I hope you're both coming down to Valhalla then. Chances are that Ryan and the Bacongs aren't going much farther than that, haha. Mira Mesa should really host their own solo comp, that'd be fun.

Talk to your director, I would love to see more competitions in the San Diego area

I'll talk to Mr. Dally during spring semester, but it's only his first year as director, and I don't wanna put too much on his plate. Maybe next year!

Naaah she's not kidding I CAN BE WEIRD AT TIMES.... fine at ALL times... so yeah it should be fun and I think having a competition over at Mira Mesa doesnt sound bad at all

Well, what a surprise to see me mentioned a couple of times on this board, in this thread after all these years! (OCDM: who are you!?) I'm "the artist formerly known as Larry Martin".

I have some wonderful memories of the DM and MB scene in SoCal from the early-mid 70s. My DM role models were the amazing Tim Heron and Bob Grindrod from Loara, and Dwight Shepherd from Glendora. My best buddy as a DM colleague was the incredible Bob Naeve from La Canada. Competitive highlights for me were: 1st at the San Diego Autumn Band Review, 4th at Santa Monica, tie for 4th at All Western, 1st at an L-pattern at Mayfair HS, 2nd at Arroyo. The Arroyo L-pattern was memorable because my best friend Bob Naeve won with a 99.0 and I was second with 98.5. Third was a 91, as I recall. The judge was a wonderful guy named Ron, who walked up to me before the awards and said, "Really great job! I gave you a 98.5." I thought that I won, of course!

All Western was my best parade performance, by far. All of the top 5 places were within 2 points. The guy from Loara who got 5th is now the choral conductor at Golden West College, and we ran into each other recently. Kippy Wooten from Villa Park won, and she kind of came out of nowhere. She was later the band director at Chino, and is now an attorney in Orange County, last I heard. Brian Fox was one of my main teachers, and is a dear friend. After Vista High, I didn't do college marching band because I needed to concentrate on my horn and on conducting, which has always been my first love. I did teach all of the camps of the day (Redlands/Cal State Long Beach, Hibbards, USA) for several years, and a lot of judging for Tom Peacock (also a dear friend back then), Hibbard, and SCSBOA. I taught HS band/orchestra for about 7 years (including Arroyo), and moved to the college level. I did the Pasadena City College/TofR Band for a year, where I failed miserably! (Ryan Turner was my WONDERFUL DM there) The Band did OK, but I didn't like the department, and they didn't like me. The person who replaced me, the gifted Jim Arnwine who is now the Dean there, was kind recently to say that I just "ran into a political buzzsaw". Jim remains a great friend. Since Pasadena, I left the MB world and concentrated on conducting, and today I'm the wind ensemble conductor/Chair of the Performing Arts Division at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. My career has been wonderful to me.

At Vista High, the DM's role was always for the band first, DM comps second. The band program was SO good then, and the DM leadership was great training for my future as a conductor/teacher.

I hope that my DM colleagues from those days are doing well: Conrad Lucero, Fred DiLuzio, Pat Briney, et al. Bob Naeve and I are no longer in touch. He is a lawyer in Orange County, like Kippy. I think of DM students that I taught/helped to teach quite often: Rusty Givens, Bob Suh, Kevin Brown...so many more.

If anyone from that eara is still around, please feel free to contact me; jennconducts@mac.com. Thanks for letting me share those old memories!
Jenn Martin

Oooooo.....as long as we're going back in time......there are 3 guys that come to mind after all these years.

The very first Tom Peacock Competition was held in 1975 at Eldorado HS and Mace Masters was won by a gentleman named Max Nardoni from Santa Monica HS, who then went on to win State Comp at Arroyo the same year. During an era of shaft-snapping and chain-rattling precision, Max pioneered a flowing and seamless florishing style which has been developed into the jaw dropping art form we see today.

There was also a young man named Edwin Fuller from Bonita Vista HS who, I believe, won in mace at All Western in 77'. In full kit and feather bonnet, Ed was the only mace DM executing quad and quint tosses. Unheard of back then!

Roger Mossman, Arroyo HS, 1975/76. Not only did he look like a Palace Guard recruiting poster, he had vocal commands that could be heard a quarter mile away. Scared Hell out of the spectators!

Billy Jackson was also amazing. He was a 6'4 black guy, who had a smooth regal style. He was DM for John Glenn H.S and the Norwalk All-City Youth Band at the same time from 1995-1997, then went on to drum major for the Long Beach Jr. Concert Band from 1997-2001 or so. At USA drum major camp he recieved a "Superior Plaque" 3 yrs straight! Does anyone remember this guy?

A large amount of John Glenn Drum Majors aren't know much outside of the community, simply because they didn't do many L patterns, and didn't really compete at the bigger so-cal reviews like arcadia and what not.