Seahawk

An outstanding idea. Especially since tomorrow is National Beer Day! "Stay thirsty, my friend."

makes you wonder about what happened at the end of the 2016 season when a large portion of Cadets staff jumped ship, including long term staff. George has always had the reputation of being difficult to work with. Is there a possibility those staff also had a hunch about what was to come. I doubt it will happen but it would be interesting to hear the opinions of some of them.

I know most of the trumpeters responsible for this recording. But I cannot reveal their identities. Many believe it is the work of the Tastee Brothers. I can assure you it is not. It was done in a rehearsal room with 6 guys playing around one mic feeding into a laptop computer. The music is from the Disney Candlelight Processional, a Christmas show performed at Epcot every year. It is legend among many Disney employees.

I know this clip circulates every year. Time to enjoy some holiday trumpet music again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfodl1g_ibY

Weather should be excellent in Inverness FL tonight. Forecast is for partly cloudy skies, temp in low 70's with a 20% chance of rain.

Thanks so much, Vic. Those statements would mean a lot to many Bucs of that era. As you said, there was a time the Bucs and the Hurricanes did "not like each other" very much. To those who were part of either corps in the early 80's, no explanation is necessary. With that said however, the one thing that always existed within DCA and something George stressed to us many times....win or lose, you always show respect for your opponents. George lived that every time he set foot on a field. And it was reflected back by the other drum majors. IMHO, that group of drum majors in the early 80's..... George, Jimmy Russo, Alan Smythe, Butch Anderson, and the others (some of the names escape me at the moment) was, collectively, the greatest group of leaders and showmen I've ever seen in my 43 years of involvement in drum corps. Vic, you and I once talked about corps loyalties. George Parks was one of the reasons I felt the way I did, and still do. Once Blue.... always Blue. RIP George. We will miss you.

Plans have changed already.... so I now have two tickets for sale for DCI East, Aug 7th, Saturday night only. They are good seats located in the lower level. Section J Row 33 (about the 40 yard line). $35.00 each Please email if interested.

From one sound man to another.....Excellent explanation, Soundman G. And also explained in terms that everyone can understand. There seems to be a lot of comments about the excessive low end sound. Only one person mentioned what should have been a rather obvious concern. In the world of live sound, and in a recording studio, it's all about mic placement, mic placement, mic placement. The pit sound systems are mixed to project the sound to the top levels of the stadium. If the mics were placed too close to the pit speakers, there would be an overload. It is called the proximity effect. The strongest signal a mic receives is what is closest to it. (BTW - before the era of multi-layer digital recording and processing, did you know this is exactly how Brian Wilson created the awesome sound of the Beach Boys? The singers would stand a certain distance from the mic according to the vocal balance he was trying to achieve.) For future events, this might be something Tom Blair and his crew need to pay more attention to. To Soundman G -- I don't know how the theaters handle the live concert events (eg Miley Cyrus' Best of Both Worlds) as far as processor programming, but if you have any suggestions for Tom Blair that might make future broadcasts better, I am sure he would be open to discussion.

An easy one for me....1976. Near perfection even under the old tick system.

An interesting theory for the DCI conspirators. However, it has extremely little, if anything at all, to do with the cost. And I won't go there because I don't have any idea how much it costs to open it. IMHO your figures are way off. Can you back it up with some hard facts? And contrary to what you may want to believe, DCI is not run by a bunch of idiots. I'm sure all aspects of the cost to operate the stadium were considered before the contract was signed. DCI staff were informed of the stadium manager's decision to keep roof closed either Monday or Tuesday. There were several reasons stated. First and most important was the uncertainty of the weather. If you were in Indy Tuesday morning you know that the city experienced a hellacious thunderstorm. Apparently storms like this are not that unusual. Unlike most turf fields, LOS is totally flat, which does not allow for drainage if it gets wet. The weather forecast for both Friday and Saturday included the possibility of rain or thunderstorms. And rain did indeed threaten early Saturday evening but passed to the north of the city. Second, the stadium officials simply invoked rules similar to those applied to the NFL and other events. For a band or drum corps event, consideration was given to the change in acoustics when the roof is open. We were told there is less echo. Having the roof open would make some corps sound different, possibly giving them an unfair advantage. Also, the forecast for Saturday was a high temperature of about 94 or 95 degrees. There is not a stadium air conditioning system anywhere that could keep an open stadium cool in weather like that. All things considered, it simply made more sense to leave it closed for this event. Will it be open for future DCI events? I would say likely yes.... if the conditions are right.

