From: bfhalls@vela.acs.oakland.edu (HALLS BRADLEY F)
Subject: Re: A Comment About Zingali & "Two-Seven" in 1980
Organization: Oakland University, Rochester MI.
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 17:44:54 GMT

In article <DRAPEAU.92Sep13222823@oglala.Stanford.EDU> drapeau@oglala.Stanford.EDU (George Drapeau) writes:

[snip...]

>Yeah, I don't know who really *did* like Bob K.  He went over the edge
>as far as instruction goes.  I remember one day in Minnesota, watching
>the battery rehearse under his direction (I had the extra time
>because, you know, we pit folks are clean in early July 8-) ).  I
>remember that the drum line was playing pretty darned clean by then,
>so Bob decided he was going to work on attacks, but with no preset
>metronome marking.  In other words, he would tell the drummers to
>attack at his direction; he'd raise his hands, and when he brought his
>hands down the battery was supposed to play a single note, in perfect
>unison.  I don't know how they were supposed to do that (directing an
>attack for a unit so precisely tuned as a drumline is crazy, because
>the hand motion is so imprecise).  I have no idea why he did that;
>it's not like the show had any attacks that came with no warning.  It
>was stupid, but I think that it was all Bob K. could think of to do.
>It looked to me that it lowered the morale of the battery.  I felt
>sorry for them.

Sounds like he would have fit it great at Phantom. ;-)
He must have moved to the midwest a few years ago because he went to
Don Warren and told Don that he should fire the whole Cavaliers
drum staff and hire him. His quote: "I'm the only one who can beat
Float." Sounds like a prince of a guy.

>sting was).  But then again, I heard from our own snares that they
>didn't necessarily play their best show.  Wait, that sounds bad.  I
>don't mean to imply that BD won drums only because SCV choked; I'm
>just saying that it hurt to hear that the snare line didn't play as
>well as possible.  It hurt mostly because you could see it coming; Tim
>Griffin hurt his leg pretty badly during Finals week, screwing around
>when he shouldn't have been.  There was some really stupid stuff
>happening that week (in the snares, anyway), and I can't really
>explain it.  Too many rim shots to the head, maybe.  I don't know.

Don't forget that Garfield had a great drumline that year, also.
They beat us several times before finals, but had a few major mistakes
that probably cost them the percussion trophy. Listen to the first
attack of Candide (sp?). That would have been a major unit penalty
using the tick system.

>Hey, good to talk to you.  While we're reminiscing, do you have any
>opinions on the best drumlines you've ever seen/played in/heard, both
>in '85 and other years?  I'd be interested in what impressed you, and
>why.  I don't suppose you'd pay much attention to pit percussion, but
>if you do, I'd love to hear about it.

Sure. 
Favorite lines: Vanguard '80-'82; Spirit '79-'80; Devils '82-'86;
27th Lancers '80-'84; Garfield '85-'87; Crossmen '91-'92; Cavies '80-'81;
Cavies '88-'92; (I'm a little biased on the last one :-) ).
 
I could go on with this for quite awhile, but lunch is just about up. :-(
I'm sure there are more, but these lines are always the first ones I
think of as the best or most entertaining. I'm certainly don't claim
to know much about pit sections, but I generally like Vanguard, Garfield,
and Cavies pits the best.
How about you? (you too, Aaron.)

--Brad.

 


-- 
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Brad Halls                                "Still looking for witty quote."
Computer Science Grad Student              -me         
Oakland University
Rochester, Michigan
bfhalls@vela.acs.oakland.edu

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