San Francisco Renegades

Dark City from a marching members perspective.

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor J.) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:13:00 +0000

So Im not sure who really reads this front page, but I figure ill post something new on it for those who thrive on everything Renegades.

Dark city...how do I explain it?

Well as the name says, and Renegades are known for, its definitely a dark show. But you definitly cannot mistake it for any other show we have put on the field. We follow the normal renegades formula of Slammin opener, followed by a Jazz peice, a phenominal ballad that might have you in tears at the end, and a closer thats gaurenteed to make you stand. But all of that is done with some amazing twists and turns that you wont expect, and a level that the corps may have not reached design wise before.

Being in the corps for a few years now as a bass drummer, I have to say that this is easily the hardest show I have marched with the corps. For the drumline this year we have some really cool beats written by Thom and Chris, and there are parts visually that are sending us all over the field.

The new drums are so sweet. Check em out,

Pretty sweet eh?

For me, I got a smaller drum, which felt good on the back during the Pride Parade this past weekend.

So far the bassline is doing pretty good. This is actually the first year the Renegades have had an all Vet bassline, and we're defintly gonna show ya what we can do. The staff has created some nice moments for us to show off, and once it all cleans up its will be great.

The drumline as a whole has definitly stepped it up a few levels. We're pushing hard this year. We're marching 8 Snares, 4 Tenors, 5 Bass, and 5 Cymbals. We have some amazing talent this year, with a great mix of old and new faces. We acquired quite a few friends from our brothers up north of RCR, that went inactive this season. We're glad they're here, and we could give them a place to march. They are definitely fitting right in with no problems!

And the pit...wooo weee. They definitly cannot go without being mentioned. The pit is SOLID this year. By far the best pit I have seen in front (or in this case...the middle) of this corps. Some really strong mallet players are leading the charge, and every rehearsal the corps is more impressed by them. Like with the rest of the drumline, the pit has been given some great moments to shine in the show, and they are not dissapointing.

Well... Thats it for me tonight. Just trying to give everyone a different view of our corps this year, from and insiders persepective. Ill try and take pictures and camps, and post little things here and there.

Thanks all... peace out.

Our New Drums are Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:48:00 +0000

As of 11:30 this morning, Renegades brand new set of Pearl drums have arrived!

This is very exciting, and will be a big boost to the 2008 Renegades drumline (one of our best, ever). Watch for the premier of the new drums at this Sunday's San Francisco Pride Parade!

See you on Market Street,

- Greg

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:52:00 +0000

Stockton, CA Score = 75.00.

Congratulations to all of our corps members on a great opening weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Dark City 2008 -- Scenes from Treasure Island.

Happy Birthday, Greg!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nalls) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:51:00 +0000

Our beloved Corps Director celebrated his birthday at camp.

Elvis has something to say about that!

Return to Treasure Island

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nalls) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:11:00 +0000

This weekend, the corps will be rehearsing at Site X, otherwise known as Treasure Island. We will be putting the final touches on our show in anticipation of our first show on June 21st. We will have our traditional Pot Luck lunch on Saturday, and our first full run of Dark City on Sunday!

We still have a few spots to fill - join us on the island and you too can be part of another great Renegades corps.

Season Debut this Monday - 4 p.m. - Newark, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:25:00 +0000

In order to get a semi-performance in before the June 21st season opening show in Concord, we would love to cordially invite our Friends, Friends and Alumni to attend our camp run through this Monday afternoon, May 26, at 4 p.m.

If you have marched with us before, you know how important it is to have those pre-season "performances" that imitate our "show day performance schedule," and help to shake those pesky pre-show jitters. Besides, it's always more of an adrenaline rush to have someone out there in the audience cheering the corps on - or, as Dugada would say, "make someone in the audience (his) b*tch"!!! :) Plus - the corps is doing great this year!! Very exciting stuff is happening!!

Monday's Run through/Performance Information:

Newark Junior HS
6201 Lafayette Ave,
Newark, CA 94560
http://tinyurl.com/674jso

See you in the bleachers!!!

