DCI Dinosaur Communications - 2 cans and a string?

[JimF-LowBari]

The Spring Serenade In Brass show at Harrisburg started 1977 at a local High School then moved to the Forum building the following year. Buccs, Crossmen and Westshore did the Round Robin bit (Round Robin = did each others shows for free). Funny when I read about the DCA/DCI sniping and remember 2 Srs and a Jr corps helped each other during late 70s to early/mid 80s.

Other corps over the decaedes were Yankee Rebels, locals (Hershey, Wind Gap), service corps (Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, USAF - Colordao Springs) and few others to keep things interesting. Sold out (1800 or so seats) for many years as was first view of some of these corps.

Edited June 18, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[Ghost]

No, but coincidentally one of my Daughters and her Fiancee will at the DMB concert tonite in Mansfield( Ma)

And our Daughter(37)/SIL raises your daughter since they saw the Stones Friday at the Garrrrden. Now I know why we're visiting until August!

[Ghost]

Competed against Boston at the Drumfest in 1971. Some hockey arena. Believe it was in April. Wore white dinner jackets because our uniforms weren't ready.

Read Eastern Review in those days to see if we were ranked Top 10.

The LT. Norman Princemen (SR corps) ran the Drumfest at the Boston Arena (now owned by Northeastern U.), which is a few blocks South of Symphony Hall off of Mass. Ave.

[cixelsyd]

This topic may go nowhere (or may have already been covered) but I was curious.... how did DCI fans communicate back in the day? How were pre-season rumors about shows, during season status and other DCI related stuff communicated without today's internet, DCP, fan network, video phones, tweets and Facebook?

BITD, we sketched things out on the cave wall. You had to know where that cave was in order to stay in the loop.

News just spread in other ways prior to Internet and mobile broadband. Going way back (1950s), people really did write letters, as the telephone was used sparingly at the time. Early drum corps publications were monthly issues (at best), and many of their articles were literal letters from contributing writers, summarizing all the news from their area for that month. Remember "pen pals"?

Also worth noting, much of what was being communicated was not "rumor", per se. The season was much longer, and corps made more public appearances in the off-season. If some major change occurred with a corps, people would see it at a parade, stage show, or even the occasional winter contest staged in an arena or armory.

Not much was kept secret. Drum corps had an unwritten truce with the music licensing powers-that-be of the day, so repertoires could be changed and announced freely. Of course, corps did not change as much music from year to year anyway. Prior to 1979, no one was sneaking the Bottle Dance back into their show just for finals.

Corps still had an interest in keeping their members from being dragged into public arguments. The same policies we have on Internet posting applied to letters to the editor BITD.

Rumors (and worse) still had their places. Anonymity was not invented on the Net. The anonymous letter to the editor was one such ploy. Several drum corps periodical staffers wrote columns devoted to rumors, with all kinds of unsubstantiated material put forth with no sources identified. A few such columns ran for many years in that style, if their rumor mills proved accurate. Some columns were used to spread lies or promote the agenda of a particular person or corps - those did not last long.

[The Other Mike]

Back in the day ? I don't consider the 00's. the 90's or 80's back in the day.

Maybe the late 70's ? MAYBE

Can we maybe use these terms

Pre DCI - the stone age :shutup:/>

72-79 the early days :blink:/>

80-89 the middle ages :rock:/>

90-99 the Band days :tongue:/>

00-13 The WGI Summer days :satisfied:/>

In the stone age,unless you were marching with a top 50 corps, most of us were more concerned with guard girls in peanut jean cutoffs and halter tops than what other corps were doing. Add to that that most corps didn't cook, you were more interested in stocking up your food bags on the bus than hanging around at a show on a playground with 8 other corps that sucked. You went to the grocery and got back in time for retreat. If your 1956 greyhounds were having mechanical problems, it was usually one of the marching members working on the bus so you knew you would be late to the next show and there would be no stopping to eat. You made sure to stock up on sterno to cook your spam with and by all means plenty of cigarettes at 50 cents a pack and sell them for 10 cents a piece. If by any chance you got a copy of DCN, you rented it out for 25 cents a read and since you held the consession on cigarettes, the reader swore not to "spread the news".

Many people don't realize how many small corps stayed away from major shows because the director didn't want their kids to see the other corps that were available to them and risk losing more kids to big corps.

In 71 there was more news spread by T shirts than most other sources. Even at the "playground shows" you would see the latest souvie wear. The "It's Later Than You Think White Rabbit Drum Corps Died in 71" shirt did more for anticipation of seeing the Madison Scouts that year ( and the anti Cavies shirt with the ringmaster ) than anything else we had seen or heard. You would try to hang out under the stands to hear personal reports about shows those people had seen. Of course if your out of town drill writer or music writer met you on tour for a day of rehersal, you would get some good news and stories from them.

