1982 - Blue Devils

Tom Floats first year. I grabbed this video from Quad Inc. ran by Mike Stevens you should check it out!quadinc.stevens...

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

I marched snare with the center 4 or 5 in Spirit during the 1980 season. Guy, Red and Bob all marched in the Auburn University Drum Line and we were helped tremendously by Bill Walker who marched Phantom 1977 and Dale Powers who marched Blue Stars 1978 and Spirit of Atlanta 1979. We used to hop in a car or a truck(depending on who was driving that week) and drive to Atlanta for practice. (sometimes twice a week!). Good times! Guy, Red and Bob all quit college and headed for BD with Float. I stayed behind and instructed Southwind and then became a band director. Time flies when you're having fun!

[@alexmccrory]

Dennis, this is Alex McCrory. I marched Auburn snare line in 1979 with you, Bill Walker, Guy Hood, Dale Powers... Is anyone going to the Auburn Homecoming game Sep-16? I'm planning on going with my wife, but have not had much luck contacting the Auburn Alumi Band folks.

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

@@alexmccrory Hey Alex. I just saw this. It's October in 2020.I did not go to the alumni game. Never have-never will. Enjoyed my time at Auburn but moved on. Stay in touch.

[@alexmccrory]

@@DennisJohnsonDrummer glad to hear from you and that you are doing well. Now living in Pensacola dodging hurricanes, but the beach is a quick get away as weather permits. I mainly do FB to keep up with folks if you’re into that. I play drums for our church up until COVID. Don’t get back to AU much, but like catching them on TV. Stay safe!

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

@@alexmccrory I think I remember you Alex. Weren't you the transfer from Ga. Tech? Bill lives about 20 minutes from me. He is married with two grown children and he is DR. Walker now. I taught band 35 years and still teach private lessons on all winds and percussion as a retirement gig. Still drum everyday. Stay in touch. WE're not too far from Pensacola but we visit Destin when the tourists are back home up north! Ha!!

[@alexmccrory]

@@DennisJohnsonDrummer I was 1- year in band, being an Architecture student. At 32 years as an Architect with Naval Education and Training Command. I play drums with our church from time to time. Feel free to stop by and catch up if passing through Pensacola.

[@CVsnare]

Yes, this is before kevlar -- when snare drums sounded like snare drums and not kitchen countertops. They were cranked to the max, though!

[@mattfinnish]

ScoJo aged out in '79. He taught the tenors which is why we were so far ahead of the rest of the game that year. Between the five of us in that line (the original Q5), we had 49 years combined experience marching. That kind of experience with Scott out front made for a once-in-a-lifetime tenor line.

[@jademetcalf]

Mike Martin was my tenor instructor in the Marauders, and Keith Higgins taught pit for one season.

[@scv1981]

Tom was fearless. That is a quality in all his drumlines. Forever captured. Thanks for Oakland, Spirit, and BD!!

[@mattfinnish]

I was in both the 81 line and this one. Tom had a real method to cleaning. When we got to Montreal, he set up a meeting room for the line where we met each night before lights-out. On a chalkboard, he had a list of every consistent tic left in the show. He identified a plan for how it would be eliminated: clean it, change it, etc. By the end of the week, there were none left on the board. The few tics made on the field at finals were just human error. (In Miami in '83, that was only 5!)

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

Same when Tom was in Atlanta. In 1980 I think we had maybe 4 ticks in the entire show. Tied for the Sanford but Bridgemen got the trophy with the tie break with G.E. We all know that execution was the real test of the top line. HOW you play what is written-not WHAT is written. Oh well. Memories.

[@terric703]

I doubt you'll see this but this BD show was my first exposure to drum corps and it got me hooked when I was in HS. It basically changed everything for me as a snare drummer. The accelerando in the solo blew my mind.

[@ross1880]

I still have my Tom Float Vic Firth signature sticks.

[@mr.ldiggs7963]

Still the best solo I have ever heard !!