The History of the Renegades

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nalls) — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Covering the first five years in the life of everyone's favorite Evil Drum Corps, this video features pictures from the earliest days up to just before the corps' first trip to DCA in 2002.

Dark City

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:15:00 +0000

The 2008 San Francisco Renegades are proud to present Dark City, a production that sets the Renegades "character" in the world of the science fiction film noir of the same name written and directed by Alex Proyas. In Dark City, a mysterious race of alien beings called "The Strangers" use psycho kinetic powers to stop time and alter the city's landscape and conduct experiments on unknowing humans.

The concept behind the Renegades show is that the musicians represent the Strangers, and the color guard represents the human citizens of Dark City. As in the film, the Strangers freeze time and change the "reality" three times throughout the show. The Renegades production is not a literal telling of the story from Dark City, but the Renegades paint the emotional landscape of three different realities in Dark City, each of which is preceded by the Strangers freezing time.

Act 1: Dark City - "Prologue to Evil," which may be the most intense Renegades Opener to date, is an original composition by Key Poulan. This piece reflects the beginning of what is to come in the world of Dark City. "Prologue" then morphs into "Metamorphosis," the drum feature written by Thom Shearer and Chris Corriea, which dances around highly driven drum beats, rhythmic writing, diverse timbre, and some highlighted soli sections. Rounding out the day is "Space Shuttle," written by John La Barbera and arranged by Key Poulan. This groovin' little jazz piece allows great interplay of brass and guard and represents daily city life before ... reality changes ...

Act 2: Contention and Sorrow - "At Midnight, Everything Changes" is an original composition by Key Poulan based on the contention of two pivotal characters in Dark City. This contention leads to great sorrow as one of our characters is taken from the City during the rock power ballad, "Dust in the Wind," by Kansas. Haunting melodies and visual nuance will leave the audience emotionally rendered in this epic ballad before ... reality changes ...

Act 3: Revenge and Fortitude - "The Theme from Predator" develops this final act of intense battle and dismay before courageous strength of mind prevails into a celebration of light and rapture, with "Ave Maria."

Within Dark City's framework, towering skyscrapers project long shadows where light interplays between huge swaths of darkness. A deep, thick fog descends upon the streets and narrow alleys. Color guard members move slowly... intently... deliberately... from shadows into the light and back into darkness again. Is it real? Is this my imagination? Is this another dimension? Come join the 2008 Renegades and explore this realm that lies on the edge of reality.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:55:00 +0000

Renegades 2008 - Scenes from the Templeton Camp

March Renegades: Be a Rock Star!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:25:00 +0000

A nearby bachelorette party couldn't help but invite a handsome Renegade over for a photo during our dinner break. We seem to have fans everywhere!

With only a handful of brass and drum spots left for the 2008 summer, it's still not too late to join the party!

Sunday Night Bingo - Up and Calling!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Vanguard Hall ... Bingo & Drum Corps. It's a beautiful thing ...

"PAPER!" Imagine yourself as as a bingo volunteer, strolling down the aisle and calling out a service for the customers.

"CHERRY!" A customer turns his head, but is looking for a different item to purchase.

"FLASH!" A flash customer hears your call and gestures for you to approach her table. After she purchases your last 20 flash cards, you make a dash back to the main desk for a refill. You have just sold your first round of flash cards and realize that you're pretty darn good at this. Volunteering for bingo can actually be fun!

On Sunday night, April 6th, Renegades initiated their very own newly added additional bingo session dedicated to Renegades & NorCal Cheerleading at Vanguard Hall. In partnership with Santa Clara Vanguard, the Renegades & NorCal's bingo session was a complete success.

Darryl Coleman, Renegades Bingo Manager commented, "The turnout was amazing! The lines for the new session started forming almost as soon as we finished the afternoon sessions. It was a truly wonderful sight to see my fellow Renegades in action including: Mike, Amy, Joe, Tiffany, and Sara. They were all supporting this evening along with the wonderful Nor-Cal volunteers. I definitely believe that these evenings are going to be something special, simply because the very first game of the evening was won on the number 7! I look forward to the following weeks when more of my fellow Renegades will be on the bingo floor."

