JohnD

Star United is made-up of alumni of Star of Indiana .... and boy where they clean last night. The entire scores/results from last night's I&E and Minicorps are now posted on the DCP Front Page or you may go directly to the page here. There's an intermittent light drizzle this morning .... so we're going to make our way over to the stadium and see if we can get our network setup for this afternoon's coverage from the show. We'll keep you up-to-date here on DCP. From Rochester, -john

I've just posted the Official I&E Scores on the Front Page of DrumCorpsPlanet.com. You'll find them here, as well. -john

DCA 2006 is off to a great start - with the I&E and MiniCorps competition this evening in Rochester. The rain hasn't arrived yet - so things were cool and dry this evening. The Clarion Hotel and Riverside Convention Center provided great venues for the competition - right in the midst of downtown Rochester, along the Genessee River. After a very successful showcase of talent in the I&E competitions - attention was turned to the MiniCorps competition at the Convention Center, which hosted some 2500+ fans. Tonite's results were: 9th - Govies 8th - Heat Wave 7th - SoCal Dream 6th - Erie Thunderbirds 5th - Ghost Riders 4th - Minne Brass 93.0 3rd - Mass Brass 93.5 2nd - Renegades 94.25 1st - Star United 94.5 .... with every minicorps turning in a great show tonite. The evening was capped with a mass hornline playing "Auld Lange Syne" - conducted by Hall of Fame inductee, Ken Norman. We're hoping for dry weather tomorrow .... but the show will go on (unless there's lightning), according to DCA President Gil Silva. From everything I've seen so-far - David Bruni, Allen Buell and the entire host committee has done a spectacular job in getting things ready for this weekend .... and we're ready to go. Be sure to watch DCP closely over the next few days as we bring you updates from the DCA Championships live from the stadium. We have a whole list of guest "play-by-play" and "color" commentators lined-up to help bring the DCA show to you. While it is NOTHING like being here in-person ...... it is the next best thing. From Rochester, -john

Here's what I wrote down .... 9th - Govies 8th - Heat Wave 7th - SoCal Dream 6th - Erie Thunderbirds 5th - Ghost Riders 4th - Minne Brass 93.0 3rd - Mass Brass 93.5 2nd - Renegades 94.25 1st - Star United 94.5 I was in the audience and OMG - what an incredible mini-corps show this evening. More on this later - as I wanted to get the info up for ya'll. -john

I'll board a flight in SoCal tomorrow morning, bound for Chicago/O'Hare .... then on to Rochester. -john

I don't leave until Thursday morning ..... but the excitement is building for the weekend. See ya in Rochester! ... and hope everyone has a safe journey there. -john P.S. For those that may not be able to make it to Rochester - we'll be bringing you information from the entire weekend's activities here on DCP.

Welcome 'home' Tom. Thank you for your kind words. The 'real' magic of this site are the people of the community that participate in our forums .... offering their insight, advice, support, and assistance. Sure, things get a bit rowdy at times ..... but I take that as an indicator that most here are passionate about the activity we're here to discuss. We're glad that you've found what you needed ....... in many different ways. -john

This is one of the major projects on our development calendar for the fall/winter - a major overhaul of our DCP Caption Ranking System. The present system's design, which was created several years ago, is not as flexible as we'd like .... and lacks the ability to include scores in formats other than DCI's. We'll be revamping to include DCA sheets and provide flexibility for the future. Look for a new, more complete and flexible Caption Ranking System for 2007. -john

Great article, Mike .... and BRAVO to Ms. Higdon for taking the time to meet with members and staff from Boston this summer. It must've been a real gas for them to meet the composer. -john

I hope DCA sells a LOAD of these books. I haven't seen the final version, but understand it looks GREAT! For the record, I'm very happy that DCP could play a role in helping sponsor this year's DCA World Championships ... and showing DCA, its member corps, and fans how much we appreciate them and the work they do. Show YOUR support by buying a DCA Yearbook! See you in Rochester! -john

Speaking of souvies ....... I know that there's probably less reason for 'em at DCA Championships than 'other' shows ...... but should I bring some EarAmps™ along to sell at the DCP table? Anyone interested? Let me know and we'll see if we can't get some out there. They MAY be a bit over-the-top for those on the lower deck ... but for those on the top-deck of PAETEC Park - they may be just right. -john

The entire video can be found on the BD Entertainment website - along with a number of other clips that really show-off this innovative enterprise that the Blue Devils have been developing over the past few years. Check it out. ... then go vote for 'em. -john

