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You know you're a "Fossil"...


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Judges wearing coveralls and overseas caps.

Carrying everything off-the-line and carrying everything off-the-field.

Nobody singing.

Nobody dancing.

Nobody running.

You KNOW you're a fossil when you remember the time a Drum Corps chased a handful of high school football players off a practice field ( instead of the other way around ) that overstayed their allotted time on the field and had said some unprintable words to the Corps Director who had moments ago politely asked them to leave.

Edited by BRASSO
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thinking of ways to keep your snare drum from moving while marching (stiff leg, etc), marking time (stiff leg up and down, toes up and down).

The Closer was the "Off the Field".

More corps were called by their cities, "Concord", "Garfield", "Anaheim", "Etobicoke", etc.

Shaving necks and tucking hair under the Shako for inspection.

Marching Bands looking down on you because you were in Drum Corps, and us taking offense, so we'd "pump up" the drum parts.

Warming up with other drumlines.

Sharing busses if another corps bus broke down. (In the Titans in '74, we toured with the Portland Hawks, and we rode together for a while while one of their busses was being fixed.)

Corps were full of "Local Kids".

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  • Taking local kids off the streets to learn how to march and play ...... without auditions, or worrying if they could read music.
  • Charging weekly dues, but not "tuition" or "tour fees."
  • Community pride to see "our kids from the neighborhood" march for Columbus Day, Flag Day, Bunker Hill Day, Little League parades.....
  • Practicing every weekend throughout the winter, adding nightly M&M "drill" as summer approached.
  • When drum corps was a community youth activity to keep neighborhood kids out of trouble.

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Sharing busses if another corps bus broke down. (In the Titans in '74, we toured with the Portland Hawks, and we rode together for a while while one of their busses was being fixed.)

The good thing is that it's still done today! A few years back, I was driving for Spokane Thunder, a DIV III Corps at the time. While in Oregon (forget which city), we were staying in the Jr. High which was just across the street from SCV who where at the High School. After the show, one of our buses wouldn't start. SCV was loading to go when I decided to ask them (with the O.K. from Thunders Director) if they could take the kids from the broken down bus back to the school. Jeff Pearson was the director at the time and he didn't hesitate to say yes to helping us get the kids back. (I didn't doubt that he would say anything different).

What was so cool was that when we arrived back at the school, I got to watch the kids who rode with SCV get off their buses, I swear that they were walking about 3 feet off the ground with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. They just couldn't believe that they had actually been in the midst of a Div I Corps and that that Corps was SCV to BOOT! They mentioned how nice all of the kids were to them. Not snooty at all. They also said that it was something they would remember forever... Needless to say, I went to bed with a big smile on my face. Thanks SCV...

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The good thing is that it's still done today! A few years back, I was driving for Spokane Thunder, a DIV III Corps at the time. While in Oregon (forget which city), we were staying in the Jr. High which was just across the street from SCV who where at the High School. After the show, one of our buses wouldn't start. SCV was loading to go when I decided to ask them (with the O.K. from Thunders Director) if they could take the kids from the broken down bus back to the school. Jeff Pearson was the director at the time and he didn't hesitate to say yes to helping us get the kids back. (I didn't doubt that he would say anything different).

What was so cool was that when we arrived back at the school, I got to watch the kids who rode with SCV get off their buses, I swear that they were walking about 3 feet off the ground with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. They just couldn't believe that they had actually been in the midst of a Div I Corps and that that Corps was SCV to BOOT! They mentioned how nice all of the kids were to them. Not snooty at all. They also said that it was something they would remember forever... Needless to say, I went to bed with a big smile on my face. Thanks SCV...

Great story!! I bet it also gave some of them a spark and the desire to work harder. Great for them to see that those people in this great corps are "real people" too!

Maggie, another story. After aging out, I went to check out a Seattle Imperials practice. The late Paul Seibert (SCV snare legend) was there, and asked if I wanted to look at the score of their new drum solo, "Tambo". He looked at it with me, and I thought, "wow, He's talking to me...).He was alway's so nice (I was a multi-tenor in the Seattle Imperals and saw him work the snares in the winter of 76-77). He knew how to teach, yet was very nice. The everyman who had extraordinary talent.

I also talked to Freddy (center snare in 2004). He was very nice, and let me check out his drum. He handed me his sticks and said, "go ahead and play on it". I played some stuff. (I think he was suprised I could still play.) But I was impressed with his, and the other drummers demeanor.

Santa Clara has alway's been about class!!

(Don't mean to hi-jack the thread...)

Edited by kmansdrummin
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Great story!! I bet it also gave some of them a spark and the desire to work harder. Great for them to see that those people in this great corps are "real people" too!

Maggie, another story. After aging out, I went to check out a Seattle Imperials practice. The late Paul Seibert (SCV snare legend) was there, and asked if I wanted to look at the score of their new drum solo, "Tambo". He looked at it with me, and I thought, "wow, He's talking to me...).He was alway's so nice (I was a multi-tenor in the Seattle Imperals and saw him work the snares in the winter of 76-77). He knew how to teach, yet was very nice. The everyman who had extraordinary talent.

I also talked to Freddy (center snare in 2004). He was very nice, and let me check out his drum. He handed me his sticks and said, "go ahead and play on it". I played some stuff. (I think he was suprised I could still play.) But I was impressed with his, and the other drummers demeanor.

Santa Clara has alway's been about class!!

(Don't mean to hi-jack the thread...)

That's a great story too Kevin. And you are right, Paul was ALWAYS a very nice guy. He was unassuming and never fussy or stuck-up about his talent. He is sorely missed.

BTW, we're old here. It's O.K. to hi-jack a thread once in awhile with a fond memory or two, right? :cool:

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As "late" as 1982 I saw someone in Marion OH at US Open prelims try to break ranks on Phantom Regiment and got "introduced" to a baritone across the chest!!

Ah.... the good old days....

contra bell in the chest to a guy in 1985 at the HOF game halftime Vic.

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Sigh! I miss retreats, and french horns...

I really miss that singular sound, too. Really the hardest to play and march ... especially during the 'slide' days.

Puppet

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