The Renegades Sunday Night session bingo games are held from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. every Sunday evening at the Santa Clara Vanguard Corps Hall.

Come join the fun! Corps members, Alumni, Friends and Family can all help your local Renegades with this ongoing fund raiser. It makes for a greatly satisfying evening while helping the corps out.

To sign up, or for more information, please e-mail: bingo@renegades.org.

-- "Colorguard Al" Yeh

The Lines of Bingo-goers are ready to PLAY BALL!!

Sandra, SCV Bingo Manager

Sara waiting for the action to begin ...

Tiffany throwin' her lucky 7's!

Mike wheelin' & dealin' - flash cards, that is!

Joe flashin' a 20 for some flashes!

Vanguard Hall ... Bingo & Drum Corps. It's a beautiful thing ...

Lucky Number 7!! It's a good day for Drum Corps - I mean - BINGO!!

Darryl is a masta at the mic!

Vanguard Hall ... Bingo & Drum Corps. It's a beautiful thing ...

First Bingo of the Night!
If that's not a sign, I don't know what one is!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Some Evil Photos from Camp.

Renegades announce MAJOR changes for 2008 season!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:54:00 +0000

MAJOR CHANGES AFOOT FOR THE RENEGADES

San Francisco, CA - April 1, 2008 - The San Francisco Renegades (NYSE: SFR) announced today that they have entered into an historic merger with the Blue Devils C Corps.

At the DCA World Championships, the members of BDC will be used to replace members of the Renegades mid-performance. This first-of-its-kind "second stringer" idea came to pass when one Renegades member was unable to finish a runthrough, asking his son to take his place. The idea was such a hit that the Renegades staff decided to go even younger.

"Why not get members who are as young as possible? They have all kinds of energy. Plus, we would score all kids of Cute Points!," corps director Greg Gilman was quoted as saying.

The biggest obstacle has been scheduling rehearsals. because many members of BDC have to be in bed early (and because of California's child labor laws), rehearsals have been moved to 7:30 a.m.

When reached for comment, Renegades President Anne Bragstad mumbled something about frogs being crunchy and then proceeded on to a ten minute diatribe about whether or not Eddie is, in fact, a rat.

ABOUT THE RENEGADES: The Renegades are 7 people and a ham sandwich.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Napa Valley Wine Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Don't know the difference between a Pinot Noir and a Pinot Gris?!?!?

Is your first instinct to reach for the White Zinfandel?!?!?

Does the wine aisle leave you dry-eyed and confused?!?!?

Our very own Wino - Joe Lewis - has set up this awesome fund raising event for us ... a day of food and wine!! Lots of Wine!!!

Did you know Joe has his very own wine tasting website?!?!?

We are very fortunate that he will be sharing his wine expertise with us on this fabulous day of wine tasting and yummies!!!

Here's the Flyer!!! Paper the World!!!

Napa Valley Wine Tour

Hosted by the San Francisco Renegades

Who??
Wine enthusiasts & wine-in-a-box drinkers alike who are interested in traveling to the Napa Valley for a day of wine tasting in a comfortable, air-conditioned, chartered bus! (21 & over, please)

What??
A special wine tasting tour hosted by the San Francisco Renegades Drum & Bugle Corps.
Costs include:

Chartered Bus trip from San Jose - Rutherford
Wine Tasting & Tasting Tips from Joe Lewis
Cheese, Crackers & Pasta on the bus

Visits to:

Niebaum-Coppola Winery
V. Sattui Winery
Silver Oak Winery, and more

When??
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Pick-up: 9 a.m.
Drop-off: 7 p.m.

Where??
Pick-up at the VTA Milpitas Park & Ride Located at 516 Alder Drive in Milpitas - Bus Leaves at 9 a.m.
(Possible 2nd Pick-up in Emeryville)

Why??
For a wonderful day of wine tasting, food, fun and a fantastic fundraiser for the SF Renegades!

How Much??
General Admission Tickets are $75.00 /person ($100 Retail Value)

Deadline: March 25th
Payable via check to:
Renegades Association of California
660 4th Street #237
San Francisco, CA 94107
Or via PayPal:
$75.00 Ticket

For more information, please send an e-mail to: info@renegades.org

See you at the vineyards!!

