Memorial Weekend Memories

[Racineguy]

Very True. Although I remembered that, I somehow thought I could get away with omitting that. As the Boy Scout motto said; "Do a Good Turn Daily" Each day, we always tried to bring some joy into other's lives each day. Of course and I'm sure that you remember, a very few times, it didn't work out that way.

[Bill R]

Was with Westshoremen but big memories involving RI Matadors.

1975 (Mt Carmel) my first DCA exhibition show). Standing at the front sideline and whole thing happens about 20 feet from us. Matadors come out carrying double steel drums and guy goes down as the corps sets up for concert. Either he couldn't handle the weight or the straps screwed up. Matadors blasting the concert all around and bunch of guys are talking to the steel drum player as they figure out how to get him out. Just a bizzare scene and one I posted about a few days ago so sorry for the repeat.

1977 Danville. Westshore not there due to HS band comittment (Indy 500?) so too many members out of town. Year before Westshore really improved and Matadors really slipped. So here a couple of us are to see if we might slip by Mats this year. Matadors come out with the "Spanish bedcloths" and come tearing off the line with "Rodeo". Danvilles stands are low so our heads are at bell level as the horn line comes right at us at the end of the number. Too top if off we have the lead sops in front of us. We look at each other and say "Oh ####,ain't gonna beat 'em this year".

That was my first show with the Matadors & I remember George going down!

The good thing about it was all they had to was to arrange or rearrange,

I'm not sure which, some counter weights on the frame & he was fine for

the rest of the season. So we figured out how to carry them ..................

how to tune them was a different story!!!!!

[Bill R]

In 1977 I was heading into my 3rd year with the Rhode Island Matadors. The previous winter,

we had a uniform change that had us going from a uniform that made us look too much like the

Cab's (yes, I'll admit it) , to an all black uni with gold trim. It was hideous. In April of 77 during a

Sun. afternoon rehearsal at The Bullpen, Red Corso has his son Mike (RIP) model our new uniform

for the 77 season. Mike comes out wearing this bright red Mexican leisure suit with flowers embroidered

on the shirt & down the leg (remember this is the 70's).

The silence overtook the room ..................... Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend & our first show

in Mt. Carmel ............................ we did the rehearsal, & were issued the uniforms for the first time before

hitting the showers. For some reason (I can't remember), I was late getting out of the locker room & to the

warm up area. I'll never forget what I saw after I went to the back of the school & around some construction

equipment that was there. I had to stop & stare with my mouth open .................. about 55 horns & 30

drummers in these bright red uni's with these huge black sombreros! I said to myself "This is going to be ****ing

cool!"

[hairbear]

That was my first show with the Matadors & I remember George going down!

The good thing about it was all they had to was to arrange or rearrange,

I'm not sure which, some counter weights on the frame & he was fine for

the rest of the season. So we figured out how to carry them ..................

how to tune them was a different story!!!!!

tuning steel pans is dicey at best.........tune the fundemental pitch,then the first then the second harmonics........then on to the next note.....and on and on..........i have first hand experience,having been the tuner for westshoremens steel drums (1991)

[JimF-LowBari]

That was my first show with the Matadors & I remember George going down!

The good thing about it was all they had to was to arrange or rearrange,

I'm not sure which, some counter weights on the frame & he was fine for

the rest of the season. So we figured out how to carry them ..................

how to tune them was a different story!!!!! :tongue:

YEAH!!! Someone finally verified that I actually saw this. YEAH!!!

Seriously thanks for the info Bill. From what I remember (not much) no one seemed concerned about Georges health. Just looked like a bunch of guys looking at a repair project and thinking "Now how the Hades are we going to do this?". Of course the "repair project" was George on his knees and moving his hands in a "come on ######, get me outta this thing" gesture.

Also think I remember metal rods connected to the front of each drum that went up about 2 feet or so. Then a strap at the top of each rod that connected to whatever Rube Goldburg contraption the steel drummers had around their bodies.

[Jeff Ream]

I remember Mt. Carmel and later Danville.

