Drum Corps International
 

I am a HUGE DCI fan - and also a sorority girl :) I haven't posted in weeks, but I missed you guys. So here's my new topic.

Are there other GC DCI fans out there? I'm planning on going to either the JSU show, the Kennesaw Mtn. HS show, or the Murfeesboro show in late July. I go to at least one show per summer. Anybody else going to the shows this summer? I've had so many friends and family members march Spirit over the years and I used to be good friends with Freddy Martin--maybe somebody knows him.

I know most DCI kids are on tour right now, but are there other fans on the board??

HUGE DCI FAN!!
 

To further exemplify the lame jokes and misunderstandings about people involved with marching bands (courtesy of the American Pie movies, no doubt), I am straight up band dork. I was very glad to see this thread! I probably won't make it to a show this year, but in the past three years I attended Drums Across the Tristate at Marshall University. By far, I think my favorite corps. is the Cadets (of Burgan(sp?) County). I also like watching the championships on PBS. It's a great experience to go to a DCI show, for both band people and those of you who missed out on all the fun;)

i grew up watching DCI!!!!! One of my exes marches with a corps (i cna't remember which one) and my dad and brohters see at least one show every year. i usually don't go 'cuas i have a lot of other things to do. most poeple i know don't even know about DCI!

btw Fuzi, how was Europe?

I think that this thread may need to go into Chit Chat. However, I was/am a HUGE DCI fan. When I was in High School, almost 20 years ago - aaak, we had several guys in the Cavaliers and the Bayonne Bridgemen. Once the Stars of Indiana got going a lot of people started marching for them. Unfortunately, that corps didn't last too long. A few summers we had girls from the Blue Devils to help choreograph our colorguard routines.

My all time favorites are the Santa Clara Vanguard, (my high school band was the Cardinal Vanguard) and Phantom Regiment.

aopirose thinking back to a quieter and more uncomplicated time in her life...
I like Flags and Rifles
I like Drums and Horns
I like the looks of those Cavalier Boys
They're my favorite Corps, Oh, Yeah, Yeah

PBS in this area doesn't carry the championship anymore. Last year, we were treated to a telethon featuring the best of Barbara Streisand. :( I wonder what torture is in store this year.

ETA: We had people in Madison Scouts too. Sorry, it's been awhile.

I love DCI!

I used to be a huge fan of the Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment, but now I don't have any loyalties. A ton of people I went to music school with did corps (Cavies, Cadets, Madison Scouts) and some went on to do Blast! and Shockwave (the new Blast!).

When I was in high school, I was in a senior corps based out of houston called Bayou City Blues (made up mostly of people who aged out of junior corps, mostly men in their 20's to 50's! Old Skool people, but it was open to all ages). It was fun and laid back. Pretty much drill-less corps that was about playing music and going on a "tour" once a year in the summer around fourth of July. We went to Milwaukee Summerfest and a bunch of parades in places like Racine, Kenosha, and suburbs of Chicago.

My parents NEVER would have let me actually go away for a whole summer and march a real corps! I was pretty sheltered and that would have scandalized me or something! My mom is a fan too though!

Oh yeah, and YES this needs to be moved on over to CHIT CHAT!

Woo hoo DCI!

It's been a few years since I've been to a show, but I used to have a lot of friends in various Corps... mostly Madison Scouts, but also Pioneer and Americanos. Pretty much everyone I know has long ago aged out, but one of my friends teaches for Americanos (or at least he did last year..) and a few of my friends are in Kilties now since they aged out.

I'm a little burned out on drum corps this year. I work with three Cavaliers, and lately DCI is all we ever hear about over here. I like drum corps as much as the next person, but it can get to be a bit much sometimes. :rolleyes:

That said, I'm going to DCM in a few weeks...should be a good show!

Oh yeah - Drums Along the Rockies is next weekend - one show in Greeley, only three BLOCKS from my house, and a bigger show at Invesco the next day - got tix to BOTH.

WOO HOO - I am a die hard DCI fan, especially of the Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment, though I do like almost all the corps - and I'm a former member from the United States Navy Drum and Bugle Corp.

It's infectious!

DZSAIGIRL I feel ya!!