First Blood is Drawn & Margaritas are Consumed!

noreply@blogger.com (RenegadesPR) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:27:00 +0000

February 23rd, 2008
Chinese New Years' Parade Judging Results

1st Place – SF Renegades Drum & Bugle Corps
2nd Place – Troop 12 Drum & Bugle Corps

In an urban nightscape of darkness, rain, cheering crowds, floodlights,
shadows and aided by traveling mercenaries from the Anaheim Kingsmen,
Velvet Knights, Kilties and other Drum Corps nomads, the
Renegades marched through the streets of downtown San Francisco in pursuit of
their traditional arch-rivals, the St. Mary's Drum and Bell Corps.
Pleasing onlookers and television audiences alike, the ensemble retired
to Chevy's for its annual post-parade celebration.

Having spent the following week drying out from the wet parade and
after-party, the Renegades spent the first weekend of March,
appropriately enough, marching.

Under the instruction and encouragement of marching Puppetmaster Dave
Watrous and his skilled staff, the drums and horns joined forces on the field to successfully complete 17 pages of drill for this year's show, "Dark City." Drill for Movement 1: "Prologue to Evil" and the drum feature were wisely given multiple repetitions to get the pieces under the corps' feet. The last runthrough of the camp was a hard fought step forward in this year's program. With substantial gains made so far, one can only lament that early
season weekends are not long enough.

The hornline continues to improve as a standstill ensemble and
demonstrated a commendable level of self-discipline. As their numbers
increase and veterans return, the Texas flavored Mellophone section is
emerging and defining its sound. And just when you thought it couldn't
get any better, this year's world class Renegade contra section is
stepping up seven notches on the intensity meter. With roughly 75% of
the show's music available for memorization, the next immediate
obstacle to the hornline's further improvement rests with how much its
individual members practice between camps. Who could ask for a more
clear-cut challenge?

The Renegades 2008 drumline continued its journey toward greatness and
proved they could march and play last camp. In particular,
listening to this year's Renegades bass drums invokes sounds of a
well-tuned, robust 1960's V-6 engine (slant six of course) which is
about to get even more finely tuned in the months to come.

Director Greg Gilman took a few well-spent minutes from practice for
some family time by holding the first "State of the Corps" meeting. As
the Renegades evolve into a member-driven organization in 2008, the
need for open discussion about the corps' inner workings is essential.
Clearly, the Renegades are extremely fortunate to have the benefit
of long-time organizational experience, which is being complemented by an
environment of volunteerism growing within the active membership. With
so many individual Renegades doing what they can for the good of the
greater tribe, the season can already be declared a success.

Again, the Renegades wish to thank all those who traveled near and far
in joining us for the 2008 Chinese New Year Parade. You are invited back
for next year. A 50/50 chance rain is forecast accompanied by a 100% chance of Margaritas.

Woo hoo! CNY is Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:14:00 +0000

Renegades and friends,

Woo hoo! Our biggest winter event is finally here -- the infamous Chinese New Year parade! The stage is set for an amazing weekend as numerous friends from across the nation are on their way to SF to join us in the parade. This is going to be a good one!

Below is a summary of all the necessary details needed to have a great day. As usual, this parade might get wet so come prepared, especially at practice on windy Treasure Island. Remember.... Renegades pride ourselves on being an all-weather drum corps.

Finally, I heartily encourage everyone to join us at Chevy's after the parade for a good old-fashioned party. This is one of those rare times when we don't have practice the next day, so it gets rowdy. A good chance to eat some yummy food, drink frosty beverages and bond with your drum corps friends. Good times.

See you on Treasure Island,

Greg Gilman
Director

In This Posting
- Memorize All Night Long
- Treasure Island (noon)
- Chevy's For Lunch (3:30pm)
- Parade Warm Up (6:00pm)
- Chevy's For Dinner (8:00pm)
- Parade Attire Reminder
- Hotel Info
- Additional Parade Info
- Renegades Heros
- Have Fun!