After hearing some discussion after the show Saturday night, I'm interested in everyone's opinion regarding the format for the Finale. I am totally in favor of a return to a traditional style finale in which every corps plays themselves off in reverse order of finish, along with the trooping of the stands. I understand it was actually discussed by the board of directors, but not implemented for this show. The fans pay a lot of money to attend this event and support their favorite corps. Really, it's not too much to ask the corps to give a few minutes to the fans. Most corps have a favorite piece of music used for this purpose. For example, what true drum corps fans would not enjoy hearing Boston play Conquest, or Spirit play Georgia, or the Troopers play Ghost Riders? It can also be a very emotional moment too. Such as SCV playing Send in the Clowns to the Madison Scouts in '75. There are numerous examples of moments like that throughout DCI history. If you have ever witnessed it you know just how special it can be. And what about the corps showing some respect to the champion corps by passing in review and saluting? What happened to that tradition? Those who support the current system say that the time after the scores is for the corps members to say goodbye to friends in other corps. My opinion is the parking lot is a much better place for that. I think this time should belong to the fans and the champion corps. It usually takes a long time to clear the field so the winner can do an encore performance. Many fans loose interest because it simply takes too long. I am not suggesting that a traditional style retreat be done at every show. But certainly Championship Finals. The traditional system used to work very well, until corps started taking a long time just to get ready to play. Again, it is my opinion that if it was properly planned, and the flow controlled by a stadium announcer, this part of the show can return to being the special time it used to be.

Hey Mike, Forgive me if I may sound a little defensive. It would be nice to have people know who really recorded the Fanfare Christmas. Each year when this music clip is posted I get the same reply. The Tastee Brothers. I love this clip but I think it is important to give the proper credit to the people actually responsible for this, er...pardon the pun...'tasty' little gem. Just for the record, this piece of music is NOT from the Tastee Brothers. Although it can be found on their website, they actually had nothing to do with producing it. This passage has circulated around the internet for several years. The Tastee Brothers have wrongly claimed it as their own work. People associate it with the Tastee Brothers only because they made it available on their website, which has brought it a lot of exposure over the years. I know the real story behind the production of this clip. It was told to me by those directly involved in recording it...the six Disney World fanfare trumpets. If you are interested, I can give you more details about how it was made.

Holiday Greetings to All ! No matter how you celebrate the holiday season, I wish you all the best. Here at Disney World, the parks go through an amazing transition several times a year as the seasons change. None is more impressive than the Christmas season. The parks come alive with holiday decorations and special entertainment. IMHO opinion the best of Disney’s holiday shows is Epcot’s Candlelight Processional and Massed Choir. The show runs three times every night from Thanksgiving to New Years and is the largest holiday production Disney does. During each performance, a celebrity narrator recants the story of Christ, supported by approximately 500 singers and musicians on stage. If you are visiting Disney World during the holidays I would encourage you to see this show. It is an incredible production. For those not able to see Candelight live, as my holiday gift I am offering a sample of the music from the show. It is the opening Overture, which features the Walt Disney fanfare trumpets. Enjoy ! http://www.jibjab.com/jokebox/jokebox/jibj...76/jokeid/38662

While the dust is still settling from the 2007 season, I would like to initiate some discussion about the future of drum corps based on some very interesting and spirited discussion in the hotel bar in Pasadena. In general, the idea is winter 'drum corps', with smaller size corps, performed indoors, and generally coinciding with the WGI competitive season. In fact, it was mentioned that an alliance or partnership with WGI may be the best way to get the idea started. They already have the schedule, the venues, and the drum line competition. It would not be a major stretch for WGIand DCI to partner on this and incorporate it into the current WGI schedule. That would mean the competition season would run roughly from the end of January to early April. Here's the scoop. Indoor winter competition is something that is actually being talked about within the inner circles of DCI as a genuine possibility for future expansion. Believe me, there are several top level directors that are interested in at least pursuing discussions, possibly as early as the DCI winter meetings in January. Now here is the real kicker to this discussion. INSTRUMENTATION!! The idea is to create a competitive forum where basically anything goes as far as instrumentation or amplification.... brass, percussion, woodwinds, electronic keyboards, synthesizers, etc. You could even allow micing of solo instruments or vocals. Think "Blast" on a competitive setting in an arena. Of course, at that point you basically could not call it drum corps. It would be necessary to come up with another title. This could be the outlet for those within DCI who are pushing to allow woodwinds. IMO, if there was an alternative performance and competitive venture available where anything goes, it might force people like George Hopkins to back off his quest. Create something entirely new and different, and let drum corps be drum corps. The other major paradigm shift from DCI competition would be in the way corps recruit members. Since this would be basically a weekend-only activity, as WGI is right now, there would be no touring. Members would have to be relatively local to be able to practice on a weekly basis. Corps auditions could be geared to both the winter activity and summer competition. Due to indoor acoustics, competing units would have to be limited in size. Think total numbers somewhere between a mini-corps such as Epcot’s Future Corps and a Div 2 corps. Although it would likely be units from existing drum corps at first, competition would be open to independent units or scholastic units as well. Another possible benefit is it would create a good alternative for kids that want to compete at a high level but either cannot afford the huge tour fees or cannot make the time commitment DCI touring requires. The DCA all-age corps are full of people that fit that description. The side benefit is that it might help organizations return to having a strong connection with and support from the local community. As with any new venture, there are many pros and cons. In addition to the potential of a very unique competitive circuit filling the void between band season and drum corps season, this idea presents a number of other things to be considered as well. There are the obvious additional costs for instructional staff, uniforms or costumes, judges, transportation, etc. Also, it could be argued that it would be too much like marching band competition and therefore would be a conflict of interest for many. That is part the reason for allowing a wide range of instrumentation that is not currently legal in either band or corps. Many people talk about finding ways to get more kids involved. Something totally unique might be just the thing. So, I'd like to just toss the idea out to the masses for general discussion. I’m looking for any comments pro or con, or suggestions you might have. Does the idea of winter indoor ‘drum corps’ have merit? Indoor competition works in Japan. Do you think it is possible here?

