Dca 2008

[Adam Jones]

Although I have marched in a senior corps the last couple of the summers, we did not compete as a DCA corps so I never really paid much attention or followed DCA. Now that I am marching Renegades this year I am starting to pay attention and become more interested in it. So I was just curious how many others on here follow DCA every year or actually marching currently. I remember there being a tenor player from Reading Buc's on here.

Lets have a our DCA discussions here and maybe I will get caught up on some of the history of DCA.

[PureRockFury]

Although I have marched in a senior corps the last couple of the summers, we did not compete as a DCA corps so I never really paid much attention or followed DCA. Now that I am marching Renegades this year I am starting to pay attention and become more interested in it. So I was just curious how many others on here follow DCA every year or actually marching currently. I remember there being a tenor player from Reading Buc's on here.

Lets have a our DCA discussions here and maybe I will get caught up on some of the history of DCA.

Norristown Kenny is marching Buccs.

I marched Grenadiers from '97-'05. ('93 - '96 was with a small DCI Div III corps)

IIRC there is a Corpsvets member or alumni on here.

There are people associated with Minnesota Brass Inc. on here.

Not many representin' DCA. To some, it's still the "old farts" circuit, but that is obviously SO FAR from the truth. In fact, at one time DCA and RCA were bigger than DCI. Junior corps used to look up to and model themselves after DCA/RCA corps. DCA/RCA was leading edge, innovative, and trend setters. Somewhere along the lines that all changed into a reverse roll. But it's slowly becoming par between both circuits.

[Adam Jones]

Yeah... I pretty much had/have that attitude... but it is changing pretty quick. I am realizing although DCA is not big out here in California, it might take off even more soon because of the fact that DCI is so expensive to do and time consuming from many of the younger people. There is pretty much no more room for new DCI corps. Blue Devils and Vanguard will always have their pull because of who they are but a corps like Mandarins (marched there) will never be full. To much money and time commitment and they are too close to Blue Devils and Vanguard location wise. I hope to see them one day be a full corps but we have 3 kids in our battery at Renegades who could have marched Mandarins but could not due to financial or time commitment.

There was a pretty big deal made this last weekend about how it is too that a DCA/senior corps that rehearses pretty much once a month could put a full 12 minute show on the field and BD/SCV did not have their closers on the field. Not really part of the DCA/DCI debate but nonetheless is a good question when they have been doing 10-10s since Memorial Day.

Anyway... I would agree with you that they are become somewhat on par with each other. We will see how I really feel about it after DCA this year since it will be my first one and I really have nothing to compare my opinion too. It is just too bad that we will not be competeing against anybody from our class until finals week and we will see DCI judges all year until then.

[PureRockFury]

Yeah... I pretty much had/have that attitude... but it is changing pretty quick. I am realizing although DCA is not big out here in California, it might take off even more soon because of the fact that DCI is so expensive to do and time consuming from many of the younger people. There is pretty much no more room for new DCI corps. Blue Devils and Vanguard will always have their pull because of who they are but a corps like Mandarins (marched there) will never be full. To much money and time commitment and they are too close to Blue Devils and Vanguard location wise. I hope to see them one day be a full corps but we have 3 kids in our battery at Renegades who could have marched Mandarins but could not due to financial or time commitment.

There was a pretty big deal made this last weekend about how it is too that a DCA/senior corps that rehearses pretty much once a month could put a full 12 minute show on the field and BD/SCV did not have their closers on the field. Not really part of the DCA/DCI debate but nonetheless is a good question when they have been doing 10-10s since Memorial Day.

Anyway... I would agree with you that they are become somewhat on par with each other. We will see how I really feel about it after DCA this year since it will be my first one and I really have nothing to compare my opinion too. It is just too bad that we will not be competeing against anybody from our class until finals week and we will see DCI judges all year until then.

You'll be in for a pleasant surprise by finals weekend. DCA is alive and kicking well, with a record 28 corps having to perform at prelims. Although this year it does seem like some of the big names in DCA are kind of weak this year. Bushwackers who are a perennial contender are smaller and weaker, Brigadiers aren't the dominating powerhouse they used to be, Grenadiers (my old corps) are an A Class Corps now, etc...

My old corps was a DCA Open Class corps from 1995-2003, 2004 dropped to A Class and swept the board, 2005 back to open and was 0.8 from making finals, no corps in '06 and '07, back on the field this year with an A Class corps. It's tough to sustain a corps in this area. Kingston isn't a big music town like it used to be. For quite a few years we were a 70/30 mix of Americans and Canadians, with the corps being more American than Canadian. They were mainly from the Syracuse, Watertown, Baldwinsville area. Most of them are now with Empire Statesmen.

You'll love Minnesota Brass Inc. They are a BADASS drum corps. Great music every year, one hell of a battery that isn't getting scores they deserve year after year, and a nice bright powerful brass.

Empire Statesmen can seem cheesy and hokey to a new comer at first, but you will probably get past that quick. That corps has always sustained a commitment to entertainment first. Their old director, who was a major player in RCA/DCA in the beginning started Statesmen purely for entertainment. They are cutting edge and modern, but they do things just a bit different.

Reading Buccaneers are big, blue and bad! Bad in a good way. The only thing that bothers me is the borrowed SCV shows year after year. Last year they did a show called "Blue Era" like SCV's '01 "New Era" Great corps, just not too keen on the material choice. It works for them though!

Caballeros are a staple in the DCA circuit. No one has won more championships than them. They are strictly latin. They wear satin blouses and bell bottom pants with a red stripe down each leg. They have been quite the corps over the years, with some down or off years like everyone goes through. They usually have a very aggressive drum line that opens eyes.

I'll continue later on with other corps....

[Cadet311]

I march with the Bridgemen Alumni.

[Adam Jones]

Sweet! I am appreciating the "Cliff Notes" to the corps. The last couple of years I have seen clips on various DCA lines on Vic Firth. I thought most of them were pretty good.

I hear you about Buc's borrowing, although they perform very well, I was not to thrilled about the show itself. When you look at the battery too it looks like a BD tenor (kinda a compliment), SCV tilt snare line (with no molar stroke). They just don't really seem to have much of an identity of their own but they perform the hell out of it.

I am not bashing them though, I think their corps is great and they deserve to win... just not original to me. I look forward to seeing them this year in person though.

[Adam Jones]

I march with the Bridgemen Alumni.

what do you play?

[Cadet311]

Tenors last year
Snare this year

[drmrdude]

I march with the kitlies.

[Adam Jones]

Good luck to you DCA drummers this coming week/weekend for the DCA Championships... I will be in Rochester Wed. preparing to throw down with the Renegades. Should be a blast for my first time going to DCA.

[TuoKaerf]

Here's some good stuff from YouTube-

-Minnesota Brass-

Opener Lick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR-USQkL7zs)

Drum break (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKs4ONDTcQ)

Closer clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3WGR9iF3I)

-Bucs-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2IVo-VwR0

[PureRockFury]

Here's some good stuff from YouTube-

-Minnesota Brass-

Opener Lick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR-USQkL7zs)

Drum break (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKs4ONDTcQ)

Closer clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3WGR9iF3I)

-Bucs-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2IVo-VwR0

FINALLY!!! Someone wasn't afraid to tune the basses down a bit. Love the low tones!