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.
Damn right, this is when Drum Corps was Drum Corps, these days it's been feminized...nothing but weenies dancing around like a bunch of pooftahs. Scott Johnson must have married a feminazi.
@ 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.
@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.
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.
@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.
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??
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!!
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.
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!)
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.
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.
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!
Yea I really loved the sound when we played. The drum instructor even made my outside head really loose so it would vibrate & thunder, so to speek.They sounded so cool. it didn't matter what corps it was almost eveyone had the deep toned bass drums it made everything sound stronger in the drumline.
@braproductions eh. true. but i haven't heard many lines do an organized accelerando like that, and executed it at that level in a long ass time. Sure lines have done it, but it was an easier part. these fuckers did a TOUGH accelerando.
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.
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. . .
@Filipeeno I can't tell for sure, but are you making fun of Tom Float? The guy's a pioneer. A legitimate cornerstone of everything going on today. And he gets a paycheck for playing rudiments. I mean, maybe you're getting a paycheck for something even more awesome than that (porn?), but if you're not, maybe consider what a day of "work" would be like for him, versus a day in the typical workplace.
I played with several of these guys in Tom's 1980 line in Atlanta. When Tom left Atlanta, anyone who didn't age out went to the west coast with him. Spirit in Devil's uniforms that year for the most part. Today's lines have no personality. Everyone sounds the same and the drums DO NOT sound like drums.(and don't get me started on the lack of chops. They think a paradiddle-diddle played fast is kickin'. Give me a big old break!
hey, i marched in a float line as well, but i highly disagree with you about there are no chops today. shit, top 5 lines in the early 80's wouldnt even make top 12 in today's rankings...and no, they do not play simple books...however i do miss having a 36 inch bass on the bottom for those helluva kicks!
I'm the guy on the far right in the "pit" playing marching vibraphone mounted on a make-shift cymbal stand. Check out the mallets playing unison six's with the frontline. Awesome!
This belongs in the drum corp hall of fame. I think all drummers know about this line, including ones that would not be around for another 10 - 20 years later.
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.
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.
Thanks so much for posting these Pat. Brings back some of the best memories of my life. SJ Raiders 83, Cal Don's 84, BD 85-90. Hope to see you at the Rose Bowl.
Yeah, I was there. :-) Bridgemen were great and all, but IMHO it was a two-horse race that year (between BD & SCV). These guys suffered from the fact that BD had placed 9th in drums the year before. Too bad, because this line was awesome!
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!)
Daaaaaang. That's some pretty impressive mallet work!!
shooster11 4 months ago
i know it was from 1982, but i would like to know what type of toaster you used to film this?
itachimercenary15 4 months ago
Hey what do you know, when DCI lines had music that complimented the music and made musical sense.
RandomHero486 4 months ago
@RandomHero486 No, that's just Tom Float's genius writing :P
poopmcdoopdoop 3 months ago
Daaaaaang. How times have changed. Giant basses, trucker caps, mylar heads, and tube socks. Hmm. Still really cool seeing this, however.
gtrocksyosocks 5 months ago
I think that's the first time where a timpani player ever really stood out in a marching band video and sounded completely boss
PROtheJOHNis 5 months ago
with ludwig snare this is cool!!!
vivendonolimete 8 months ago
Fuck, 12 snares. and that bottom bass.... huge.
avenged7xguitar 9 months ago
front ensemble is off da hook!!!!
jmc647 1 year ago
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holy shit look how big the basses are.
bottom bass = my fucking back is gonna break
DEMAcracy 1 year ago
holy shit look how big the bass drums are.
bottom bass = my fucking back is gonna break
DEMAcracy 1 year ago
"Okay kids, let's learn how to count!" "There are.. One, Two, Three, Four.. Five... Six...... Fuck, i can't count all of the snares!"
cddrummer96 1 year ago
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.
ttdrums 1 year ago
those tenors are dang freakin' shallow
Alfawolph23 1 year ago
@DrmrGuy1979 yeah, but damn were they clean!
adamsfall 1 year ago
that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up
yungpolo99 1 year ago
Damn right, this is when Drum Corps was Drum Corps, these days it's been feminized...nothing but weenies dancing around like a bunch of pooftahs. Scott Johnson must have married a feminazi.
burtenheimer 1 year ago
@burtenheimer you're retarded.
Tenorsarefun 1 year ago
Clinic for new school....listen up !! This is how its done !!
firestation211 1 year ago
oh my god...haha
jcoopa123 2 years ago
wat kind of snares were they using?
12345timm 2 years ago
@12345timm
The answer would be Ludwig.
Ludwig came to our rescue in 1985 after the food truck carrying all the drums caught fire.
pyrvinny 1 year ago
@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!
funkywhite 8 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
the pit always ruins the hard work and balls of the battery.
imo, save that gay shit for the concert band.
if you can't make battery, don't play
fluxcapga1 2 years ago
@fluxcapga1 i agree
jmc647 1 year ago
@fluxcapga1 Hahaha, you obviously didn't watch the Cavvies Samurai show.