[@CVsnare]

He did the same in 1980 with Spirit the week of finals -- our finals show ended up with only 5 ticks too. So you know all the Spirit guys I marched with who came with Float to BD -- center 5 snares, Jeff Nelson., Guy Hillsman., Nat Barouch., Bob Beck, Mike Wallace -- one tenor, Don Williams, and big bass, Jeff "Red" Griffin. You guys were phenomenal -- but then most of Float's lines were, huh? He's amazing.

[@ttdrums]

To anyone bagging on this line for not playing stuff as difficult as today, you make about as much sense as saying Jesse Owens sucked because he didn't run as fast as Carl Lewis. Everything is constantly evolving. Was Jim Brown a scrub because the NFL now has better athletes compared to when he played? No way. Same applies to this...probably more so. This was the "State of the Art" at the time. Can't directly compare the eras. You can only compare this line to others of its time.

[@michaelmcintosh1569]

The rhythms are soooo open. Love this

[@c_townmtg]

I was lucky enough to be instructed by Tom Float at East Los Angeles College where he was in charge of the drumline for a while. not sure if he is still there, but it was amazing working with him.

[@VoluptuousCO]

I think that's the first time where a timpani player ever really stood out in a marching band video and sounded completely boss

[@multibuddhaneo]

@SomeGuyDrumming When all is said and done,lines like this from the 80s will be MORE remembered than the dancing,squatting,fluffy lines of today.

[@De_Pieremegoggel]

Whatever makes you say that?

[@timjohnshort]

Well written, well played!!!

[@RobbieGreenPerc]

What filipeeno said about float playing on Trashcans. and hes refering to the video of Float playing trashcan jams at Epcot. And personally I can only hope that when I am Tom's age I will have hands like his and be able to perform like he does. . . Werd and respect to Tom and Catherine Both. . .

[@Kubz777]

@homfencing In 1983 we had 7 snares returning from the 1982 line. Dave Campbell, Ben Roberts and myself were the only guys new to the line that year.

[@Potentium_Podcast]

That '83 line was smokin'. Still watch that show to this day.

[@srtyler]

I heard that there was 100 years of drum corps experience in the 83 snare line.

[@NecroQ0801]

its an honor to have him as our drumline instructer at alhambra high school

[@joeyjr858]

PARADOX!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! thanks for posting!

[@vlee88]

BTW, '82 was the year that the Pit section was legalized. Despite the fact that the Blue Devils were one of the corps that advocated for that rule change, note that we were still using marching mallet instruments, simply mounted on homemade stands.

[@OldStudentNS]

OMG!!! When's the last time you have seen a drum line play clean inverts in their book?

[@panhead55]

wow, at 1:04, the sound of the recording, tuning of (old drums), tympani part and great playing of the roll is fantastic. i watched this part over and over again. nice!!

[@franklenz9811]

Rip Tom, big influence.

[@homfencing]

Well yeah...BD's always seemed to have the highest percentage of people aging out with them (I did, but I was a rook-out). it's just still amazing that the quality's stayed high all these years in spite of the turnover rate.

[@garylagstrom3864]

To me Float should have won this year and 87 and 90 as well. Instead of 4 titles in a row it should have been 6 in a row plus 1990 for Tommy!

[@michaelmcintosh1569]

Gorgeous

[@CVsnare]

It's a 36 inch. I marched with the guy carrying it the two years before this when he played the big bass in Spirit of Atlanta. He could WAIL on that thing -- knock you back a step or two when he really leaned into it.

[@ross1880]

I was in BD C corp in 82, the snare drummer on the left with the trucker hat was my drum instructor in 85. Half of these people probably stayed at our house during the summer between tours.

[@vlee88]

GreenCowboy, my mom thanks you, because I'm the xylophone player on the left (I still have that t-shirt, but I got rid of the dark glasses and long hair). Yes, Tom Weiske's timps are facing backwards for rehearsal only. That was the last 12-person snare line that I know of. There was a lot of rivalry between our drumline and Bridgemen's, but as BradHalls points out, jumping from 9th to 3rd in drums was a good enough accomplishment for one year, coupled with the overall championship.