We've received the detailed schedule for next Friday's Individual and Ensemble Contest in Rochester and have posted it in the DCP News pages. With it, you'll be able to see the minute-by-minute schedule for each of the venues and who's performing where and when. Feel free to make a take-along copy of the schedule for use in Rochester. Clicking on the small printer icon in the upper right corner of the article will prepare a printer-friendly version of the page. Good LUCK to all of the contestants that have registered. See you in Rochester! -john DCA I&E SCHEDULE

Have a look at Wayne Downey's column - Brass Advantage. We've just posted a new issue where Wayne discusses range and tone development. Previous issues have discussed mouthpiece and instrument selection, circular breathing, and other techniques for brass players. Brass Advantage - Issue 1 Brass Advantage - Issue 2 Brass Advantage - Issue 3 Brass Advantage - Issue 4 Brass Advantage - Issue 5 If you have a question that you'd like Wayne to answer in a future column, send your questions to AskWayne@drumcorpsplanet.com. Keep an eye out on the front page of DCP for new issues of Wayne Downey's Brass Advantage column. -john

This is very sad news, indeed. Maynard had a HUGE impact and influence on my playing and early studies, much to the chagrin of my classical teacher. He was the guy we all wanted to emulate, with his amazing range and power. I last saw him in SoCal about 10 years ago ...... still on-the-road with his band of young musicians. While he didn't have the power he did when I'd last saw him - he and his band knew how to swing. R.I.P. Maynard .... You'll continue to inspire many and thrill us with your music. -john

The simple answer to Bawker's question is "Why no .... I must admit that I never have." Its not a bad idea - if it helps create more loyalty to the site and makes our members happier. That said, I have to be truthfull and confess that there are a LOT of other issues that are on our development plate that provide more (IMO) value to our users. A new scores database, larger photo library, more secure upload/image processing for the forums, expanded news coverage and syndication, the troll-bot, and so on ...... In addition, there's the all-new portal for sister-site MarchingBandPlanet.com, marching circuit news coverage and syndication, a scores database/analysis for MBP, new skin for the MBP forums ..... yada, yada, yada. Then we turn to the ColorGuardPlanet.com and do the same. Fortunately, we're on a solid foundation that will make these enhancements MUCH easier than the first (DCP) one ... but nevertheless, there's a lot of work to do. OH - and I haven't even gotten to the DCP_SWEEPS-WEEK_POST_GENERATOR .... (CodeName: JeffsNewJenerator) So .... purple, green, and BD-blue skins are kinda low on my priority list to develop. If someone would like to build a skin - I'd certainly consider making it available on the site .... but we'd have to look at the administration issues before putting the feature in-place. Thanks for the thought though ...... keep those ideas comin. -john

Sage advice, in my opinion .... on both counts. Be sure to consider both the legal and financial (read: taxes) benefits ... and the consequences of not taking action. The costs for an hour or so of professional consultation with legal and accounting/tax experts can pay HUGE dividends in the future. This may be even more important when dealing with medical issues, as you are - where there are potentially HUGE liabilities. My $0.02 -john PS: I've used Nolo's Quick LLC from Nolo Press as a good overview when considering which route to take for a small business - partnership, LLC, or corporation. While NO substitute for competent counsel or tax professional ... it DOES give you some great information as-to your options ... and can help you ask the right questions of your professional. I'm sure that Amazon or BarnesandNoble have it.

First of all .... I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY .... have never studied the law formally, have never sat for the bar exam, and do not have a license to practice law in any state. There are a couple of licensed attorneys that frequent our forums - perhaps they'd like to weigh-in on the subject ..... pro-bono, of-course. Secondly, in the litigous society we live in ..... you can sue a duck in many jurisdictions - for nearly any reason. This doesn't mean that the case won't be thrown out of court by the judge - but someone can bring a suit, which in itself is a nusiance. Those things said, I believe there are ways to reduce the risk / liability for a complaint being successfully argued and damages awarded - but they should be discussed with competant counsel, because the methods of protection will vary based on your personal circumstances. For instance - is the forum 'owned' by an individual, a corporation, or partnership? Is the forum moderated? Are there clear Terms of Use and Registration Agreements that posters must agree to and have access to? Do those Terms of Use and Registration Agreements address the liability and indemnification of the owner(s)? There are several resources available that are in a much better position to answer your questions than me. For instance, The Admin Zone does a pretty good job of providing forum administrators with information about the mangement of a public forum. Have a look there to see if the issue has been addressed. I'd be surprised if it hasn't been. Good luck! -john

