What Sparked your Drum Corp Interest?

[Roger Ellis]

My uncle JoJo (Gary Matczak's dad) and my brother got into the NE Shoreliners. My Dad & I used to travel around watching them. When I was in grade school, say early sixty's, I used to run home for lunch. My Dad would see me coming and put on the Skyliners record full blast. Been hooked ever since.

Hey Mike - it was your brother Dom along with Bob Beckwith who got me into the Shoreliners. That was the start of it all back in 1966.

Dom and Bob also talked me into playing hockey around that same time - I promptly knocked one of Dom's front teeth out in our first practice.

[CROSSMENCORPS30]

Great Topic.

My Dad. He was marching since he was 8 yrs old. Osmond, Vasella, Archie, Yankee Rebels. My older sister got the bug & marched Crossmen from 79-82. I was born in 1975 & like many other drum corps kids, was literally born & was being brought to shows. I loved it all. I was such a fanatic. I would get really bummed out when my sister would leave for tour. We would drive her out to meet the corps before they pulled out & I was sooo ###### that I wasn't going with them.

My first DCI attended was 1986 at age 10. Went to every DCI East. DCI East when there was a prelims & finals all in one day. Lived for the West Chester show, the North Penn show, Manning Bowl...if we could drive to it, my dad was taking us!

My love for the acitvity only grew. My dad & a bunch of his drum corps friends would always choose a show to attend, take a road trip, rent a van & relive the good ole days. I was lucky enough to get to go on one at age 12. We went to Foxboro for the 1988 DCE Championships. It was awesome!

My dad NEVER bugged me about participating in corps. Maybe he knew it was just a matter of time. He was in Archie again, it was 1990. I went every Friday night with him to the post. One Friday night Jimmy Cossetti asked me to join since I was always there anyway & I did. I was already 14 & never played anything. My parents were excited to say the least. My mom was a nervous wreck about me performing. Finally happened. 1990. Franklin Field. Archie was asked to do the exhibition. Off the starting line. Big crowd. Holy smokes it happened! Marched right next to my dad. What a memory.

Joined my high school band. Learned how to read music & by the Fall of 1991, I tried out for the Crossmen and was lucky enough to make the cut. The 1992 Crossmen wound up in 6th place & I couldn't believe after watching all those years I was finally on a DCI video watching myself; surreal.

I love drum corps. Everything good I have in my life I owe to the drum corps activity.

Cheers!

[hairbear]

I was hanging with a bunch of the neighborhood boys ("questionable" types). We decided to go over to the local Jr. High School and heckle the girls who were

doing a "basics block" during a rehearsal of the local Drum and Bugle corps. We assembled ourselves into a "block" and "hutted" our way around the pavement

being as obnoxious as we could. We succeeded, as the police were called to run us off the school grounds! My sister was one of the girls we heckled that night and

the consequences were severe. ( never "argue" with someone who is carrying a revolver and a can of mace)

Two months later, I was a member of that corps, on my way to Marion, Ohio for the U.S. Open prelims. To this day my sister reminds me that my introduction to

Drumcorps was as a "Delinquent". Were it not for my first corps director, I would most likely be dead or incarcerated. I owe him my life.

Edited November 5, 2010 by hairbear

[Mike_B]

Hey Mike - it was your brother Dom along with Bob Beckwith who got me into the Shoreliners. That was the start of it all back in 1966.

Dom and Bob also talked me into playing hockey around that same time - I promptly knocked one of Dom's front teeth out in our first practice.

So you're the one who did that! My mother immediately forbade me to touch a hockey stick after that.

I was in the Birds during the Commander - Rocket years. They both were awesome. I have the same memories mentioned earlier. Pittsburgh's "Patton" and Commanders In-A-Godda-Davida drum solo stand out in my memory.

Edited November 5, 2010 by Mike_B

[LegalEagle50]

Really? The fact there was some type of marching activity for adults. I was done with college. I was teaching color guard at a few high schools but I missed being a participant.

Yeah compared to it being in the family that so many of you have, sounds lame. I couldn't afford to do junior corps, and had only seen anything I knew of it on tv. DCA was the first drum corps I saw live.

[nick6063]

This is great stuff! Very Interesting. Keep them coming.

[BigDale]

I was laid up in a full body cast from a hip surgury in the late summer of '77. My mom turned on the tv and started going through the channels. She landed on PBS, which was featuring the DCI broadcast and the Kilties were on. I was so amazed and wanted to march with them someday, when I learned how to walk again. The rest most people know.

Edited November 5, 2010 by BigDale

[Fastone]

For me it was seeing local drum corps in the Brooklyn Day parade as a very young child and being fascinated with the drumming.

[thebrassshop]

Going to the Pagent of the drum show in Syracuse, N.Y. 1953 and I was 7 years old

Brigadiers, Gabarina Post Skyliners Cabs and others. ( Peashey was probably in there)

I told my grandmother that when I was old enough I wanted to do that,it was exciting to say the least. In 1962 I started

with a parade corps near my home, from there it just kept going, Brigs, Crusaders, a plug for 1 cab show

57 years later I still am involved The Brass Shop

Paul Collins

[DreaminMello]

4th of July parade in 1978, my mom saw Cadets of Greece "band" and they played silver trumpets (mom was soon educated after that) She told me about them so I brought my coronet to practice, played some music and my 3 valve coronet was replaced with a 2 valve soprano! Thanks to the staff, my love for drum corps has never waned. And thanks to my mom for getting me to joint that "band"