JimF-LowBari Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 (edited) I am VERY thankful I've long enough to become friends with so many I competed against in my youth... I heard that one, when I joined Hanover my mom (wow B-day tomorrow RIP) thought it was one of the funniest things she ever heard. "Didn't you sing dirty songs about them". LOL, even had to bring in my uni so she could see it. But heard some (more) great Red Carpet Association stories on the bus trips home. And for BigWs benefit we had three ex-Westshoremen in the Lancer bari line for the parades, myself, Dave Fisher and Rick Adams. Both were in blue in 84 and 85 (not sure about other years) and Dave is in the Alumni corps. Plus a Hershey Chocolatier/RI Matador for Bens BENifit. Edited July 6, 2010 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTux Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 My father, in his infinite wisdom coming in from the whole outside as a non-musically inclined fan perspective, made the comment "the only reason they won, was because they wanted to give Harvey a championship before he bit the big one" Your Father wasn't the only one who's said that, Ben-- and I personally don't quite buy into it, though it has that feel-good storyline thing within it.And prolly out of all the Hurcs, Harvey was a good guy, a lot like Al Beran and Ralph Sweger. Never had a beef with him for the record. I too heard that, I'm with you BigW (on it being a good storyline) As for Mr Olderman, he was a gentleman (and statesman to our activity) from the year I marched with him (74 Hurcs) through to the last day I saw and spoke with him in 1985. Another friend it's an honor to have known and called friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Fran and Tony...I hadn't realized (or remembered) that you guys were in the running at times with the Hurcs...I seem to remember that you guys started out slow and picked up momentum that year...but that's just fuzzy memory from a LONG time ago... Yes.... we were in the group of corps chasing the Bucs that summer that included us, the Hurcs, Cabs and Skyliners. From what I remember, we beat all those corps at various shows, and they beat us at various shows as well. Also from what I remember, Westshore was just off the pace of that "chase pack." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Also--- from my observations, it takes time for a percussion unit to gel and feel comfortable with each other and play with confidence and consistent technique across the line. Brass people seem to gel easier and more quickly. It's one of the reasons Reading's had such wild success recently and Westshore had the success in the 90's-- a solid cadre of people who knew each other well that performed together for many years. Empire also had that as well I believe in the early 90's and were also well respected. That pretty much sums up Sun's percussion situation during the late 1970's-early 80s. There were a bunch of folks there who marched for many years together, starting in the early 1970s when the corps was struggling. Depending on the year, the line would pick up or lose a person or two or three in the snare line or wherever, but the "core group" remained basically unchanged. Man...there were times we (horn players) would watch our own percussion section warming up or rehearsing and say to each other, "thank God they're on our side!!!" LOL. That drum line was downright scary good... especially the snare line, which was a machine. Six DCA drum titles in seven years.... 1977 through 1983 (Sky won in 1980, Sun was second). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzgok Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Had to have been a real gas to have been right there front and center. If you listen to the Westshore '82 recording, you can hear Steve Hartman on the box going crazy with "Love for Sale" for the same reasons- everything came together, and we fed off of each other. that was another thing we were also desperately in search of from '79 to '81- field conductors we felt truly comfortable with, and I know it was an impotant piece of the puzzle in '82 for us. I hate to burst your bubble, but Hartman was still on tour with the crossmen in 1982 which was his age out year. We had Kevin Kosiosko as our drum major in 82. Steve came on board in 1983. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzgok Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 That pretty much sums up Sun's percussion situation during the late 1970's-early 80s. There were a bunch of folks there who marched for many years together, starting in the early 1970s when the corps was struggling. Depending on the year, the line would pick up or lose a person or two or three in the snare line or wherever, but the "core group" remained basically unchanged. Man...there were times we (horn players) would watch our own percussion section warming up or rehearsing and say to each other, "thank God they're on our side!!!" LOL. That drum line was downright scary good... especially the snare line, which was a machine. Six DCA drum titles in seven years.... 1977 through 1983 (Sky won in 1980, Sun was second). Hey Fran, everyone of those drum titles was earned by Sun's drumline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaminbenb Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 That pretty much sums up Sun's percussion situation during the late 1970's-early 80s. There were a bunch of folks there who marched for many years together, starting in the early 1970s when the corps was struggling. Depending on the year, the line would pick up or lose a person or two or three in the snare line or wherever, but the "core group" remained basically unchanged. Man...there were times we (horn players) would watch our own percussion section warming up or rehearsing and say to each other, "thank God they're on our side!!!" LOL. That drum line was downright scary good... especially the snare line, which was a machine. Six DCA drum titles in seven years.... 1977 through 1983 (Sky won in 1980, Sun was second). KILLER lines! Even when you guys had off years the drum line was one of the hottest things on the field! In 1984, when Readings line won drums, a few reps from Sun's line came over with a few cases of beer to congratulate us! I always thought that was one of the classiest things I ever had happen to me! I still have the bottle on my shelf as a memento of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTux Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 KILLER lines! Even when you guys had off years the drum line was one of the hottest things on the field!In 1984, when Readings line won drums, a few reps from Sun's line came over with a few cases of beer to congratulate us! I always thought that was one of the classiest things I ever had happen to me! I still have the bottle on my shelf as a memento of that! It was the Bucs and Sun DL's that had a bunch of wooden pins made up. (If I remember that part right) They were little anchors and sun symbols with a little "heart" in between them. One had the anchor on the top with the sun on the bottom and the others had the sun on top and the anchor on the bottom. (Ala, "Bucs love Sun/Sun loves Bucs") I know it's a little "hokey", I guess ya had to be there... I know a few Sunrisers Alumni still have theirs, Donna and I have ours! I don't remember the year but I do remember both Corps exchanging hats too (at retreat) THAT didn't go over very well with either's staff...LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 7, 2010 Author Share Posted July 7, 2010 I think Mark was put on the box to be a showman, kinda like Chris Garrett was later. And Sun's line in 88 proved the attitude some mid 80s drummers had wrong. Watching them at Carlisle in 88, one guy who thought Dan practiced them too much ( I guess it interfered with his Brut drinking ) said " #### they work too hard." Dan replied " that's why they kick your ### every week". The younger guys bought in, and in 89 a new drumline attitude was fully born. Hell in 89, we never knew we were as good as we were........we won ex at finals. The work ethic stayed even as faces came in and out, and by 95 we didn't need judges to tell us if we were flat. We were so much harder on ourselves. Maybe to some brass players we were " drum Nazis", but it paid off with two unbeaten seasons, and read the 96 recap. We won the title for the corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairbear Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 I think Mark was put on the box to be a showman, kinda like Chris Garrett was later.And Sun's line in 88 proved the attitude some mid 80s drummers had wrong. Watching them at Carlisle in 88, one guy who thought Dan practiced them too much ( I guess it interfered with his Brut drinking ) said " #### they work too hard." Dan replied " that's why they kick your ### every week". The younger guys bought in, and in 89 a new drumline attitude was fully born. Hell in 89, we never knew we were as good as we were........we won ex at finals. The work ethic stayed even as faces came in and out, and by 95 we didn't need judges to tell us if we were flat. We were so much harder on ourselves. Maybe to some brass players we were " drum Nazis", but it paid off with two unbeaten seasons, and read the 96 recap. We won the title for the corps Jeff, you even had Sandy, Dave and Me buying into the new work ethic... thats HUGE considering we were such "individuals"...... LOL! Sandy, Dave and I... playing 8 on a hand in warmups??!? Who'da thought? on congas and Timbales, no less.... I still shake my own head in amazement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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