Many years ago, there was a drum corps called the Velvet Knights out of the Anaheim area (you can see them perform here). VK, as this corps was known, had extremely entertaining shows that defined convention. They disappeared in the late 1990s, and their sense of humor was sorely missed. A quasi-similar corps started from the ashes of VK called Impulse, but they were never quite the same.
Today, I received a mailing from DCI about new corps cleared for this year. Guess who I was pleasantly surprised to see… a corps called VK of Pasadena. It appears that some VK alumni have restarted the corps, and they have qualified as a Division III corps for this year. I wish them success; it will be great to have them back. I’ll just have to remember to bring an inflatable beach ball to the finals in Pasadena (we’re going to the final show, but I don’t know if VK will make it in).
(If you’re curious why we’re into corps… my wife marched when she was young with a youth band that thought it was a corps… and often scored higher! If you don’t know what drum and bugle corps are, you can either read this entry, or imagine taking 120 kids, dividing them equally into brass, percussion, and flags (ok, put 20 or so in the pit with bells and such)…. and putting them out on the field in competition with each other for precision, musical quality, and showmanship. Quite a lot of fun!)
