The Oz

Dang! My work keeps me away from all the good stuff. Who's mommy won? Were there any pictures posted? What went on in the judges meeting after the show?

You can beg for forgiveness. Also a few beers would help. Send some to NanciD@Diceman-Radio.com and PM me a few also.

Ok, Fran, I’m going to come to your rescue just this once. It may be time to upgrade your shirt collection. I’ve done a fair amount of business on Oahu, and the people I’ve worked with swear by Reyn Spooner shirts. A little pricy, but they have several advantages over the polyester dreck I’ve seen you wearing: They last a long time They have classic designs They don’t combust if you get them near an open flame Seriously, these are every-day business attire on the islands. Not the shirts that scream, “I’m a clueless tourist”. Or is that the look you’re aiming for? Here’s the link: http://www.reyns.com/main.htm

Amen Brother Donny

And by the way, my immediately preceding post officially begins the hijacking of this thread.

I disagree. I think it's closer than you think. Or hope. The next step will not be more electronics. It will be a tarp on the field. I'm actually surprised no one has thought of this by now. Sigh.

Apologies if I misread your post, Mike. In my defense, the idea of electronics continues to put me in my “grumpy place”. While I applaud corps who have the courage to live within their means, the idea of “replacing” costly, bulky instruments with electronics is an anathema. It just isn't the same. One day, I'll find a way to live with the oxymoron of marching with extension cords. Maybe.

There may be. But I would bet that the "big" corps don't use such.

So those tymps the Cadets use are inexpensive "outdoor" models?

Hey Gary! There is some good news in this ... We could bring back Frenchies! ... No more intonation problems!

Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's replace those outsize tubas with:

A few stories on the first gentleman … Very early in my “career”, I was party to an after-contest conversation between this gentlemen and John Flowers. Mr. X was talking about hearing Boston Crusaders’ street time before their show, and hearing the bass drums tuned in a minor third. (I didn’t know a minor third from a coal miner back then, but no matter.) The punch line was he immediately figured out why when they launched into Conquest. Hum it to yourself, and you can hear the tympani part the bass drums were playing. I’m also thinking a Sunday afternoon show in Emmaus, PA, 1967 or 68. We had a killer snare line that year: J.C. Flowers, Eric Landis, Denny Marta, Wayne Thaxton, Sid Something, and Dale Eck. The latter two from Emmaus. Just before we kicked off, Mr. X is walking around in front of the drum line and he grabs a handful of ice from our water bucket. He shoves too much in his mouth and begins to choke just as we are called to attention and are a few seconds away from kicking off. He realizes he’s about to get run over, spits the ice out over his shirt and score sheet, then tries to brush off the same. The drum line is laughing our butts off as the show starts. Anyway, for whatever reason, that was absolutely the best drum show I ever marched. Both drum judges are running all around trying to find tics, which were in very short supply. At the end of the concert, about three-quarters through the show, Mr. X walks past the entire snare and tenor line with his score sheet held so that we could read it. Two ticks; one on the snares and one on the bass drums. At the end of the show, he had collected a few more, but when the gun went off, he raised his clipboard, turned to us and gave is a big smile. Great guy.

The pleasure was all mine. So far, only a few people are able to pick me out of a lineup. I can hide out as long as you, Solly, or Gary Matczak don't rat me out. Sort of a self-imposed DCP witness protection program.

Wawasee. Isn't that what young children say when they pass a convenience store in Pennsylvania? [For those of you who don’t get the joke (admittedly poor as it is): www.wawa.com]

Google: bus newark allentown

Throw a red sash and kick pleats on it, that will help. Get well, Jim

Mission Drums?

Disclaimers: I know I’m a bad person, but I just can’t hold it back. Please be aware that my remarks are not directed to any past, active, or prospective metronome technicians. I agree, ditch diggers perform a tough, dirty, but valuable service to humanity.

You're welcome.

"College-aged student"? Is that to imply a college student? If so, they didn't specify the major. Metronomic pedagogy? Post-grad preferred? If you’re a wide body, this may be your opportunity. No running, no uniform problems, no worries at auditions about your appearance. Speaking of auditions, do you think? Let’s expand on the qualifications: - Parents who will respond to fund raising appeals. - An attitude that there is a pony in the back yard when you find horse poop under the Christmas tree.

This has to be a goof. Really. If not, could I get a picture and a resume of whoever gets the position? The next time I need some amusement I can look at the picture and read the resume.

I have to agree on several points. The marching style was very close to military style. Pretty much a “natural” style, without much added. We practiced marching, coming to rest (heels together, feet at a 45 degree angle), stepping off, left and right foot pivots, and, more than anything else, the high mark time. “Heel to knee … heel to knee…”; I can still hear Bud Johnson’s voice in my memory. Thank goodness I was a drummer and didn’t have to lift ‘em that high. Early in the spring, we rehearsed in a gym and beat the style into the rookies. Once we went outdoors, it became endless company fronts, “Six to five”; six steps to five yards. At the practice site at Reading airport, the tar strips on the apron were conveniently five yards apart. Company fronts, close order drill, marking time; every rehearsal. Every rehearsal. Don’t forget the things that were different back when dinosaurs roamed the earth: The field had only end and side lines and the 50 yard line. No dots. I can still mark off a 30 inch step. The rules said that you had to lift your feet off of the ground. If you didn’t the “time in motion” clock stopped. You had to have a minimum of time in motion (marking time counted) or suffer a penalty. We virtually never marched backwards. One less thing to practice. The marching tempo up until the 70s was almost always around 128 bpm. My last two years we shortened the step to eight to five (thank you, Ralph Pace) and could then more easily move at faster tempos. Less to learn, but no shortage of practice. Junior corps may have been different, but not that much.

Dude! Wake up and smell the jock strap! You versus Dr. J to 21. He's 61. You're toast. Youth has its advantages, the main one being youth. But youth isn't a universal advantage.

A couple of points of “common wisdom” that I feel compelled to examine: Is there really a deep pool of C1-quality talent laying around Southeast PA that can't afford the money or time to march with C1? And will they will flock to C2? The Bucs have a good thing going. Might some of these people want to march with a seven time champion? Are these people going to be happy being in the second corps in the YEA organization? Be real. Some of the equipment is going to be hand-me-downs. Maybe even some of the music and drill. You really think they are going to get shiny new Yamaha equipment? 22 years is the the peak age for drum corps performance. Those 25-year olds just can't keep up. (Just down the road from Allentown, Jamie Moyer won nine games at age 48. That's in Major League Baseball, not AAA.) YEA has an image to worry about. Do you want a beer after rehearsal?

You could sign up with Reading today. The drive to Reading from Easton (random Eastern Shore town) is actually ten minutes shorter than the drive to Allentown. "Drum corps" is not only DCI. It's DCA, alumni corps, mini-corps, and some other odds and ends. If you want to march, you could get started this weekend, all within the three hour drive from your home.