Bobby L. Collins Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 8 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: of course! drum corps died when he stopped doing it! No. I never said that, and I never even hinted at that. Too many people assume that disenfranchised vets only care about the year or years in which they marched. Nothing could be further from the truth. I care about the entire history of drum corps. I adore drum corps all the way back from the 30s right up to the loss of bugles, and I can even respect and commend a handful of productions beyond that. But I draw the line at the what it has become in recent years. I don't enjoy it, I don't appreciate it, I don't recognize its educational or artistic value, and I don't endorse it. As far as I'm concerned, it's not drum corps, and it doesn't even pretend to be so anymore. What it is.....is all that we have. And it would sure be nice if we had a different option. An option beyond abandoning the activity entirely. Which is what is happening, even among the staunchest supporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 1 minute ago, N.E. Brigand said: What, in your opinion, does DCA need to thrive and grow? for starters marketing. In too many places it's still viewed as old guys that get off the field and drink a six pack, and it's nowhere close to that anymore.the only presence it has in the scholastic world is if members and staff teach in it. I'm not sure who their PR director is this week, everything I see on social media is done by the director himself. Championships in places people will go....wait til fans see the next 2 years in a location thats nowhere close to the best HS stadium in PA. it will make people long for Rochester. Next is to overcome the struggle DCI fought for years....satisfying the old while trying to draw the new in. Building the various regions up. tying in with DCI for things like Soundsport. Those right there will cover many other little topics that DCA can do to help itself 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby L. Collins Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 13 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: you're right, Indy isnt a good indicator. let's look at Allentown, one of the harshest old school crowds out there. this year, packed far more than any year except 2012 in many, many years. not a ton of busses from schools there. Faces ranging in age from small kid to some folks who marched in the 50's. Enthusiastic reactions to shows top to bottom. Hell BD got a standing O that wasn't the standard "yay they're done" reaction. increased attendance at many other shows. probably record breaking at the theaters tonight. yeah it's dying Again, you can't cherry pick venues in order to promote false equivalency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 2 minutes ago, Bobby L. Collins said: No. I never said that, and I never even hinted at that. Too many people assume that disenfranchised vets only care about the year or years in which they marched. Nothing could be further from the truth. I care about the entire history of drum corps. I adore drum corps all the way back from the 30s right up to the loss of bugles, and I can even respect and commend a handful of productions beyond that. But I draw the line at the what it has become in recent years. I don't enjoy it, I don't appreciate it, I don't recognize its educational or artistic value, and I don't endorse it. As far as I'm concerned, it's not drum corps, and it doesn't even pretend to be so anymore. What it is.....is all that we have. And it would sure be nice if we had a different option. An option beyond abandoning the activity entirely. Which is what is happening, even among the staunchest supporters. ok cool. I care too...i own recordings back to the 40's. I contributed to the DCW history book volume 2. And the one thing I've seen in the history of drum corps from day 1 is.......change. Do I think every change was good? no, but I see the change happening anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Just now, Bobby L. Collins said: Again, you can't cherry pick venues in order to promote false equivalency. but here's the thing...attendance season wide has been growing steadily for several years. it aint all just school buses of kids dragged there against their will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby L. Collins Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Just now, Jeff Ream said: ok cool. I care too...i own recordings back to the 40's. I contributed to the DCW history book volume 2. And the one thing I've seen in the history of drum corps from day 1 is.......change. Do I think every change was good? no, but I see the change happening anyway. But this isn't change. Throughout all the changes that affected drum corps over the years, at the end of the day, it was still drums, brass instruments, and color guard marching and playing. What is happening today isn't change. It's transformation into another medium altogether. The drums, brass and color guard are now superfluous, literally playing second fiddle to an electronic violin. The kids no longer even need to be there, it can all be done with synthesizers and dancers. That's not change. That's subversion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 48 minutes ago, ftwdrummer said: I'll say that I find quite a few things enjoyable now. I also find quite a few things less than ideal. And my favorite show (watched live or "on Memorex") is Star '93. Ironically, Star '93 was displeasing to many fans at the time. In fact, for some portion of the audience, 1993 was a year of unpleasant music and needlessly dark shows. I believe there were long screeds to that effect in Drum Corps World or other outlets. (Basing this on my memory of an article in one of the drum corps history books.) Although lots of fans loved Star's show and others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftwdrummer Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 1 minute ago, N.E. Brigand said: Ironically, Star '93 was displeasing to many fans at the time. In fact, for some portion of the audience, 1993 was a year of unpleasant music and needlessly dark shows. I believe there were long screeds to that effect in Drum Corps World or other outlets. (Basing this on my memory of an article in one of the drum corps history books.) Although lots of fans loved Star's show and others. Oh, I know that it was basically the red-headed stepchild of the activity at the time (I do at least try to get a sense of my history, drum-corps-wise). Tangentially relatedly: whenever a "what are the hardest brass books" thread comes up on reddit, I'm usually the one flying in with Star '91. (Seriously, though: THOSE MELLOS!!!!! ON 2-VALVE HORNS!!!!!!!!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted August 10, 2017 Author Share Posted August 10, 2017 9 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: for starters marketing. In too many places it's still viewed as old guys that get off the field and drink a six pack, and it's nowhere close to that anymore.the only presence it has in the scholastic world is if members and staff teach in it. I'm not sure who their PR director is this week, everything I see on social media is done by the director himself. Championships in places people will go....wait til fans see the next 2 years in a location thats nowhere close to the best HS stadium in PA. it will make people long for Rochester. Next is to overcome the struggle DCI fought for years....satisfying the old while trying to draw the new in. Building the various regions up. tying in with DCI for things like Soundsport. Those right there will cover many other little topics that DCA can do to help itself To be fair, the first time I ever saw a senior corps was the Renegades, who did immediately hop onto their bus post show and start drinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Just now, Bobby L. Collins said: But this isn't change. Throughout all the changes that affected drum corps over the years, at the end of the day, it was still drums, brass instruments, and color guard marching and playing. What is happening today isn't change. It's transformation into another medium altogether. The drums, brass and color guard are now superfluous, literally playing second fiddle to an electronic violin. The kids no longer even need to be there, it can all be done with synthesizers and dancers. That's not change. That's subversion. there's still drums, brass instruments and color guard marching and playing. yes, electronics have been added. Why/ Cause you can and the technology is available. and for every band kid i know that may make fun of whats out there, i know just as many that love it. After 26 years of teaching, this year the last of any kids i taught is out there marching center snare at Phantom and loving it. His best friend aged out last year in Colts. While I may not have personally cared for every aspect of their shows, I made sure to see them and support them, just as i supported a friends daughter marching in Crown this summer. I walked away for 4 years because I refused to get past the amps added. Then I saw Phantom 08....and my love affair started anew. I got into WGI percussion heavily, and the love affair grew. Just as I hated things in the shows I saw in say 1979, I hate some things today. It will never totally please all of us. But quite frankly, when those in charge refused to make changes in the 90's, interest was hitting it's lowest levels. Are the changes of the past 15 years perfect? No, one or two I could do away with. But the talent on the field, and sheer spectacle it's become is enough to keep me around, get some old fans back, and start building a new generation of fans to eventually replace us 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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