stylites Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 For the entire Memorial Day weekend, the River City Regiment hornline along with guest drum kit players Mike Rittman and Paul Marr performed 12 half-hour sets throughout the festival. The festival opened on Friday morning with a parade through Old Sacramento and was closed with RCR playing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" to a standing ovation audience at the closing ceremonies, along with a full corps run-throughs of our show with the drum line on Sunday at the Railroad Museum and Sacramento Convention Center. People were amazed at a new sound called "drum corps" making its first appearance at the Sacramento Jazz Festival. The events staff are so impressed with the drum corps sound and medium that there is a talk of working towards a drum corps venue which would be solely drum corps. The main venues where we played was streetside, the Discovery Museum (way too small for a drum corps), and inside and outside of the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. The best crowds came to watch us streetside, with many people clogging up the street in order to get a glimpse of the "new kids" at the festival. One person even pushed through to the front and held out his cell phone so that his buddy could hear the show! After each half-hour set, members of the line spent lots of time talking to the crowd about drum corps. Old drum corps people were especially enthusiastic about coming to talk to us. I talked to alumni and members of Freelancers, Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, Blue Devils, Santa Clara, and SF Renegades who all were hyped to see a drum corps at the festival. There were also people who left names and phone numbers for us to contact about future membership. We were also on TV, including an interview with our 82-year old contra player, Oroville!!! A great exposure for drum corps in Sacramento! To all who came to see us--thanks for your cheers and your unending support of the corps. To those who have yet to see us--we will see you on the field! For an up to date schedule of shows, along with photos and news, please visit www.rivercityregiment.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregGilman Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Great post Clint! Nice to see RCR already getting local exposure in the Sacramento area. I'm really looking forward your on-field premier of River City Regiment at the Renegades' Loudest Show on Earth in Cupertino on June 22nd. We'll have to celebrate with a couple of beers after the show! See you on the 50. - Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugada Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Sounded like a great day. Now a little evil promotion advise. You should have posted these performances before hand. The Renegades are a bit shy about self promotion, but we force ourselves to put a few words out now and then. I would have driven up from the bay area to see you (a suck down a few jazz fest brews). You guy's sounded awsome at Loud Music. Good luck this year, looking forward to seeing you this summer. Dugada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph O Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Great Post Clint I have only been back to work in Sacramento for a few minutes and I have already heard from friends that caught your performaces throughout the weekend. All had the same comment - River City Regiment sounded GREAT. I am certain you will pick up new corps members. You had great Media coverage too - TV - radio and print. The word is out - You are no longer Sacramento's best kept secret. See ya on the fielld ! Ralph O :D in Sacramento Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelloAnnebelle Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Awesome News!! Keep up the momentum! Can't wait to see you this summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaiasUmbra Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 *waves* Hello! I was there too. It was very fun! I don't think I'd thought about what it would be like to take drum corps off the field...but this set of performances were great! The hornline had such a great time performing and getting into the show. Even our drum major was getting into the act, and gaining a fan or two of his own. People were definitely surprised that that many horns could make that much noise! Playing in the Railroad museum was one of my favorites actually. The sound just travelled straight up, because the museum is so huge and cavernous...but it was still neat hearing how the sounds of the horns swelled upward and tried to fill in that space. It was really neat! ...it was neat when half the baritone line jumped out of the line to dance with some little girls during the big drum solo too! LOL! Overall, a great time was had by all. ^_^ me especially! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chops Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 I have been involved in drum corps for years and this was truely a unique experience. RCR's sound really caught the Jazz Jubilee crowd by surprise. (250,000 people over 4 days!) This was truely a crash course in showmanship! When you are surrounded by people who will just walk away if they don't like what they hear or feel you learn to make a connection with the crowd right away. We quickly evolved from Drum Corps starch to smoke filled room New Orleans. Many people wanted to know what kind of instruments we were playing. There was lots of interest in our mellophones and our Kanstul Bell forward Tubas. (Yes, we are Bd) We actually ended up with groupies who started following us around! Our weekend climaxed with a performance in front of well over 1000 people for the Jubilee closing ceremony. The corps marched out in front of the stage and played an arrangement of battle Hymn that the crowd really enjoyed. We then played one more chorus of Battle Hymn supported by an all-star jazz band and a gosple choir to close the show to a standing O! Talk about goose bumps! RCR will definately be doing this gig again. If any other corps would like to bring a mini corps out to the Jazz Jubilee next year just let us know and we will make it happen! Maybe this could become an annual Alumni Corps happening! :) Mike Phillips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenegadeBaritone Posted May 30, 2002 Share Posted May 30, 2002 I have been involved in drum corps for years and this was truely a unique experience. RCR's sound really caught the Jazz Jubilee crowd by surprise. (250,000 people over 4 days!) This was truely a crash course in showmanship! When you are surrounded by people who will just walk away if they don't like what they hear or feel you learn to make a connection with the crowd right away. We quickly evolved from Drum Corps starch to smoke filled room New Orleans. Many people wanted to know what kind of instruments we were playing. There was lots of interest in our mellophones and our Kanstul Bell forward Tubas. (Yes, we are Bd) We actually ended up with groupies who started following us around! Our weekend climaxed with a performance in front of well over 1000 people for the Jubilee closing ceremony. The corps marched out in front of the stage and played an arrangement of battle Hymn that the crowd really enjoyed. We then played one more chorus of Battle Hymn supported by an all-star jazz band and a gosple choir to close the show to a standing O! Talk about goose bumps! RCR will definately be doing this gig again. If any other corps would like to bring a mini corps out to the Jazz Jubilee next year just let us know and we will make it happen! Maybe this could become an annual Alumni Corps happening! :)Mike Phillips That might be a possibility! I was in Sac and heard you guys, and was very impressed. I felt bad for Oroville though, as it was so hot. I, for one. wouldn't mind doing a set or two in Sac next season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelbari Posted May 30, 2002 Share Posted May 30, 2002 The Jazz Jubilee was just as Clint and Lani said it was, a BLAST! We had great crowds, stopping up streets, probably at first just trying to look at those weird looking instruments. We had a few stray dancers, pigtails and all, and few singers if they knew the words, and even some tearful eyes, when we played America the Beautiful. This was a great opportunity for RCR to be recognized throughout the Sacramento community, and I know has opened the doors for even more drum corps in the future Jazz festivals. The events staff are so impressed with the drum corps sound and medium that there is a talk of working towards a drum corps venue which would be solely drum corps. How about them baritones :P Adrianne ^i^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylites Posted May 30, 2002 Author Share Posted May 30, 2002 Yep, Adrianne. Them Baris rock!!!! :D As far as Oroville--the dude is such a hype! 82-years old and playing contra. I hope I'm still alive at 82, let alone still doing drum corps. He says he will even march if we can have him stay in one spot! I did feel sorry for him during the weekend while carrying his horn from place to place (some of us volunteered to help, but he refused.) But he hung in there and did most of the gigs. I got really tired towards the last performance of each day, but to see him still ready to go made me push myself along. We are actually really privileged to have him--he is a great inspiration to us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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