Turner's Walnut Review...

[Ryan H. Turner]

As I sit here early Sunday morning with sounds of the little pattering feet of my three-year old running around the house and the wails of my 6 month old man-child which is baby speak for FEEEEEEEEEEEEEED ME and the anguished cries of my long-suffering wife saying "GETOFFTHATDAMNCOMPUTERINEEDHELPINHERE!", I have a sneaky feeling I ain't going to finish this. So....that means, dear reader, you'll just have to keep checking back for more. I sense a frying pan making contact with my cranium soon, so on to the review.

STADIUM: Unbelievable venue as far as I'm concerned, although talking with a couple of folks on staffs for corps, the walk from warm up to the corps entrance to the field was akin to a Death March. Very very long...oh well. What do I care? They're kids in these corps...they've got the energy, right???

CROWD SIZE: Honestly, we had more people than I expected to start the show at 6:35pm, more than say, 5 people and a pickle. I would put the crowd size at 1000 to start, and about 4000 by the end of the show. LOTS of corps jackets in the audience. And the concert side was about 3/4's filled. It's a pretty big stadium. So from a crowd size perspective, I think this was a success.

OBSERVATIONS: As I approached the stadium, two things were occurring simultaneously. First, I was catapulted back to the fall of 1985, which is the last year the marching band classic show of southern California called the Tournament of Champions was held at this site. It's also the place where I got my first "major" gig as a marching instructor with then-giant Poway High School. Second thing occurred was when I was catapulted back into reality, and PC's Executive Director Stuart Pompel was greeting me as I walked up. The crowd at the ticket booth was huge, so I made a mental note that the crowd was going to be good tonight. Also, this was a fairly well-run show. We only had a couple of "break downs" in terms of schedule and "flow" (getting corps on and off), as one judge was taking a little more time to make his decisions. As an announcer, I have to keep an eye on 4 things...the corps coming on the field and setting up, the Chief Judge, the Contest Coordinator, and the field judges. Constant game for me to balance how I'm introducing the next corps, how fast I talk, when I start, blah blah blah. Other than that....great show. I think all told I was 4 minutes behind schedule. I'm sort of anal about start times, so I hate being behind. But it wasn't that bad.

THE CORPS: Overall, this probably was one of the best corps shows I've ever been too, due largely in part to the overall entertainment and competitive success of all the corps. Some very good things happening out there. Some VERY good drum majors too...and I try to check most of them out to see how they're doing and how, if I was transported in time from 1987 to 2004, I would do in this new "environment" of more conservative conducting. I think I would scare people. But there was some good solid conducting going on out there. But with the good, there is some bad. And I'm not shying away from what I didn't like. Many guards tonight were fantastic. But MANY were incomplete--boooo! Sorry...hate to see guards walking around hold their flags smiling at the audience as they hit their drill sets. Whooopee! At least do some drop spins or something!! :P I'm not a drummer, but I saw two things I want to comment on. First, there seems to be more "part" writing for snare lines. What I mean is that I see writing where one part of the snares is playing one thing, and the other part is playing something else. I saw that alot. It's pretty interesting to me, and if it's been going on for awhile, well, just know the lightbulb went on for me in 2004! Second thing I notice was a tendency in drum features to be formulaic in construction...I started to see the old "here are snares....ok, they're done and here are the quints....cool, and now the bass drums". Small point...but I noticed.

And now a breakdown...