Memorize All Night Long
It's important everyone have their gig memorized by the time they get to Treasure Island at noon. Do yourself a favor, and brush up on things in the next couple of days:

Music:
http://www.renegades.org/chinesenewyear/music/2008/

Guard Work:
http://www.renegades.org/chinesenewyear/guard/cny2008_guardroutine.mov

Treasure Island (noon)
Saturday, Feb 23, 2008
12:00 - 3:00pm

We will be having a short rehearsal on Treasure Island beginning at noon. Everyone marching in the parade must be there to set the parade block. Expect a short warmup, followed by a relaxed music/marching rehearsal.

For those who have never been to Treasure Island, you can get exact directions here:
http://www.renegades.org/calendar/sitex/

Note: Be careful of that first off-ramp from the bay bridge -- it's a doozy!

Chevy's For Lunch (3:30pm)
In the break between rehearsal and the parade, everyone is encouraged to have lunch at the Chevy's in Embarcadero 2, which is a couple of blocks away from our warm up area:

Chevy's Fresh Mex
2 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA

Note: Be sure to get a flyer from us at rehearsal -- lunch (and dinner) are Renegades fundraisers!

Parade Warm Up (6:00pm)
We will be meeting near the corner of Battery and Market at 6:00pm. It is important everyone is on-time, as we're leaving as little "standing around time" as possible before the parade begins at 6:30.

Chevy's For Dinner (8:00pm)
After the parade, it's party time back at Chevy's! This is when things get crazy... enjoy!

Chevy's Fresh Mex
2 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA

Note: Be sure to get a flyer -- your Margarita is a Renegades fundraiser!

Parade Attire Reminder
Horns, Drums and Banner: Red, long-sleeved shirt, black slacks, all black dress shoes or sneakers.

Color Guard: Black shoes, black pants, black tops and green, orange, or red accessories of any kind. In the hair, scarf, and etc. Please make the accessories noticeable.

Hotel Information
Sir Francis Drake
450 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-392-7755

Reminder: When checking into the hotel on Saturday afternoon, be sure to return to the east side of the parade route before they start closing down streets (for instance, Chevy's). We've had instances of members being "stuck" on the wrong side of the parade at warmup time. Not fun.

See this interactive map of the day's locations for details:
http://tinyurl.com/23rwz9

Additional Parade Info
Official Parade Site:
http://www.chineseparade.com/

Renegades CNY Site:
http://www.renegades.org/chinesenewyear/

CNY Interactive Map:
http://tinyurl.com/23rwz9

Renegades Heros
- Al and Robin: A big thanks to both Al and Robin for taking care of the many details involved with getting us in the parade. Meetings, paperwork, phone calls... it's a lot more work than most folks realize. Additionally, don't miss the amazing drum major costumes they found for us.

- Tiffany: Additionally, a big thanks to Tiffany for setting up our Treasure Island rehearsal (including porta-potty) and our all-day fund-raiser at Chevy's (including flyers). Great job!

- Anne: Everyone marching in the CNY will get a special, limited-edition patch featuring a very cool stylized Rat. A big thanks to Anne for making these happen -- they came out great!

Have Fun!
The Chinese New Year parade is historically one of our wildest, craziest, most exciting events -- even in the rain! Every year we wow the crowd. Every year something wacky happens. Every year we have a GREAT time bonding with our drum corps friends from across the country. Have fun -- this is going to be a blast!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Meet the Cymbals.

Once upon a time, the Renegades had one cymbal player.

His name was Ben.

Ben had no friends ...

in the Renegades cymbal line.

He was all alone.

As the season progressed, the Renegades staff, members and alumni grew concerned about Ben.

So did Hammy, one of the founders of the Renegades.

"Ben needs friends" they thought.

Or the Renegades might not have a cymbal line anymore.

Then one day, evil cymbal instructor Stuart put down his music, and did a flying ninja lunging throat kick, aimed at no one in particular.

Then, he stunned the Renegades when he demonstrated the ninja art of illusion, using only drum sticks to instantly become nearly indistinguishable from a goal post.

"We will teach ninja skills ... as part of the cymbal program!" Stuart yelled.

At first, Ben was not sure about this strategy.