The pit made that show.
CrazyShuba 1 year ago
@CrazyShuba Taiko drums ftw!
treefalse 1 year ago
Mike Martin is somewhere on that Tenor Line I think. He hasn't been skinny since 1989 though, so it's hard to tell.
stevenjamesburks 2 years ago
Yeah, he's in there - end tenor next to Snare Line - rocking the beard.
longfade 2 years ago
where is sco joe.....
igknightus 2 years ago
lol at 0:37 the guy on their right, (our left) in the black and white striped shirt is my dad!
FrieLegos 2 years ago
@ 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.
homfencing 2 years ago
yep
FrieLegos 2 years ago
@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.
fnloud 2 years ago
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.
homfencing 2 years ago
@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.
Kubz777 2 years ago
sorry our right, their left
FrieLegos 2 years ago
nice
lilrev718 2 years ago
yep, his name is Mike Frie pronounced free
FrieLegos 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
back in the day...
cflynndrummer 2 years ago
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.
rene1OOO3 2 years ago 2
What is that 11 snares? I'm too lazy to count. :P
SweetWilly013 2 years ago
12 snares
tjwieske27 2 years ago
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Nice! Thanks for posting Patrick.
rhythmtraders 2 years ago
holy shit that accel was amazing
drumguru718 2 years ago
That accel at 1:04 is nuts!!
Mikelikes2rock 2 years ago
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!!
panhead55 2 years ago
holy.
shit.
old.
drummerdude9944 2 years ago
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....
ikshields 2 years ago
well, compared to now.
i mean, when would you see anyone with any corps with a polo shirt on the field? lol
drummerdude9944 2 years ago
Hey don't be raggin' on our swanky polos now! lol....
ikshields 2 years ago
haha just sayin...
drummerdude9944 2 years ago
married now?
annihil8ted 2 years ago
Yes. College brought the answer to losing the high school gf, and it was a good answer. :)
ikshields 2 years ago 2
ya shoulda won drums 82. just cause Bridgemen did the shuck n jive dance n the blindfolds. What a load of crap.
cpbanddirector 2 years ago
Actually the blindfolds came in '83. If there was a line in '82 that "should have won" (and there isn't) it was SCV.
Inspadave 2 years ago
Hey, the Bridgemen did a LOT more than a shuck n'jive in those billfolds, pal!
lol!!
ikshields 2 years ago
Is ScoJo in this line?
isiah1977 2 years ago
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.
mattfinnish 2 years ago
Amazing Float Line. Credit goes to everyone for the hard work, and dedication to this one of many historical lines.
welder04 2 years ago
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!)
mattfinnish 3 years ago
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.
CVsnare 3 years ago
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?
SweetWilly013 3 years ago
Yes, this is before kevlar -- when snare drums sounded like snare drums and not kitchen countertops. They were cranked to the max, though!
CVsnare 3 years ago
LOL, funny but true!
jadebrew 2 years ago
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!
ikshields 2 years ago
hehe the harnesses look funny,
did i spell that right haha,
crazy stuff though,....
nhg234 3 years ago
13 snares.... dear God
drumiestdrummer 3 years ago
at first when i saw the bassline, i thought "why is third bass in front?"
and then on and on
lol
zerowasp 3 years ago 2
ROFL look at bass 5
ilobez 3 years ago
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.
CVsnare 3 years ago
:33-:38 the 3rd snare from the left gradually brings his left elbow farther and farther out.
good stuff.
cheezmuqnkie 3 years ago
Comment removed
prodigydrummer 3 years ago
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!
InnerBeatDrumSchool 3 years ago
@prodigydrummer Go hard or ho home.
avenged7xguitar 9 months ago
@avenged7xguitar t'hahaha who you tellin?
prodigydrummer 9 months ago
@prodigydrummer You?
avenged7xguitar 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@avenged7xguitar and why are you telling me?
prodigydrummer 9 months ago
Has anyone else noticed the size of the basses back in the day?
prodigydrummer 3 years ago
Yea I Marched The big bass in 1981-83 with the Troopers 36" drum head it was huge & heavy
glwaits 3 years ago
Corection it was 42" not 36" 36 was number 3 or 4
glwaits 3 years ago
Yea the tonals were very low when you pay attention to them.
prodigydrummer 3 years ago
Yea I really loved the sound when we played. The drum instructor even made my outside head really loose so it would vibrate & thunder, so to speek.They sounded so cool. it didn't matter what corps it was almost eveyone had the deep toned bass drums it made everything sound stronger in the drumline.
glwaits 3 years ago
12 snares, thats cool!
panhead55 3 years ago
They teach in alhambra now at my high school. Its great learning from them. Too bad not every1 seem to appreciate every minute we have with them.