DREAM--Dream scored a 45 the previous night at Riverside. I wasn't there, didn't know what happened, didn't look at recaps, so I was going into this show blind. I wrote their drill, but haven't rehearsed with them. So I was excited to see how they interpreted the dots and x's. I was very happy with what I saw. Great sound to open the show with only 30 horns, and the drums were solid, and WOW! Guard...very very good, very BRIGHT to say the least, and a solid showing from beginning to end. Dream was fairly confident with everything until the last half of their ballad, where I thought the gas light was on empty, or perhaps it was their newest part of the show that seemed to fall a little flat. Dream has a whole other song to go, so their show was incomplete, but their finals aren't until September. Here's where it gets dicey. I don't like to complain about judging because it is subjective, but if Riverside was a 45, and Walnut was as fairly solid a performance as it was, I was expecting a big leap in numbers. A 45 says to me that things were falling apart. Well, Dream only went to a 46 point something. Hmmmm...seems a little odd. Just figured it would have been more...and one last thing. Considering we have about 16 BILLION people in southern California, you'd think Dream would be bigger. I've been pondering this, and I know that obviously for those that live in southern California that have a corps or marching band background, there are a billion reasons as to why people are NOT marching. But I would think that with the improvement this year Dream is making, and that they're touring to DCA this year, and they're having fun on the field, that perhaps more people will jump down off that fence and give this corps a chance. Good job Dream...and yes Sam...YOU DONE GOOD!! Nice job with the shades...audience loved it!

MYSTICAL--WOW!!! Very exciting opening to their "Pirates of the Carribean" show. The 15 horns put out some good sound, and their drum line and PIT (WOOO HOOO!!) was EXTREMELY talented. Hard working 6-member guard. A really well done show, especially considering they started in November. I think Mystical will go places, and next year, will make a good showing in Division III or Division II. They come from a place surrounded by great band programs, so there's talent out there. One thing about the design of their show...it's my PET PEEVE #4.5 OF DRUM CORPS...tacet drum lines. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh...I'll say it again. Just because a drum line doesn't play during a ballad isn't a chance for the drum line to kick it on the front side line (or whereever...). To me, there's two problems with this. First, it's not fair. I don't see the horn line sitting down during a drum break. I don't see the guard sitting down either. So what's with drum lines sitting down??? And second, with 15 horns and 6 guard, wouldn't have been wise to use the drums for staging possibilities? Rant over...and that has nothing to do with the kids of course, that little rant o'mine.

<<Frying pan DID make contact with my head on Sunday morning as I was attempting to write this review--it is now FRICKEN' TUESDAY!!! Like anyone still cares about this...onwards!>>

So, Mystical has a great future!! There's no doubt about it. Drill design, minus my rant above, was very accessible, and again, their drum line is their strong suit this year. Good job Mystical! Keep it going!

ACADEMY--I don't believe there's been corps this season sans SCV and possibly Cavaliers that have garnered as much pre-season hype. Folks, every single bit of the hype to me is warranted. This is a corps that is going places. They are Division I size (if you will), they have some incredible mature sounds coming from the hornline for the most part, and a fantastic color guard, headed up by long-time color guard guru Peter Gomez. The corps is fashioned in black pants and a GREAT dark red unique top (go their website and check it out). I really liked their look. Opener grabbed the audience because I think people had no idea what to expect. HUGE impact...audience was like, "Yo baby! Where'd you all come from??" Yo baby? Well, anyway, it was great to see Academy. I had a little concern about the relative "flatness" of the drill design for their second tune, "Chanson Melancolique", which was originally written for brass quintet and rearranged for them by JD Shaw (yeah...THAT JD Shaw who's been making Phantom's hornline one of the best in the nation). Drill seemed to be very lacking as compared to the opener and closer. And the closer--I heard shades of "Slava", not in actual melody, but more in the "fun" aspect as SCV brought to us back in the early 80's. As a matter of fact, for the record, if there was ever a corps besides SCV Cadets that made you think you were watching SCV, it would Arizona in my book. Some similarities in their look and style and sound. I was very, very impressed. And I'll say it just like I said it with Esperanza the last couple of years...they'll be bumping up to Division I in NO time. Arizona ABSOLUTELY has the talent out there to do it. There is NO doubt of that. Great job Academy!!

