JohnD

Thanks! One point of clarification ...... those are DCP EarAmps™ Enjoy !! -john

Perhaps ...... however - this was my REAL inspiration for the EarAmps™ product. Steve - the wonder dog. In-reality, I found the person that owns the US Patent on the technology and have secured the rights for the product. We're just about done with the labeling and will have the items ready in the next few weeks - well-before the season starts. I think EarAmps really help answer the question - "Can I 'AMP' and still feel like I've remained faithfull to the legacy?" OF COURSE! -john

After several weeks of intense development - the DCP Store is OPEN! Featured in the DCP Store are: Sport Shirts - Mens' and Womens' styles in 3 different colors T-Shirts - two designs now, with more to come! Baseball cap - in one style, with another on its way A Coffee Mug that looks GREAT - and holds a nice cup o'joe. AND ...... our revolutionary DCP EarAmps™ !! We should have the remainder of the product photos up later in the week - but for now, you can see what we have available today. We're starting slow with the inventory - making most things to-order .... just until we get a feel for the quantities that we'll need to keep on-hand. Our major supplier is a drum corps fan (and site member) - so we feel comfortable that deliveries will be on-time and great quality. Thank you, in advance, for your support. Simply click on the DCP STORE menu item/link on the front page of DrumCorpsPlanet.com Enjoy! -john

Do you even have to ask WHY? ANOTHER one closed by me - so don't blame the moderators for this one either. If you'd like to suggest this thread should've stayed open - PM me ........ please. -john

This thread is closed ..... not by one of our moderators ... but by me. C'mon people - do you REALLY think there is any value in this thread? Please go somewhere else to play these games. -john

I think this is a GREAT idea that should be explored. Something similar happened with the Tour of Champions in 2004 - where several corps (Cavs, BD, Cadets, Phantom, Madison, and Vanguard) traveled from Denver to California and performed in 3 field shows and a theater presentation. Enroute, they stopped and rehearsed for a day or so in Utah, and from what I heard - it was a magical experience for all that were involved. Combined rehearsals ... time to see one another's shows ... and a round-up of the kitchens - where members could eat off any of the 6 kitchens there, sampling one-another's goods. I was lucky enough to see all FOUR of the performances that week .... and I have to tell you, it was an incredible experience. I'd sure like to see DCI could pull something that cool off again soon ..... HINT, HINT. -john

WOW - I haven't heard someone talk about the Olds horns in a LONG time. My Olds Recording trumpet is in pretty good shape and is still a GREAT horn. Sadly, it doesn't get much use anymore - but I just can't imagine ever parting with it. WAAAY too many great memories associated with that axe. -john

Just so everyone here is aware of the facts: The FACE VALUE on each set of tickets that is being sold here is $215, the 'starting price' for this "auction". There is no bargain involved here. I'm not sure what the laws in the great state of Wisconsin or the municipality of Madison are - but in many locales, the practice of selling tickets to an event for a price greater than the face value is illegal. (Perhaps someone with that legal knowledge could weigh-in here .... ) CAVEAT EMPTOR -john P.S. Similarly located seats are being GIVEN AWAY here on DCP. OK - so you have to write an essay of 200-500 words and get it in by EOD on Saturday, 4/15 .... but there's no higher-than-face-value payments involved.

Irvine Spectrum in SoCal. I MAY have a couple of extra tickets - so PM me if you're looking for tickets in Irvine. -john

It should also be noted that the VERY next day, an entirely different company of 20-some BDE performers did a corporate gig in Chicago for Hyatt executives. Dave Gibbs and the BD staff have done an incredible job of putting together a very professional group of designers, arrangers, performers and producers to put these productions together. Most of the gigs are closed to the public - either in a corporate meeting, trade show, or special event environment. Sadly, most of us won't ever get into these shows, unless we're otherwise a part of the event. Yes, the promotional materials are amongst the best I've seen. The BD team has always led the way in putting together high-quality multi-media productions. All of that would be neat if it were just simply viewed from the technical or financial potential perspective. What makes it especially rewarding is for the opportunities it creates for young performers to actually further their careers in the performing arts and make some money at it. I believe the benefits to the drum corps / pageantry activity in-general are fantastic. My $0.02 -john

