LancerFi Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 Hershey ChocolatiersThe Belles of St. Mary's Brain Tree Braves Personally, I think The Thing is a great name. Nice and unique. Then again, for me, the difference between a great name and a bad one is rather blurry. I always thought there should be a corps from Seattle called Puget Sound. Actually, it's the "Braintree Braves" from Braintree, Massachusetts. Or did you already know that and still not like it? That's a possibility too.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmfootworks Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 Oddest: The Thing - Huh? Ahh, The Thing. You had to have been there. First, the early 70's were a period of ecclectisism across the state of music in general, as well as in many other 'things.' The Thing sort of characterized that aspect of the period, as well as the "Let's give it a whirl" attitude of the time. Now, what was The Thing? The Thing was the result of a hasty merger between two drum corps from southeastern Wisconsin that were in the midst of the saddening drum corps depopulation that had started to take place during that period (sub-title: The Baby Boomers Grow Up). The two corps were the St. Patricks Imperials of Milwaukee and the Cedarburg Thunderbolts. Cedarburg is maybe a half-hour northeast of Milwaukee on the shores of Lake Michigan. So, new uniforms for the new, um, Thing? Nope. Make do with what we have. And that meant some parts of the corps wore the green, plaid Scottish kilts of the St. Patrick Imperials and other corps sections wore the dark blue and red cadet-style uniforms of the Thunderbolts. Close your eyes and imagine. A visual clash in style and color. Some members, um, bolted away from the organization in horror I seem to recall, but many stayed and made the best of it -- and with pride. That's why they were The Thing. And that Thing was energetic and entertaining. I especially remember the low brass, a musical drum line, and snares that could shed some serious wood, including an unforgattable fellow named Tom Newman who marched the whole summer with his leg in a cast. Would love to see a whole thread here on fan and alumni recollections of The Thing! The corps evolved into what today is Pioneer. Incidentally, one of my favorite corps names came from the one of the Thunderbolts neighbors up the Lake Michigan Coast: The Windjammers. They were from Port Washington, WI. The name is geographically relevant and there's a musical twist to the name, too (no they didn't play flutes and clarinets, George, so substitute your own concept of wind). They did jam. And I have to agree with the person that voted for Offensive Lions. It's irresistable. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 For the record, it was the Los Angeles Chinese Imperial Dragons, which makes more sense. thanks for the info on The Thing, I ran across that one on Robert Albanese's rather large list (44 downloaded pages) of drum corps recordings and was wondering.......also, Offensive Lions, one must wonder! ----and on the above mentioned list I found (wait for it)........THE SILVER BEAVERS!!!! Surely there's more, but those stuck out! RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 my favorite was and always will be The Night Raiders! That name is just too cool! I remember hearing about "The Thing" all I ever knew is they were fom either Wis. or Ill. Now I know. I just love 60's Drum corps where could I get some recordings other than the Troopers & SCV ones have those. Is there a site where I could just listen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCREAMIN'sop Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Woah, Braintree Braves, that brings back memories from my first year in drum corps. :P We comepeted against the Braves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original El Guapo Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 What about the beloved Fresno Ferns? El Guapo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancerlady Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 My favorite name and it's a kick ### name 27th Lancers of Revere, Mass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksmenbari Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Fun fact -- unless I'm grossly mistaken, there isn't one corps competing in North America today that has a color other than blue in their name. (And no, the "Green Machine" doesn't count. LOL) teal sound. teal is a color. carolina gold. gold is a color Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksmenbari Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 what about the toileteers, from flushing, ny?? great name.. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Fun fact -- unless I'm grossly mistaken, there isn't one corps competing in North America today that has a color other than blue in their name. (And no, the "Green Machine" doesn't count. LOL) True there aren't any currently on the field, but there have been: Black Knights, Illinois Black Gold, Oklahoma Black Watch, Washington Black Watch, New Jersey Just in case someone is considering starting a colorful corps, here are a few names that I came up with: The Silver Foxes (Senior Corps from Florida) The Golden Steers (somewhere in Texas) The Purple Lancers (sponsored by Prince) and my favorite The Pink Flamingos (from Miami) the purple lancers made finals in the 70's they were from new york Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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