Cavaliers over Blue Devils by 0.25. Finals week next week just got VERY interesting. Phantom, Crown, and Cadets were not in that show.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Wow! Did you see what Phantom is doing?

Suddenly, they are in the driver's seat!

Somehow I have a sneaking suspicion that the theatrics with regard to scores is about to commence. I would bet Phantom, even though they are absolutely hot at this time of the year will not get credit and be placed in 3rd behind BD and Cavies.
I still don't trust any of the judging when it comes to nationals week. Some very strange seem to occur annually during this week.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

Jerry: Maybe it has something to do with the "August moon"??

OR .. POLITICS?

You have that right Dave!

Obviously the latter of your two choices.

What did you do in the Corps? Brass Instructor, Corps Manager

Interesting...because last night, I predicted Phantom will win (this time by themselves) - and I NEVER want Phantom to win!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

..."and I NEVER want Phantom to win!"
HEY! Whatsamadda U, uh? They were the only corps I considered going to besides the Imperials.

Something about the helmets...or their lousy drum lines (sorry, Dave, but they were)...or their boring shows (in the early 70s, anyway, before they started slitting throats).

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

I like the helmets. Who had chrome helmets? Was it Belleville? I really liked those too.

You had to say "lousy", didn't you. Okay, go ahead, explain, lousy by what standard? They wouldn't be a top DCI contender if their drum line didn't carry its weight, right? Level of difficulty, perhaps? I could see you (old school green guy)rippin' 'em a new one for that. But then you'd probably hate the new Cavalier material, too, if that's the case.

What did you do in the Corps? Frustrated, agitated, and occasionally perspirated

Mike,

Guilty on all counts! First of all, yes, Belleville had the chrome helmets. I LOVED that uniform when they first got it in 1973 (the year they made finals).

If you listen to recordings of Phantom from 1974-1980, you can hear the dirt just POURING out of the snare line (although they had some good tenor lines, and excellent timpani lines). And you can't find a picture that shows any two snare drummers playing with the same style, at the same height, etc. There's a REALLY terrible one in a DCI yearbook (79 or 80).

And yes, it IS possible for a corps to do well with one bad caption. In 1980, Devs won the show, but were sixth in drums. Madison NEVER won drums. Cavaliers won many national titles with mediocre horn lines. Argonne won a couple of nationals with an awful drum line. So it can be done, if you're strong enough in the other captions.

As for playing hard stuff, you already know my feelings on that. Blue Devils wanted to learn our street beat in 1976, but couldn't because not ONE of their ten snares could play a ratamaque (true story). They WON drums that year.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Re: Allentown

I wish Belleville was still around. My eight-year-old got really excited seeing her first corps show, and we live in Belleville.

I think I see what you're saying. You mean they were terrible for a DCI-class drum line; it's relativity. Not so last night at quarter finals. They sounded incredible! The corps took third, fractions of a point behind the Cavs.

Are you kidding, not one of ten Blue Devils could play a ratamaque? Wow.

I know I'm changing the subject, but have you seen the video of a BD snare in individual competition playing rolls with the sticks in the crease of his arms? Man, those heads must be like spring steel! It's cool to watch, though.

All this corps talk makes me want to pull out my sticks and see how bad I really am! Dave, thanks for getting this site going, and thanks everyone else for helping it continue.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare

Mike,

Phantom lines the past few years have been very good - it just took them over 30 years to do it!

Have you never played on one of the new Kevlar heads? You'll break your wrist if you do! They are hard as can be, and the head ends up doing all the work. We could NEVER have done stuff like that on the old plastic heads, where WE did the work. But at least they sounded like drums rather than tabletops!

Excuse the "old guy" rants. My youngest son is moving out this month and my oldest is getting married, so I'm feeling my age these days!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Bob,

Better late than never, I always say. ...or is that better out than in???

I've been thinking about getting some sticks and playing again, but I've got so many irons in the fire, It'll be a while before I have time to unwind like that. Unwind... That sounds like something I should do. I might go to Guitar World and see if they have a marching snare to diddle on for a while, though. I'll probably make an ass of myself, but the looming prospect of humiliation has never stopped me from enjoying myself before.

Regarding feeling your age, say no more, old sage. Warning: They often come back - with more! Seriously, congratulations on the last one leaving the nest and oldest getting married. So what are the soon-to-be empty-nesters going to do to occupy that time?

What did you do in the Corps? Snare

Bob and Mike:

1. The new drums are TERRIBLE! NO drum sound (unless you like the sound of table tops)
2. The drum heads are horrid.
3. Drum corps do NOT use rudimental drumming .. just band style drumming with LOTS of drummers.
4. The "pit" drumming stuff is HORRID. Has NO place in corps (out-of-doors) presentations.

But, this is the NEW style of drum corps!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

BTW ... the Phantom drum lines I remember judging were really good. But, I can't remember the years. Probably mostly before 1980.

What was the year they came off the line (pre-introduction) with a warmup march to midfield? Then, they actually did a warm up.

That was one year I remember their line was good.
I remember that they had great musicality and expression. Tymp section was great.

What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958- 63

Bob, considering how young you were back then, how would you know how bad Phantom was? Now that you are a music specialist in drum lines, it may not be to your liking or expertise. But I have always thought highly of what Phantom has tried to do. I have always respected their shows as trying to be drum corp and still satisfy DCI people like you.

What did you do in the Corps? Drum Major and Baritone

Steve,

My remembrances started with 1974 - and I was in the Cavalier snare line at the time, so I remember Phantom very well. Plus, you can hear it on the records (those big CDs).

Maybe this is the best way to describe my feelings towards them - you know how Norwood people feel about the Cavaliers? Same thing. So, admittedly, much has to do with getting beat by them on a regular basis and feeling like it wasn't always deserved. But honestly, it's mostly that I generally found them boring, personally, that's all.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

...and did you really call ME a DCI person? I think you need to re-read most of my other posts! I miss old time drum corps as much as the next guy, and more than many others!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79