The history of the Westshoremen

[BigW]

If you mean me and the Bucs, no, no.

I had a close call in '95, though.

Rook asked me to come in and work as Tony Y.'s understudy and along with Al Chez with Bucs.

Al and I are polar opposites. I've worked with him before, and he's even more blue-collar than I am. His tirades were utterly hilarious, but stuff I wouldn't have ever done.

Tony and I it it off, same profs in WCU, very copasetic, I like Tony a ton. He's also very nice to me. Approach is similar, he's evidently calmed down sicne returning from his missionary work in Slovenia.

Went to a practice, had a great time, but I'd just got a new job with bad hours, which I still have, and I couldn't take the offer.

I also have a sneaking suspicion they wanted my Baritonishly nasty noise-making "talent" on the field as well, LOL.

And for the modern Bucs, I talked to a little bro in KKY at a recent alumni/actives party who I think is back for his second or third season, very nice kid. He needed a bit of that old school DCA thing smacked into him, which I did. I have my feelings I wouldn't be a good fit with the Bucs of today. Now MBI, I'd take a crack at if I was close- I seriously dig their book. A REAL horn book.

[Jeff Ream]

scratchy vhs

[schomburgr]

I honestly don't recall much of that time of year, or what we did in finals..it's odd that I seem to remember more about the beginning and middle of the season, than I do of the end? (Heck I don't even remember where finals was held that year)

What I DO remember was at the beginning of the next year, hearing that Bobbie G from Rochester was joining, and that our timp line was going to take a turn for the better, knowing what he did with the Crusaders! (So I decided to hold off on trying out for the tom line or go to the bass line as Randy Barry was trying to get me to do...I went to high school with Randy, so he was always in my ear about it) One thing about 80, was we didn't expect to be topping Sunrisers?!?! That in and of itself was a surprise that just felt good (In a way, since I because a closet Sun fan) but to me that was the first "elite" corps I ever got to beat. The other corps were good, but Sun had a mystique that lent itself to a "WOW!" factor when we beat them for the first time.

80 was a fun year... i remember Jeff and myself skipped gradamatation :) to be there.

[BigW]

Well- I found out we did do the complete show for Prelims- must have been an early season show where we didn't perform the whole thing.

No wonder the whole thing is a blur for most of us, LOL.

Edited May 12, 2010 by BigW

[BigW]

Well, on to 1980.

It seems like the Westshoremen were a magnet for weirdness a lot of the time. Read the stuff on this thread and anyone would conclude this.

Everyone talks about the controversy a couple years back with Hoppy and the field markings at DCI Quarterfinals. He's got nothing on the Westshoremen. Then again, he shouldn't. I went to school with a lot of Cadets. All really nice folks for the most part. But compared to us, they're all mild-mannered folks. Even I would have stood out there as an absolute kook, but at Westshore, well, I seemed to be the ' nice guy who didn't drink enough or inhale, and just kinda said goofy stuff and had bad tastes in women (except for one and he was stupid enough to let her go).' Works for me!!!!!!!!

But that's starting the story at the end of the story.

We all read the threads here. Sometimes interesting, sometimes funny. God bless this one kid worried about having the right towel for corps. We were worried about having the right kind of beer and enough of it for the weekend or the proper, heavily bayonned rehersal hat or the right exquisite pair of shades. What's the world coming to!? The right sun block!? Man! Most of us should be dead from melanoma by now. We should all look like one big scratchy skin raisin-shaped sore. Neidiger was the only guy that worried about that and for good reason. If you turned a flashlight on that nordic god of soprano in the dark, he'd catch fire.

And the right kind of over the counter pain medicine for tour!?

We all know it's Rum, Ouzo, Burbon Liqueur, Jager, or maybe just a cold beer. What is with this ibuprofen stuff!?

Or... in Boom-Boom's case, a can of Donald Duck OJ.

Were we just tougher, or just way more ignorant and stupid? The jury's out. I still think we had better fashion sense. We were also pretty smart cookies, even though we mislead the Drum Corps World at large.

Granny Smith is reading this and shaking her head. We still love her. Our hearts are in the right place.

Anyhow-

One thing people say is that one of the great things DCA has is it's personalities.

I think that's true.

Sky- Butch. Winky. Peanut. Konga.

Cabs- Jimmy! Like, every one of the Soprano soloists!

Hurcs- Pepe. Harvey Olderman.

Crusaders- Alan Smythe.

Bucs- George Parks and Danny Fitz.

Matadors- Jimmy Centorino and Ritchie.

La Dips- Maurice, who later went to Crusaders and also to Les Dynamiques.