Okay - so yea, I was a band geek (still am at heart) all the way! I begged for years for my parents to let me go march with Spirit... our band director in high school was the director of Spirit of Atlanta at the time--they wouldn't let me go :( My cousin started marching when he was 15 or 16. Then it snowballed, one of my fellow colorguard captains started marching with Spirit, and a few other friends from HS did it. I was so jealous. Later, the summer after I graduated, my ex-boyfriend raised some money to go march with Spirit. Still to this day I wish that I could say I marched. It's so extreme, but its performing-and I know what kind of rush I get from doing that. It's awesome. Maybe in my next life mom and dad will let me go on tour *wink* They were just afraid of all the drugs and sex on the busses, but people could get away with stuff on the high school busses almost as bad as they could on drum corps busses!

I don't know how to move the thread - somebody please tell me how to do it without deleting all your replys and I'll do it :)

I love DCI! My roommate's boyfriend my freshman year was a lead soprano...she has a rim from the finals where they one...it's so awesome!

I'm exicted for marching band this yeah...usually I do Guard, but my knee is bad, so I'm doing Pit. I have an awesome pit this year...

Can't wait for "freshman initation"!

Wow this is wierd seeing a DCI post on a Greek Life chat board....maybe I'll see a greek life post on a DCI board =)

I love DCI too

I actually marched 4 years...my last two were with Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment (I just aged out 2 years ago)

The drum corps experience actually mirrors the greek life experience in a lot of ways.

The organizations can be exclusive. Some have secrets (Cavalier, Crossmen, Phantom), most have traditions,and...you become so close to the people that you spend 3 months on the road with.

Unfortunately, some of them haze too, but like GLOs, thats being fazed out more and more every year.

I still talk to a lot of the guys and girls that I marched with on aol, over the phone or through snail mail. They actually come in awful handy when I'm planning a road trip and need a place to stay...or a place to party. :D

In fact when I was in NYC last week, one of them hooked me up with a sweet underground party in the Bronx. Well...I wouldnt call it sweet :rolleyes:

I'm going to the Indianapolis regional and I cant wait!

Xp2k

I LOVE DCI!!!! I am another hardcore band dork. I teach for my high school's MB, and we have a couple kids who are heading into Glassmen, and one who might make it into Blast! I haven't been to an actual DCI show in a couple years, but I might be going to a show somewhere in Ohio in the next couple weeks (I can't remember where)

OMG some of those guys are so hot. They played a show when I was at the George N. Parks DMA a couple years ago and I remember watching them practice beforehand WITHOUT SHIRTS!

All I have to say is holy crap.

Yeah buddy! I grew up watching DCI! Former Flag girl here

Oh god I love DCI!!!

I played bass and tenors during High school and have known guys in South Wind and The Madision Scouts. I was a HUGE band nerd and think that the intimacy I had with my band mates was part of what drew me to Greek life (being a part of a whole, sisterhood, brotherhood etc.) I've been to a couple of shows;I'm a big Santa Clara fan. When ever people ask me what DCI is I always reply: "it's like professional Marching band, except you pay THEM to do it". However, those big time drummer guy egos can drive you crazy!!!!
Honestly, I was never that good (even though our line was), but I wouldn't trade my band days for anything...it's the exact same way I know I'll feel about my sorority days!

Just wanted to chime in... I was in Colorguard in H.S. I miss it so much. I used to be able to find DCI on PBS, but I haven't seen it in a long time. Thanks for the thread.

Shannon

OMG! Forgot to add this!
 

True story...

One year when I was at the Ex"sight"ment of Sound DCI show in Houston my mom and I saw these Cavelier groupie people. They wre these really large (I'm talking REALLY large) girls and women in a group with signs, wearing black and green, glittered up, you name it. They were just fawning over the guys like they were Gods or something. It was the funniest thing ever! They were like, screaming and crying and holding their heaving chests! :eek:

Once a band geek, always a band geek :D I never marched in a corps since I played clarinet and had NO desire to learn pit or colorguard stuff. But, of a 200-person band, we had a majority of our guard in Crossmen and a few horns and drums in Crossmen and Cadets. One of the guys in guard (yes, he was gay for all you nosey lil ones) had a Crossmen tattoo on his leg.

UPDATE
 

The Cavaliers have won, yet again (isn't that 4 out of 5 years? WOW). Second went to Blue Devils, then my beloved Vanguard, then the Cadets....

What a treat we had at home...the Cadets, Pioneer, and Soutwind spent all week at UNC in Greeley - 3 blocks from home, so we were treated to DCI practices and watched the rehearsals....the Cadets were simply amazing in how open they were to talking with our kids during/after practices. They may have liked corps before, but are now DEAD SET on becoming members of a corps in the future.

The Cadets drumline even gave my boys an autographed (though broken) drum head from one of the rehearsals.

