Is DCI Dying?

[bawker]

RARR!!

roffles. :P

[Bd1498]

There is something that has to be said for watchin a DCA show...The jr corps will peel yer face back and blast you into your seat with a monster sound. Which is fun! but with the Sr corps. you can find the obvious maturity in sound. Finesse, skill, the old dogs still got it :)

What do you mean old dogs. Most of the kids in DCA are younger then those in DCI. The only reason a lot of them choose DCA

is because they either can't commit to a whole summer or they are just not good enough to get into a DCI corps. DCA is a flashback to the 60's and early 70's when most of the corps members came from a local area and could practice a few nights a week and just travel on weekends. Where I am from we had a drum corps all over the place. Of course they were not the quality of a DCI corps that auditions kids form all over the world. But we had fun and it kept us off the streets (except for parades ) and back it those days with the TICK system of judging on any given night a corp could get upset. Not like today when the judges follow a pecking order except for a few flip flops here and there. Be sure to leave a little room in your scoring so you can squeeze those top last couple corps in above everyone else.

Brad

[chaddyt]

Silly question if you ask me.

As we all know, DCI is under the direct control of George Hopkins. George Hopkins is an immortal being from the planet Cthulu.

Therefore, DCI cannot die.

[silvertrombone]

Well, shouldn't surprise me that this dead horse is being beat again--off-season is about 36 hours away!

I really have to disagree already. Obviously DCI is going places it hasn't gone before, but the quality of musical entertainment has deminished greatly. I watch the 1977 DVD and am entertained the whole way through. I watch the 2006 DVD and get bored with most about halfway through except a select few.

OK, I generally try to moderate the Old School/New School thing, but here's the deal. "Back then" DC's consisted of neighborhood kids who didn't know how to play their instruments--by Old School members' own account. Think statistics, folks. NO corps that auditions from a national pool of talent is going to be beat by a corps of neighborhood kids. Take your local HS marching band and put them up against Blue Devils for a good 2007 comparison. No comparison.

I consider "musical entertainment" to include how the individuals played their horns, and as the only thing we have to base that on are my above-mentioned statistics and historical mono recordings, can we drop this one yet?

i'm wondering how many times i've seen this question posed since I started following drum corps back in '97?

No kidding.

So your whole deal is it's all interest and no fact...

If that is the case, then how come I don't see Bridgemen, 27th Lancers, Muchachos, Ambassadors, Belleville Black Knights, Black Watch Highland Regiment, Bristol Kingsmen, Crusaders of Ottawa, Eau Claire Sundowners, Selden Cadets, St. Rocco's Cadets, Suncoast Sound, Surfers, Swords Excaliber, The Knights, Woodsiders, Capital Regiment, and Magic on the list for competing corps'????

Umm...because they folded. DCI didn't run these corps, and they didn't run them into the ground. Too often, DC's are run by musicians, and by my own personal experience, musical knowledge and business acumen are as opposite as good spelling and bad spelling. And you left off SkyRyders, thank you.

I don't approve of many of the things that is changing drum corps, not because its changing, just because i dont like it. DCA is where it's at for me.

"I don't approve of many of the things that ARE changing IN drum corps..." I don't like your grammar. Can we call it even?

OK GET WITH IT OLD DRUM CORPS PEOPLE. THE BEST DRUM CORPS WAS NOT FROM THE 70'S. WAS IT LOUD? YES. WAS IT OUT OF TUNE AND CRASP WITH A BUNCH OF GUYS THAT WERE PLAYING STRAIGHT BUGLES THAT SOUNDED LIKE TIN? HELL YES. IF IT WERE STILL LIKE THAT WE WOULD BE MAKING BOA AND GOD FORBID COLLEGE MARCHING BANDS LOOK LIKE THE PROS OF MARCHING AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON DRILL FROM BACK THEN EITHER.

LETS ALL LINE UP IN ALINE AND MARCH ACROSS THE FIELD AND MARK TIME MARCH FOR ABOUT 12 MINUTES. DON'T FORGET PLAY AS LOUD AS YOU CAN WITH NO SENSE OF TONE QUALITY EITHER AND HARDLY ANY TALENT. OH AND THE DRUMLINES WERE PATHEDIC.

THE BEST DRUM CORPS BOTH DESIGN QUALITY OF SOUND AND SHOWS WAS BETWEEN 1987 AND 2001 BUT TO BE HONENST MORE SO TO THE LATE 90'S LIKE 99.

ALL YOU DRUM CORPS OLD PEOPLE HATED STAR OF INDIANA, BUT THEY WERE THE ONE'S IN THE LATE 80'S THAT MADE DRUM CORPS SOUND AND LOOK PROFESSIONAL.

I DON'T LIKE THE VOICE STUFF AND I'M AN ALUMNI OF CADET, BUT KNOWONE LIKED THE STAR SHOW FROM 1993 WHEN IT CAME OUT BUT NOW YOU TALK TO PEOPLE THAT MARCHED ANY CORPS BACK IN THAT TIME AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMED AND CLEANEST AND COOLEST INOVATIVE SHOWS THEY HAVE EVER SEEN.

ENOUGH SAID.

