Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps explained

The Bushwackers
Division:Open Class
Founded:1981
Director:Jim Dugan
Titles:DCA

1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993

The Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps is an all-age drum and bugle corps that competes in the Drum Corps Associates circuit,[1] [2] It was founded in 1981 in Harrison, New Jersey.[3] The corps is based in Princeton, New Jersey and is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The Corps has won the Drum Corps Associates Open Class World Champions six times, and the corps' percussion section is the only one in either junior or senior corps to ever win six straight High Percussion Awards at Championships: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991.[4]

History

The Bushwackers Drum and Bugle corps was formed as a parade corps in 1981[5] with a field corps forming in 1982. They were once located in Harrison, New Jersey.[6] During their first year of competition, The Bushwackers were able to make DCA finals in 8th place. In 1983, the corps was very competitive and ended the season with a fifth place showing. The corps continued to grow until 1986, with a brand new staff, The Bushwackers captured their first DCA title. This placed The Bushwackers in the upper echelon of DCA corps. The Bushwackers would go on to win the DCA twice more before the end of the decade. In the 1990s, The Bushwackers continued their championship ways, going on to take DCA’s top spot again in 1990, 1992, and 1993. The corps has been a top ten Finalist of DCA in 35 of its 38 years. In 2013 the Corps made its television debut on The Daily Show.[7] In 2014 the Bushwackers performed as the opening act at the Special Olympics USA closing ceremony.[8] [9] In 2017, the Corps collaborated with ASPIRA of Pennsylvania to establish the Bushwackers Academy, an educational organization.[10]

Show summary (1982–2024)

Source:[11] [12]

