Drum Corps International (original) (raw)
9:27PM
The Couchmen are so gonna win this season.
11:15AM - My drum corps story part 1
The first time I heard drum corps I was 14 years old and at my first high school band camp in August of 1994. The senior cabin was blarring it on the their huge speakers they had brought from home, so the whole camp could hear it. I was with my buddies at the time and my good friend Matt said does'nt that sound sweet. He had already seen his first show that summer. To let you know how ingorant I was about the whole thing, we happnened to have a couple of instructors who had marched Phatom Regiment in 93 and since we were doing phantom of the opera for our show that year, I thought that phantom regiment was some kind of other version of phantom of the opera. Little did I realize is what they were playing on those speakers was Phantom regiment 1993. By the way an awesome show to listen to on CD, however visually out of date to today's standards. My freshmen year of marching band I was a screw up who really did'nt care much about it, infact everyone thought I would leave and go play hockey or sports or do drugs following the first year, however we had a pretty good band and I stuck it out all four years and every year I became more addicted to drum corps. I would borrow CD's, Videos, and talk about corps all the time. I had a chance to go to a drum corps show in 1995 at preview of champions, however I ended up being left out of about 20 other people who were going because they said there was not enough room. Funny because I ended up being the only one to march drum corps at all out of all those 20 kids and parents and I marched 4 years. About a year later now 1996 my decisions and life took a different turn. I did start hanging out with a bad crowd and doing drugs mostly pot and drinking alot and I was only 16. I stayed in Band amazingly, however had already made the decision that I would not participate in Band my senior year and would play high school hockey and maybe even football instead. Along with those things like smoke alot of pot and hang out with a bunch of losers because I was not hanging out with the Band kids anymore. One decision changed my life. It was June of 1997 I was 17 and I was down to where it felt like I had no friends at all and I was a year from graduating high school. The band kids hated me cause they thought I turned into a loser which I kind of did and I could never really relate to any of the athletes and I knew the drugies were going nowhere in life so I was at home and wondering how I was not invited to my friend Nates graduation party which was right across the street and I grew up with him my whole life and his younger brother Matt, Yes matt from Band camp was like a best friend at one time along with Ryan, however I was left out and felt so bad about it. I had about 8 dollars and a 1/4 tank of gas so I decided I was going to go drive and buy a card, put 5 dollars in it and just show up. I was nervous all the way to the backyard and I sat down next to Matt and Ryan and they seemed impartial with no emotion about me being there neither good or bad. Matt had even told me to go get a beer. After all it was a neighborhood party so I Went to grab a beer and right away Matt's Dad took it form my hand dumped it out and said not for you Dan, even though Matt, Ryan and every other under age kid was drinking probably alot more than they could handle. I did not leave, I sat down and said "Ok fine I don't want it anyway, I've drank enough in the last year of my life and I smiled at him". Following me staying there Ryan laughed about what I said and Ryan and I from that moment on have become Best friends and because he was captain of the Drum line in our band which was a state championship drum line with the work ethic of a drum corps I stayed in band and finally saw my first drum corps show in July of 1997 where I saw Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment. My senior year I was addicted and was convinced me being a saxaphone player that I was going to learn how to play trumpet and after studying privately for a year I was going to march in the 1999 blue devils. I ended up learning how to play baritone and Marched for the Glassmen in 1998.
I attended every camp and ended up getting a spot even though I was not a strong player. Larry Markewicz AKA (Bonesman) on life journal was our brass caption head who was previously the Brass caption head at The Cadets of Bergen County the previous three years. To see we worked really hard every camp and the whole summer is an understatement. Larry was the most demanding teacher, coach, leader I have ever had in my life even to date and I am 27 years old now. We worked hard every day and he appreciated it at the end of the season with tears. We ended up placing 5th that season and It was a summer I will never forget especially it being my first and it seemed like longest mostly because I was not used to getting physcially and mentally worn every single day. The times I remember about that summer were Larry alway bringing a radio when we warmed up and playing Frank Sinatra on our walk to the warm up sight. I also remember being really sun burned especially in the face. On tour I remember getting Soda after two or three long rehearsal days in the deep south and Larry buying us a whole cooler of Soda and telling us how good we rehearsed somewhere down in like Louisianna in the middle of July. I'll never forget Chris Tomsa opeining the cooler and saying "good job guys don't get sick". I also remember the Legendary Frank Williams, Sun coast sound Brass caption head and Cadets Caption head 90-94 coming on tour that summer in the last two weeks and him and Larry staning up there In toledo Ohio Glassbowl parking lot making us do One and one's breathing excersise at what seemd at a temp of about 230 and Larry saying " Knowone does that last two weeks better than him and me boys and girls" as he was looking at Frank. It was true because we got alot better in those last two weeks and ended up catching Madison Scouts and came really close to the Cavaliers to finish 5th. My most memorable moment about that summer though was in Denver Colorado on a rehearsal day. We were rehearsing on what seemed like a mountain that overlooked the downtown area behind us and in front of us was more mountains. As we were doing our run through the sun was going down behind the mountains creating the most beautiful sky, yet shining off the horns creating the people in front of me in the drill look almost like shadows marching. I remember that moment and I realized then that where else would I rather be? Maybe thats why I came back and marched Glassmen 99, and 2000 and aged out with what I believe the example of Drum Corps The Cadets in 2001.
More to come guys.
DAN
1:45PM - News
Coltrin & Associates DCI Southeastern Championship line-up
This year the Southeastern Championships will be held in Atlanta, Geargia on July 14.
2008 World Championship Prelims
This year Division II & III will be hosting the Preliminary Rounds of the 2008 DCI championships in Michigan City, Ind. at Lucas Oil Stadium. This will officially start the Championship Week. Schedules have not been released yet.
4:10PM - New Community
At the rare chance that anyone may see this community, please note that it has only been created about an hour ago and is undergoing changes in the layout. Thank you.