[@drumguru718]

holy shit that accel was amazing

[@RobbieGreenPerc]

I have an immense amount of respect for Float, but that's funny.

[@homfencing]

Ahhhh....the Glen Crosby mullet at 0:25....;ourse it was the 80s....a lot of us had them! Hey, Wieske...is that Zoomie, the far right tenor? Kinda looks like him. I also recognize Kelly "the Chick who doesn't Tick" Houpt on the left end...and Dave Campbell 4th from left....i THINK he came to BD from 27th before his brother Steve did. Dan Milina 3rd from left??

[@homfencing]

@ Frielegos...strange seeing him as a young man, huh? Weird...in checking out the alum roster, the snare line had almost a complete turnover of people from 82 to 84...only Dan Milina was constant...and only 2 guys from the 83 snare line (Milina and Dave Campbell) were in the 84 line...looks like the most retention was 4 people from 84 to 85...and yet in spite on all that turnover, they won drums 4 times in a row...amazing.

[@cajonezzz]

My gawd... can someone dup this vid for me??? Im on the end ( not in pic) of the snareline.... good ole days. viva la accellarando. craig z

[@InnerBeatDrumSchool]

Well put! Also, the drum solos were DRUM SOLOS. If you listen and watch the whole shows back then, the perc features had nothing to do with the rest of the show. I was just a kid back in those days so I loved it that way...and it made it easier to learn the parts from the video. I would only watch the drum solos!

[@IceArmy_Life]

I came form 2023 still watching

[@jmc647]

front ensemble is off da hook!!!!

[@tsan3796]

Interesting to see drum tech in early 80s and how pit grew over these years

[@Chickboom34]

Awesome!

[@1990bluedevilDG]

ah, gotchya. the man still shreds, he is ageless, I just saw him last week.. word!

[@prodigydrummer]

Has anyone else noticed the size of the basses back in the day?

[@EricPeelMusic]

I'm 5'6" playing the 28" bottom bass with Cascades. It's even small for today, but at least it will LOOK big one me lol

[@pyrvinny]

@12345timm The answer would be Ludwig. Ludwig came to our rescue in 1985 after the food truck carrying all the drums caught fire.

[@JabCrossHook27]

This comment beginning 'Ludwig' and ending 'fire' so well represents ol' school drum corp.

[@Inspadave]

Actually the blindfolds came in '83. If there was a line in '82 that "should have won" (and there isn't) it was SCV.

[@Olorotyrant]

A standing timpanist impressive👏🏾👏🏾

[@rene1OOO3]

As the line years back up into the early 90s, the drums seem to get higher, and higher, and higher. Can't play with my drum to my stomach worth a crap lol.

[@woodsman335]

Hi Dennis. Greg Adamson (Airhead) from 1982 Southwind. Glad to see you're still out there doing your thing.

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

Just saw this. Oct. 2020-Keep in touch. Dennis

[@Dolandinger]

:33-:38 the 3rd snare from the left gradually brings his left elbow farther and farther out. good stuff.

[@ironsidemedia]

yep, his name is Mike Frie pronounced free

[@fnloud]

@homfencing I think a part of that might be that a lot of people switch to BD their last year in a hope of getting a ring. That helps bring in a lot of experienced, talented members.

[@Yimmies]

i know it was from 1982, but i would like to know what type of toaster you used to film this?

[@SweetWilly013]

So retro...I would not expect to find this on youtube. Amazing that it is though. This is before kevlar snare heads isn't it?

[@longfade]

Yeah, he's in there - end tenor next to Snare Line - rocking the beard.

[@funkywhite]

@pyrvinny I remember a buddy of mine in Sky Ryders telling me they loaned BD their drums for their show until the Ludwig drums arrived!

[@freakin1random]

@GreenCowboy tom is teaching my highschool right now. He's an awesome guy.

[@Iliketoboard]

Why did they only have 12 snares?

[@ikshields]

Remo chrome/white dots, I believe (judging by higher-angle views I've seen on other vids). Same stuff my band used in high school at that time, and a lot still do!

[@avenged7xguitar]

Fuck, 12 snares. and that bottom bass.... huge.