VANGUARD CADETS--I have always loved Cadets. I've been especially impressed in recent years as I've gushed in my reviews about Oliver Bullock's drill design, referring to him as the Vanguard organization's secret weapon in case Myron Roseander wasn't able to do the drill for the "A" corps. Cadets have always had a strong drum line, and a very strong hornline. This year, however, I can't say these things for a variety of reasons. My first thought as I was watching Cadets was that this may be a very young corps, or perhaps, they had a lot of turnover and a lot rookies. Or maybe it was just a bad night. But Cadets had many visual miscues throughout the night (missed assignments, false starts and stops, etc). I was pretty surprised. But I was more surprised by the sound of the hornline. It was pretty thin at times, and massive intonation issues throughout. It would almost seem that the music was just too dang hard for the corps. Guard I never really noticed except for their BEAUTIFUL blue top. Very striking shade. Can they clean it up? Sure can. Will they make Division II finals. Absolutely. But they're not going to win this year. And Academy was several points better than they were tonight...and well-deserved.

IMPULSE--So if I closed my eyes, and didn't know who was out there or what they were doing, I would have thought that this was another corps playing modern "symphonic"-style music with lots of hits and percussive brass and power chords. But if I opened my eyes, my brain would be confused. THIS IS IMPULSE! Or wait...THIS IS IMPULSE?? Bringing to the field music called "Cartoon" by composer Paul Hart, Impulse as far as I can tell is attempting what may be a more sophisticated "jokes on you" show than I was giving them credit for on the night of this performance. I mean, if I didn't realize this was supposed to be "cartoon" music, I don't think I would have understood the music. Close your eyes sometimes and listen to a Bugs Bunny or Tom and Jerry cartoon. If you didn't have the visuals, you'd hear some pretty wild music. Lots of fast runs, stacatto notes, little tidbits of melody here and there...all to match of course what's on the screen. That pretty much sums up Impulse for you. Unfortunately, outside of the strong guard showing, I didn't see the visual element to support the wildness of the music. As a matter of fact, I didn't see ANY "schtick" that we so commonly equate Impulse with. So I can only assume that Impulse has more to come, and that "that's not all folks", to coin a phrase from the industry they pay homage to. Guard is strong this year, percussion is REALLY strong, but visual and hornline sound was a big challenge tonight. Impulse did not connect with the audience in any way, as evidence by the polite applause at the end of the show. Let's hope there's MUCH more coming in this show.

<<At this point, an intermission....in more ways than one. I need to go feed the baby...dang...responsiblities!! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh....BRB!!!>>

Well, now that I'm back, I wanted to touch briefly on Impulse again. That "joke's on you" idea in the beginning of my review didn't get fully explained. I think that maybe--and I don't know if it's true or not--but maybe they're poking fun at the direction drum corps music arranger has taken over the last 10 years or so. And in doing that, maybe they don't think they need to back up their "cartoon" music with the visual sight type gags. But something has to happen with this show for audience members to become more engaged in what's happening.

Moving on to Division 1....

ESPERANZA--Sporting a smaller corps than last year??? That was my initial thought as they came out on the field. As always, the drill design and coordination of everything is relatively strong, and the guard is great. But the horns didn't quite bring to this showing a real impact. INTERESTING ARRANGEMENTS, that's for sure. Philip Glass music is very distinctive (read "possibly boring") and Esperanza does a great job with making it work for them. I was especially taken with "October", by Eric Whitacre. I had a chance to meet Eric about 4 years ago when my wife was a member of the Pacific Chorale and he was the "composer in residence". I told him that some of his music has been performed out on the field by drum and bugle corps, and he said he loved the idea of his music being used in a completely different area than he originally intended (great composer by the way--great!!). Esperanza will make semi's with this show...but they'll need more horses to get into finals in the next couple of years. But overall solid show.