The Heckmans were also skeptical.

But it was their birthday, which they celebrated with a Pepsi.

Othew Renegades, however, thought that teaching ninja skills was a great idea.

They demonstrated their approval of Stuart's idea not with applause, but with displays of great aerodynamic stealth.

Within minutes of the announcement, the Renegades had another cymbal player. Her name was Ashley.

Ashley knew that she could help the ninja program, as she spoke 14 languages, including Apache and Serbo-Croatian ... both of which could be helpful if DCA ever gets moved to Montana or Serbia.

Below, is cymbal player #2, Miles Davis.

Yes, that's his real name.

Under that hat, lies 14 oz of MOSAD-grade plastic explosive, which can be deployed to help the cymbals escape from drill rehearsal at any moment.

Below, Cymbal player #3 is Harry Potter.

No, that is not his real last name. I just made that up.

Harry's special skill is underwater ninja techique. Harry can hold his breath for up to 3 hours at a time, and once followed a dolphin to Catalina Island.

Below, cymbal player #4, aka "Ninja X," ... a former NFL player, who played 2 seasons with the Bengals. Ninja X's special skills include the ability to run as fast as the kid from the Incredibles, and to ruin the playoff hopes of the Steelers once in a while.

Suddenly, Ben had friends.

with ninja skills.

Ben was happy.

So was Hammy.

DRILL + MUSIC = DOWNBEATS TO MIDNIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (RenegadesPR) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Renegades Camp Feb. 2nd-3rd, 2008
Dark City Chronicle

While not quite "Gestalt on Asphalt," this past Sunday the
all-weather 2008 Renegade's Drum and Horn lines marched and played this year's opener. This early February marching miracle arrived thanks to the hard work and cooperation of all present.

Saturday found Dave Watrous, along with the Renegades marching staff
and drill legend Jay Murphy lifting the 2008 opening drill off graph paper in using live marchers for testing drill options and visual concepts. The dividends of this process were fresh revisions for Sunday morning's silent drill practice. Invoking a comparison with industrious shoemaker elves (the evil yet ironically helpful kind), having completed revisions so quickly has the obvious pointed earmarks of late night efforts by the marching staff working to maximize everyone's time and effort. Sunday's camp culminated in several runthroughs of the opener, each improving over the last.

Ascending the podium for the first time, 2008 Renegades Drum Major Lolita Tabujara displayed intrepid resolve in directing the typical roughness accompanying early season runthroughs. She clearly possesses a talent destined to place her amongst the ranks of great Renegade Drum Majors of years past.

Equally adept at marching on rain-covered asphalt as they are turf, the Drumline continued to add snares (7+1), pit members and cymbal players this past weekend. Any potential tenor players and pit members are encouraged to dial in now as the Renegades fields one of its biggest and best Drumlines in recent years.

The Hornline made great strides while practicing two new Renegade
flavored jazz numbers, "Space Shuttle" and "At Midnight Everything
Changes." The second sports a brief musical valentine to the great
New York Skyliners Drum & Bugle Corps. The only obstacle separating the
2008 Renegade Hornline from greatness lies in the question of which
of its two budding personas will emerge dominant. The very talented
Hornline occasionally dropping its focus and simultaneously biting
the hand trying to feed it and ultimately itself in the rear; OR the very
talented Hornline capable of quietly focusing as needed and
subsequently taking care of business. If Sunday's practice is any
indication, the latter will be appearing this summer to the greater enjoyment
of fans nationwide.

In all, another excellent camp in which all present should feel a
sense of accomplishment and pride. The March camp heralds the
return of the Renegades Colorguard who are a pivotal point in
elevating the evolving 2008 show to new heights. Spots are still available in
all sections and Renegades alumni are encouraged, as always, to jump in for what is going to be a great year.

The 2008 Renegades will spend the rest of February preparing for the traditional Chinese New Year Parade and the arrival of their "Renegade for a Day" brothers and sisters from near and far. The Renegades are especially looking forward to having a large contingent of Anaheim Kingsmen making the one-day Renegade transformation as we perform and celebrate at this year's parade. On behalf of the 2008 Renegades to those unable to join us this year, to our loved ones, alumni family, our friends everywhere and our many secret enemies befitting an organization as Evil as ours:

"Gong Hay Fat Choy!"

