I think we all felt like this when we saw drum corps for the first time!

[Boss Anova]

On 9/21/2021 at 10:13 AM, OldSnareDrummer said:

I was reluctant to join at age 12, but succumbed to peer pressure to be with other buddies I knew who were in. I was hellbent on being the next Ginger Baker (Google him, young people ), but my Dad also wanted me in to become the next Frank Arsenault (pause while you Google that one too). Band directors all through on to high school also thought it was a waste - waste of what I'm not entirely sure. 

 Frank Arsenault ?   OK... here is what Don Warren ( Cavaliers Founder and many years Corps Director... R.I.P. ) writes in his autobiography " Building The Green Machine" in 2007. I will paraphrase his first meeting with Frank Arsenault. Funny story, imo

 In the early `1950's, the Cavaliers were knocking on the door of breaking into the top 3 nationally in the Country, but had not yet done so.  They were in the 6th-8th placement range .The Cavs were right there in brass, and marching, and GE, but drumming was the achilles heel still and holding them back from cracking nationally into the TOP 3, and maybe even winning it all.

In the winter of 1954, Arsenault shows up without warning to the Cavaliers hall in Chicago. Warren is upstairs at his Hall's bar while the Cavaliers drum line is practicing down in the Cavs Hall's  basement, per their custom. So a guy at the bar informs Warren that there is a guy outside in the Cavaliers Hall's parking lot that says he wants to talk to Warren. So Warren goes out in the freezing cold to meet the guy. The guy rolls down the window and says to Warren.. " I'm Frank Arsenault ".Ok, thought Warren, the name doesn't ring a bell, and as such means nothing to me. The guy was in an older car, with a clothesline with clothes on it on the back seat. He says to Warren " I want to teach your drumline ". Warren tells the guy " I have a drum instructor ". The guy repeats himself " I know ,but I want to teach your drum line ". So Warren feels bad for the guy with Connecticut license plates on the old car , and a clothesline , and decides to ask him to come upstairs to Warren's bar for a drink.  Warren says, I was going to buy him a drink then send the poor guy on his way.

So when the guys gets upstairs he starts talking on and on about drumming, but Warren says he politely listened to the guy, but Warren doesnt know anything about drumming, so after about 10 minutes, Warren says he got bored and to get away, Warren excuses himself, and says he has to go down stairs, and tells the guy he can finish his drink, and wishes him well, and says to him  nice meeting you, and be safe driving back to Connecticut.

 So Warren leaves the guy alone at the bar, and heads down to the basement where the Cavaliers Drum Line is practicing. Warren goes over to his Cavaliers drum instructor and says with a grin.. " I have a guy sitting at my bar upstairs that says he wants to teach our drummers ". So the Cavaliers drum instructor at the time ( John Line ) says " Ha ha... funny joke, Don ".  ' I know", replies Warren, chuckling ..."  but seriously though,  thats what he says ".  Whats the man's name ?, Inquires Line.  " Warren replies " Frank Arsenault ". Line replies " Ya right..You've  got Frank Arsenault sitting upstairs at the bar " ?  Warren says " Yes".  The drum instructor, Warren writes now has his mouth wide open, as if Ike Eisenhower himself was upstairs. So Warren asks " What ? What is it John ? Whats up ?.  Line says." if you truly have Frank Arsenault upstairs and he says he wants to teach our drummers, then hire him right now today, on the spot. " Warren says " really ? Who is he ? Line says. " Frank Arsenault is simply, bar none, the best rudimental drummer in the country. He has won numerous rudimental drumming titles , is university trained in percussion ,  and has taught drummers both inside and outside of Drum Corps to become great drummers."  Warren then says " but what about you ? What will you do ? You are my drum instructor " Line replies" I will step aside. If he  wants me on board as an assistant, fine, but he can do things with this drum line, that only he can do".  Warren says to Line, " I will keep you on the payroll somewhere.  Line says " if you left him alone upstairs alone there though, you might have me forever, if he is on the road now back to Connecticut ". ( lol ) Warren writes that he quickly thought to himself "  holy mackeral, I left the apparent king of drumming I guess upstairs and told him to finish his beer and be on his way !! ". Warren then writes in his book, " Line and me then run pell mell up the stairs, and hoping to God, that the legendary Frank Arsenault has not left, and is not now on the Illinois interstate " . (lol !.)  They get up stairs, where Frank was just putting on his winters coat to leave... whew... they sit him down, and the three talk for a bit, then work out the details for the pay, and Frank says he would like Line to stay on and assist( which he does) . Warren concludes by writing  " here I was,  clueless about drumming and who is who in drumming, and as a result I almost blew it.  Warren writes " I made a lot of good strategic planning with my Cavaliers over the years that forged them ahead, but I cant dismiss the value that more than once I was just one lucky SOB ".  lol ! Arsenault went on to teach the Cavaliers to become a better drumline over the next few years, and that hire, says Warren, was  probably the biggest catalyst to putting the Cavaliers into the medals, followed up soon after, with their first Championship year, and then more National Championships that followed.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Boss Anova

[OldSnareDrummer]

6 hours ago, Boss Anova said:

 Frank Arsenault ?   OK... here is what Don Warren ( Cavaliers Founder and many years Corps Director... R.I.P. ) writes in his autobiography " Building The Green Machine" in 2007. I will paraphrase his first meeting with Frank Arsenault. Funny story, imo

 

Great story, Boss and sounds so very typical of Warren. We'd also heard growing up in midwest drum corps in the 70s of Arsenault upon taking the position asked the Don for the outrageous amount of $10/week or month or whatever it was. Caption heads make that in about 30 seconds now.