Clarinet927 3 years ago
great stuff, but you can really tell how much harder todays music is
braproductions 3 years ago 4
More difficult...but less musical.
johnkirk4 3 years ago
@braproductions eh. true. but i haven't heard many lines do an organized accelerando like that, and executed it at that level in a long ass time. Sure lines have done it, but it was an easier part. these fuckers did a TOUGH accelerando.
AlexMartin011 5 months ago
@braproductions drums today are alot tighter= play faster more complex beats
SomeGuyDrumming 5 months ago
@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.
multibuddhaneo 5 months ago
i'm currently taking lessons from Tom, and damn hes one of the chillest guys ever. i'm so honored to take lessons from him.
dDrRaGeX 4 years ago
...and lucky lol =]
MadCoSnareLine 3 years ago
I saw Tom Float several weeks ago out in California, and he is definitely a Drum God
drumlinefreak92 4 years ago 5
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.
bdjazz67 4 years ago
Okay... and this is why he now drums on trashcans... mmhmm... LOL! ;-)
Filipeeno 4 years ago
I have an immense amount of respect for Float, but that's funny.
GreenCowboy 4 years ago
whats funny?
1990bluedevilDG 4 years ago
????????
1990bluedevilDG 4 years ago
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. . .
GreenCowboy 4 years ago
ah, gotchya. the man still shreds, he is ageless, I just saw him last week..
word!
1990bluedevilDG 4 years ago
BTW he jams at Disneyland in Cal......
1990bluedevilDG 4 years ago
@GreenCowboy tom is teaching my highschool right now. He's an awesome guy.
freakin1random 1 year ago
@Filipeeno I can't tell for sure, but are you making fun of Tom Float? The guy's a pioneer. A legitimate cornerstone of everything going on today. And he gets a paycheck for playing rudiments. I mean, maybe you're getting a paycheck for something even more awesome than that (porn?), but if you're not, maybe consider what a day of "work" would be like for him, versus a day in the typical workplace.
RCRhythm 6 months ago
I played with several of these guys in Tom's 1980 line in Atlanta. When Tom left Atlanta, anyone who didn't age out went to the west coast with him. Spirit in Devil's uniforms that year for the most part. Today's lines have no personality. Everyone sounds the same and the drums DO NOT sound like drums.(and don't get me started on the lack of chops. They think a paradiddle-diddle played fast is kickin'. Give me a big old break!
drumman50 4 years ago
hey, i marched in a float line as well, but i highly disagree with you about there are no chops today. shit, top 5 lines in the early 80's wouldnt even make top 12 in today's rankings...and no, they do not play simple books...however i do miss having a 36 inch bass on the bottom for those helluva kicks!
imdkman 4 years ago
What line was that Jess... I mean, Imdkman
coatssnare 4 years ago
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
reeldeelpeel 3 years ago
The quality art of teaching percussion =
"Floatism"
Tom Float is a Drum God =)
PitSitter 4 years ago
I'm the guy on the far right in the "pit" playing marching vibraphone mounted on a make-shift cymbal stand. Check out the mallets playing unison six's with the frontline. Awesome!
82bdmember 4 years ago
Tom was fearless. That is a quality in all his drumlines. Forever captured. Thanks for Oakland, Spirit, and BD!!
scv1981 4 years ago
Whem did the quads first come out?
Biggie1231 4 years ago
This belongs in the drum corp hall of fame. I think all drummers know about this line, including ones that would not be around for another 10 - 20 years later.
fsmsg 4 years ago
PARADOX!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!
thanks for posting!
joeyjr858 4 years ago
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
cajonezzz 4 years ago
Wow, great job drummers! Excellent chops. Thanks for the post.
TimKGrimes 4 years ago
I was born this year. That freaking rocks. Go Old School.
JPena82 4 years ago
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.
vlee88 4 years ago
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.
vlee88 4 years ago
Thanks so much for posting these Pat. Brings back some of the best memories of my life. SJ Raiders 83, Cal Don's 84, BD 85-90. Hope to see you at the Rose Bowl.
bddm90 4 years ago
Float will always be the man!!!! Back in the day it was just about playing the notes. Today's drummers couldn't hold these guys jock straps.
rbass15299 4 years ago
you guys wore jock straps? WOW! (J/K and I agree about the playing)
GreenCowboy 4 years ago
Yeah, I was there. :-) Bridgemen were great and all, but IMHO it was a two-horse race that year (between BD & SCV). These guys suffered from the fact that BD had placed 9th in drums the year before. Too bad, because this line was awesome!
BradHalls 4 years ago
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!)
HNIC94 4 years ago
This line should have won drums in 1982, no doubt!
BradHalls 4 years ago
why is the timpani facing the other way?
insanejin226 4 years ago
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.
longfade 4 years ago