MANDARINS--WARNING! I may be the only person that rants about this show, so don't be shocked. Mandarins have really got a very well-designed show. It's put together for the most part very well. They stay true to the character of the music, and the costuming all across the board is great--ESPECIALLY that drum major. Sort of a cross between Darth Vader and I don't know what! VERY cool! :) Here's my issue with this corps. First, to me, the horns were overextended in their playing. Not a great sound in my ears. Secondly, I was literally SHOCKED at the singing part. It was WAY too long, about 30-45 seconds too long, and if you're going to sing 4-part harmony, hire a choir director. TENORS WERE AWFUL! About 50cents flat. I spent the whole time listening to it clenching a certain part of my body hoping the tenors would correct it--but they never did. ARGH!! Cut that section Mandarins and make it a brass choir, because I can't see how the singing is giving you ONE point of GE, and certainly you had to have had some comment about how poorly it was done. I hate saying that...I LOVE THE MANDARINS! But that section reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally irked me. And, while the overall design of the show was great, the marching technique and visual look was a problem at times. They need to clean things up a lot. Another strong contender for semi-finals. And a corps that should have been NO WHERE CLOSE to our next unit in terms of score...

PACIFIC CREST--This is THE best Pacific Crest I've ever seen. Period. MUCH better than last year. Horn line sound is great--nice, rich, and full. Still some minor visual issues to work out (it's early), but the show is really put together very well. I love Hermann's music, and they did a great job WITHOUT sounding like simply rehashing Blue Devils or Phantom's treatment of it in past years. I was especially impressed with the tempo of Death Hunt...WOW!!! Very bright, very good, great articulation out of the hornline! Drums were strong as always, and sorry guard. I hardly noticed you. Which is bad, because I'm a visual guy...but I was really just enjoying the show and the music. I think Pacific Crest may lead the pack into semifinals this year. I think it may be a tad too crowded for them to break into finals this year. But it's a great show!! And it should have been given WAY more credit than Mandarins. Way too close of a spread.

SEATTLE CASCADES--WOW!!! I really enjoyed Seattle's "Nature's Confession" show. Guard was great. Horns really were playing, and very nice impacts up in the press box. The drill design that Kurt Jull has put together was fantastic, and again, I say in all honesty, he's one of the "you never heard of him" talents in DCI. He's done a great job this season with how the corps looks. I really appreciated "All Things Bright and Beautiful" as their closer (same as Cavalier's 90--sheesh!! PICKY PEOPLE!!!), and with the exception of some visual dirt at the end of the show, I think Seattle had a great showing. FINALS?? Hmmmm....hard to say not being able to see the rest of the country, but maybe battling with Pacific Crest for top semi-spot. KEEP IT GOING SEATTLE!!

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD--I've never heard of this corps before. Are they new? If they are, great job!! KIDDING!!! Man...where do I start. Well, let me tell you a little story. So Vanguard is setting up, I've announcing, and out of the corner of my eye, I'm seeing some LA County Sheriff deputies racing in to the stadium with their cars and lights on. They get out of their cars and start running to an area I can't see behind a clumps of trees. So I'm thinking...hmmmmm...is their some kind of fight going on? So I give the "Vanguard, you may start" announcement and then run out of the pressbox to see what was happening. Meanwhile, Vanguard is revving up their show, and I hear their first impact. Nice...it wasn't earth shattering like I heard some reviewers call it, but it was nice and full. So I start thinking, "What??? What's all this hype about?" And just as I thought that, they get into their trademark condense power wedge and ABSOLUTELY UNLEASH!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! It was THAT impact people were talking about! Excuse me while I clean up the blood spurting from my ears! Good LORD they were loud. I mean...LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Playing some great music, Vanguard went on to simply captivate me for the next 10 minutes. Everything is there...EVERYTHING is there for them to win this year. And can we speak about the guard for a moment. Yeah, they were good. BUT...uhhhh...how do I say this? Let's just say the ladies in the guard looked, well, great. I'll just leave it at that, and listen to the reviews from across the country as SCV shocks those conservative midwesterners with about the SINGLE most beautiful guard I've ever seen (besides Spirit in 1987!). Myron's drill is, as I will say until the day I die, the greatest. PERIOD. Will SCV WIN IT ALL?? Hmmmmm....read on....

