DrumLine Battle: Crossmen vs Jersey Surf

The Crossmen and Jersey Surf squared off in San Antonio. Which Drumline do you think should have won?
Filmed July 20th, 2013

[@gavbot]

Hey guys, tall crossmen snare drummer standing next to center here, and we appreciate all the awesome comments! Please understand both organizations were way under pressure to do this. DCI did not give us proper time to prepare, and if any of you march DCI, than you know you spend your time practicing what's important. Please know that both organizations worked hard, speaking from marching Crossmen the past few years

[@lorilxn1597]

I'm 57 now and I really miss drum corps. Went to DCI for many years. Drum Corps is so great for teenagers. I was in Emerald Knights from Cedar Rapids Iowa

[@lorilxn1597]

I'm so happy you guys won 🏆

[@jasenswalley3985]

@@lorilxn1597 42 and was in Nite Express. :)

[@lorilxn1597]

@@jasenswalley3985 that's awesome, I obviously was too old to be in Nite Express. I remember hearing about them. They brought back Tournament of Drums too, of the Emerald Knights and Nite Express alumni have a group going for exhibition.

[@tatusko]

Crossmen. Cleaner and more complicated figures. No brainer.

[@arielsuave]

+Andrew Tatusko I agree! More fluent body formations and movement too in their first passage. Was surprised of result!

[@relicleader]

+Andrew Tatusko Agreed.

[@borderlander2260]

+Andrew Tatusko more so they were in sych the whole time Jersey was out of step with each other if you noticed that.

[@sadietrigg2850]

+Andrew Tatusko Absolutely no contest. Jersey Serf were physically out of sync with each other and had terrible form. Crossmen were crisp, focused, incredibly technically sound, and their rhythms were simply more complex. They were absolutely robbed.

[@rudisalvarez9941]

tomagapo

[@sjhaas]

Jersey Surf wasn't too bad, but I liked Crossmen much more

[@evilclownattack]

Crossmen sounded like they were playing show music and jersey sounded like they were playing warm ups...

[@Jaysen6740]

Saw the same battle in the GA dome and Surf won there too. I was ticked! I couldn't believe it. Crossmen weren't perfect, but were SOOOOOO much cleaner!

[@Giggles56]

I was disappointed in crossmen, seemed as though they didn't put as much effort in their playing. Clean style don't win the challenge, it also the playing and choreography effort. Crossmen put too much effort in dress and not enough in choreography.

[@kerryward6896]

even though the crossmen from san antonio lost they still represented our great state of TEXAS very well ! better luck in the future guys !

[@Grahamster00]

+Kerry Ward I know neither lines, but coming from a drumline myself, I believe the crossmen outplayed (and quite frankly outclassed) the Jersey Surf. I thought the Surf were playing warm up drills at first. Also, Surf dropped their sticks after playing? No manners whatsoever. But that's just my opinon

[@kerryward6896]

i like the way you think ! thanks or the comment !

[@goldenboy551]

+Kreate , I agree

[@chloemartinez4128]

true

[@kerryward6896]

thanks

[@brandonpryormusic]

I remember when drumlines used to play cool cadences with grooves. R.I.P. Latin Lover & Doublebeat

[@alaninnh]

Congrats Surf. I love you guys and am happy to see you found some judges who realize how good you are.

[@mrcal18]

Nah. I think The Crossmen won this one. Cleaner, more articulate...

[@dakers2052]

It was my pleasure to watch Crossman perform at the Seattle Summer Music Games (a DCI sponsored event) for the first time live. A fantastic performance, polished, great sounds and visuals. Look forward to their return to the Pacific Northwest in the future (hopefully, not every 7 years, which seems to be the case).

[@brown55061]

Silly me I thought we could just look at the scores at semifinals and determine which drum lines were cleaner.

[@arthurvoigt444]

NJ's uniforms were designed by someone on LSD.

[@alexsouth45]

Hahaha

[@justafanintexas7913]

Lake Shore Drive in Chicago?

[@wareagle197155]

A pied piper.

[@terryroper5860]

In 1969.

[@唐辛子オルドノチリ]

I love Crossmen's cymbals! They were beautiful and interesting

[@ryanwest7405]

4:44 girl on left of screen drops cymbal. lol

[@leighmcmillan6282]

YES! argghh!!

[@keklordgrey4522]

that should be at least.... at least a major tick against....