My very first drum corps show was Blue Rock's show in 1968. Some great corps.....Boston Crusaders, Garfield Cadets, St. Lucy's, the Brassmen, Blessed Sac, and Blue Rock, of course. But the show that really got me into drum corps was a year later. The 1969 VFW Nationals in Philadelphia...a classic battle between the Troopers and the Kilties!

Phantom will pull out a surprise victory by adding a few moves to boost the visual score everyone says is lacking.

I also saw most Finals live. But the one performance that I wish had seen was one that never happened......1975 Hawthorne Muchachos! It would have made '74 seem like a warm up!

In my 35-plus years of drum corps there have been several moments that made me cry: Madison Scouts finished their encore after the stunning victory to win DCI in 1975, then formed a semi-circle to play 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. It was played with such intensity, I witnessed many grown men simply bow their heads and weep. Every time I hear the Scouts play the song I think of that moment. The deaths of Jim Ott and Gale Royer. In the Reading Buccaneers it is tradition to gather in a close circle after every show to sing the corps song. One of the most emotional times was after DCA Finals in 1981. We had gone undefeated all year but lost a tough battle to the Hurricanes. I guess the biggest tear jerker I can remember was watching the 27th Lancers Alumni perform in 1994. At the end of Danny Boy there was not a dry eye anywhere! I felt a similar emotional wave at the last DCI Classic Countdown during the Lancers show.

You forgot to mention it will also be a very exciting weekend for DCA. Tomorrow night's show in Winston-Salem NC will feature a head to head match up between the Reading Buccaneers and the SF Renegades. The Bucs have clearly established themselves as the corps to beat in DCA this year. The Renegades are looking to blow in from the west coast and shake things up a little. Should be a great show. It is also an important weekend for the DCA organization. If things go well, Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University might become the future site of the DCA Championships.

Back in the 60's into the mid-70's or so, the Hamilton American Legion Post in Baltimore was the home base for the White Knights (jr) and the legendary Yankee Rebels.

YEAGuy wrote "Last night, with our confusing opening, the time keeper started early -- therein making it a .3 penalty instead of the .2 we deserve." OK, somebody help me out with this one. I always thought the timing was determined by the rules. Meaning......from the time the T&P judge pointed to the drum major and says 'Go', the corps would have a pre-determined amount of time to get on the field, set up, warm up, and start their show. I recall they used to hold up 2:00 or 1:00 warning signs for the GE judges. It used to be that at the end of that 3 minutes judging would start, ready or not. Wasn't it the Madison Scouts that took a huge penalty for being late getting on the field. The story was that when the announcer asked "Is the corps ready", they were not even in the starting set. So why is it now that a corps is allowed to tell the T&P judge when to start judging? Or maybe the rules do not apply to certain corps? Power and influence works in many ways.

This whole issue raises some serious questions on many levels. Based on what information has been presented so far, it really seems there is far more to the story than simply a few kids having heat-related illness. That stuff happens to almost every corps, every year. The statement that "We had parents pick up their kids after the Houston show and take them home." is somewhat foreboding and might hint of internal problems. Parents know what the commitment is. It's extremely unusual that parents would pull kids out of any corps in the middle of tour. Something's wrong with this picture! Also, why are there no minimum number requirements for Division 1? Or minimum competitive standards? Let's face it, there are several Div1 corps that probably should be in Div2. And it's a pretty reasonable conclusion the addition of more corps of that caliber would make that division far more competitive than it is currently. Is the only requirement to be a Div1 corps financial stability? Think back a couple years. DCI forced Magic to go Division 2 partly because they didn't think Magic was financially stabile enough to handle a Division 1 touring schedule. So....If I had a 40-member super corps with an unlimited budget, can I be a Div1 corps? I think this should cause DCI to seriously re-evaluate the structure of every division. It just might be time for major changes!