BLUE DEVILS--So I begin with the answer to the above question. If BD keeps doing what they're doing, no, SCV will NOT win this year. I have never been a big Blue Devil fan. I enjoyed their show last year, but it was nothing for me to fall over dead about. I don't think I've really liked a BD show since 1992 to be honest. But this year...WOW!! BD to me has combined their best hornline sound, a great drum line, and incredible show PACKAGE to make this probably the best BD in my book since 1992. BD somehow portrays through their music and visual a type of "coolness" about what they do. They do that perfectly. Not only that, but the ending of the show, while I mentioned in my mini-review of the Seattle show, makes ABSOLUTE perfect sense, and I hope they DON'T change it. I think personally the one thing that will keep them from winning will be their drill design. There were times where I was completely digging it, then other times I'd just get this "hanh??" look on my face. But that's probably a "taste" issue whether then "was it effective" issue. But we all know that the strength of Cavaliers would be their visual program. What I'm hearing though is Cavies strength now is in their hornline as well. IF that's the case and BD actually has to COMPETE against Cavaliers in the horn area, well, they may get smacked at finals and not get the ring this year. I HOPE BD DOES...but I'm not convinced they will.

Overall...again, this was a great show. Well run by the PC folks! They know how to do it, for sure. If I'm not mistaken, I think this was their 10th anniversary of the Corps at the Crest. I remember announcing for the very first one up at Citrus College. But in any event, great stadium, GREAT WEATHER (a little cool, which is very nice for the audience), and boy, that announcer...he was something else, wasn't he?

Yeah...whatever Turner...

Edited July 6, 2004 by Ryan H. Turner

[84BDsop]

...the walk from warm up to the corps entrance to the field was akin to a Death March. 

Dude...I had hair when Dream started heading over...and dragging my podium by hand that far was NOT my idead of fun...although it kinda served to stretch my arms a little!

DREAM- Guard...very very good, very BRIGHT to say the least, and a solid showing from beginning to end.  Good job Dream...and yes Sam...YOU DONE GOOD!!  Nice job with the shades...audience loved it!

Thanks....that was the whole point of the shtick! Amazing what you can do with 2 sided tape, some auto window tinting film, and waaaay too much time on your hands...and besides, with those guard unis I kinda needed them (oh yeah...THOSE are colors found in nature!!)

You should'a been in the parking lot at Riverside when the girls in the pit first showed what they were wearing! I mean YIKES!!!

And I didn't want to disturb you while you were working....and if I didn;t feeling like climbing the stands at Glendora, I sure wasn't gonna kill myself climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro!!!!

BTW, I caught the emphasis on the name pronunciation...I kinda gave a little head bob in thanks!

[Ryan H. Turner]

bump

[Ryan H. Turner]

ABOUT TIME!!!!!

[FYWW]

Are you done yet?

:P

[Dansize]

Thanks for finishing up the review. One of these days I would like to meet you and I am now sorry I didn't finish the trek to the box to say hello from a fellow DCP'er.

Quick O/T - Though I never marched in a corp, I am a long time fan and can say the year that got me started was 1987 when I caught the PBS broadcast. At the time, the show featured about 6-8 minutes of each of the top 12. My recording of this show was my formative experience and was the first DCI DVD purchased for my home. Among the great performances from that year, whenever I am "exposing" a newbie to the activity, I always roll the VK footage, especially the audience que at the end of the show. I just think it is too cool that I can now have a virtual discussion with that guy.

Back on topic - Having attended 5-6 "Corps at the Crest" events, I agree that the organizers have it down to a near science. For myself, I like the venue better then Citrus College for a bunch of reasons, even though had to drive further to get there (90 miles one-way from Oxnard).

My only comments on performances which sound much like yours (as noted, I never marched Corps, I was a woodwind band-geek that went on to be DM and learned to greatly respect the activity of Drum Corps):

Impulse - I hoped that they would do something with the cartoon music as well. I have been looking for more creativity from this group since their "Island" themed show. It hink that is when they were having the most fun. The shows since then (Lucy, Wonka) have seemed to struggle for that casual cut-loose attitude.

