TomMoore Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 (edited) A Letter to Mom from Camp: Phantom Regiment Spring Training 2004 By Tom Moore Part II of III Monday, May 31, 2004 I Understand What Mrs. Robinson Meant And Have My Own Cigarette Well, Mom, today I figured out what Mrs. Robinson meant about a cigarette, but I’ll get to that later. Today was the day for the Rockford Memorial Day parade. Beforehand, though, I had to attend to one of my duties for the week, which I admit was unpleasant. I had to take one of the guard alternates to the bus so she could go home. It seems as though the organization is blessed with the “problem” of having too many talented performers apply for a limited number of spots. Some of them are offered alternate spots and are told that they may get a spot if one opens up due to injury or if a member leaves the corps. They then have a decision to make about whether they want to stick with it and possibly have a spot open up, or not, or just move on and either don’t march or march in another corps. All along they’re told how they’re progressing so they can always assess their options. It’s one of the things I like most about how Pat runs things. He’s fair, honest and always in communication with the membership. Anyway, bright and early I took an alternate to the bus station. It didn’t look like she was going to have a spot in the corps this summer so she went home. I hope she marches elsewhere because she was really kind. The skies opened up, and the corps did not march in the Rockford parade. Of course, it was still early when this decision was made, so I got the enviable task of waking the drum majors to let them know that they and the corps could get an extra hour plus of sleep. Ironic – wake someone to tell them they can continue sleeping. But, again, I digress. I went back to bed and slept until 9:00, and enjoyed a cold breakfast while chatting with the food volunteers. In a short time I was making some great friends! Class acts all of them. As I left the campus to make a run to the food service company (ever buy 30 pounds of sliced ham at once? It’s kind of funny!), the corps was outside – it stopped raining – practicing Elsa’s and some music for the massed corps to play at Tour of Champions after Denver. There’s a jazz piece and a Copland piece. Loved the Copland. Not wild about the jazz number. Well, it started raining again, so as soon as I arrived back at campus with the ham, I went out again to Dick’s Sporting Goods and bought out their supply of tarps for the pit. Due to the rain, all sections of the corps were in and out all day. After lunch, I watched the hornline work with Jude Boughton in the ballroom on some tango movements. After a while they were crisp and authentic and I was wondering where in the show I might see them. The guard continued learning its book and the percussion section practiced the solo with great intensity. In between periods of rain, the battery did lots of tracking. After dinner, it was the hornline’s turn to do some tracking. It looked brutal! Finally, the entire corps, minus the guard, got together in an arc in the parking lot (the fields were too wet) and worked on the whole show. This was the first time I’d heard the entire corps play together and play the entire show. After working on the transitions from the ballad into the percussion feature and from the percussion feature into the closer, the corps did two full run-throughs. Mom, it was HOT! After hearing it the first time, I figured out what Mrs. Robinson meant and I wanted a cigarette of my own. Today I became a man. Anyway, the music book is so demanding, so complex, and so intelligent that my words don’t do it justice. The opener starts out quietly with a tuba soli of a familiar tango rhythm, with splashes of color from the front ensemble. Then the euphoniums take over, initiating an accelerando that culminates with a loud, powerful and lusty tango melody. From there, a fugue ensues that contains tons of notes and speed and demand. I looked around me and saw the other volunteers in disbelief. The bar has indeed been raised from 2003. And not by a little, either. The ballad, which I previously described, moved us, and moved seamlessly into a percussion feature that was quite simply a huge leap forward from 2003. Bravo Paul Rennick! Lots of unique sounds and lots of precision. Everything was musical and virtuostic, without being arrogant or full of showing off. The quality of the arrangement and its execution by the members is enough. No grandstanding necessary! The percussion feature segued nicely into the closer, which has a lot of sharp, angular motion (like a tango, I suppose) that builds and builds in speed, tension and suspense until the Adios Nonino hit. Yup, again it was better than the Canon reprise from 2003, only I was right in front of it, rather than across a college campus! After the hit, there