AnnouncerMonkey

A special edition of DCI's "The Field Pass" is now posted. "The Field Pass" is a half hour audio magazine about DCI corps produced each week during the season and each month from November-May. Normally it is available only as part of DCI's SeasonPass premium subscriber package. But, I was quite surprised and very pleased that DCI has decided to make this show available to everyone for free at dci.org! This show is a virtual audio travelogue from the DCI Honor Corps' recent trip to Disney World for the taping of the Disney Christmas parade. Lots of interviews with members about why they chose to take part, interviews with instructional staff like drill designer Kevin Ford and arranger J.D. Shaw (including a Box Five interview with J.D. about Phantom Regiment's 2006 show) and lots of sounds from the parade itself. You can stream the free show in Windows Media...or, if you're a SeasonPass subscriber you can download the whole thing and stick it on your pod. I hope you enjoy it. Dan Potter

No, we're not disembodied voices. Though our bodies are nothing to brag about. Click on my profile to see 3 faces to go with 3 voices. Left-to-right, DCI's Brandt Crocker, DCI's and BOA's Dan Potter and BOA's Chuck Henson. This was at the DCI Indy regional in 2004, the only time the 3 of us have ever been in the same place at the same time.

And, in both cases you've cited, the governing organizations are either non-profit or administered as non-profit. They are not for-profit...which is what my post was about.

Sorry, I see you've aged out. You're just an arm-chair DM like the rest of us

If I remember correctly, Blast! cast members were paid a $35,000 salary in the show's initial run. Probably more now. My only point is....before we start clamoring for the benefits of for-profit status and big-money sponsorships...we need to take a long, realistic look at what else will come with the positive. BTW Aaron...as a marching member of a corps...you know more than many of the armchair-drum majors in these forums and your opinion carries commensurate weight. Dan

Not relevant? So, in these for-profit corps, the "perfomers who happen to be young," would get paid at least minimum wage, right? Paid like peformers in a touring Broadway show? The performers would get a share of the profit, right? No? Explain that to the Labor Department...not to mention unions. Just ask Blast! about that.... To me, the fact that we're talking about marketing the accomplishments of young people is the most relevant fact of all. And, to say that the big-money sponsors of individual corps would not try to meddle in show design or tie their sponsorship to the creative package in some way seems a little naive. I take it you have a lot of experience on the marketing side of the media and not much on the programming side. Those of us living in the programming world of radio and TV have all felt the hot breath of a sponsor on the back of our neck even though, in theory, there's an invisible wall separating sales and programming. I think you have many valid points in your post but when you label the youth component of the activity irrelevant, you lose me. Dan

Daniel, Very interesting. And, on its face, scary as ####. I mean...how much DO we really want to grow?(Be careful what you wish for....) The NASCAR analogy leads to visions of a sponsor-centered activity with a whole new set of creative limits. (Imagine uniforms with corporate logos....show design highlighting a sponsor-driven image, etc.. :sshh: ) I wondered, can you think of a similar model involving a youth activity moving from non-profit to for-profit? Dan

Hey Squeeg... It's kinda hard to tell by looking at the page...but, Field Pass is downloadable. Just click on the icon on the right. Dan

The final Field Pass of the 2005 Season is posted at seasonpass.dci.org. This show focuses entirely on the Division 1 champs, The Cadets, including: A visit to the corps' traditional "Breakfast of Champions" on the morning of finals, a Dad talks about what its like to watch his horn sergeant son age-out after 5 years in the corps and there's an emotional and revealing interview with director George Hopkins. Hear George's thoughts on The Zone, amplification, lighting(!), why some fans love to hate him and what he wants those fans to know. Large portions of the corps' semi-finals APD are also woven throughout the show. Shows featuring the Div 2/3 champs are in the works. Look for a monthly edition of The Field Pass during the off-season. And, for corps members just getting back on line and catching up...all of this year's shows are still available for downloading or streaming, your choice. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved for making the 2005 drum corps season so successful. Thanks for listening. Dan Potter