Dream - Seems to have the right attitude and the polish will be there soon. Sam is too cool to be a drum major, but just right for this group.

Academy - Clearly the up-and-comer in the activity. Someone on another thread used a phrase like "Star reborn." I wouldn't know about that as I didn't witness the first, but these guys seem to be approaching their entry into competition carefully and it just might work.

Mystikal - This is my new hometown corps and I look forward to their growth. THere are a number of powerful programs in the area to draw from and I expect they will be a regional powerhouse sooner rather than later. In talking to someone from the group at their souvie table, I asked how they were doing. The response was along the lines of hoping to break 50. They did that and then some. Judging by the physical response (excitement I assumed) of their marching coach on the sideline, it appeared they passed on some personal goals during the show. I see this as vital to the motivation of a corps trying to establish itself among a field of more experienced members.

Mandarins - Taiko drums = cool. Singing = not so much. I didn't notice the same intonation issues as Ryan, but it did feel like it went on too long. For GE, I had them placed higher then PC, but there's a reason I'm not a judge. I 2nd the nomination for the coolest drum major uniform of the night (with all due Credit to Sam's shades). This guy was Lord Toranaga (Shogun reference) in full dress uniform and helmet.

PC, Esperanza, Cascades - I group these for the simple reason that as I write this 3 days removed from the event, I cannot say that the show really "stuck" with me. It may be the music choices or the visual show, but now it feels like filler. I mean no disrespect t the corps themselves, but in a night where we could see 6 Div. 1 groups, something needs to be done to set yourself apart from the next guy.

But speaking of Cascades, did anyone ever get a final answer on what actually happened to the girl that was injured? I was sitting among a group of Kingsmen alumni from the early 1970's (interesting discussions for sure) and the general opinion was that the guard member in question caught a saber (dropped by another member) with some part of her head/face. Apparently she was bleeding enough to be seen 20 rows up. They loaded her on the golf cart pulling pit equipment and moved her over to the first aid tent (behind Ryan's clup-o-trees). Then every campus cop showed up, some with their lihts on, followed by the fire department and ambulance. From where I sat, I am not sure if they decided to treat the patient on scene or take her in for treatment. Regardless, the activity did distract a bit from Vanguard's performance. That could not be helped short of stopping the show.

Vanguard - Based on early season reviews, everyone said this was THE show to see. I like it and it had all the right hits and was just dead-on solid. Several others have commented on the guard. I missed it. I guess I spend too much time watching the drummers.

BD - The early-season rumbles on this show were not clear to me. The last thread I read on th Blue Devils before the show was how the drumline was some sort of liability to the corps. Maybe in the intricate rules of judging precision of drumstrokes. But in the mind of the fan, I will repeat something Ryan said. This corps has "cool" down to an art form. That is the one quality from their 2003 show which most impressed me. Although the music from last year was a little too segmented for my taste, it was clear that the corps had the dead-on right attitude to execute the music, show a certain style and have fun while running away with the trophy. This show reminds me of the same thing, witha musical book I can better appreciate. The whole idea of a train from the movement to the sounds is perfect throughout and I wish I knew how a corps can consistently do those short "hits" to accentuate a point with such power and precision from everyone involved. And I am still amaed by soloists that can still hit the highs at 10:30 in the evening, while giving a victory concert on what had to be a long day of rehersals, travel and performance.

Finally, a note on amps. The setup was districting for Vanguard and it appeared more efficient for BD. There were a few people heckeling Vanguard on the amp issue as they set up. Someone else suggested that they get over it. Time will tell I suppose, but I can say this. The coolest train sound made by the pit at the close of their show would not have een nearly as effective had it not been amplified (in my opinion).

[84BDsop]

Dream - Seems to have the right attitude and the polish will be there soon.  Sam is too cool to be a drum major, but just right for this group.

Thanks very much for both the group and personal props!!

Mandarins  I 2nd the nomination for the coolest drum major uniform of the night (with all due Credit to Sam's shades).  This guy was Lord Toranaga (Shogun reference) in full dress uniform and helmet.

