As I finish the season 51 championship write up, I decided that we should give medals to corps who actually competed. I want to give the division 3 bronze to Couchmen, because Vanguard Knights were only performing in exhibition.

Sounds good, can't wait to see the write up.

Sorry so late, but at least I'm a man of my word. Here's my Season 51 write up:

May 3rd was a cool overcast day in Allentown, PA, and 7,621 showed up to watch 31 FAME corps perform at the season 51 FAME championship; it would have been 32, but one of the corps left for another league. Out of the 31 corps, 17 were in division 3. The audience was warmed up with such corps as The Redcoats, I am Groot, bluecoats, Impact!, Codets, Illuminus, The Bay Cadets, DiddleDuts, Brahman Drum Corps, The Wildcoats, Next Level DC, and Drum Crops.

Top-5 action began with Blue Thunder from Boise, Idaho under the direction of jsmith. Their show, Apocalypse Now featured the music Ashes of War, Media's Dance of Vengeance by Barber, October by Eric Whitacre, Gathering of the Ranks at Hebron by David Holsinger, and Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland. Apocalypse Now depicted the chaos of war and the triumph of those who survive. Receiving a score of 55.50, it was a solid 5th place finish for Blue Thunder.

Receiving a 4th place score overall in their division but receiving the bronze medal for actually competing, it was Couchmen under the direction of Roochn. Performing tunes from Vanessa Williams 1991 album “The Comfort Zone,” their show explored the comforts of all that is familiar, such as the familiarity of a lover’s embrace or the vices which help us relax. Couchmen scored a 60.30 placing 3rd in Brass and Music GE and 2nd in Music Ensemble and Guard.

The third-place corps, Vanguard Knights, only performed in exhibition giving a preview of what is to come for their season 52 debut. Their show, Overture will feature Leonard Bernstein’s Overture from "Candide, “ Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Vanguard Knights would have won the trophy for best percussion if they actually competed. Vanguard Knights is the B-corps to Dark Knights under the direction of Aaron Sickmeier.

FAME’s division 3 silver medalists, 007 Regiment surprised the audience with their parody of the Black Eyed Peas’ song, Boom Boom Pow which was parodied by Rucka Rucka Ali. Many were surprised that variations on this theme would do so well, but the judges seemed to appreciate their comedic performance giving 007 Regiment second in winds, percussion, and music GE and giving them third in music ensemble and visual performance.

It was the Red Kingsmen directed by Tyler Brown who stole the hearts of the audience and judges with their show 9.11, the horrific event that occurred in New York City. The first movement, called the Unknown, depicted the everyday hustle and bustle of New York before the planes hit the World Trade Center towers. Movement two was a ballad showing the aftermath of the tragedy. Even almost 15 years after the event, emotions still were running high. The third movement was called Rebirth. With members and props scattered on the field, everyone came together in the closer to rebuild. It was a powerful show and well worth the score of 74.015.
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After the first intermission, it was time for the division 2 corps to take the field. Most of the division 2 corps did not compete in season 51, because they were fundraising or simply not rehearsing. Though, everyone appreciated these corps making an appearance at the FAME championship. The most notable corps in division 2 last season were Spirit of Atlantis, Aria Corps, and Aftershock NZ.

Aftershock, which I believe never released their repertoire, came in third place with their show Underworld. The design team brilliantly combined the world of organized crime with the world of hell. This jazzy and dark show was an interesting combination of blues, jazz, and classical. It’s my understanding that Aftershock is not completely finished with the show’s design and plans to return in season 52 with a more complete show. However, they scored a 70.62. Aftershock is a two-time-division-1 FAME champion (S.43 and 44).

The silver medalists, Aria Corps, dared to answer the question “What If?” based on a series of Marvel comics. What If Captain America became president? What if Spiderman joined the Fantastic Four? What if Iron Man had been a traitor? What if the movie starring Daniel Radcliffe titled “What If?” was actually a comic book? It was interesting to watch this brave concept develop over the season. Aria Corps finished the regular season with an 82.765. Nevertheless, Aria Corps is a three-time-division-2 FAME champion (S. 48, 49, and 50).

Probably the most talked about division 2 show was Stonehenge performed by the Spirit of Atlantis. Stonehenge is a brilliant piece composed by Jan Van der Roost. Spirt, who rose to become a division 1 corps winning the gold medal at the FAME championship in season 41, was placed in division 2 after a four-season hiatus, but nevertheless, it was a great season for their organization as they set a new record-high score for division 2 with a 94.88.
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It was an intense season in division 1 as 6 corps competed for the title. Starting off the evening, it was Yellowcoats Drum and Bugle Corps. Their show title Skin was loosely based on the movie Under the Skin which takes an alien perspective of mankind. With music composed by British composer Mica Levi, Yellowcoats took us on a journey peeling away the skin and showing what really lies beneath the surface. Yellowcoats placed 6th with a score of 70.60.