[@ironsidemedia]

yep

[@modestohomeboy]

@SomeGuyDrumming I disagree. the meters are more complex and marching for way harder, but everybody seems to be playing Alt of accented 16th note and triplet rolls Today.

[@panhead55]

12 snares, thats cool!

[@gtrocksyosocks]

Daaaaaang. How times have changed. Giant basses, trucker caps, mylar heads, and tube socks. Hmm. Still really cool seeing this, however.

[@tjwieske27]

12 snares

[@HNIC94]

Timp prolly facing the other way for rehearsal sake. I dunno BHalls, were you there in '82? If not then better let the old cats say. Bridgemen was pretty stellar those years I've heard (videos do not do DCI justice. I watched em for years and when I first saw a drum corp up close, live I was shocked at the clarity- 1991 BD, in the lot made me go home and practice for the rest of my life!)

[@prodigydrummer]

Yea the tonals were very low when you pay attention to them.

[@RobbieGreenPerc]

you guys wore jock straps? WOW! (J/K and I agree about the playing)

[@ironsidemedia]

lol at 0:37 the guy on their right, (our left) in the black and white striped shirt is my dad!

[@bc82sop42]

So Mike is your Dad? What a wonderful guy he is and such a talent!

[@vivendonolimete]

with ludwig snare this is cool!!!

[@1990bluedevilDG]

BTW he jams at Disneyland in Cal......

[@Allison_Chaynes]

Drum line all look 45 years old.

[@insanejin226]

why is the timpani facing the other way?

[@12345timm]

wat kind of snares were they using?

[@samsignorelli]

Ludwig....didn't go Yamaha until after the battery burned in the fire on tour (so likely these very drums).

[@jmc647]

@fluxcapga1 i agree

[@poopmcdoopdoop]

@RandomHero486 No, that's just Tom Float's genius writing :P

[@avenged7xguitar]

@prodigydrummer You?

[@SweetWilly013]

What is that 11 snares? I'm too lazy to count. :P

[@ikshields]

Hey, the Bridgemen did a LOT more than a shuck n'jive in those billfolds, pal! lol!!

[@DEMAcracy]

holy shit look how big the bass drums are. bottom bass = my fucking back is gonna break

[@prodigydrummer]

@avenged7xguitar t'hahaha who you tellin?

[@1990bluedevilDG]

????????

[@SomeGuyDrumming]

@braproductions drums today are alot tighter= play faster more complex beats

[@firestation211]

Clinic for new school....listen up !! This is how its done !!

[@ikshields]

Not that old, kid. Watch how fast your next 20 goes by, and you'll see. To me, 1982 is like last week. Still getting over breaking up with my gf that year to go to college, in fact.... lol....

[@longfade]

I LOVE the absolute lack of hype in this era of drum corps. All the high sticking dancing "Stomp" overselling recently just makes me want to vomit. These cats are serious.

[@DennisManciniChannel]

Nice to see my old next door neighbor Tom Wieskie on tymps.

[@ironsidemedia]

sorry our right, their left

[@annihil8ted993]

married now?

[@isiah1977]

Is ScoJo in this line?

[@jfringemusic291]

Scojo was the Q5 tenor line technician for 3 years. We really pushed the boundaries and Scott knew how to take us there!

[@ikshields]

Hey don't be raggin' on our swanky polos now! lol....

[@Filipeeno]

Okay... and this is why he now drums on trashcans... mmhmm... LOL! ;-)

[@jcoopa123]

oh my god...haha

[@ikshields]

Yes. College brought the answer to losing the high school gf, and it was a good answer. :)

[@braproductions]

great stuff, but you can really tell how much harder todays music is

[@petertaydus6330]

obviously a toaster from the great depression. really? it's 1982. get out.

[@bdjazz67]

I have to agree with Drumman50 and his comment that 'everyone sounds the same.' This is why I've lost interest in drum corps, the music sucks these days.

[@johns3106]

Where are all the young kids using this crappy recording as "proof" that drum lines were dirtier back in the day!? HA!

[@1990bluedevilDG]

whats funny?