And he's a really nice guy, too (met him last year during the DM line up for retreat. I don't recall him NOT smiling!) His helmet is the cheapest looking thing up close...thin plastic like you'd find during Haloween! I think I told him he needed to say "HAI" really loud when asked if the corps was ready.."Drum Major Toshiro Mifune, is your corps ready?" He looks great on the podium, tho!

And speaking of cheap looking...I should talk?? My shades are standard flip downs (I have REALLY big frames) and tghe mirror effect is due to 2 sided tape and auto window tinting film! You do NOT want to see them up close....ugly, but they get the idea across.

Where were your seats and how well did the shades come across up top??

But speaking of Cascades, did anyone ever get a final answer on what actually happened to the girl that was injured?  I was sitting among a group of Kingsmen alumni from the early 1970's (interesting discussions for sure) and the general opinion was that the guard member in question caught a saber (dropped by another member) with some part of her head/face.

Yeah, that's what 'Scades female DM told me...she herself must've come from the guard, 'cause she just said "ehh....she'll be fine" A horn or perc person would probably not be so offhand about it!

As for you, mr "never did corps" Dream has openings....we're going to DCA...and there are always corps rookies in the line...you wouldn't be the first or last...and Oxnard's REALLY not that far (we have members from San Diego and Arizona) C'mon!!!!

[Ryan H. Turner]

Thanks for finishing up the review.  One of these days I would like to meet you and I am now sorry I didn't finish the trek to the box to say hello from a fellow DCP'er. 

You're forgiven...I was just lonely up there. Me, my microphone, a can of Diet Coke, a half eaten brownie, my papers and crap spread all over my table...what a pathetic sight!

Quick O/T - Though I never marched in a corp, I am a long time fan and can say the year that got me started was 1987 when I caught the PBS broadcast.  At the time, the show featured about 6-8 minutes of each of the top 12.  My recording of this show was my formative experience and was the first DCI DVD purchased for my home.  Among the great performances from that year, whenever I am "exposing" a newbie to the activity, I always roll the VK footage, especially the audience que at the end of the show.  I just think it is too cool that I can now have a virtual discussion with that guy.

You MEANT to say it's TOO COOL VK! HAAAAAA...well, thank you very much. Nice to know that my nutty antics still get shown every so often. Funny that it was my age out year that you caught on PBS. Next time you "expose" a newbie to VK, just make sure you let 'em know the nut case in the white tux is still around...

Which leads me into a slightly OT point. Speaking of visitors. I'm sitting there waiting for the show to begin in my glass encased cage, and I hear, "Hello Mr. Turner". I turn around, and to my unbelievable shock and awe, there stood my co-drum major from 1986 and fellow Velvet Knight of the Year Brian Neilsen. I was flabbergasted. I literally had not seen him since 1986...18 years ago!!! There he stood, with his 13 yr old son, and quickly filling me in with his life. I'm telling you, it was really a very cool moment for me.

So I did what any good senior corps person would do...I TRIED TO RECRUIT HIM INTO OUR HORNLINE FOR NEXT YEAR!!! He's actually thinking about it now...

Anyway...thanks for the nice review of the review review that you reviewed...

Or something like that...

[Ryan H. Turner]

Yeah, that's what 'Scades female DM told me...she herself must've come from the guard, 'cause she just said "ehh....she'll be fine" A horn or perc person would probably not be so offhand about it!

Hey dude...DM's are just calloused over, that's all. It would have to be a practical decapitation to get us riled up. Even then, we'd just send a rookie over to clean it up! But seriously, hopefully whoever got hurt is on the mend and will be kicking butt soon. I remember one time I was spinning a mace in high school band...this one time, at band camp....

And dude...if the shades worked with me sitting 10,454 feet in the air, it worked everywhere else, you ham.

Good lord!! I can't believe YOU are outhamming ME!!!!

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Ryan H. Turner------the H!!

Puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeze... :P

[MikeN]

Great review!

Mike