BOSMarcher Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 In the interest of continuing to create topics to discuss, I was curious which corps everyeon thought has been the most ground breaking as far as pushing the activity "forward" is concerned? Obviously, there is can be a strong claim for the Bucs, as they have won the title the past 6 years. It can be said that they have certainly pushed the activity forward in the direction of higher achievment, and in my opinion, have helped to bridge the gap between junior corps and senior/all-age corps. There are also up and comers and new faces that have pushed the activity forward, as well. There are certainly groups, past and present, that can be used as examples as to who has made the most impact on the DCA activity. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Kidd Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I can't think of any corps in particular... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrassMan09 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I would think the Bushwackers in the late 80's early 90's. Cabs in the 70/80's (before my time) Brigs late 90's early 00's. Empire for always pushing entertainment. Hurcs Color Guard of the last few years. Reading's Programing, Percussion and Visual Design over the last 6 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Sun Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) I would think the Bushwackers in the late 80's early 90's. Cabs in the 70/80's (before my time) Brigs late 90's early 00's. Empire for always pushing entertainment. Hurcs Color Guard of the last few years. Reading's Programing, Percussion and Visual Design over the last 6 years. Sunrisers Frist Senior corps to use G/F bugles 1968 ,frist female guard 69, ,frist to march mallets 69 ,frist female soloist Carol Austin Fallon , symophonic music debuted 1968 with An American in Paris Followed by ,Procession of the Nobles 1969 The father of percussion -Jerry Shelmer working with John Sasso . Edited June 8, 2011 by Florida Sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I can't think of any corps in particular... Some that come to mind: Caballeros.... 1940s and beyond. Imagine watching a show back then... and seeing a corps not only not dressed in a military-style uniform, but using Latin percussion as well.... and playing Latin tunes. Groundbreaking for that era, for sure. Archer-Epler Musketeers, with their "King and I" show in the 1950s. As far as I know, it was one of the first...if not the first... total "theme" show. Hy Dreitzer's music for the NY Skyliners, 1960s and beyond. Listen to a recording of Sky from the early 1960s...with the depth and sophistication of Dreitzer's charts.... and then think of the tinker-toy instruments (relative to what came later) they were using to play those charts... and it's like, "you have gotta be kidding me!" Sunrisers and Buccaneers.... late 1960s through the 70s and beyond. Sun having a number of "firsts" in their history, including first DCA corps to use a mallet instrument (1969). Plus the music... Procession of the Nobles, An American in Paris, English Folk Song Suite, and so forth. And a percussion section in the late 1970s that was more of a "musical" line than the rudiment-based lines more common in that era. Buccaneers with the "Balance in Blue" concept from the early 1970s on, though the present day. And some hellacious, ahead-of-their-time charts from those "early days" including Verdi's Requiem, The Oracle Speaks, and many more. And then the "new look" in 1979 with the long blue coats, the flowing visuals and so forth. Honestly... and again just my opinion... the Bucs (and Sun) took some hits on the judging sheets at various times back in the day with their programming. Yankee Rebels, with their "Requiem for an Era" production in 1969 and beyond. Talk about ahead of its time...almost unbelievable for that period in drum corps history. Santa Clara Vanguard director Gail Royer later said that the Rebels' "Requiem" production... with its split corps and multiple tempos... was his inspiration for the Vanguard's "Young Person's Guide" production in the 1970s. Bushwackers....1980s and beyond. All kinds of stuff, including theme shows, all-original shows, and a level of coordination between all the elements... brass, percussion and visual.... that, IMO, was ahead of its time. Empire Statesmen, from their inception in 1983. I know a bunch of folks don't consider them "innovators"... but I do, especially in terms of use of props, character portrayals/development and overall staging. More like watching a Broadway-style entertainment event than a drum corps show... and I mean that as a compliment. To me, they are the most unique drum corps on the field today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asop Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) Sunrisers ,frist female guard 69, ,frist to march mallets 67 ,frist female soloist , symophonic music debuted 1968 with An American in Paris ,the father of percussion -Jerry Shellmer working with John Sasso . Not sure what you mean by symphonic music debuting in 1968, but Hurcs concert in 1967 was Rhapsody in Blue which strongly influenced John Sasso to use Am. In Paris in 68. Skyliners did Tenement Symphony way back in 1962. Jerry Shellmer wrote the 1969 perc show, and introduced the horizontal glockenspiel to DCA in 69. Orus Cavnor wrote the perc charts for 68. Edited June 8, 2011 by asop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burdettsky Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I'm not terribly sure the gap between DCI and DCA needs to be bridged so to speak. I kind of enjoyed going to shows for both circuits, thinking the 90's, and each was different but enjoyable. The Hershey Spectacular used to be a great show with half DCA and half DCI corps. It was always fun watching the dual victory concert with Cadets on the left and Cabs on the right (1994). I don't think the two were alike at all, but toally respected by all the fans. Reading is pushing an envelope for sure, but is it an evelope that needs to be pushed? Perhaps, that is a different topic for another day. I don't want anyone to think I am bashing Reading by saying that, as I have felt their shows have been top notch over the last 6 years or so, so please don't misunderstand me. I like the analogy of Empire Statesmen pushing the entertainment envelope. There's an envelope that can be pushed by everyone, every year, without any argument from this paying customer. Make General Effect 100 points :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) There's an envelope that can be pushed by everyone, every year, without any argument from this paying customer. Make General Effect 100 points :) Good point, Adam. If "pushing the envelope" comes to mean "doing shows that people don't really want to pay to see again".... than in this day and age, when it perhaps is more important than ever for drum corps to sell more tickets to shows, (fans in the seats pay the bills, bottom line... the activity doesn't exist in a vacuum) maybe it's an envelope not really worth pushing. Edited June 8, 2011 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcinut85 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 The Buccaneers are definitely pushing the envelope as far as design, drill, and musicianship is concerned. This is not to say that not other DCA corps are pushing the activity forward with their shows. I just feel that the Bucs are the frontrunners. As far as entertainment value, the Statesman are clicking with the audience year after year and are always a crowd favorite. I feel that their shows have that extra pop and sizzle with their theatric's that make that connection to the audience. Their shows hit home with the audience with shows that have well-known and popular music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 (edited) Sun in the 70s for going to more "modern" music in piece selection and way it was played. When you thought of "park and bark", Sun definitely was not a corps you thought of. 80s Westshoremen going to Jazz style. Never realized how much the corps got into the jazz playing style until reading on DCP. And yes Fran: Rebs "Requiem" had one side of the horn line playing North music and the other playing the South AT THE SAME TIME. Think Bridgemen at Atlanta DCI. Supposedly reason why there are now two horn judges (one for each side). Rebs also had the musical drum solos wher ethe bells were actually playing a tune you could recognize instead of being used as an effect. 1975 is my fav as the second drum solo bell part was rewritten and just started smoking. First solo was a stylized "Dixie" that might have been the first time the bells played a melody the whoel solo. And then there was that funny new corps from Rochester in the ICA Circuit in the mid 80s Empire something or other. Uncle Sam on stilts, bubble machine, Curly Shuffle (Hey Moe, Hey Moe), tanks shooting at each other... love it or hate it, it was different and had people wondering what was going to be done the next year. OK gotta add Richie Price and Joey P in there too, see one or both of them up front and it's "Here We Go". Hmmm, Rochester Phoenix in 1975 with a opener of Firebird going into the Doors "Light My Fire" a real WTF at the time. Edited June 9, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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