From the DCP News page: DrumCorpsPlanet is excited to announce that it will be providing live updates from the DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY over Labor Day weekend. The live coverage will give those that cannot attend the 3 day event in-person an opportunity to get updates from the field - with commentary from the pressbox at PAETEC park. This is not an audio/video presentation, but that remains a possibility for future years. Look for commentary by DCP Managing News Editor Kevin Gamin, DCP and Drum Corps World columnist Cozy Baker, 2006 World DC Hall of Fame inductee and former DCA marketing director Tom Peashey, Minne-Brass leader Todd Tanji, and others. The live updates will be posted in the DrumCorpsPlanet forums - allowing our members to offer their feedback to the proceedings immediately. DCA's Director of Public Relations and Marketing Fred Windish offers, "The DrumCorpsPlanet coverage is an important step for DCA. We realize thousands of our fans are not able to make the trip to Rochester, yet their thoughts will be focused upon us next Labor Day Weekend. As DCA has grown, so has it's fan base, a following now including interested persons in both Europe and Asia. DCA wants to find ways to keep our supporters connected to us no matter where we are or what we do. This is a significant opportunity for us. DCA appreciates the effort DrumCorpsPlanet will be making on behalf of promoting our product. If you can't be with us in Rochester, please know we are doing our best to be with you in your home, as it happens." DrumCorpsPlanet is proud to be affiliated with Drum Corps Associates and happy to support them in their 2006 season and World Championships weekend as a corporate sponsor. See you in Rochester! Of-course, the BEST way to enjoy the DCA World Championships are to BE there ..... but if you can't - join us here on DrumCorpsPlanet!! -john

The gentleman leading the recording session was Emmy-award winning producer Frank Dorritie. Frank produces the Blue Devils' recordings every year and has done a number of the "State of the Art" and surround sound recording sessions for various corps. Here's a bit more of his bio: Frank Dorritie is a performer, producer, arranger, educator and author. He is known for his work with Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, the National Cast of Phantom of the Opera and Tito Puente, among others. Nine of his recordings have received Grammy Nominations and two of these, New York Scene (Art Blakey) and La Onda Va Bien (Cal Tjader), won Grammy Awards in Jazz and Latin categories, respectively. He has instructed and/or arranged music for the Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, Garfield Cadets, Bluecoats, Bridgemen, 27th Lancers, Renegades and a host of other corps and bands. Frank has worked as a performer, clinician and adjudicator throughout North America, Europe, South Africa and Japan, and has served as musical consultant for Fox Television. He is the Chair of Recording Arts at Los Medanos College and his books "Essentials of Music for Audio Professionals" and "Handbook of Field Recording" are published by ArtistPro. Frank is the DCA I&E champion (Tenor Bugle) and a member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. In addition, Frank is one HECK of a nice guy and a real pleasure to be around. Talk about a real legend in the drum corps activity. Yep - he "really knows his stuff". The recordings that were made are sure to be top-notch. -john

GREAT post, George. I couldn't agree more. -john

I'm still considering the logistics of having a booth, per-se. My schedule is going to be pretty busy, with all the various events .... but I'd be happy to attend a 'gathering' if ya'll would like to find a time to get together. The problem will be coordinating everyone's schedules and availability. There's no plan to host a specific "DCP Party" during the weekend, though. We'll definately be there .... and our presence will be known. ^OO^

Thanks ...... I've made a note of that.

I'm REALLY looking forward to DCA in Rochester .... and hope to meet a lot of you there. -john

Thank you all for your very kind words. While a lot of work, we had an incredible time helping those at-home connect with the show in Madison .... and providing a forum to discuss the SeasonPass feeds and updates from DCI. My sincere thanks to Ryan H Turner, Cozy Baker, Doug Peterson, Kimela Hilleary, Chris Nalls, and all of our contributors this week. Its been a gas and I'm very happy that we were able to bring you with us to Camp Randall. I'd also like to thank Argon Hosting for their great support of our servers and network infrastructure. With the exception of a short period of incredible traffic load on Finals night, our network ran like a champ throughout the heaviest parts of the DCI season! Congratulations to the Cavaliers - the 2006 DCI World Champion ... Phantom Regiment ... The Blue Devils ... Div II Champion - The Academy ... Div III Champion - Impulse ... and ALL of the corps that took the field. Thank you also to all of our members and guests - for your participation and support of Drum Corps Planet and the entire drum corps activity. -john P.S. We'll be providing similar LIVE coverage from the DCA Championships in Rochester NY this Labor Day weekend. If its impossible for you to be in Rochester for this great event - DCP will keep you up-to-date.