IF you were lucky enough to march a corps that was in the top 30 corps, you started to attend shows where you would see someone worthwhile and have tables where you could buy Fleetwood records and DCN or World, You were in a corps that actually provided most meals even if it was just donuts for breakfast and wish sammages for lunch ( I wish dere was some meat on dis sammage ). You enjoyed staying in the stands to watch the other corps and see what they were up to and wonder what it was like to have nice buses and trucks and a complete staff.

In the early days when I first started as an instructor, everyone did everything. As a horn instructor you also worked M&M on the field and helped out in drum sectionals with either timps, basses or cymbals. You drove the truck or buses, you helped the cook crew, you drove to town to order the 36 doz donuts for the next AM. Once in awhile at a big show ( Butler, WO, etc ) the instructors would get a night off to go out. Almost anywhere we ended up we would run into other staffs also out for a drink and THATS where the stories were GREAT as well as the news that could not be put in print.

[Plan9]

Back in the day ? I don't consider the 00's. the 90's or 80's back in the day.

Maybe the late 70's ? MAYBE

Can we maybe use these terms

Pre DCI - the stone age />

72-79 the early days />

80-89 the middle ages />

90-99 the Band days />

00-13 The WGI Summer days />

In the stone age,unless you were marching with a top 50 corps, most of us were more concerned with guard girls in peanut jean cutoffs and halter tops than what other corps were doing. Add to that that most corps didn't cook, you were more interested in stocking up your food bags on the bus than hanging around at a show on a playground with 8 other corps that sucked. You went to the grocery and got back in time for retreat. If your 1956 greyhounds were having mechanical problems, it was usually one of the marching members working on the bus so you knew you would be late to the next show and there would be no stopping to eat. You made sure to stock up on sterno to cook your spam with and by all means plenty of cigarettes at 50 cents a pack and sell them for 10 cents a piece. If by any chance you got a copy of DCN, you rented it out for 25 cents a read and since you held the consession on cigarettes, the reader swore not to "spread the news".

Many people don't realize how many small corps stayed away from major shows because the director didn't want their kids to see the other corps that were available to them and risk losing more kids to big corps.

In 71 there was more news spread by T shirts than most other sources. Even at the "playground shows" you would see the latest souvie wear. The "It's Later Than You Think White Rabbit Drum Corps Died in 71" shirt did more for anticipation of seeing the Madison Scouts that year ( and the anti Cavies shirt with the ringmaster ) than anything else we had seen or heard. You would try to hang out under the stands to hear personal reports about shows those people had seen. Of course if your out of town drill writer or music writer met you on tour for a day of rehersal, you would get some good news and stories from them.

IF you were lucky enough to march a corps that was in the top 30 corps, you started to attend shows where you would see someone worthwhile and have tables where you could buy Fleetwood records and DCN or World, You were in a corps that actually provided most meals even if it was just donuts for breakfast and wish sammages for lunch ( I wish dere was some meat on dis sammage ). You enjoyed staying in the stands to watch the other corps and see what they were up to and wonder what it was like to have nice buses and trucks and a complete staff.

In the early days when I first started as an instructor, everyone did everything. As a horn instructor you also worked M&M on the field and helped out in drum sectionals with either timps, basses or cymbals. You drove the truck or buses, you helped the cook crew, you drove to town to order the 36 doz donuts for the next AM. Once in awhile at a big show ( Butler, WO, etc ) the instructors would get a night off to go out. Almost anywhere we ended up we would run into other staffs also out for a drink and THATS where the stories were GREAT as well as the news that could not be put in print.

Holy #### Mike! You need to write a book on this stuff! Remarkable images......well described! There are some of the best posts I have ever read about DCI (and pre-DCI) on this thread. Thanks to our beloved Dino's...you are truly the heart of the activity.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Plan9

[BRASSO]

Holy #### Mike! You need to write a book on this stuff! Remarkable images......well described!

Not really. His personal account of" the Stone Age" does not jibe with mine hardly at all. It might describe his experience, interest then, etc, but not mine at all. But thats cool. If his experience was a such, then thats what it was for him. But please do not conclude from his personal experience and how he saw himself, other MM's, managers,staffs, other Corps, etc that this experience of his is universal, because honestly it is not. His appears a little more jaded and cynical to me than my experience with other marchers, Corps, my manager, etc back then for example. I would nor want to write a similar paragraph of MY experience in " the Stone Age " and have you conclude that it is " well described " by me as it surely differs from his personal depiction here above frankly. Each person's experiences with anything are personal. He has his. I have mine. It appears neither were quite the same... at all. But neither is accurate, nor inaccurate, as its seen thru the personal prism experiences of the former MM themselves. But thats cool, as not everyone is the same, and so not everyone's experiences, interactions with others is the same either. But It would be unfortunate if your sense of " The Stone Age " that this poster has desribed for you is how believe it must have been. Thats because his personal assessment of ( for one example ) of why people primarily marched back then is not shared by most from " back in the day " at all, if we asked them.