As noted above, the gig in Las Vegas was done by BD Entertainment (BDE) - which is a professional entertainment company that was created by the Blue Devils a couple of years ago. BDE provides all sorts of performers (percussion, brass, flags, spinners, you name it ..... ) for corporate events, sporting games and events, television, and just about anywhere a high-energy performance is needed. What is REALLY cool is that it gives present members and alumni an opportunity to continue to perform - even after aging out ..... and earn some money at the same time. BDE performers come from other organizations beside the Blue Devils - so it gives other corps members an opportunity to participate as-well. Several of the BD creative staff are involved in creating the material and choreography - to create a really polished and exciting presentation. Its a great way to leverage the skills, talents, and resources of the entire organization - and earn a few dollars along the way. Check out the videos of some of their gigs on the BDE site ..... www.bdentertain.com Its pretty good stuff. -john

I'm very happy to announce that the inaugural issue of Brass Advantage has been released and is available on the DCP Front Page. Brass Advantage is a regular column of information, tips, techniques, and advice from world-renowned brass instructor, arranger, and DCI Hall of Fame member Wayne Downey. As our first-in-a-series of 'expert contributors', Wayne explores the world of brass performance, methods, techniques, and expert advice for our readers - sharing some of the secrets that have helped him guide the Blue Devils brass line to an unprecedented 20 Jim Ott Memorial Trophies for "Excellence in Brass Performance". Visit the DCP Front Page at www.drumcorpsplanet.com and have a look at Brass Advantage - Issue One - How to Buy a Brass Instrument That Fits Your Needs. You'll also find information there on how YOU can submit a question for Wayne to answer in an upcoming issue. Enjoy! -john

The latest edition of Fred Windish's "DCA .... All Age, All Good" column has been posted to the front page of DrumCorpsPlanet.com. In this update: Fred, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for DCA, introduces a 'guest contributor' to his regular feature column - Cozy Baker, a long-time contributor to Drum Corps World magazine. Cozy reports on his visit to a recent CorpsVets camp and it sounds like he had a great time. Have a look at the "Cozy Down South" column on the front page and see how many DCP'ers you recognize. Enjoy! -john

As noted above in my initial post, we'll be bringing those images up on-line over the next few weeks - as time is available. There's no specific schedule for releases, so I'll ask that you continue to keep an eye on the Photo Gallery. Thanks! -john

We've added more photos to the DrumCorpsPlanet Photo Gallery, including photos of the DCI Division II Corps and DCA Class A Corps from 2005. A collaborative project with our partners at Drum Corps World magazine, the DCP Photo Gallery now features 177 images from the 2005 drum corps season - and the number will continue to grow over the coming weeks as we add to the Gallery. Take a minute and see some of the great photos from Drum Corps World's library of images. Browse over to the DrumCorpsPlanet.com front page, then select the Photo Gallery from the main menu. Perhaps you'll spot yourself! Enjoy. -john

We've added more photos to the DrumCorpsPlanet Photo Gallery, including photos of the DCI Division II Corps and DCA Class A Corps from 2005. A collaborative project with our partners at Drum Corps World magazine, the DCP Photo Gallery now features 177 images from the 2005 drum corps season - and the number will continue to grow over the coming weeks as we add to the Gallery. Take a minute and see some of the great photos from Drum Corps World's library of images. Browse over to the DrumCorpsPlanet.com front page, then select the Photo Gallery from the main menu. Perhaps you'll spot yourself! Enjoy. -john

