The Renegades - Chapter 1
A True and Chaotic Drum Corps Story
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Chapter 1
Once upon a Saturday morning in 1996, seven drum corps nerds gathered in the cafeteria of Washington High School in San Francisco. Their mission? To have lunch. Their second mission? To start a competitive all-age drum and bugle corps, also called a “senior corps.”
But depending on your historical perspective, that second objective was either a very courageous or a very foolish thing for these gentlemen to try to do. The entire meeting was probably a waste of time but for the ham sandwiches.
You see, this group didn’t own any drums or bugles to start a drum corps. They had no flags for a colorguard. They didn’t even have the obligatory broken xylophone gathering dust in the corner. Furthermore, they didn’t own any uniforms. Nor did they have music for this fictitious drum corps to play. Nor instructors to teach their nonexistent music.
Better yet, even if they could somehow bring this corps to life, it wouldn’t have anywhere to perform. Not anywhere close, at least. The nearest competitive all-age drum corps circuit was Drum Corps Associates (DCA), 3,000 miles away in the Northeast. Drum Corps International (DCI) was the only circuit on the West Coast, but that was for junior corps. Everyone in the group at Washington was over twenty-one, the DCI cut-off age. Their drum corps days were over. Alas, the sheer ridiculous impossibility of the plan hadn’t dawned on anybody, so snare drummer Brandon Wilson stood up and directed the way forward. “It’s time, boys! Let’s start our drum corps! Right here! Right now!”
“We must treat this like a business,” Mike Nash replied. “But we can’t start a business with no assets.”
Ron Wong stated the obvious. “We don’t have any bugles.”
“You can sing until we can afford them,” Mike Rogala said.
“We’re not forming a choir,” Ron snapped. “This is a waste of time. We have nothing to start a corps with. Zero.”
Steve McBurney raised the last ham sandwich into the air. “That’s not true,” he said. “We have this.”
The hilarity that followed led to alarm and confusion when Steve dropped the sandwich. This was followed by deliberation, doubt, debate, deterrence, dissent, drama, and a brief discussion concerning: (i) whether the passage of time that food spends on the floor affects one’s ability to eat it; and (ii) whether the two-second rule excludes condiments.
Finally, when all hope for sanity appeared lost, two names for the nonexistent drum corps were put forth for a vote. The first was The Renegades. This was suggested by Blue Devils B staff member Jimmy Roscoe, who claimed to have been inspired by a Renegades drum corps that once existed in New England. Which New England corps, you ask? Nobody knows, including Jimmy Roscoe.
You see, starting in the 1950s and peaking in the ‘70s, people in the Northeast were obsessed with forming a drum corps named The Renegades. I kid you not. During this period of American history, there were thirty-three failed attempts to start the Renegades and eleven successful ones. Everybody and their brother in the Northeastern United States wanted to be a Renegade.
The drum corps that formed during the Renegade Renaissance included the Boston Renegades, the Everett Renegades, the Moosupp Renegades (which sounds like a corps that I just made it up, but they played Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972, so there), the Quincy Renegades junior corps, the Quincy Renegades senior corps, the Lt. Norman Prince Renegades from Malden, the Renegade Drifters, and the Renegades with American Legion Emil Senger Post #10 in Ansonia, who were famous for their ability to play paradiddles with one hand.
Then we had the Lockport-Rochester Renegades (the result of the Lockport Blazers and Cadets of Greece merger), who came in 38thplace at DCI in 1982,[1] the Ypsilanti Renegades, who were the only Renegades to exist outside of the Northeast in the history of the Free World, and last, and least, the Foxborough Renegades, which formed when seven drunk frat guys found a broken trumpet and used it to provoke the New York Jets. The highlight was the endzone fistfight with Jets running back Emerson Boozer, followed by the entire corps going to jail.
Please understand. The historical records concerning all these Renegades are as clear as coffee, and hiring a team of full-time drum corps researchers is beyond the scope of this project. Some of these Renegades might have been one and the same; at least one was a covert CIA operation, and a few might have been the result of a fever dream experienced by a New Bedford newspaper editor in 1947. I can confirm that Emerson Boozer and the New York Jets probably exist. The rest is murky.