Sun- Tony. Screech.

MBI- Roger Grupp

Renagades: Bonnie Ott. Mistress Kelly.

Empire: Donnie Allen. David Bruni, Pepe, Ritchie, and the other feature guys they had.

Steel City: Pat Cavanaugh, later on, Hair Bear and his posse, who later on went to Westshore.

One of the busts on Westshore was that we did not have one of these "personalities". I think it was a fair rap. In 1980, we finally got one. In 1982, we got the greatest anti-hero DCA has ever seen or likely will see to go along with her, so let me get to 1982 before I touch on THAT individual.

The story about how she comes to Westshore is pretty off the wall, too. Steve Flip-a-diddle, Flip Denny, Flipdelicious... umm... sheesh.. well, he's watching Florida Vanguard rehearse at East, and evidently, their drum staff all ran away, got fired, or were incapacitated. Steve, being the all around decent guy he is, offers to help these guys rehearse. They turn him loose. He meets the Drum Major, who also happens to be a rippin' Mellophone soloist that's a musical beast. Next season, she comes up here to march Westshore.

So, we get Sylvia-- And I may be a tad partial, but while I do think Bonnie Ott of the Renegades is an unarguable legend, I think Sylvia can hang with her and maybe show her a thing or two.

We now had a person with a heapin' help of personality and charisma that could straighten the bell out of a mellophone like no one's business that we also needed as part of the puzzle.

BTW- if you have the chance to listen to the DCI Florida Vanguard recordings from '79- they're prety darned tootin good. they did Rock Music- yeah, Rock, and Sylvia's solo in Threshold still kicks serious a-double-ess.

Anyone have it- I'd like to have a listen again. Good stuff.

And we made a few musical changes to the book, which were definite improvements....

Hey! It's Quarter to 4 in the morning- I'll continue later- and any help here is always appreciated from the crowd.

Edited May 12, 2010 by BigW

[hairbear]

Well, on to 1980.

It seems like the Westshoremen were a magnet for weirdness a lot of the time. Read the stuff on this thread and anyone would conclude this.

Everyone talks about the controversy a couple years back with Hoppy and the field markings at DCI Quarterfinals. He's got nothing on the Westshoremen. Then again, he shouldn't. I went to school with a lot of Cadets. All really nice folks for the most part. But compared to us, they're all mild-mannered folks. Even I would have stood out there as an absolute kook, but at Westshore, well, I seemed to be the ' nice guy who didn't drink enough or inhale, and just kinda said goofy stuff and had bad tastes in women (except for one and he was stupid enough to let her go).' Works for me!!!!!!!!

But that's starting the story at the end of the story.

We all read the threads here. Sometimes interesting, sometimes funny. God bless this one kid worried about having the right towel for corps. We were worried about having the right kind of beer and enough of it for the weekend or the proper, heavily bayonned rehersal hat or the right exquisite pair of shades. What's the world coming to!? The right sun block!? Man! Most of us should be dead from melanoma by now. We should all look like one big scratchy skin raisin-shaped sore. Neidiger was the only guy that worried about that and for good reason. If you turned a flashlight on that nordic god of soprano in the dark, he'd catch fire.

And the right kind of over the counter pain medicine for tour!?

We all know it's Rum, Ouzo, Burbon Liqueur, Jager, or maybe just a cold beer. What is with this ibuprofen stuff!?

Or... in Boom-Boom's case, a can of Donald Duck OJ.

Were we just tougher, or just way more ignorant and stupid? The jury's out. I still think we had better fashion sense. We were also pretty smart cookies, even though we mislead the Drum Corps World at large.

Granny Smith is reading this and shaking her head. We still love her. Our hearts are in the right place.

Anyhow-

One thing people say is that one of the great things DCA has is it's personalities.

I think that's true.

Sky- Butch. Winky. Peanut. Konga.

Cabs- Jimmy! Like, every one of the Soprano soloists!

Hurcs- Pepe. Harvey Olderman.

Crusaders- Alan Smythe.

Bucs- George Parks and Danny Fitz.

Matadors- Jimmy Centorino and Ritchie.

La Dips- Maurice, who later went to Crusaders and also to Les Dynamiques.

Sun- Tony. Screech.

MBI- Roger Grupp

Renagades: Bonnie Ott. Mistress Kelly.

Empire: Donnie Allen. David Bruni, Pepe, Ritchie, and the other feature guys they had.

Steel City: Pat Cavanaugh, later on, Hair Bear and his posse, who later on went to Westshore.