After placing 4th at the FAME championship in season 50 with a score of 66.875, Velvet Knights made a comeback with a show title of the same name. The Comeback featured original music by an unknown composer. Nonetheless, the show earned Velvet Knights an 86.74.

Two-time-FAME division 2 champion, The Panthers, definitely was a crowd favorite with their show Sounds of Suburbia. Featuring the music of Radiohead, Green Day, and R.E.M, the Panthers portrayed the challenges that city dwellers face in their everyday lives. The audience showed much appreciation for music that was recognizable. The Panthers took home a third place trophy for brass and ended the regular season with an 87.925.

Even though their show title was Lullabies, nobody was asleep during the performance of Atlantic Clarinet Choir. ACC presented variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Hush Little Baby, and Brahms’s Lullaby. The arranger impressively took these simple songs and made them powerful and demanding. ACC won gold in division 1 seasons 47, 48, 49, and 50. It was a great performance but only earned ACC the bronze medal this time.

Northern Lights made an outstanding comeback. Their Show Journey featured music by rock legends, Journey. Featuring the hit songs Don’t Stop Believin’, Wheel in the Sky, Open Arms, Lights, and Anyway You Want It, the crowd ate up every bit of what Northern Lights dished out. Northern Lights took home the second place trophies for all captions except music ensemble, visual ensemble, and GE placing 3rd in those captions. They ended the regular season with an impressive 96.495.

I won’t talk about my own corps ;) The people of Allentown never will forget such amazing performances. Congrats to all corps for the best season that FAME ever has had!!

Such a great write up. Thanks for this, excellent read :)

Wow! Take a look at our opening day matchups across all 3 divisions! This should be interesting, especially when we compare placings with Championship placings at the end of the season.

Not that I'm in FAME but you should definitely talk about your own corps Aaron especially after that season!

Before the competition takes place at the Los Angeles Collesium today, FAME will hold a moment of silence for the 50 souls lost to the devestating attacks in Orlando last night. This attack hits close to home for myself, since I live only a few hundred miles away in Miami. While Drum Corps is a way to escape the horrible acts commited all across the world, I request that everyone in the FMA community take a moment to think about this horrible tragedy.

I want to congratulate FAME on another extraordinary season. Currently FAME has 6 corps in the division 1 top 12, 5 corps in the division 2 top 12, and 5 corps in the division 3 top 12. Overall we have 15 corps scoring in the top 24 of all of FMA.

Furthermore, if everything goes well, we'll have 1 or more corps taking home a medal in all divisions. That's just incredible!

A big thanks goes to everyone who was active this season regardless if you make finals or win a medal. Qualcomm Stadium hosted 39 corps for our FAME championship. We continue to be one of the largest, most active leagues on FMA. I'm sure you can imagine this huge smile I have on my face. I wish all you the best as we end a season and begin a new one.

Kick brass tonight in semis!

Next season I think we should follow the real DCI schedule. Here's what our schedule will be.


June 26 (Opening day): - Stanford, CA - FAME West

June 28: Pittsburgh, PA - Innovations in Brass

June 30: Allentown, PA - Drum Corps: An American Tradition

July 2: Chestnut Hill, MA - East Coast Classic

July 5: La Crosse, WI - River City Rhapsody

July 7: Chickasha, OK - Live in Chickasha

July 9: Rockford, IL - Show of Shows

July 12: Daytona Beach, FL - FAME Daytona Beach

July 14: Huntsville, AL - Presented by U.S. Army Bands

July 16: Dallas, GA - Atlanta Brass Classic

July 19: Bentonville, AR - Music on the Move

July 21: Belton, TX - FAME Central Texas

July 23: San Antonio, TX - FAME Southwestern Championship

July 24: Dallas, TX - North Texas Festival of Drums and Bugles

July 26: Lafayette, LA - FAME Championship

Congrats Spirit of Atlantis for winning the D1 World Championship! This is FAME's second straight title

Actually to be fair, we're giving the overall title to Nemesis, but still congrats to both for a good season.

Ohhh thats right. Still a very impressive season. FAME is now among FMA's Elite

Are The Moingona considered D1 as well or are they D2? Im pretty sure they are D2 because of the long hiatus, but im a little curious. We've seen a lot of D1 corps mysteriously pop up in D2 lately

Just for the record, I'm ok not winning Division 1 or 2...I will focus on the World Title which will be regardless of Division so it's more fair to all! Congrats Spirit of Atlantis on your Division 1 title and World Silver!

thank you actually i'm fine with either way.. but I appreciate getting some kind of title for this season lol

you worked hard and kept me on your toes! You deserve it!

Thank you so much everybody for applying for FAME v CLASS! It is really appreciated

How does one join the league?

A league BOD or founder has to send you a request. I'm sure Aaron would love to have ya! He or one of the BODs will send you a request shortly, check your messages every once in a while :).

Also, if you make a drumline, NDoA would love to have you :). It's a new league but there's events so if you're interested...