was a nice percussion lick, followed by a brief recapitulation of some of the earlier themes. I’m imagining a crab-stepping wedge and a few other signature moves and enjoying it immensely. The music is hard to characterize. On the one hand it’s classical and something you’d expect from Phantom Regiment. But on the other hand in parts it has a distinctly jazz feel to it, particularly during the closer – yet it fit the image I’d created in my mind for how Phantom Regiment is supposed to sound. So I guess it’s somewhat of a departure but not really. Figure that one out! However you characterize it, it’s awesome arranging and great playing. And it’s going to get people out of their seats. I have no doubt about it. After that experience, I was ready for bed. I stopped in to see the group of ladies sewing flags. I realized that they didn’t get to hear anything I just described. Here’s a group of dedicated workers who don’t hear or see the corps practice, and don’t interact much with the corps members like the food volunteers do. Wow! Talk about dedication. I was impressed. You’d be too, Mom. Tuesday, June 1, 2004 I Write My First Press Release And See It All Come Together Today, and for the rest of the week, the weather finally became a non-issue (except that it got cold after dark and yours truly was underdressed!). After a breakfast of French toast, I again drove a former guard alternate to the bus station. Again I felt bad. I made another food run, to a grocery store and a bakery outlet. I know I seem to harp on this, but I can’t get over people’s reaction to my purchases. Ever ask a produce clerk for a whole case of bananas? It’s funny. Add to that 325 dinner rolls, 10 lbs. of tomatoes, 20 loaves of bread, 12 gallons of milk and, for good measure, one bottle of syrup and you get some funny looks. I thought the senior citizen who worked at the bread store would have a nervous breakdown! And I’d see her again on Friday. Phantom Regiment is presenting another “home” show this year, the Drums Across the Tri-State, which will take place on Monday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, WV. I’m handling some of the publicity for the event, so I went to the corps office and wrote my first press release. I spent some time talking on the phone with representatives of different media outlets and got the information out to them. I worked on some ideas for a flyer. It feels good to contribute. [interlude for shameless plug: don’t miss Drums Across the Tri-State on Monday July 12th. Corps schedule to appear are Phantom Regiment, Madison Scouts, Crossmen, Carolina Crown, Colts, Kiwanis Kavaliers and Marion Glory Cadets. Tickets are $25 for premium reserved, $20 for super reserved and $10 for general admission. Tickets are available at Drum Corps International online or by calling DCI at 800.495.7469 x3. End of shameless plug] After lunch I had the chance to meet up with Dr. Dan Richardson, a Phantom Regiment legend who I’ve described in previous letters. Anyway, we talked about how this year all the pieces are in place for a stellar year. Tremendous improvement in all sections of the corps and in all design areas. No incremental improvement this year. Leaps forward. He said that drum corps fans have high expectations for Regiment after 2003, but predicted that they’ll be unprepared for the level of improvement. After hearing and seeing it myself, I agree. Dinner was an exotic dish called “tater tot casserole.” Tasted much better than it looked! Tasted good, in fact. The evening rehearsal was full corps ensemble. The corps worked on the opener and it was the first time with guard and pit. Holy smokes. During the opener, in the tuba soli, the corps moves across the field (right to left) in a company front and, in groups, members peel off at the yard lines. Here’s where the tango moves Jude Boughton tought are incorporated. Add white pants and a uniform and they’re going to look great! The guard choreography is all about attitude. Seductive, defiant, coy, trampy, you name it. All things you’d expect from a hot tango. The guard work goes well with the music and the guard is well-integrated into the movement by the hornline and battery. The guard starts the show on rifle and the sequence of moves to the opening hit is quite in character. At the opening hit, there are a couple moves I’ve already described that will drive the crowd wild. The guard is front and center. Did I mention that the show is HOT!? :P So hot that, unprompted from me, a guy volunteering in the food truck came up with a t-shirt idea: “Phantom Regiment 2004: A musical alternative to Viagra.” And on the back: “If this show doesn’t do it, Viagra can’t.” Somehow I think we’d get shot down if we brought that to the corps management. So instead I’ll share this idea with you and hope you don’t show this letter to anyone else! Anyway, the show is so passionate, fiery and sexy that I figured out what he meant. Again, I wanted a cigarette. And Mrs. Robinson. The corps did two run-thoughs in an arc and they got better and better each time. Cool. Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Cinnamon Oblivion And Another Phantom Regiment Legend For breakfast I wolfed down some cinnamon rolls, oatmeal with cinnamon and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Not intentional, just coincidence. After a few corps errands, I returned to the office to work on Huntington, and met with Dan Farrell, who’s the program coordinator this year and a long-time leader in the corps. His brother, Tim, is the president of the Board of Directors and both own a graphics firm. We talked about the flyer for Huntington and swapped some impressions about the show. One of the highlights of my trip was to spend more time talking with him. I missed lunch so I helped pad the Cardiologists Tuition Fund by having another Culver’s butterburger. Sin on a bun. Pure and simple. After lunch, the corps worked at cleaning the opener and the ballad. The color guard spent a lot of time working on the staging for the ballad. Before dinner, I had the chance to finally meet John Baumgartner, who’s another Regiment legend. He marched in the early seventies and met his wife in the corps, and he’s been involved ever since, including two years as corps director. He handles Show of Shows and the Huntington show and was spending considerable amounts of time recently fitting the new semi into a kick-### equipment truck. We had a really nice chat about the corps and its history, and its future, which we both agreed was bright. Dinner consisted of the best food-service pork chops. I mention it only because dinner provided the context to one of the more humorous member gaffes of the week. A member of the guard apparently dumped her dinner tray in the trash with her cell phone on the tray. She realized it a little later, and she and a couple of her comrades donned plastic gloves and frantically searched through the trash. Of course, as ensemble time drew near, their level of panic increased. Someone asked her if he could call her number to help locate the phone, and she said that it was on silent ring. Now how are you supposed to locate a cell phone in a bag of trash with it on silent ring, I ask! I still don’t know if she ever found the phone. During ensemble, the corps worked through the ballad, Oblivion. The guard staging I saw developed earlier in the day was quite characteristic of the tango. There was a lot of interaction between the guard and the hornline that really fit the music and the characters each group portrayed. There were several run-throughs of both the opener and the ballad before snack. I was now in the homestretch of the camp experience and was getting a little sad. END OF PART II of III Edited June 8, 2004 by TomMoore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I WANT THAT VIAGRA SHIRT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrontz Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Tom Moore, heaven has a place for those who pray... Hey hey hey... ^_^ I am enjoying this thoroughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomMoore Posted June 9, 2004 Author Share Posted June 9, 2004 (edited) Tom Moore, heaven has a place for those who pray...Hey hey hey... ^_^ I am enjoying this thoroughly. I am glad you get the reference! :P And that you're enjoying it. No encounters with Mrs. Robinson in Part III that I remember! Edited June 9, 2004 by TomMoore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRPhan4ever Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Tom, TWO WORDS.................... " YOU ROCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isuquinndog Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 (edited) This is awesome. I'm going to have to find some decent show of shows tickets now. Thank you! EDIT: Just bought a Show of Shows ticket. ^OO^ Edited June 9, 2004 by isuquinndog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRGuardDad Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Having been there for 4 days myself it is a joy to see someone put the experience in to words for others to enjoy. I also was in need of a cigarette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSNewell Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 EDIT: Just bought a Show of Shows ticket. ^OO^ You've got a good seat, too! Greg Newell SOS ticket chairman 815-540-9737 www.regiment.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isuquinndog Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 EDIT: Just bought a Show of Shows ticket. ^OO^ You've got a good seat, too! Greg Newell SOS ticket chairman 815-540-9737 www.regiment.org Haha! Rock on! That's what happens when you go to shows by yourself. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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