Occasional Musings by Kevin Russell
July 25, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – Burlington International Airport (BTV), Vermont This has been a musical morning. Rising at a reasonable hour to catch a 10:10 a.m. flight to Nashville, I set my streaming service to a tribute to Chick Corea by Hubert Laws and other great jazz musicians. On the one-hour trip to BTV, I heeded the music that came into my head, … Continue Reading →
July 2, 2024 – Mason Ohio 8:00 am Today is a show day. This will be my final show of the Midwest Tour. Tonight, the Bluecoats are here to shake things up in their backyard. Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, and Phantom Regiment will be here to duke it out with them. Some in our group predict a shake-up at the top of the rankings. … Continue Reading →
June 30, 2024 – Chicago, Illinois I am whiling time away at the car rental complex at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, waiting for friends to arrive from afar. I just dropped off the rental that served me well on my two-state tour of Michigan and Indiana. Leaving Michigan Dunes, I headed westerly around the southern shore of Lake Michigan into the concrete jungle … Continue Reading →
June 29, 2024 – Muncie, Indiana There is one thing that I have come to equate with the State of Indiana: youth music education. When a drum and bugle corps competition comes to town, all eyes are fixed, and ears are perked. Six World Class Drum Corps International (DCI) drum and bugle corps competed last night at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The … Continue Reading →
June 28, 2024 – 9:00 am – Steuben County, Indiana I am back in Indiana at a rest area on I-69. I am en route to Muncie for the second in my Midwest DCI series. It’s time to update you on my travels and sleeping accommodations last night at an undisclosed location in southern Michigan. Let’s just say that those who were permanently encamped … Continue Reading →
June 25, 2024 – Western Michigan The stalwart maple tree is my friend, keeping me cool under the shade of its spreading limbs. It is another sweltering summer day in the Midwest. I am at the high school in Jenison, Michigan, a bedroom community in Grand Rapids. The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps is in residence rehearsing for the Midwest Drum Corps International … Continue Reading →
June 1, 2024 2:00 pm I’m sitting in the shade in a comfortable Adirondack chair at Castleton University in Vermont. In front of me are 24 Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps trumpeters. It is after lunch, and brass instructor Steve is leading the trumpets through a series of warmups. The tubas, baritones, and mellophones are in other locations across the campus but can … Continue Reading →
June 9, 2024, Along the Mill Brook The skis have long been put away. The leaves have returned on the trees along the Mill Brook, and the school year is coming to a close. This is a time of year filled with anticipation as I await the return of Drum Corps International (DCI) junior drum and bugle corps competitions. Planning my tour for 2024 … Continue Reading →