[@jim13904]

Bragging rights goes to BOTH bands in this competition . Lots of work and practice went into the performance . And it would be great to see the names of both bands involved listed in the Credits . Something those young men & woman could keep and show to their grandchildren in the future and say this was me way back when .

[@tracytanniehill8504]

Pic is of the essence and rehab center of lighthouses dumbass f*** you have any questions about ugly sister and your mom and your family I said that a phone call you what's a dumbass beaches I know I'm not you no more the bucket Beach Mall super Mom you ugly man sushi kids

[@marksasahara1115]

Yeah, Crossmen, for sure. Better formation, interesting cymbal work, better playing. It was close, but the Crossmen should've won.

[@TheBritishSensation1]

I think crossmen should have won that battle. They sounded so much better and they look like bad asses with their uniforms

[@billvill61]

Back in the day I was a snare drummer, but for me, it's the medodic basses that kill me. I love how creative the bass parts are. They aren't just a metronome, to me they are the backbone of the piece. Without them, the piece would be empty and boring. Love it! Listen to this without watching it and you'll see what I mean.

[@embrezar]

Dropping your sticks? What is this, Nick Cannon's movie "Drumline?" Come on, guys.

[@DaXXPuniSHeR]

agreed. and im from Jersey. Crossmen are always clean and never dirty. Crossmen won in my book

[@itsyeboiblayt7472]

I was lokey just watching that movie clip lol

[@frankalfar]

Crossmen no contest. Too much robotchicken in Jersey Surf at the end,lol

[@joestreet7567]

embrezar pitch

[@amthunder1]

Crossmen had it!

[@danielmjr2545]

trumkey3 I was in a start up corps here in San Antonio called the Alamo Marksmen and the Crossmen were one of the feature corps in 1980. Back in the day and I still have that program.

[@dakotabritton7531]

hornline battles would be absolutely insane

[@paytonflatt4935]

Seems like jersey surf doesn't seem to care about keeping in step or matching stick heights...

[@viroisonline]

there clearly using aimbot

[@conradebanks2224]

lol

[@rafathama]

They're

[@SilentBob731]

Wow!!! Awesome stuff...truly worthy of the longstanding tradition of tribal percussion originating around Nigeria hundreds (or thousands) of years ago. These guys could be from Africa...they're so good. "'What is your name?" "I Told You It's... "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS !!!"

[@gunks_getaway]

Don't know the results as I'm typing... Crossmen won. Hands down.

[@yungtwiz]

Thomas Gunkler how did that go for you buddy?

[@allypablo007]

Jersey was really good but crossmen were better. Thing is that crossmen's turns were slightly shorter than I thought they should have been.

[@DL-tv9ed]

Crossmen were definetly better...

[@phoenixknits]

True.

[@aaronvogel1268]

they were. but drumline battles are judged on hype

[@keklordgrey4522]

just the beginning of the "woke" movement.... and our eyes were shut......

[@funkywhite]

I thought the JS was decent until the Crossmen began. Oops. Crossmen took it.

[@lifeobserver8079]

OMG, how do you decide???!! Phenomenal!!!

[@brianreid3494]

This is beyond talented

[@piggyz31]

I haven't really seen enough of this drumline battle stuff to judge but imagine Vanguard's drum line against Bluecoats drumline or something like that. That would be a show to watch.

[@sgtrod]

Crossmen won this in my opinion. They’re a legendary drum corp with not only tradition and class but the technical chops and show presentation that places them perennially at or near the top. I was with the 81 SkyRyders. Never heard of this Jersey group and hated the uniforms but they did put on a good performance.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

How did the quad of FOUR toms turn into SIX?? Love those noisy hats! If band stuff wasn't so HIDEOUSLY expensive (and I have three full drum kits) I'd have a whole set of it!

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

uasuka well "quad" pretty much says "four," does it not? There didn't used to be six...:)

[@sergeschout5864]

love them all great show guys and girls!

[@REALjohnmosesbrowning]

On a side note, JS's uniforms are the damn coolest.

[@mpetillo5268]

The Academy, but they are pretty cool

[@joephysics5469]

Just an old tuba player here. The Crossmen had my vote.

[@BlendermanCreations]

I saw quite a bit of upper body movement coming from the tenners while they marked time.

[@marilynoconnell961]

This is very old, very fun to watch though!

[@jms_wttrs9228]

I voted for "top secret" - I could see and hear them from here.