My ears are still ringing.

Couldn't get to the DCI championships due to a family wedding, but still got a "fix" this year regardless.

DAMMIT......AGAIN....WITH A JAMES BOND SHOW?

How the hell did they win if BD won visual, brass, AND ensemble music?

I think ever since the focus went from musical ability to visual, the Cavaque...errr Cavaliers have taken advantage of that.

My friend marches Scouts, so I better talk to him to see how the season went.

SCV! SCV! SCV! They shocked the world in 99 and need to do it again.

This kinda bums me out...Cavies deserved to win 00 outright and MAYBE 01, but 02 shoulda gone to BD.....

Stan-
The only West Coast guy who likes The Cadets.

Scouts broke top 10 for the first time in a while...finally.

They always can rock the house with their energy, nice to see them back in form.

West coast Cadets fan? That is a rarity. Until last week, I wouldn't have counted myself as a fan of theirs, but, they won me over, not so much on the show (which was unbelievable, at any rate), but by the way they treated my kids - they fostered their sense of wonder of it all...even my 3 year old daughter would ask me at night if we could go watch them again....keep in mind this was all practice, in shorts, no uniforms...but she loved it nonetheless.

The Crossmen (partner corps to Cadets) did the same thing two years ago at DATR and my son loved being able to talk with them.

Very impressed. Their discipline is top notch, and their ability to connect with us townies was appreciated!

Yeah, from what I hear, their exec directors and his staff are drill sargents....whatever works.....

I'm a big fan of the following scouts shows: 93, 98, 99, 00. My Scouts friends say their shows "Make no sense"...whatever that means...

Thanks for bringing this up again!

Believe it or not, Mr. Silver and I were in a college band that put on DCI contests. It was amazing being in the press box during the competitions.
My favorite year...a certain corps put on a show with a fire-related theme. The show was amazing; and near the crescendo, this huge fire started outside of the stadium. We all thought it was part of the show and were seriously amazed. It was actually a high school on fire!:eek:
Silver

Phantom Reg?

Back when I was in high school, the band was formed into a DCI-style group. The North Miami Senior High School Pioneer Regiment was composed of all band students (participation in the regiment was mandatory). They won several local, regional and state awards before they disbanded in the early 1990s.

That would be my guess.

My boyfriend is an "ex-DCI guy" from England. He used to march in the baritone section with the Pride of Bristol out of Bristol, England. They weren't top-flight like SCV or anything, I can't remember which class they marched in. Though, they competed a lot in DCUK and the European championships.

The Pride of Bristol disappeared after he aged-out, but apparently the Colour Guard section kept going. However, he and some of the other veterans have returned to help out as floor crew on some of their road trips. Apparently, they've recently roped some of the veterans back into playing for a senior D&BC! They're aiming for the European Showband Championships later this month.

http://www.prideofbristol.co.uk/


As for DCI, I've pretty much liked them all! :) Well, ok, I'm not a super-expert, but I always seem to like the Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard. Neil and I also have a soft spot for the Phantom Regiment.

Stan, are there any SoCal corps? The only one I ever heard of was The Velvet Knights....and I don't think they're around anymore. :confused:


.....Kelly :)

The Cavie's show was really good this year. I didn't get to see Blue Devils, but the Cavaliers were VERY good when I saw them in July.

I'm glad the Scouts are on their way back up. They're my all-time favorites.

I liked the Cadet's show. I also fell in love with the Boston Crusaders. I had never seen them in person before, but their show was really good. It was a colorwheel. Not the best technically, but very well-done.

I was supposed to go to the finals a few years ago when they were around DC, but we had band camp and couldn't go. My fiance and I are thinking about doing one of the adult weekend-only corps when we're a little older. He marches snare and I do pit. We met when we were drumline co-captains in HS, so we're huge DCI Dorks :p

Sorry to jump in, Stan....but isn't Impact from SoCal? (The "new" version of the VK?)...they have the exlamation point uniforms, and are a small DivII reincarnation, as far as I can tell...

Oh yeah:

Pacific Crest - Diamond Bar, CA. They compete as Div 1 in Cali, but Div 2 elsewhere. This puts them in the top 21 every yr, but not the top 12.

Impulse - The combo of Velvet knight alums and ideas shared by them and the Bridgemen. They've had some funny shows over the years, and should be competing in Div 1 as the joke corps in the next 10 yrs.

Esperanza - Won Div 2 couple years back. Solid corps.

San Diego Alliance - Young Div 3 Corps. Kinda like Blue Devils C.