The 1980 hornline was often compared to the top DCI lines at that time. In fact, Ken Turner, former DCI and DCA judge nicknamed the Bucs the "Blue Crew East", a reference to the Blue Devils. The instrumentation change happened in 1980. The middle voices in '79 were still traditional mellophones. In '80 the mellos were replaced with the combination of alto horns and french horns. The flugals were not added until '81. However, 3rd sopranos were never really eliminated. Also, the lead sopranos were often playing split parts, so this effectively gave Tony Yaklich as many as 7 upper voice parts to use. This was most apparent in the jazz power chords we used in warm-ups. Jaminbenb, you mentioned the pleasure of watching the hornline warm up. While it's true we often attracted a crowd during our warm-ups, Tony would rarely let us play at full volume. I remember one amusing incident about this is 1980. Don't remember where the show was. Pepe Nataro of the Hurricanes was among the spectators. We were running through part of the tune 'One Voice' but as usual Tony stopped us before we reached the peak of the song. Pepe apparently thought Tony was intentionally teasing the audience and brought a roar of laughter from the crowd when he said, in that wonderful Godfather-like voice..."Ah, come on Tony. Let the boys play!"

Ring Leader...I'm getting the impression you simply do not understand the seemingly forgotten concept of corps loyalty in senior corps, and just how deep those feelings can be. Allow me to repeat Gige's comment, "I would rather be hit by a bus than wear bell bottom pants." Referring of course to the Caballeros, the Bucs' arch rival at that time. I know for a fact many former Caballeros would feel the same way about putting on a Buccaneer uniform. Many of us are extremely proud of what we accomplished in the past, and we will take every opportunity to tell others about our experience. And many of us have deep-rooted loyalty to that same past. We cherish those memories. I think it is wrong to interpret that as making ourselves out to be some sort of drum corps gods. Gige and I were fortunate enough to have been part of a fantastic group of people who worked very hard to achieve greatness. The record speaks for itself...nearly undefeated for three years...winning the DCA title in '79 and '80, and having a third consecutive title simply stolen away from us in '81. What happened to the Bucs in 1981 is discussion for another thread. But both fans and corps members alike will tell you the best corps did not win at finals that night. I think you guys are simply having a little trouble grasping the comraderie that existed in the Buccaneer organization at that time, and other corps as well. Furthermore, we are certainly not placing ourselves above anybody else. I think you will find a similar sentiment among members of other DCA corps that have achieved greatness at one time or another.....Caballeros, Skyliners, Sunrisers, Yankee Rebels, Brigadiers. Ask any member of those corps about loyalty and devotion to your corps. I think they will tell you the same thing. And it's not just about winning either. Corps loyalty is what kept the Bucs from folding in 1978 when we were pulling 10 to 15 horns at rehearsals. Or the lean years in the late 80's and early 90's when this once-proud corps didn't even make finals. The original point was that what is now accepted as "corps loyalty" versus what we knew as corps loyalty back then seems to have drastically changed over the years. With that said, I also think you misinterpreted my statements about my personal experience. I said I reached the peak of my performance ability during my time with the Bucs. A true and simple statement. I did not in any way imply that I am the ultimate horn player of all time and have nothing more to learn. I merely stated it was a personal peak. I stopped marching in 1982. I have not played a horn in about 10 years. I have never lost the desire to play, and given the chance to play and/or march again I would be working my butt off to get back to that peak level and beyond. My reasons for not marching now are varied....mostly because job and family responsibilities are higher priorities. Just as important, IMO, is the fact the only corps I would have the desire to march in is located a thousand miles away. But even though I am not able to march with my corps of choice, being a volunteer with Magic is fulfilling and rewarding in many other ways. Granted, there are other corps available. But contrary to what others have stated here, I personally do not feel like I am cheating myself or anyone else by choosing to remain loyal to my former corps, just as many others have done with their own corps. Truth be told, I long to stand in that circle again and get choked up singing the corps song with my drum corps brethren. Eventually I will. So actually, Ring Leader, IMHO it is you and others who have replied in this thread that just don't get "it". As the great Ralph Pace would say, "'It' is what 'it' is, whatever you want 'it' to be."

"That is, of course, if you desire to make yourself a better player/performer." This comment made me laugh. The reality is I reached my peak as a player / performer during my years as a Buccaneer. I don't know your drum corps background but the sarcasm in your comment leads me to believe you have not experienced being in a champion corps. I am proud to have been a member of one of the best hornlines EVER, junior or senior.....1981 Reading Bucs.