One of the busts on Westshore was that we did not have one of these "personalities". I think it was a fair rap. In 1980, we finally got one. In 1982, we got the greatest anti-hero DCA has ever seen or likely will see to go along with her, so let me get to 1982 before I touch on THAT individual.

The story about how she comes to Westshore is pretty off the wall, too. Steve Flip-a-diddle, Flip Denny, Flipdelicious... umm... sheesh.. well, he's watching Florida Vanguard rehearse at East, and evidently, their drum staff all ran away, got fired, or were incapacitated. Steve, being the all around decent guy he is, offers to help these guys rehearse. They turn him loose. He meets the Drum Major, who also happens to be a rippin' Mellophone soloist that's a musical beast. Next season, she comes up here to march Westshore.

So, we get Sylvia-- And I may be a tad partial, but while I do think Bonnie Ott of the Renegades is an unarguable legend, I think Sylvia can hang with her and maybe show her a thing or two.

We now had a person with a heapin' help of personality and charisma that could straighten the bell out of a mellophone like no one's business that we also needed as part of the puzzle.

BTW- if you have the chance to listen to the DCI Florida Vanguard recordings from '79- they're prety darned tootin good. they did Rock Music- yeah, Rock, and Sylvia's solo in Threshold still kicks serious a-double-ess.

Anyone have it- I'd like to have a listen again. Good stuff.

And we made a few musical changes to the book, which were definite improvements....

Hey! It's Quarter to 4 in the morning- I'll continue later- and any help here is always appreciated from the crowd.

Well.... I'm flattered but you got it backwards! Sandy McNeal was (and still is) The ringleader of "The brothers". I was a later addition to the Club!

[Jaminbenb]

80 was a fun year... i remember Jeff and myself skipped gradamatation :) to be there.

I always thought wearing a dress and a funny hat was over-rated! (just to get a piece of paper)

(panties and a bra are a different story, though)

[Jaminbenb]

Well.... I'm flattered but you got it backwards! Sandy McNeal was (and still is) The ringleader of "The brothers". I was a later addition to the Club!

Ok, I was wondering how you played into this...(never got the memo...friggin' Jeff )

[JimF-LowBari]

I always thought wearing a dress and a funny hat was over-rated! (just to get a piece of paper)

(panties and a bra are a different story, though)

Night of my prom I was up in Mifflin(?) county at corps camp.

Like I was going to go to that POS prom anyway.

LOL, skipped my college grad-e-a-tion to see my sister get confirmed (9 years younger). Had graduated in December anyway and college didn't do #### in my job search. Plus the head of the Dept was a real peckerwood and was the reason why I had to go an extra semester (didn't fin that out until I paid the first tuition bill). So why the #### should I do anything that made the college look good.

[Jaminbenb]

Well, on to 1980.

It seems like the Westshoremen were a magnet for weirdness a lot of the time. Read the stuff on this thread and anyone would conclude this.

Everyone talks about the controversy a couple years back with Hoppy and the field markings at DCI Quarterfinals. He's got nothing on the Westshoremen. Then again, he shouldn't. I went to school with a lot of Cadets. All really nice folks for the most part. But compared to us, they're all mild-mannered folks. Even I would have stood out there as an absolute kook, but at Westshore, well, I seemed to be the ' nice guy who didn't drink enough or inhale, and just kinda said goofy stuff and had bad tastes in women (except for one and he was stupid enough to let her go).' Works for me!!!!!!!!

But that's starting the story at the end of the story.

We all read the threads here. Sometimes interesting, sometimes funny. God bless this one kid worried about having the right towel for corps. We were worried about having the right kind of beer and enough of it for the weekend or the proper, heavily bayonned rehersal hat or the right exquisite pair of shades. What's the world coming to!? The right sun block!? Man! Most of us should be dead from melanoma by now. We should all look like one big scratchy skin raisin-shaped sore. Neidiger was the only guy that worried about that and for good reason. If you turned a flashlight on that nordic god of soprano in the dark, he'd catch fire.

And the right kind of over the counter pain medicine for tour!?

We all know it's Rum, Ouzo, Burbon Liqueur, Jager, or maybe just a cold beer. What is with this ibuprofen stuff!?

Or... in Boom-Boom's case, a can of Donald Duck OJ.

Were we just tougher, or just way more ignorant and stupid? The jury's out. I still think we had better fashion sense. We were also pretty smart cookies, even though we mislead the Drum Corps World at large.

Granny Smith is reading this and shaking her head. We still love her. Our hearts are in the right place.

Anyhow-

One thing people say is that one of the great things DCA has is it's personalities.

I think that's true.

Sky- Butch. Winky. Peanut. Konga.