We've added more photos to the DrumCorpsPlanet Photo Gallery, including photos of the DCI Division II Corps and DCA Class A Corps from 2005. A collaborative project with our partners at Drum Corps World magazine, the DCP Photo Gallery now features 177 images from the 2005 drum corps season - and the number will continue to grow over the coming weeks as we add to the Gallery. Take a minute and see some of the great photos from Drum Corps World's library of images. Browse over to the DrumCorpsPlanet.com front page, then select the Photo Gallery from the main menu. Perhaps you'll spot yourself! Enjoy. -john

My feelings about the Blue Devils aren't much of a secret .... so I'll admit up-front that I have a particular bias. WOWOWOWOW ....... Another GREAT job on BlueView by JohnC and the BD team. It was especially fun to see Todd and the BOD members working ..... errrrrrr - cooking breakfast for the corps and having a great time. However, the BIG feature was hearing a bit of the Godfather show .... and feeling the "ducky-bumps" that the BD horn-line gives me. It's gonna be a great show this year .... and an incredible season for the drum corps activity over-all. I can't wait! -john

We've added a new feature to the DCP Forums - a direct link to the news and information headlines from the front pages of DrumCorpsPlanet.com. In the "DCP News / Headlines" forum you can see the headlines from the most current stories featured on our news pages, decide if you're interested in reading more ... then have the ability to click on the link to the full story. Even some of our most prolific and dedicated members miss important news announcements - because they're not visiting the front pages of DrumCorpsPlanet.com. With this new feature - you'll have ready access to those stories .... and will be able to discuss them in the most-appropriate forum here. Make it a regular part of your DCP visit to have a look at the latest info in this handy forum ..... then click on the link for the full story. Enjoy! -john

Randy, I'm running the same browser (along with Firefox and Safari) and haven't had any problems. Please be sure that you're entering the forums the right way - either thru www.drumcorpsplanet.com or www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums . Please feel free to post us an update here. Thanks -john

Thanks all for your responses and comments. Flash's post raises an important point - the rules for the contest specifically say that the prize is NOT transferrable. The Winner may not transfer or assign the tickets to someone else. While we'd love to read your essay, you probably shouldn't enter it if you're not going to be able to attend the show. We started the contest this early to provide those interested enough time to make the necessary arrangements. GOOD LUCK! -john

Maybe my 'humor quotient' IS a little low this evening. Perhaps Jeff was right. (uuuuugh - That's upsetting in itself) No offense meant ...... GOOD LUCK all. I'd REALLY like to award these tickets to someone that loves the activity and will enjoy watching the show with us in some GREAT seats. -john (I'll consider a haiku for the next go-around.)

Perhaps we set the bar too high for this contest - requiring that people actually read the contest rules AND assigning a significant scoring-weight to "creativity" and quality of the writing. I didn't think this was too big a task - considering the nature of the prize. Next time I may just award the prize to 'Caller Number 12' - however, that would require a person to actually check the DCP Front Page (www.drumcorpsplanet.com, rather than going directly to the forums) to have any chance of winning. If no one wants to enter - that's OK with me ..... I'm sure I can find a use for the tickets. -john

See the front page of the site ....... www.drumcorpsplanet.com I wasn't kidding last week when I suggested that there WILL be reasons for people to look at the Front Page of DCP. You just never know what may pop-up there ..... or when ..... or for how long - so you'll have to be sure to check it often. There just MAY be value in having a look. -john

I haven't seen the problem and cannot reproduce what has been reported - in IE, Firefox, or Safari .... and I'm in-and-out of the forums a LOT throughout the day. There have been no changes made to the forum configuration since last Sunday night - when the forums were removed from the site wrapper and restored to their previous configuration with header/footer. NO changes since. Any number of issues, entirely unrelated to the site, could cause what Stef described - each of-which can be solved by a simple "Refresh" of the browser window. PM me with any further details (frequency, time-of-day, conditions under which the problem can be reproduced, etc) and we'll take a closer look. In the mean-time, I'll continue to watch things closely. Thanks -john