We Need New Drums!

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:53:00 +0000

The Renegades need new drums, and YOU can help make it happen!

The Renegades drum line is larger at this point in the season than any line in recent memory. With sectionals being held outside normal corps rehearsals, the 2008 Renegades drum line is quickly proving to be a driving force behind what is sure to be a successful season.

However, as often happens in drum corps, the elements take their toll on the equipment a drum corps uses. For drummers, this is especially true. The wear and tear on our battery percussion instruments has been great, and we are in desperate need of a new set of drums. Unlike most junior corps, the Renegades aren't fortunate enough to have a corporate sponsor who provides a new set of drums every year.

That's where you come in.

Your tax-deductible donation to the Renegades will help us ensure another great season with the equipment needed to pull it all off. You can mail your donation to:

SF Renegades

660 4th Street, #237

San Francisco, CA 94107

or donate online at www.renegades.org/donate using Paypal (be sure to specify "drum fund" in the Papyal notes field).

Thanks for your help. We promise we'll make it worth your investment.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Nalls) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:00:00 +0000

At Midnight, Everything Changes

Renegades-January-2008.mp3

Renegades January Camp In Review

noreply@blogger.com (RenegadesPR) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:06:00 +0000

Dark City Chronicle
January 17th, 2008

“I am sore, tired, achy, strained, and basically mush. But I haven't felt this excited in years! The demand of the staff is at such an intense pace, that you know by the time the summer hits, we'll not only be able to do what they're training us to do, but exceed anything we've ever done! I feel like a dork for just wanting to thank everyone who's helped design this show! Across the board, this is just so much fun!”

- Incredibly concise summation of the January 12-13th Renegade Camp submitted by actual participant.

Thank you for this report, we know just how you feel and you’re not a “dork…”
[And even if you WERE, you’d be “OUR dork!”]

With roughly an hour of sunlight left on Sunday afternoon, the Renegades concluded the season’s second weekend practice by running through three pieces from our 2008 show; “Dark City: Every Night at Midnight, Reality Changes.” This marked the first time the entire corps played together outdoors. The three selections “Prologue to Evil” followed by the drum feature “Metamorphosis” and “Dust in The Wind” were each conducted in turn by five highly talented Drum Major candidates – [“Almost as difficult as choosing a new Pope.” relates Selection Committee.]

This year's #7+1 Renegades are clearly from the same mold of the past and already several bright spots are emerging in the 2008 casting.

A larger, more powerful, cymbal-charged Renegades Drumline is approaching capacity numbers. This Drumline personifies the corps wide example to excel, aka “Don’t Suck,” in their playing and in having already held several additional out-of-camp sectionals. Their collective force, emerging cohesion and early season focus is undeniable. Their demonstrated ability to energize the overall corps has many in this organization silently smiling at what awaits audiences (and judges) this summer. How is it even possible that there are still openings in the Pit and who is the yet unknown tympani player destined to become a front line star?

The ReneGuard continues flowering as Mr. Al Yeh, Esq. relates: “Colorguard Caption Mark Metzger & Vince Velasquez have the Renegade’s guard running full throttle. The focus continues on setting the season’s foundations early: the integration of movement, equipment technique and expressive presentation. “The movement block stretched our minds and bodies to understand space and time within the marching field. Providing the visual portion to the music, this year’s equipment work is best described as FAST, INTENSE and AGGRESSIVE - a cool blend of a tiny bit of old school technique interspersed in lots of modern dance/equipment work. This year’s guard show has already been choreographed through the Percussion Break and is coming alive before our eyes as we spin, dance & leap! you loved our 2007 show, we're charging even harder to be among the best. Don't wait until spring to join -- join us now at the February camp!”

Dark City’s musical foundation will clearly be built upon the Renegade’s Contra section. Since the inception of the Renegades, this group is consistently one of, if not always, THE BEST in DCA. Lacking a more eloquent metaphor, Soprano soloist/instructor Roland Garceau is to the Renegade hornline what James Caan’s fictional character “Jonathan E” is in the 1975 film “Rollerball” – the games’s Champion. Renegades hornline veterans, Staff and section leaders are successfully mentoring the new players into the system. This is an added reason for Renegade veterans to show up early in 2008.