Cabs- Jimmy! Like, every one of the Soprano soloists!

Hurcs- Pepe. Harvey Olderman.

Crusaders- Alan Smythe.

Bucs- George Parks and Danny Fitz.

Matadors- Jimmy Centorino and Ritchie.

La Dips- Maurice, who later went to Crusaders and also to Les Dynamiques.

Sun- Tony. Screech.

MBI- Roger Grupp

Renagades: Bonnie Ott. Mistress Kelly.

Empire: Donnie Allen. David Bruni, Pepe, Ritchie, and the other feature guys they had.

Steel City: Pat Cavanaugh, later on, Hair Bear and his posse, who later on went to Westshore.

One of the busts on Westshore was that we did not have one of these "personalities". I think it was a fair rap. In 1980, we finally got one. In 1982, we got the greatest anti-hero DCA has ever seen or likely will see to go along with her, so let me get to 1982 before I touch on THAT individual.

The story about how she comes to Westshore is pretty off the wall, too. Steve Flip-a-diddle, Flip Denny, Flipdelicious... umm... sheesh.. well, he's watching Florida Vanguard rehearse at East, and evidently, their drum staff all ran away, got fired, or were incapacitated. Steve, being the all around decent guy he is, offers to help these guys rehearse. They turn him loose. He meets the Drum Major, who also happens to be a rippin' Mellophone soloist that's a musical beast. Next season, she comes up here to march Westshore.

So, we get Sylvia-- And I may be a tad partial, but while I do think Bonnie Ott of the Renegades is an unarguable legend, I think Sylvia can hang with her and maybe show her a thing or two.

We now had a person with a heapin' help of personality and charisma that could straighten the bell out of a mellophone like no one's business that we also needed as part of the puzzle.

BTW- if you have the chance to listen to the DCI Florida Vanguard recordings from '79- they're prety darned tootin good. they did Rock Music- yeah, Rock, and Sylvia's solo in Threshold still kicks serious a-double-ess.

Anyone have it- I'd like to have a listen again. Good stuff.

And we made a few musical changes to the book, which were definite improvements....

Hey! It's Quarter to 4 in the morning- I'll continue later- and any help here is always appreciated from the crowd.

God...drum corps was melanoma and dehydration H*LL ! I remember "Ok, one more run though and maybe we'll give you water!" try that crap in today's world! I think I still have a bit of a "T" tan from those daze! It HAS changed considerably over time, but those first few years were something! Not to mention the cloud we made on the busses! Looking back, I'm not sure WHY I smoked, but I'm glad I did because I probably would have hated the 2nd hand smoke more!

I remember being at DCI East in 79 and hearing that we were going to be playing Spanish Dreams the next year, which showed me the corps was going to head in a different direction. (Little did I know that a certain Mr. Wakeman was going to take us WAAAY out there!)(more on that later)

I didn't know the story of Sylvia's appearance, I just thought she was in the area working as a translator at Indiantown Gap with the Cuban refugees that were being housed there...

You think Jim N was the great white hope...I marched with Tony Russo in Reading (who came from the Archie Epstein Mousketeers) who was even worse! Dude wore long sleeve shirts & pants, white gloves, and a big ol' floppy hat if we had to be in the sun! (I didn't get as tan as I was used to in 88 Reading)

Yeah...we had no identity...but looking at what I've seen from the senior corps world, does ANYONE have that "identity" anymore??? All the greats are gone from the activity George, Jimmy, Butch, Ritchie? No "celebrity DM's" anymore?!?! (Oh, I can't forget Tony also ) I used to LOVE the Matadors when Ritchie came out and did his "thing" to get the crowd going. One of my FAVORITE DM memories was at the Dream show in 1979, and Butch got out of the stretch limo with two babes, pouring and drinking some champagne! CLASSIC stuff!!

Like the Cab's or not, Jimmy's charisma made the women "moist" and everyone else excited, his on field presence was pretty wild!

And being someone that had the privilege or marching under Professor Parks, talk about an intense dude! When I played pit in 84, and he got to know our parts to the point where he "cue'd" us, the look in his eye when he looked at you during the show was enough to inspire you to keep up the intensity! He was one of the few DM's that I actually felt had control of what was going on while on the field, the rest were just a reference point, and song starter....

(speaking of Reading as a sidenote...some may know some may not, Phil Rabenold one of the great Buc soprano soloists passed away this week, you may remember Feels So Good, but I'll never forget him playing his solo in Wind Machine in 1984 standing right behind me week after week! What a talent!)

Edited May 12, 2010 by Jaminbenb