[@seand763]

jms_ wttrs top secret is amazing

[@PoohStickProductions]

Are DCI tounaments ever on TV? And if so approximately when and on what channel?

[@Jazzvibe3071]

Really dig the Surf snare sound. Almost sounds like well tuned mylar...

[@donjohnson7194]

Very talented drummers on both sides

[@sergiobarrera6700]

Being a Crossmen fan, DLB isn't about precision, hard music or any of those technicalities, it's about which line can entertain the crowd more. If you need an example look for the Genesis DLB, now they know how it's supposed to be done(:

[@นายวิษณุหัสเต็ม]

ชื่นชอบ ศิลปะดนตรีแบบนี้ไพเราะอีกแบบ

[@Humansareanimals.]

Great performance both! Wht alwayss have to win someone?

[@ashtonjordan-kn4ic]

They both are very good

[@leviboston-kemple9008]

I marched with the Colts for a summer. I love the crisp clean sound of an American drum corp

[@dads07limo]

...haters are forgetting this is for fun! THIS IS NOT A DCI COMPETITION!!! ..I would bet 99% of the "bashers" wouldn't make Jersey Surf's line! Drumline battle is open to the outside,...talk your talk,..walk the walk!

[@heudithmolina8966]

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought Crossmen should have won.

[@jeremy112898]

How did Jersey Surf beat them??? Were they listening and watching? Crossmen were far cleaner, more intricate and were sharp on all movement!

[@lorilxn1597]

I always loved the Crossmen

[@davidavery7718]

Wow that caught me by surprise. Crossmen were waaayy cleaner than Jersey. And their first round was cooler too. Can't say I understand this judging at all

[@dgpittsburgh]

The funny thing is that I'm pretty sure the staff of Jersey Surf are former (Philadelphia) Crossmen

[@officialjulianscott]

I'm trying out for the drumline

[@christylove7222]

I knew they was going to win that one.

[@krptwo]

Can somebody please share a link of the performance that Jersey Surf did to win this battle because clearly it wasn't what I just watched.

[@diegochavezisntmanam]

at 4:26, the snare from jersey surf closest to the camera, messed up and couldn't find a way back in until the end.

[@Jaysen6740]

Not actually. Watch the whole snare line. That are splitting notes like a bass line would do.

[@diegochavezisntmanam]

his facial expression says something different.

[@Jaysen6740]

Erick Veloz I saw no face made. I think you are just trying to not look like you don't know what you are talking about. Anyone who does know what they are talking about can see they were splitting notes across the snareline. It's pretty obvious when they start on the opposite side and play notes one by one down to his side. Not hard to figure out.

[@diegochavezisntmanam]

alright, whatever you say. I will surrender since this fight is pointless. I still think Crossmen should have won though.

[@Jaysen6740]

Yeah...sorry if I sounded like a jerk. Reading it again I definitely did. I agree, it was all crossmen.

[@jiveturkey3162]

Everyone is saying Crossmen should have won and I agree. But there is something I learned way back in 2003-2004 when I first tried out for YEA (the group that managed/owned the Crossmen and the Cadets). It is all political. Jersey Surf is (was?) a Div II drum corps. It might seem that the Crossmen won because they are Div I and are expected to win. it might make this video feature be more interesting if the Div II's had a fighting chance in them and give it more traction among fans if a Div II beat a Div I. I don't know. In the end, in my limited opinion, this seems political and the actual judgement of either fantastic drumline.

[@thaiguy20fromla]

5:43, most appropriate hat-tipping ever.

[@mytubaiscold1]

Why the horn sounds. Why are they in the background? Guess i dont understand the competition show.

[@jadenmccallum17]

shaquan talbert that's because corps style is more along the lines of badass whereas traditional is meant to have a groove and to be funky.

[@warrior995]

I hope everyone realizes this is literally just to have fun. The stick drop? To have fun and make fun of the movie, definitely. Being actually in the stadium during this battle, I'll let you know that both lines were equally dirty. Obviously, they are tired and just want to get this over with. It's just for fun. This could be a cool thing. I hope they bring it over to the WGI lines, that'd be a cool show.

[@bengemeister]

Crossmen. Jersey played longer, but that dropping their sticks was an insult. No class. Crossmen could have played for 15 seconds and I would choose them. Someone dropped their sticks in my face and it would have been game on. Someone 's teeth would have been ducking my triple flanged steel hoop coming at them.

