' fully enclosed trailer with a nice "little Mikey" cartoon on the sides of it. We also now have a Steve Barry original "Little Mikey" professional - full sized ventriloquist puppet. * note to self, never enter into a debate with a theologian

But then the best corps that was in Atlanta on Saturday would have won. :)

I sure did, and I showed my scores to several Spirit of Atlanta Alumni BEFORE the DCI scores were ever announced as proof. I bet most people would believe that I did come up with those scores BEFORE I heard any of the DCI scores. These were ALL MY SCORES based upon watching 26 drumcorps, I was scoring these corps where I thought they should be, I was not trying to guess where the DCI judges might score them. Wow TO Mike, your accusing me of being dishonest really dissapoints me.

You are not kidding...fair warning to all contras marching backwards... yikes!!! ...this is the first time that the words crown is on the field does not mean a good thing...

here are two more negatives those who do not have club level seats should not be allowed on the club level the food on the club level, being that it was the club level, was lousy... where was the roast beef, ham, turkey and mashed potatoEs???

curoius as to how those who actually sent to the Atlanta show think about how I scored the top 3 corps ??? ...it seems that almost everyone that I have talked to think that the Cavies and Cadets were better than the Blue Devils. What so say you???

TO Mike I am so ready to listen to any samples of AA's trumpet playing...but there does not seem to be any anywhere on the web...I know why...

Re: So sad that people (in this case since he marched in 09 to me he is still just a kid) act like this...but do press on, as we all know that 22 year olds do know so much more than the people that are my age about life... THAT is exactaly the kind of words that Alan Armstrong (and others in drumcorps who are so ignorant to believe that by tearing others down they can lift up thelselves) once said to me and so many others who were once in Spirit...but tides turn ...oh yes they do. I am so glad that I am a strong enough person to NEVER EVER listen to those kind of negative words... Folks never listen to those who try to brand you with word's like CAN'T...or absolutely pathetic... You see, I only wish Alan Armstrong and the rest of those who try to tear me down the very best. But note one thing for sure...my critics will NEVER EVER EVER get me to listen to them... My heroes (the people who I DO listen to) are people like Robert Kiyosaki, Dave Ramsey, Maynard, Severinsen, Al (and Bev.) Hirt, Chuck Mangione...I listen to people like them...people who if I listen to them they help me (and my family). Winners listen to and learn from winners. Only fools listen to the people who are trying to drag them down...listen only to those who are doing what you wish that you were doing, then go be the one... Go for the one... "for the kids" MIKEY

Yes, but after 30 years it is not that difficult. The results were that I came closer to how the judges scored than you might think...the judges actually do get it right most of the time... ...besides the practice judging is good for me, esp practicing judging the percussion...

don't have time to do that, just too busy involved in something at the moment that is very important

If the Blue Devils were better than the Cadets were in Atlanta, Alan Armstrong is a better trumpet player than I am. nuf said...

Agreed. I was shocked when they lost to the Blue Knights.

"The reason people are frustrated or disagree with the 1st place that BD got at Atlanta is because they believe that Cadets and the Cavaliers put out a show that was better..." Re: This is true. The Atlanta fans believed that both the Cavies and the Cadets were better than the Blue Devils. I agree with them. Here are my 2011 Atl scores: 3rd Blue Devils 91.9 2nd Cavies 92.1 1st Cadets 93.8 The judges got it wrong.

I love the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils were the first drum corps that I ever saw. That being said, the Blue Devils did not deserve to win the 2011 Atlanta DCI SEC show. I had them in third place.

Reflections: Despite their score, Jubal was clearly not as good as Alliance, CorpsVets or Pioneer. Crossmen had the best lead trumpets. I as well as many others thought the Blue Stars were better than the Blue Knights. I age the show to the Cadets. The audience agreed with me, the judges did not. I thought that the Blue Devils had the most inflated score.

Hello friends. Below are my DCI Atlanta - SEC scores (to the left) , next to the official DCI scores which are on the right. My scores are the scores that I gave to each drumcorps before the DCI scores were ever announced. My scores are for entertainmant purposes only. Because I have friends in almost every one of these drumcorps, please do not take it personal if you do not like the scores that I gave to your corps. Corps My Score DCI judges score CorpsVets 70.1 68.85 Alliance 70.8 69.85 Jubal 63.2 71.8 Pioneer 68.4 68.55 Jersey Surf 73.8 71.65 Teal Sound 74.5 73.0 Mandarins 74.9 73.3 Cascades 70.2 71.2 Crossmen 77.3 78.35 PacificCrest75.1 75.85 Colts 77.8 78.35 The Academy 77.5 79.4 Glassmen 79.1 80.95 Troopers 81.4 81.0 Blue Knights84.3 84.75 Blue Stars 84.7 84.35 Spirit of A 83.1 82.45 Santa Clara 88.0 88.25 Boston Crus 87.7 87.55 Madison Sc 87.9 86.2 Bluecoats 88.5 88.65 Phantom Reg 89.3 90.5 Carolina Cr 90.6 92.6 Cavaliers 92.1 93.45 Cadets 93.8 94.1 Blue Devils 91.9 94.8 Because I wrote these scores down on a pen that could barely write, please let me know if I jotted down any of those DCI scores wrong. Enjoy, MIKEY Athens, Tennessee

Actually, those scores were very helpful. They revealed that the Troopers and Glassmen were very close to Spirit, and both of these two corps were at the SW championships. They also showed that the Academy, Colts and the Crossmen were not close, and these three drumcorps did not score close to SOA at the SE Championships.

Spirit did it!! 12th place. Congrats!!

I am sorry, I was wrong, based upon the last 5 shows Spirit is in 14th place. Here is how these corps scored based upon the latest scores*: 11 (11) - 80.90 (1) - Blue Stars 12 (14) - 79.40 (2) - Glassmen 13 (12) - 79.05 (2) - Troopers 14 (18) - 77.45 (2) - The Academy 15 (13) - 77.20 (3) - Spirit of Atlanta 16 (16) - 77.00 (2) - Crossmen 17 (15) - 75.70 (3) - Colts * Keep in mind that not all of these corps competed last night. MIKEY

Spirit had better worry about the Troopers, as well as the Glassmen who beat the Troopers last night. Either of these two corps could keep Spirit out of the top 12 in San Antonio today. Things as of late do not look in Spirit's favor, based on the latest score [ note Spirit did not compete last night] Spirit is in 15th place. Even worse based upon the average of the last 5 scores Spirit is in 16th place: 12 (12) - 77.220 - Troopers 13 (14) - 76.130 - Glassmen 14 (13) - 76.080 - Spirit of Atlanta 15 (16) - 74.590 - Crossmen 16 (15) - 74.530 - Colts 17 (17) - 73.950 - The Academy

We can't always blame the student. I have a lot of horns here that I am very careful about inserting mouthpieces into, and every few years one of mine gets stuck...