How Would They Stack Up Today?

[Puppet]

Actually St. Rocco's and Starlighters should be one on top of the list, but I voted St. Joes, hopefully its the one from Batavia. St. Joe Patrons from NYC were a top NYState corp as were St. Catherines Queensmen...Seldon Cadets.....wow, Keith, you missed some of the really top corps from NY. You must be younger then I thought you were.

I seem to remember from the late sixties an ad campaign for New York City that was comprised of a series of claims one of which was: by population alone, Brooklyn, NY was the fifth largest city in America. Having said that: There were from the fifties to the seventies The Carter Cadets, St. Roccos, OLPH Ridgemen, St. Joesph Patron Cadets who later became St. Rita's Brassmen, The Wynn Center Toppers, OlC Ramblers, St. Lucy's Cadets (I think!? somebody correct me if I'm wrong on any of these) And these were all class "A" corps just from Brooklyn! New York City is comprised of 5 Boroughs (Counties) There were at least four or five from Queens; another couple (most notably The Lawmen) from Staten Island; Manhattan had a great Drum Corps tradition - the aforementioned CMCC Warriors among them; and who could forget the Bronx Kingsmen who spawned one of the great DC urban legends ever! There was this guy in the Bronx who every time they rehearsed would call the cops to complain about the noise: After about two months of this every week, week in and week out, a New York Cop arrives at his door. With the corps playing in the background, the cop asks the guy what are you talking about? That's music, not noise! The guy says, It's noise to me! The cops looks the guy right in the eye and says: What do you want, a little music in the night or your car stolen - at least we know where they all are!

Sorry to go on, so.

Puppet

[Donny Drum Corps]

Probably none of these corps with the exception of St. Joe's from Batavia and possibly Purple Lancers had the staff or management to survive what it takes to do what these kids are doing today. Avant Garde, Greece Cadets, LI Kingsmen and Squires gave it shot...but all ended in the same situation I loved all of the NYC corps, but you never saw them until the NYS Championships and then possibly at World Open in Lynn Mass. When stacked up against the midwestern and the upstart Cali corps, St. Joes, St. Rita's and Purple Lancers were the only ones that could stand upright. St Joes was a national finalist every year I marched there. St. Ritas could have been a national power with their ability, and Purple did their national for a couple of years with high placements. But none of them could sustain what they do now.

Most, if not all, folded because of the inability to sustain touring schedules. St. Joes did a couple of short midwestern and New England tours every year I was there, and always went to nationals and World Open, and US Open usually ....and Purple did a 17 day tour in 1974. Management folded the corps in terror of what the next season would bring once we made finals in Ithaca 1974. We had a full corps when the decision was made not to field the corps in 1975. Thinking about the costs involved with touring makes most corps management shudder... Food Truck, gas prices, support staff volunteers, bus drivers, instructional staff, DCI schedule, etc...

Greece Cadets, Squires, LI Kingsmen, Avant Garde toward the end of the 70's gave it a pretty good shot, and those corps all were pretty equal around 78-79, but I was on tour with one of them and things got very rough with breakdowns of vehicles, staff meltdowns, and kids giving up. The kids that wanted to continue doing it went to other corps that knew how to do it.

This is nothing like what it was in your days of juniors Keith. Go on tour as a volunteer to see what I mean. Or better yet do a week or two with me this summer. Royal Coachmen...nah I doubt that very much. sorry bud.

Donny

[stoods59]

Keith, I've got to agree with Donny here. Well said by the way. Purple Lancers were a very fine corps and if they had been run properly I believe they had the ability to hang around as a DCI Finalist for a couple more years. Squires were a good, solid corps. However, the rigors of touring and out of town members was very taxing on their finances. I believe it was 1978 and their trip to Denver on school busses that hurt the corps the most. As far as Avant Garde, I believe their early years were their best. They eventually ran into the same financial issues trying to compete with the big boys-money issues always seemed to be the NY corps downfall. .

[lp1955]

St. Rita's what they were doing in the early 70's was way ahead of there time.

[KeithHall]

St. Rita's what they were doing in the early 70's was way ahead of there time.

Maybe to ahead as they went inactive not to long after.

[markdewine]

Donny,

No doubt, the 74 Purple Lancers were a true powerhouse! I was already in the Marine Corps by the time the Yankees folded, so I wasn't there...but do you really feel Bud Floyd and his staff felt terror breathing down their necks, or was the national tour concept just too much for them to bite off?

Just wonderin'...

Mark

[Donny Drum Corps]

Kids nowdays are asked to PAY in upwards of $2000-$3000 to make the tour work. I don't think many of those corps could have asked that of the membership. Even if we go back in time and equate to the cost of living then versus now, I believe that it would have been too much to ask for a kid to spend $500.00 to a grand to MARCH in a corps. Would you give the director of the Royal Coachmen your $2000.????? LOL... dont forget I know who that guy is...

Times have changed. Kids that dont want to spend that kind of money or devote that kind of time can still have the drum corps experience on weekends only in a very good DCA corps for a fraction of the cost.

AND...Yes St. Rita's was way ahead of its time in programming, as were their midwestern counterpart...DES PLAINES VANGUARD, another casualty for many reasons including Viet Nam. Both of these corps were "different" than the rest and also both very good.

Donny

Edited January 25, 2008 by donnymusic

[KeithHall]

. Would you give the director of the Royal Coachmen your $2000.????? LOL... dont forget I know who that guy is...

Donny

LOL.

But really, when it comes to business and fundraising, that guy had it and even more so now. In the 70's he was honing his skills and 20 years after that he had it to a science and is still fundraising. Unfortunately he burned bridges back then which he will admit to.

Isn't it sad though that upstate NY doesn't have a junior corps? Goes to show you that DCA is the way to go and maybe smaller junior corps could work with DCA to put something together so they can still have a corps without the touring and the money. Weekends! Just like the old days.

[Puppet]

Maybe too ahead as they went inactive not too long after.

You know, I've read this kind of thing in a couple of different threads.

And before I go on, thank you all again for the good words about St. Rita's. (blushes)

On topic: Now that I give it some thought, I do think we could "march" and compete against today's corps for one simple reason: We were in the process of inventing the genre of the "show."

But here's why we went inactive, for the record: it wasn't money as has been alluded to. There was a reason Wes Hobby called us The Cinderella Corps from Brooklyn New York. We were possibly the richest corps of our time. We ran a bingo that netted thousands every week. On tour, we stayed in hotels, we ate in restaurants and we sent our uniforms to the nearest cleaners. One year we did a two week Mid west tour came home and turned around the next week and went to Lynn for the weekend.

Background is this: Like the St. Joseph Patron parish, we were kicked out by a new moderator who didn't like (a) The fact that the majority of the members were not from the parish or (b) didn't know or like Drum Corps. A corps without an affiliation, a a place to rehearse, store their equipment, trucks and buses hasn't got much of anything. We hung in there in 1973 - another ground breaking show - but our kids came from all corners of the city and to make the trek out to Long Island was back breaking and the winter of 1974, believe me we all cried when we got the disbandment news.

Puppet