BRASSO Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) Thanks for that bit of history Andy. Very interesting. Especially the strength of the Princemen during that time. They were quite a powerhouse back in those days. We must also never forget how strong Reilly and Archer-Epler were. Very competitive and entertaining times. Ask some of the Archie vets and they'll tell you that one of their marchers arrived late to the Mission Drums show one year around 1960, ran at a sprint and jumped in line just as the Corps was literally playing their opening fanfare, and unfortunately fell dead right on the spot with a heart attack. I'm pretty certain it was the Archer Epler Musketeers. I DO know it was Mission Drums, anyway. Somebody here will check it out and will remember I would think. Edited May 13, 2011 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnie Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Yes, Tom, it was true. He preceded Les Parks at Garfied as the drum instructor. Fact is, he was also teaching both marching and drums to Hawthorne at the same time, as well as serving as director. Cos was quite a talented guy, but realized that he needed a better drum instructor for the Cabs, and so in essence he 'fired' himself and hired Les at Hawthorne so he could focus on marching and corps administration better. I once asked Jim Costello if he wrote the drum part for "Besame Mucho" for Garfield in 1960. I always thought it was really catchy. To my consternation I can't remember how he answered:-(. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Brigs probably would have pulled out Saturday or Sunday... we were in shock all that week from the 35.6 score in the show the week before... We thought we had pulled it together fairly well and were supposed to be in Erie PA 2 weeks later... I went on vacation and when I finished my vacation and arrived in Erie I was told the corps folded... I've always wondered if history would have been radically changed had I not gone on vacation and just maybe could have prevented the fold... but we'll never know. That might sound a bit presumptious of me but I was a voting member of the board and YES have a pretty big mouth. I do know that the 70 brigs are the only corps I can think of that were DESTROYED by the judges and the judges only... I have no idea what was going through their minds but a polite "you're not ready" score with us in last place as we deserved would have sufficed.... the 35 was the biggest slap in the face any perrenial finalist in DCA ever took... We were actually a fairly good corps that simply wasn't ready. we never recovered from that - despite giving it a good try in '71. Finally caught the 35 and shaking my head. Westshoremen were off the field for almost two years and first competition was week before 1974 DCA at Amhearst, MA. Week before DCA figure the judges were tough on execution, we had 50% rookies, first corps on (never good back then).... and we got a 37.35. Know different years but still..... Hell we thought we had the DCA low score record at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Finally caught the 35 and shaking my head. Westshoremen were off the field for almost two years and first competition was week before 1974 DCA at Amhearst, MA. Week before DCA figure the judges were tough on execution, we had 50% rookies, first corps on (never good back then).... and we got a 37.35. Know different years but still..... Hell we thought we had the DCA low score record at the time. That 35 would be the lowest DCA sanctioned score for a voting member corps for sure... ever... it was then and remains now a drum corps travesty perpetrated by a bunch of over zealous judges... each of whom bombed the corps thinking the "other" guys would keep them in the game... no conspiracy theory... just bad judging... and fortunately one of the things that led to the elimination of the tick forever... (RIP) That show, far more than the '73 penalty took the Brigs off the field for 20 years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) That 35 would be the lowest DCA sanctioned score for a voting member corps for sure... ever... it was then and remains now a drum corps travesty perpetrated by a bunch of over zealous judges... each of whom bombed the corps thinking the "other" guys would keep them in the game... no conspiracy theory... just bad judging... and fortunately one of the things that led to the elimination of the tick forever... (RIP) That show, far more than the '73 penalty took the Brigs off the field for 20 years... <shaking head to clear the cobwebs> Thanks Tom, now I realize these were two totally different events a few years apart. Always connect Brigs going defunct with 73 Prelims since the two previous years Les Dips and Westshore went under. Was like each year a member of DCA went *poof*. Edited May 15, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 <shaking head to clear the cobwebs> Thanks Tom, now I realize these were two totally different events a few years apart. Always connect Brigs going defunct with 73 Prelims since the two previous years Les Dips and Westshore went under. Was like each year a member of DCA went *poof*. jim i didn't realize westshore was a voting member of DCA in 73. i mean were they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 jim i didn't realize westshore was a voting member of DCA in 73. i mean were they? They were not... first year as a voting member was 1977 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donincardona Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 They were not... first year as a voting member was 1977 that's what i thought so i don't understand what jim was trying to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) that's what i thought so i don't understand what jim was trying to say. Well let's start with I screwed up.... How about each year a corps that would show up for DCA Prelims would go under. You're right, Westshoremen Bonnie Scots hooked up with DCA in the late 60s or so but never made the top 10 to be a true "member of DCA" until Westshoremen (minus Bonnie Scots) made it in 77. The competing at DCA shows and hosting the Carlisle show was what I thought of when I said a member of DCA. But...... that's not the real definition of "DCA member" (aka top 10). Having spent my years in the 70s half in and half out of DCA, you'd think I'd know better. Edited May 16, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabalumnidrummer Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I once asked Jim Costello if he wrote the drum part for "Besame Mucho" for Garfield in 1960. I always thought it was really catchy. To my consternation I can't remember how he answered:-(. I can't answer with total authority on this Donnie, but I would guess the answer to that would be "Yes." I believe Les Parks began teaching Garfield in 1961 or '62. I can check with some of our corps members who were there then for a definitive answer for you. Sorry for the delay with a reply, but I've been hung up with a little thing called a hip replacement in recent weeks. Still in physical rehab, but hope to be home later this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.