Edited June 18, 2013 by BRASSO

[JimF-LowBari]

Not really. His personal account of" the Stone Age" does not jibe with mine hardly at all. It might describe his experience, interest then, etc, but not mine at all. But thats cool. If his experience was a such, then thats what it was for him. But please do not conclude from his personal experience and how he saw himself, other MM's, managers,staffs, other Corps, etc that this experience of his is universal, because honestly it is not. His appears a little more jaded and cynical to me than my experience with other marchers, Corps, my manager, etc back then for example. I would nor want to write a similar paragraph of MY experience in " the Stone Age " and have you conclude that it is " well described " by me as it surely differs from his personal depiction here above frankly. Each person's experiences... with anything... are personal. He has his. I have mine. It appears neither were quite the same at all. But neither is accurate, nor inaccurate, as its seen thru the personal experiences of the former MM themselves.

Also let's not the forget the differences between a Jr corps hotbed like the Boston area and Mikes land of the Big Easy. And not to be corn-fused with my homeland of South Central PA which had the weirdness of having a bunch of Sr corps BITD but Jr corps were non-existent within 70 miles of Harrisburg. Schuykill Haven anyone???

Edited June 18, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[BRASSO]

In the stone age, you were more interested in stocking up your food bags on the bus than hanging around at a show on a playground with 8 other corps that sucked. You went to the grocery and got back in time for retreat. If by any chance you got a copy of DCN, you rented it out for 25 cents a read

Many people don't realize how many small corps stayed away from major shows because the director didn't want their kids to see the other corps that were available to them and risk losing more kids to big corps.

You would try to hang out under the stands to hear personal reports about shows those people had seen.

I've marched in very bad Corps, mediocre Corps, and great Corps.. both small, medium size, and large, but I am so fortunate to not to have experienced a single one of these these things you described here in my many years of participatory Drum Corps back " in the Stone Age ". As another poster said, perhaps it could be a regional thing. If so, perhaps this does explain it. In any event, your experience in a Corps sound like something I would not have stayed in for very long to be honest about it. This sounds like an experience with events, reason to march, interaction with others, lack of sharing things with others, paranoid managers, food, info, etc that positively blows.

Edited June 18, 2013 by BRASSO

[The Other Mike]

Not really. His personal account of" the Stone Age" does not jibe with mine hardly at all. It might describe his experience, interest then, etc, but not mine at all. But thats cool. If his experience was a such, then thats what it was for him. But please do not conclude from his personal experience and how he saw himself, other MM's, managers,staffs, other Corps, etc that this experience of his is universal, because honestly it is not. His appears a little more jaded and cynical to me than my experience with other marchers, Corps, my manager, etc back then for example. I would nor want to write a similar paragraph of MY experience in " the Stone Age " and have you conclude that it is " well described " by me as it surely differs from his personal depiction here above frankly. Each person's experiences with anything are personal. He has his. I have mine. It appears neither were quite the same... at all. But neither is accurate, nor inaccurate, as its seen thru the personal prism experiences of the former MM themselves. But thats cool, as not everyone is the same, and so not everyone's experiences, interactions with others is the same either. But It would be unfortunate if your sense of " The Stone Age " that this poster has desribed for you is how believe it must have been. Thats because his personal assessment of ( for one example ) of why people primarily marched back then is not shared by most from " back in the day " at all, if we asked them.

I NEVER stated that what I wrote was what everyone experienced. My "stoneage" experience was that of a sheltered 14 year old kid who joined a street gang with instruments. It was the corps I was allowed to join because they practiced on the side of New Orleans I lived and my father wasn't going to drive me to Arabi to join the Stardusters on the other side of town who took music and performance seriously and where people like Moe Latour and Marty Hurley were involved. I don't consider myself jaded, just a realist. Not everyone had the experience of good management and good instructors. Thats one of the reasons I stated if you wern't in the top 50 corps........

Heck, go back to the RAMD files and read the "Bus Ride from Hell" when we lost a bus somewhere around Tampa-Ocala and they loaded us all on one bus with all the equipment to limp back to New Orleans for a 20+ hour ride.( before interstate) Jaded or realist ?

Somewhere in Mississippi on another trip that 1st year we lost lights on the guys bus so we rode about 4 hours at night with people holding flashlights against the front windshield.

I would HOPE that no one else had the stone age experiences I had in drum corps, but not all corps were run properly. I'm glad your experiences were so much better than mine