Thursday, January 12, 2006

A Drum Corps Fantasy Come True

Many of you have followed me in my 'other life'. Most all of us have hobbies that aids in distracting us from the monotony of every day life. Some golf, others bowl, play softball, or fish; I march in a Drum and Bugle Corps.

Drum Corps is a glorified marching band without the woodwinds. We perform several field shows and a few parades throughout the season. Last year, I fulfilled a long time dream of mine be performing with the oldest all age drum corps in the world, the St. Peter Govenaires. This year, which will be my last for several years anyway, I return to the ranks of Minnesota Brass, Incorporated(MBI). An organization I have been affiliated with since March of 1978.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the most successful Drum Corps in Minnesota, MBI will return to it's past and perform music from the late 90's and 2000, a time when the organization went from being a footnote in national competition, to consistently placing in the top five in the world. Our most successful year, was 1999, placing 4th, with a 95, a mere 8 tenths of a point from second place. I was proud to have been a performer in that year.

Selections for the 2006 version of the corps include a Bill Chase montage featuring two of his biggest hits, 'Open Up Wide' and 'Give It One'. Next we will play an Earth, Wind, and Fire Medley which will include strains of some of their most recognizable tunes like Fantasy, September, Getaway, and others. Our third piece will slow down a bit as we mesmerize the audience with what we affectionately call, the constipation song. You guessed it, Tower of Power's ballad, 'So Very Hard To Go'. The show will close with an energetic arrangement of Chicago's "Free", concluding with a fleet of screaming trumpet players howling in the stratosphere.

The first performance of the 2006 season will be the MInnesota Drum Corps Showcase on April 20 at Highland Park Senior High. Be sure to mark your calendars.

Flash

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