[Bill R]

YEAH!!! Someone finally verified that I actually saw this. YEAH!!!

Seriously thanks for the info Bill. From what I remember (not much) no one seemed concerned about Georges health. Just looked like a bunch of guys looking at a repair project and thinking "Now how the Hades are we going to do this?". Of course the "repair project" was George on his knees and moving his hands in a "come on ######, get me outta this thing" gesture.

Also think I remember metal rods connected to the front of each drum that went up about 2 feet or so. Then a strap at the top of each rod that connected to whatever Rube Goldburg contraption the steel drummers had around their bodies.

Actually George was fine, except for a sore back for a few days. He worked too hard in the winter

just to prove to the staff he could play them to let a little thing like being crippled for life stop him!! :tongue:

You right about the bars, there was a cage that he lowered onto his shoulders with a frame that

supported the drums.

The biggest problem like a mentioned before was tuning. They sounded great in the beginning of the season

then as the summer went on they just got worse & worse & nobody knew how to tune them so we never

used them after 75.

[Dennis Argul]

Marching the Memorial Day Parade in Bayonne, then strutting down that hill toward Veteran's Stadium to perform our show for the first time in full uniform for the home crowd!

That was cool.

[JimF-LowBari]

The biggest problem like a mentioned before was tuning. They sounded great in the beginning of the season

then as the summer went on they just got worse & worse & nobody knew how to tune them so we never

used them after 75.

Neither did Hawthorne with their single drums.

Hmmm, interesting idea just hit me. I have four recordings of '75 Cabs (Carlisle, Hanover, Dream, Finals), I should listen to them in a row and see if I can catch if the tuning went to crap as the season went on. Too bad I only have one recording of '75 Matadors (Finals).

[Jaminbenb]

Nice topic!

78 Danville was my first "opener" I remember being the first corps on, and getting to watch everyone. Since it was my first ever field show to even see, I was amazed at how good everyone was at that time of the year! I remember sitting on the field watching the Cabs amazed at how loud they were!

79 Danville was when Reading broke out the new uni's..we were getting new uni's and they hadn't arrived yet, so the hornline was in the old Blue Devil satins and the drum line wore corps jackets. 120 people's mouths all dropped when Reading marched up in their block..I think that affected us since they looked so awesome!

80 & 81 I don't really remember

82 was just an amazing year. Danville was just playing though the show as usual, nothing spectacular in our eyes. Then Clifton the next day was surreal! As they announced the scores, none of us knew what happened, we never thought in a million years that we actually won! I remember Larry Hershman coming up and saying "when the scores are announced DO NOT REACT!" we had no idea what to expect, then when they announced us winning and by that margin you could have pushed each and everyone of us over with a pinky! We didn't know HOW to win on that level! I think that had to be the first time in "modern" history that the corps beat THOSE particular corps! (can't speak about the pre-70's years) One thing was that since we didn't know how to react...when the other corps passed in review, we just started clapping out of respect. A few years later I spoke with a few people in other corps and they thought that we were being ##### for clapping, but it was respect!

83 was just an extension of that, and we started out stong again, but it wasn't the same.

84 is a mixed bag. I started the year with Westshore, I hadn't planned on marching at all that year, and only went to show that there were people at practice, and planned on leaving once I knew that they had a good core to the corps to keep it going...well that never really happened, and the day of our first marching rehearsal, which was the day of the Danville show, the corps went into a hiatus/parade mode, and we were told that other corps had holes to fill, so if we wanted to be on the field that summer, now's the chance. So since I had the bug again, I decided to take the trip to Danville, and speak to Robbie Robinson and join Reading if they had room.

85 Danville was the first time I "marched" since DCA in 83, (I did pit in 84) so it was kind of good to get back into that.

Another thought to tag along on this topic...rmember when there were sometimes TWO shows on a weekend? I remember several time during the summer hitting a Saturday show, sleeping over somewhere, and doing a Sunday afternoon show! Now it seems that the shows are few and far between!