style="background-color:#d4af37"
Goldenrod background indicates DCA Open Class Champion
Blue background indicates DCA Open Class Finalist
YearRepertoireScore Placement
1982Clash of Titans by Laurence Rosenthal / Fish Legs by Walter Murphey / Mickey Mouse by Frank Churchill / That Cat is High by J.M. Williams / Snowbird Fantasy by Robert James / Chariots of Fire by Vangelis70.5508th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1983Cleopatra's Asp by Doc Severinsen / Emerald Eyes by Louis Alter / Egyptian Danza by Al Di Meola / Quensabe Los Suertas de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / La Suerte de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / Chariots of Fire by Vangelis82.6505th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1984Santos by Louie Bellson and Remo Palmier / Quensabe Los Suertas de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / La Suerte de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / Egyptian Danza by Al Di Meola / I'll Be There by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch / Thriller by Rod Temperton89.0003rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
1985The Epic by / The First Circle / Supertonic Suite All by the Pat Metheny Group86.5504th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1986Santos by Louie Bellson and Remo Palmier / Quensabe Los Suertas de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / La Suerte de Los Tontos (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / Egyptian Danza by Al Di Meola / Ayres Eyes by Author Unknown92.4501st Place
Open Class
Champion
1987Pellet Suite by Ian McDougal / Marguerite by Sammy Nestico / Corner Pocket by Freddie Green / Ayres Eyes by Author Unknown92.9603rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
1988Pellet Suite by Ian McDougal / Inner Crisis by Larry Willis / Mira, Mira by Matt Harris / Out of Africa (from Congo) by Marilyn Bergman96.3601st Place
Open Class
Champion
1989Time Check by Donald Menza / In Her Family by Pat Metheny / No Pasaran by Jeffrey Schanzer / Mira, Mira by Matt Harris95.1001st Place
Open Class
Champion
1990Prototype
Prototype by Steve Melillo
96.9001st Place
Open Class
Champion
1991Son of Storm
Son of Storm by Steve Melillo
94.0003rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
1992Sweeney Todd
History of the World / The Ballad of Sweeney Todd / My Friends (from Sweeney Todd) / Worst Pies in London (from Sweeney Todd) / Epiphany (from Sweeney Todd) / Nothin' Gonna Harm You (All Sweeney Todd Music by Stephen Sondheim)
96.7001st Place
Open Class
Champion
1993Sunday in the Park with George
Putting it Together (from Sunday in the Park with George) / Color and Light (from Sunday in the Park with George) / Sunday in the Park (from Sunday in the Park with George) / Sunday (All by Stephen Sondheim)
96.6001st Place
Open Class
Champion
1994A Nightmare Before Christmas
What's This? / This is Halloween / Making Christmas / Kidnap the Sandy Claws / Sally's Song / What's This Reprise (All from the Nightmare Before Christmas by Danny Elfman)
94.2003rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
1995A Symphony For Drum Corps
Mathis der Maler by Paul Hindemith / Age of Anxiety by Leonard Bernstein
93.6004th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1996Sunset Boulevard
As if We Never Said Goodbye / Let's Have Lunch / The Car Chase / With One Look
All from Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber
91.5004th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1997El Congo Valiente (from Cuban Fire Suite) by Johnny Richards / Verde Luz by Caban Vale Antonio / Festival de Ritmo by Dave Weckl / A Mis Abuelos by Arturo Sandoval89.6005th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1998Jeckyll & Hyde
This is the Moment / Facade / Murder, Murder / Transformation / Alive / Take me as I Am
All from Jeckyll & Hyde by Frank Wildhorn & Leslie Bricusse
85.2008th Place
Open Class
Finalist
1999Sondheim Snapshots
Overture (from Merrily We Roll Again) / Next (from Pacific Overtures) / Pretty Woman (from Sweeney Todd) / Putting it Together (from Sunday in the Park with George) (All by Stephen Sondheim)
87.8007th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2000Music from the Dark Side
The Duel of Fates (from the Phantom Menace) / The Battle (from A New Hope) / Battle in the Snow (from The Empire Strikes Back) / The Crash (from The Return of the Jedi) / The War, Ewok Battle (from The Return of the Jedi) / The End (from the Phantom Menace) (all by John Williams)
82.10010th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2001The Raging River
Into the Raging River by Steven Reineke / On the Waterfront by Leonard Bernstein
92.4005th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2002The Myths of Fire
Inferno (from Divine Comedy) by Robert W. Smith / Vesuvius by Frank Tilcheli / Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky
91.1007th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2003Journey to the Moon
Twelve Seconds to the Moon by Robert W. Smith / Star Trek: First Contact by Jerry Goldsmith / To Tame the Perilous Skies by David Holsinger
91.0387th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2004Early American Landscapes
Symphony No. 9 (from The New World) by Antoin Dvorak / Amber Waves by Martin Gould / William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini
88.6388th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2005Russian Winter Portraits
Russian and Ludmilla by Mikhail Glinka / Dance of the Tumblers by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Romeo and Juliet / 1812 Overture (Both by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky)
94.7383rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
2006Stages: A 25th Stages Anniversary Celebration
Fanfare for the New by Hugo Montenegro / The Perfect Year (from Sunset Boulevard) by Andrew Lloyd Webster / Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson
95.6383rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
2007Around the Town94.5754th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2008Gypsodic!93.4256th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2009Scenes from a Psychotic Circus
Parade of Characters / Circus Normalus / Death Defying Feats / Freak Show / Three Ring Psychotic Circus (all from Scenes from a Psychotic Circus by Key Poulan)
88.9639th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2010Voodoo
Origins / Rituals / Gris-gris / Black Magic
All from Voodoo by Key Poulan
86.7639th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2011A New Beginning
First Climb / Rest at High Camp / Second Climb and Avalanche / To the Summit (all from Everest by Key Poulan, Paul Rennick, and Sandra Rennick)
79.80011th Place
2012American Roots
Scarborough Fair (Traditional) / Chester by William Billings / Shenandoah (Traditional)
80.20011th Place
2013WE ARE
Intro by Dennis Argul / I am the Doctor (from Doctor Who) by Murray Gold / Some Nights by FUN / Tonight Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins
87.4308th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2014The Resistants
Supremacy by Muse / Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan / Knights of Cydonia by Muse / Symphonic Metamorphosis by Paul Hindemith
89.8007th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2015Industrial (r)Evolution
Industrial Evolution, The Factory & Wild Ride (by Robert W. Smith) / Tempered Steel by Charles Rochester Young / Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
82.30012th Place
2016Piano Forte
Piano Concerto No. 1 by Keith Emerson / Selection by Claude Debussy / Selection by Billy Joel
85.2809th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2017Where We Belong
Music from The Wizard of Oz by Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg / Creep by Radiohead / Orawa by Wojciech Kilar / Blue Shades by Frank Ticheli
89.8308th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2018Pablo
The Canyon by Philip Glass / Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez
92.7255th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2019Diverge
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber / Fearful Symmetry by John Adams / Us and Them by Richard Wright / Land of Make Believe by Chuck Mangione / Libertango by Astor Piazzola
91.6255th Place
Open Class
Finalist
2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021Reminiscor
Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson / Children's Dance by Howard Hanson / Original Music / Reflections of My Life by Marmalade
90.3003rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
2022Canyon
Fanfare For The Common Man / Horse With No Name / Hallelujah / Original Composition / Short Ride in a Fast Machine  
94.6003rd Place
Open Class
Finalist
2023Hollywood: A Walk in Their Shoes: A Tale of Tinseltown
Dedicated to The One I Love by The Mamas and the Papas / Paparazzi by Lady Gaga / Car Chase by Andrew Lloyd Webber / Original Music
92.2003rd Place

Finalist
2024The Ride
Last Train Home by Pat Metheny / Let You Break My Heart Again by Laufey / The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith / Home Sweet Home by Nikki Sixx & Tommy Lee
92.6253rd Place

Finalist

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Music of the Night . The Scranton Times-Tribune. July 28, 2019.
  2. Web site: Strike up the band: Drum and Bugle Corps returns to Wahconah Park. The Berkshire Eagle.
  3. Web site: Drumcorps FAQ 6/6 DCA - senior corps info. faqs.cs.uu.nl.
  4. Book: Beck, John H. . Encyclopedia of Percussion . November 26, 2013 . Routledge . 9781317747680 . Google Books.
  5. Web site: Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps. August 13, 2011. Princeton, NJ Patch. November 20, 2019.
  6. Web site: Bushwackers Move to Jupiter Quantum Brass. Drum Corps Planet Forums.
  7. Web site: Bushwackers Appear on "The Daily Show" . . September 25, 2013 . November 20, 2019.
  8. Web site: Drum Corps Associates » The Bushwackers Perform at the Special Olympics.
  9. Web site: The Bushwackers Perform at the 2014 Special Olympics – Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps.
  10. Web site: Bushwackers, ASPIRA, and Musicopia Boost Music Education Philadelphia. . December 4, 2018. November 20, 2019.
  11. Web site: DCX - Drum Corps Xperience. www.dcxmuseum.org.
  12. Web site: History by Season. April 8, 2012.