The best thing you said in that whole pitch-fit was the last line. Learn some respect and quit acting like a 12-year old. Just b/c you can post right next to someone who actually knows both what DC is about and proper grammar neither makes you equal to them, nor does it make what you've got to say equal to them. You earn that through experience, and learning how to use the caps lock button. Show some respect.

Cavie 95, what's your definition of a clean drumline? I gotta be honest here, they're pretty few and far between these days (exception of Phantom last year, Cadets a couple of years recently, and probably Devs 03...).

That'd be what, 4 lines?

Not much to write home about.

Hornlines? They're just marching band brass these days, nothing like the old days. I don't need "RFL!" all the time, but how about at least once a show?

Drill is DEFINITELY much better, that's a given. Fun stuff to watch. Too bad the musicality (AND the volume) has gone out the window thanks to that light speed drill.

I do love a hot guard though! :)

If you're trying to say that lines in 1977 were cleaner than they are now, then two points:

1.) See my comments about statistics above. Your neighborhood drumline got smoked at its 120 beats per minute of mark time by every single corps on the screen at 60 beats per minute faster. Be realistic. When 100 guys (and CHICKS!) show up to audition for BD's line, they're simply better than 77. You guys were neighborhood punks. These guys are all music majors. You learned how to play in June. They learned how to play in 6th grade!

2.)You played standing still. We saw it on the flashbacks last night. Can't hide mark times and standstills, now can ya?

Everybody: C'mon. This topic is really old. Not just getting there--been there a long time. Actually, the oldness is getting old. Were corps back in "the day" fun? Sure. Today's corps are a bunch of strangers. But don't pretend for a minute that we don't have similar experiences. And try not to laugh when you say that today's corps ain't as good as you were. Hope you weren't biting into a hot dog while trying to spit out that statement.

And as always, young studs who are being punks in their commentary, don't do it. Not necessary to show off your age, or lack thereof.

OP: Is DCI dying? Possibly. But you're asking the wrong question. You are asking if the corps' are dying and referring to quality of entertainment. But you're saying that DCI is to blame and mentioning corps who went out of business for financial reasons, not artistic ones.

If you want to discuss this topic for what it should be considered, the proper thing to do is discuss what DCI is doing on the business side to benefit corps on the field. If the activity does die, this is the reason it does so: That DCI continues to let corps go out of business rather than stepping in and assisting on the business operations of the corps.

But if you want to talk about the general lack of baby-throwing, you need to re-state your questions.

[silvertrombone]

Silly question if you ask me.

As we all know, DCI is under the direct control of George Hopkins. George Hopkins is an immortal being from the planet Cthulu.

Therefore, DCI cannot die.

No, George Hopkins is immortal. DCI can still die.

[THX 1138]

No, DCI isn't dying.

[CODI]

When "HoppY" is alone with a few of his fans such as TX of Texas, they will be able to sit around and think of the good old days!!

What a disgrace, plus all the money that has been spent on this glorius trip to "Mecca"!!

You all wanted the "Rose Bowl", the apex of drum corps venues, and this is what you get!!!

I will go back to Roosevelt Stadium, Hedges Stadium, Manning Bowl, the old Alumni Stadiium at BC, or any of the sites the VFW or AL were held, and we never had this problem with the "hash marks"!!

You went out and marched and marched your "A--" off!!!

Just thinking of the good old days.

Codi

[susantaylor40]

Well, shouldn't surprise me that this dead horse is being beat again--off-season is about 36 hours away!

1.) See my comments about statistics above. Your neighborhood drumline got smoked at its 120 beats per minute of mark time by every single corps on the screen at 60 beats per minute faster. Be realistic. When 100 guys (and CHICKS!) show up to audition for BD's line, they're simply better than 77. You guys were neighborhood punks. These guys are all music majors. You learned how to play in June. They learned how to play in 6th grade!

I am offended by the implication that we were neighbourhood punks who didn't know how to play. As far as I can remember, there was extensive music programs in the schools back in the 70s.

But back to the original question before the verbal fisticuffs started. No, DCI is not dying, it is evolving. To hold stagnant to the traditions that I remember and loved would kill off drum corps as it is today. Am I in agreement with the changes that have happened since I marched... not entirely. Can I accept the evolution of DCIs as it stands today? Yes, I can. One must keep an open mind. Change in inevitable. Disagreements with change is inevitable as well... that is what makes us human.

Go ahead and blast me if you must... I have very thick skin. :P

Edited August 11, 2007 by susantaylor40

[HockeyDad]

You went out and marched and marched your "A--" off!!!

.........and we LIKED it.....we LOVED it.....by flibbidy gibbidy

[dbc03]

When "HoppY" is alone with a few of his fans such as TX of Texas, they will be able to sit around and think of the good old days!!

What a disgrace, plus all the money that has been spent on this glorius trip to "Mecca"!!

You all wanted the "Rose Bowl", the apex of drum corps venues, and this is what you get!!!

I will go back to Roosevelt Stadium, Hedges Stadium, Manning Bowl, the old Alumni Stadiium at BC, or any of the sites the VFW or AL were held, and we never had this problem with the "hash marks"!!

You went out and marched and marched your "A--" off!!!

Just thinking of the good old days.

Codi

Poor thing... you've posted the same tired rhetoric 3 times and nobody has acknowledged you.

Keep posting and one day your dream will come true.