A full retreat in heaven with each corps of angels playing themselves off the field, their bells turned toward you, Gene. "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends..." Gene Herring was the quiet and steady man who just was there for four generations of drum corps kids. Needed a podium built? Geno would handle it. Banners hung? Gene's got it. Homesick and wanna quit? Not after talking to Gene. Needed a ride? A hug? A kick in the butt? Gene Herring was there. Isn't that the very definition of a good parent? That's what Geno was....a Dad for drum corps. To Janice, JP and all of Gene's real family....please know how much we love you for sharing Gene with us so generously. Good-bye Geno. Tell Bill and Cal we miss them too. Dan Potter Geneseo Knights 1979-81

My apologies to SeasonPass subscribers who justifiably expected more Finals week coverage from The Field Pass audio magazine than they got. I'm sorry, I simply over-estimated and over-promised the amount of coverage I would be able to provide on a daily basis. I wear many hats during finals week. Other in-stadium responsibilities, such as videotaping the segments which were shown on the jumbotron prior to Friday and Saturday's shows, helping Thursday night with the cinema broadcast and emceeing the age-out ceremony Friday and pre-show festivities Saturday, left me with much less time to edit, voice and mix The Field Pass than I thought I would have. Something had to give. Obviously, on-site commitments had to take priority. And that's why you got 2 shows instead of the four I intended to post. I apologize for promising too much. The good news is, I gathered a lot of audio that's sitting on mini-disc right now waiting to be turned into a show. A year-end, wrap-up of The Field Pass will be produced and posted ASAP. I owe listeners profiles of Hall of Famers Peggy Twiggs and Dick Brown and they will get them. I spent all of Saturday morning doing interviews with Cadets members, parents and instructors at their annual Breakfast of Champions. Our wrap-up show will feature those stories as well as a lengthy and very candid interview with YEA director George Hopkins...one you won't want to miss. Thanks for subscribing to SeasonPass and listening to The Field Pass. And, thank you for your patience as we learn. Dan Potter

Bartender...I'll take a shot of Spartacus with a Bacchanale back!

I'll give you a shout out right now, Kevin! It struck me this week that it's cool the way our 3 shows each have found their own focus. If we were a Sunday paper, TWIDC would be the front page....with the chronicle of what's happening right now in DC. "On the 50", of course, the Op/Ed page...provoking thought with insight and humor. And Field Pass: the Sunday magazine supplement..with some interviews and odd bits. You and Matt both have GREAT podcasts. You should be proud of being on the vanguard (no bias intended) of a new way of covering drum corps. Your shows are required listening for everyone serious about keeping up with the drum corps season. Dan

The Field Pass will be posted daily from Foxboro starting Wednesday. If you have any ideas for stories you would like to hear covered on the show, please email them to fieldpass@dci.org. Thanks and I look forward to seeing y'all next week. Dan On this week's show: History made in Indianapolis as The Cadets get by The Cavaliers by one of the narrowest margins ever. Meanwhile, Santa Clara Vanguard finds itself where it's never been before in a season that is now less about the numbers and more about Vanguard pride. Rookie Leah Stanfield shares the pain of being cut and the joy of getting back in the show in our special series, "One Rookie's Story." The Voice of DCI, Brandt Crocker, is our special guest in our Box Five interview. And, fans tell us what they'd like to ask a DCI judge. The World Championships are just days away...all you need is your Field Pass!

This week on The Field Pass: Phantom Regiment is On The Field...our Corps of the Week. We'll hear from Phantom's director Pat Seidling about PR's use of amplification this year and Regiment guard member John Owen talks about his portrayal of Gene Kelly. We begin a two-part mini-series on life as a drum corps first-timer, "One Rookie's Story." Meanwhile, rookie drum corps parents reveal what it's like for them. And, in our Box 5 salute to excellence, the Mandarins' evolution into a Division 1 corps. Check it out...see y'all in Indy! Dan

Al, Maybe "notorious" works even better? Did they really call you "Goober?" Dan Potter

Just so everyone knows, The Field Pass is both downloadable and streamable and has been for a few weeks. You don't have to be chained to your PC to listen. My hope is that, like the corps themselves, each show this year has gotten a little better than the one before. If you haven't listened since Vol 1 or 2, please check out last week's show. (My apologies for it being posted so late. Announcing 4 shows in Texas and Louisiana and some other issues delayed the posting. This week's show will be posted Tuesday or Wednesday). Dan Potter, The Field Pass

I also hated the announcer, he is the BOA announcer. He's so monotone and didn't get into it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Dan