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The history of the Westshoremen


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Heck Schell would have gone crazy if he had that! :tongue:

During our writing sessions, we'd get to a point and he'd be "Ok, I'm just going to stick this part in from that...it works musically and it fits" Then there was his "stock" drum to drum ditty that he stole from one of WSM's drum solos....oh yeah...cut and paste! :devil:

hell yeah!!!

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hell yeah!!!

Mark Thurston was telling us one day how they'd do a measure, and hand it off to the next guy, and so forth when he was writing Crossmen stuff way back...he said at one point they handed it to one of the guys girlfriends that was in the guard, and SHE wrote a measure..he also said they left it in! :tongue:

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Mark Thurston was telling us one day how they'd do a measure, and hand it off to the next guy, and so forth when he was writing Crossmen stuff way back...he said at one point they handed it to one of the guys girlfriends that was in the guard, and SHE wrote a measure..he also said they left it in! :tongue:

ya to have to love it

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ya to have to love it

Like I said, you REALLY had to have experienced one of the writing sessions we had with Brian...One night he needed to write a drum interlude (more than a break, less than a solo) for Williamsport, PA for Korean Overture (or something like that) he said he needed something "Asian" sounding (using a more politically correct word...since it was the 80's we didn't DO "pc") And he sent me to the marimba... :blink: I played, he wrote. Craig added, he wrote, and we bounced out the solo in probably about an hour. Then when we went up to teach it, we "embellished" with toys and such..it ended up being a pretty wild thing :thumbup: (and thankfully he didn't toss in that horrid drum to drum that we ALWAYS seemed to include at the end of solos) :doh:

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Like I said, you REALLY had to have experienced one of the writing sessions we had with Brian...One night he needed to write a drum interlude (more than a break, less than a solo) for Williamsport, PA for Korean Overture (or something like that) he said he needed something "Asian" sounding (using a more politically correct word...since it was the 80's we didn't DO "pc") And he sent me to the marimba... :blink: I played, he wrote. Craig added, he wrote, and we bounced out the solo in probably about an hour. Then when we went up to teach it, we "embellished" with toys and such..it ended up being a pretty wild thing :thumbup: (and thankfully he didn't toss in that horrid drum to drum that we ALWAYS seemed to include at the end of solos) :doh:

Yeah did that one practice at LD with him on a ride cymbal and some Cuban thoughts in my head. It worked. I have more groove then people sometimes think. I don't look groovy but I can do it. :)

T-Schell really liked that drum to drum thing- usually did it at the end of indoor shows, it did get the crowd worked up, was entertaining, but sometimes, if it wasn't right, it was a borderline train wreck if everyone wasn't careful! :)

That's like the Rocky Point solo Dan wrote for Bush a few seasons back- I need to sit with Buzz or Ream with an original recording of the piece and play the one Tuba feature, which Dan wrote into the Bass Drums before their horns cut in on e park and bark, and it was a REALLY nice and jammin' effect, and for ME to say that-- that's serious-- Supposedly all that had been used before- has to be more than coincidence with that Bass lick and the segue into the horns. It could be that bass part was changed at that point and the rest was Westshore- I don't know. They would know.

Anyhow, I have a bill to pay. Blech! I'm thinking about Clifton, I still remember a bit about it- believe me. Good memories of the buzz after the show, Larry, and Frank Magel. And the feelings I had. All good stuff.

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Like I said, you REALLY had to have experienced one of the writing sessions we had with Brian...One night he needed to write a drum interlude (more than a break, less than a solo) for Williamsport, PA for Korean Overture (or something like that) he said he needed something "Asian" sounding (using a more politically correct word...since it was the 80's we didn't DO "pc") And he sent me to the marimba... :blink: I played, he wrote. Craig added, he wrote, and we bounced out the solo in probably about an hour. Then when we went up to teach it, we "embellished" with toys and such..it ended up being a pretty wild thing :thumbup: (and thankfully he didn't toss in that horrid drum to drum that we ALWAYS seemed to include at the end of solos) :doh:

firsttime I ever had to write a drum solo, i was panicked, as there was nothing melodic for the first 64 counts.

ran intoThurston...his advice:

"when in doubt write 'jockum'".

sing it you'll know what it is.

it worked LOL

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firsttime I ever had to write a drum solo, i was panicked, as there was nothing melodic for the first 64 counts.

ran intoThurston...his advice:

"when in doubt write 'jockum'".

sing it you'll know what it is.

it worked LOL

Why not? Devils did it a few time before Free :thumbup:

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Why not? Devils did it a few time before Free :thumbup:

Yes, and still classic. :cool:

Speaking of "Free", the thing I think of now is the infamous Doyle Gammill judge's tape of Carlsbad HS playing that as part of their show.

Ben, if you haven't heard that tape, worth listening to. The dude's evidently some big shot in the Texas bandmasrter's association, but he sounds like he smoked about three Tommy Chong fat blunts before he went into the judge's box and drank half a bottle of Jack neat out of the bottle. :blink:

Just do a google for "world's worst judge" or "Doyle Gammill" and I think you'll find the tape.

What frustrates me when I listen to it is he's missing what I think the one big issue that the band has that stares me in the face when I listen to the tape- they're all right, but-- he's missing one IMHO serious thing.... :huh:

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Yes, and still classic. :cool:

Speaking of "Free", the thing I think of now is the infamous Doyle Gammill judge's tape of Carlsbad HS playing that as part of their show.

Ben, if you haven't heard that tape, worth listening to. The dude's evidently some big shot in the Texas bandmasrter's association, but he sounds like he smoked about three Tommy Chong fat blunts before he went into the judge's box and drank half a bottle of Jack neat out of the bottle. :blink:

Just do a google for "world's worst judge" or "Doyle Gammill" and I think you'll find the tape.

What frustrates me when I listen to it is he's missing what I think the one big issue that the band has that stares me in the face when I listen to the tape- they're all right, but-- he's missing one IMHO serious thing.... :huh:

I'll have to check that out... That reminds me...I have to find an old WSM tape from "Bawb O Connow" from 83 finals...Billy K handed it to me after we came off the field and said "I don't need to listen to this, you guys were amazing"! :thumbup:

I think it may have been execution :blink:

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I see Bobby now and again. I got to know him better working with him, and after nearly having to save him from a well-deserved (Matter of opinion there but let me put it this way, I was well prepared) death from a mutual friend. That's something I'll tell you and the guys about over a beer or dinner, or both. Someone remind me next alumni practice, I'll tell the story.

He's judging Cavalcade last I knew now, doing Sky alumni, his son's doing well, good kid, Bobby's a Grandfather, etc. I usually run into him at Scranton, or a CoB show if I go to one to see a friend's son compete.

I still remember that tape he did around 80 or 81 when we did the Grand Prix in the Meadowlands. He's going on, doing his thing during the percussion feature, then you suddenly hear

*thunk*, then DZZZ DZZZ DZZZ GAKDAGAK GAAKGAK-GA-GAKGAK DUGGA-DUGGA-GAK! for about 45 seconds, then *Fluff-fluff hisss*

"I dropped the tape"....

From what you guys told us, he dropped it right under the snares- like you needed to tell us this when you played it for Bus 1 after the show. We all laughed pretty hard....

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