[@teeg-irl]

+bengemeister Wow band is such serious business

[@FortVusatunell]

+DysnomiaBlue it's fucking intense out there

[@teeg-irl]

Drum corps is the major league of band, you silly goose.

[@teeg-irl]

I'm well aware of what world class is :P

[@casualguy393]

Watch out everyone. We have a badass over here.

[@timomastosalo]

bass sounds up. would mic placement help?

[@Teridactyl]

WHY DID I MISS THIS

[@johnkocher4100]

Cool I almost joined a drum and bugle cour in the 80' s

[@lau211190]

What kind of snares are they using?

[@jamessteven711]

And the winner is..... Drum roll please.....

[@johnnguyen3740]

they both should compete with Top Secret Drum Corp. world top number 1!!!! Top Secret Drum Corp

[@mechmove]

Crossman had tighter and cleaner passages with dynamics. First time I heard of Jersey Surf, they sort of look like the Bayonne Bridgemen....

[@matthewmleal325]

These guys are crazy fast

[@christopherlandrum925]

Jersey all day they had longer playtime but the crossmen had outstanding speed

[@SnareSmurf92]

Good stuff, makes want to dust off my pad and pick up drumming again

[@gooangel2]

I personally would like to watch the Blue Devils vs. Vanguard. I also agree with Mike Seepaso, Then again, I was a drummer. I tend to look more at how they play rather than the show off moves--dropping the sticks at the end was a bit much for me. However SCV just might own it again...The Cadets should not be counted out either.

[@maestrolviv1481]

Grande show !!!!

[@adorakraynik2943]

Cadets vs. BD or SCV. That one would be CLOSE.

[@michaelobrien5910]

The psychedelic leprechauns versus the maltese crossmen. Crossmen by a feather in their hat

[@zRhid]

Crossmen should've won because not only were they cleaner, but their music was harder, more interesting, and more dynamic. Also their tuning was like 6000 times better

[@therbromberg]

I feel like the crossmen are the school in the movies that have all the stuck-up privileged kids and win every year with the same ol' stuff. the jersey surf just got a new exciting teacher that makes them believe and creates a fun new routine with attitude and charisma that gives them a shot at winning. this scene, the final drum battle, is for the championship and the underdog surfs put on the show of a lifetime. not only do they sound better, they stick it to the crossmen...literally.

[@BSBINC1]

That sounds good and yea you have too tho but i like that one

[@aidanwillis6214]

What is the crossmens first thing they played called

[@matthornbuckle5483]

At 5:00 look at them cymbal visuals!!!!

[@Kelnx]

No idea who these guys are but the group in the black cavalry uniforms were easily the best. They had more precision and better timing. The ones that won it were sort of off in their first set. Their second set was good, but not better than the other team.

[@FriendTheGhost]

im sorry what did phantom place in drums? higher than these guys but really they cant talk crap this year

[@WoundedEgo]

Awesome stuff...

[@josoverthehill]

When the most exciting thing about a drum corps is their costumes, they've got problems. Sorry, Jersey Surf; Crossmen by a mile.

[@SophieMia806]

I actually liked Crossmens uniforms better. Jersey's uniforms were too busy for me.

[@ryanreeves1537]

do you even know which corps were which? crossmen didn't move anything but their snareline

[@supahsprinkle2263]

Crossmen had that. They were clean and had much better overall sound

[@AmanPepsi123]

Jersey Surf dropped their sticks at the end. According to the rules of Drumline, if you do that then you automatically win.

[@StrangeSwag]

I knew I recognized the Alamo Dome when I saw it, this should have been held at the AT&T center, much nicer

[@Tusk_III]

Crossmen destroyed them. Unless the recording was skewed... Way too much dirty slop with the Surf. Kiddos to all these drummers either way.

[@dads07limo]

Well said!

[@XxASSASINofWARxX]

lol i thought crossmen easily won this

[@koolaiddman77]

Crossman should have won much tighter crisp sound they were all together I do what the guy is talking about below the basses tenors and snares were unison and honestly after there first hit it was over so in my opinion cross men should have won

[@whatlife4868]

it sounded like surf was playing eights for like the first minute of that.....

[@marioflores2275]

I was there when this happened, Crossmen should've win

[@dickwankeviks4437]

Crossman HANDS DOWN!

[@wilhard45]

It was no Top Secret but Crossmen were quite good.

[@gracie8341]

I keep getting distracted by the guy in the cargo shorts in the beginning of the video, he's practically bouncing behind the 2nd drummer from the right