Shaking early morning cobwebs off their charges and occasionally Silly String off himself, Marching Guru Dave Watrous and Staff continue doing something most could only imagine if trapped in Sartre’s “No Exit.” Teaching mostly grown adults, many in varying degrees of “out of marching shape” (for now) and carrying heavy equipment, how to move as a group in time: uniformly, gracefully and efficiently. “And we’ve got two hours to do it.” Somehow they make the group better, every time, without fail. Special recognition goes to Daniel Day, veteran SCV/Renegade marcher and Baritone player, for his unassuming suggestion to the horn and cymbals group concerning the “horn’s up” motion: “Breath in during the counts you’re bringing your instrument up. It establishes a natural rhythm to the motion and ensures you’re ready to play once your horn is up.” The hornline, somewhat stunned by the simplistic logic of this sage advice, managed to smooth out and improve subsequent executions of the “horns up” motion. Champions are built on details and once again, Renegade veterans are invaluable.

Why the heck is everyone openly excited and optimistic as things appear to be going well this year? Is it just early season hype? A secret weapon? Has someone added something to the Kool-Aid? Any explanation behind this positive outlook is for each Renegade to validate or discover individually. Personally, I ask myself two simple questions. “How many seconds, not minutes, during the January camp were the staff member(s) in front of me without a set agenda for what was suppose to be happening and/or I wasn’t engaged, couldn’t be doing something productive?” Answer - “ZERO.” Second question. “How many organizations, career settings, classrooms, et al... have I been in, outside of this year’s Renegades, where I felt the same degree of staff preparedness and deliberate approach to the management of time?” Again, “ZERO.”

I suspect planning the 2008 Renegades began around September 3rd last year during a long plane ride West. I further suspect there is a cocktail glass stained napkin from that flight with something like the following scribbled on the back:
“ ’08 HAVE FUN! – an incredible Staff, ready, efficiently using time to maximize the efforts of a very gifted pool of Talent – RESULT - great start, even better finish. HAVE FUN!” [Napkins are extra big on long flights]. I believe we’re witnessing the fruits of such a plan already. Of course, as the season moves on, the Kool-Aid thing is always an option.

noreply@blogger.com (Dave) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:20:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO RENEGADES ANNOUNCE NEW PRESIDENT
Anne Bragstad steps in to head Board of Directors

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Jan. 15, 2008) - The San Francisco Renegades Drum & Bugle Corps, the official drum & bugle corps of the city of San Francisco and a 6-time Drum Corps Associates finalist, announced the appointment of Anne Bragstad to the position of President of the corps. She will oversee the Board of Directors as well as the various committees within the Renegades organization.

"I am excited about taking over the position of President," Bragstad said. "I have been with the organization for the past 6 years, and served many different roles on the Board of Directors. The presidency was just the right position at the right time for me, and I look forward to helping everyone make great things happen for this corps this year."

Bragstad steps in for Steve Proud, a member of the Renegades since 2000 who stepped down from the position due to work commitments. Speaking of her predecessor, Bragstad said, "Unfortunately, as it sometimes does in drum corps, life gets in the way. This is what happened with Steve." The Renegades remain hopeful that Proud will be back with the corps at some point in the future.

About the Renegades

The San Francisco Renegades were founded in 1996 by a small group of people that got together simply for the love of the drum corps activity. The mission of the Renegade organization is to bring an unprecedented awareness and appreciation of the drum corps activity to the public through a comprehensive marketing and financial plan. In 2002, the Renegades have became the first California all-age corps to compete at the Drum Corps Associates Championships, becoming both Finalist and Member in their first year. Since then, the Renegades have been a finalist every year at the DCA Championships.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Rudnicki) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:18:00 +0000

Renegades 2008

A Great Staff.

A Great Show.

A Great Corps.

A Great Time.

Join the Renegades at the Next Camp = January 12-13