Either way, the surge of Renegades activity in the Northeast is an inexplicable historical phenomenon and the true inspiration for the group’s choice of Renegades. All of which can be blamed on Jimmy Roscoe.
The second choice was Barbary Coast Corsairs, originally suggested by 16th-century Ottoman naval commander Hayreddin Barbarossa and inspired by his pirate fleet, famous for sinking ships, drowning puppies, and pillaging bakeries. The Barbary Coast Corsairs also won awards for their ability to put the heads of red-haired people on sticks.
Then, with great solemnity and reverence, the election for the name of the drum corps took place. Three guys voted to name the corps Barbary Coast Corsairs. Three voted for the Renegades.
The seventh and final vote was cast for The Hoboken Chicken Emergency in honor of the book. This angered and confused everyone until Nash announced write-in votes weren’t allowed, which is a rule that he made up on the spot.
Then, with all the suspense of a Hollywood thriller, the decisive seventh vote was recast. In a result that shocked nobody, the Renegades won by one vote. They picked green and white as their official colors, and the guy who wanted to be a Barbary Coast Corsair quit and went home to play video games. Thus, the Bay Area Renegades were born.[2]
For instruments, everyone in the little group bought, begged, borrowed, or creatively acquired a drum or bugle. With no uniforms, they performed in jeans and white baseball jerseys with Renegades emblazoned on the front in green letters, which they bought for $27.10 each. Dues were $100.00, which could be paid in up to one hundred installments. Talent scholarships, grants, financial aid, carpools, emotional support, and subsidized lunches were also available.
Rehearsals were held at Washington and other locations, including Al’s front lawn, a dog park, and the left half of Rogala’s garage. These unconventional settings fostered a sense of resourcefulness and turned a ham sandwich into productive practice sessions that laid a solid foundation for the corps.
WORLD PREMIERE
The world premiere of the Renegades’ drum line was held in a parade in Clayton, California, on July 4, 1997. Stuart Miyasato joined the snare line of Brandon, Al, Rogala, Nash, Ron, and Michele Zelaya on bass, for whom the parade would double as their first drum lesson. Al’s wife, Sandee, and Munson’s wife, Elaina, were on cymbals. Brandon’s wife, Jennifer, his sister, Jennifer, and his seventh cousin, Jennifer, carried the Renegades banner and American flag.
The Renegades were excited. They had looked forward to the parade for weeks. Then they saw the Blue Devils C Corps kids lining up, which inspired them even more. The air was thick with excitement and patriotic fervor, and the streets ahead of them were adorned with balloons and fluttering American flags, a sea of red, white, and blue. Families, friends, and neighbors gathered along the parade route. Children clutched candy-filled bags, their faces painted, while parents settled into chairs with cameras to the ready.
Suddenly, the big moment arrived, literally the first step for the organization. Brandon kicked it all off with four rim shots.
Following the Jennifer honor guard, the Renegades marched forward, playing Street Beat Seven. The lively rhythm filled the air, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. Children danced, adults clapped, and merriment enveloped Main Street. This performance was more than just a musical display; it celebrated the Renegades’ journey and excitement of their world premiere.
Truth be told, the marching wasn’t very good; half of the Renegades were out of step at any time, and the snare line did, in fact, create the loudest “Rice Krispies® smashed in a bowl” sound ever heard in the history of breakfast. And absolutely no drum rolls were played so perfectly clean that Blue Devils’ Percussion Director Scott Johnson was woken up at 3:30 AM and put on Red Alert.[3]
But when all was said and done, the United States was celebrated, the Renegades performed for the first time, and nobody got hurt. Win-win-win.
POSITIVE ENERGY
Afterward, in a moment of inspired leadership, Brandon sent an email that infused the corps with positive energy. Let me say a word about positive energy; it’s gold for a new drum corps. And it’s far too easy to turn into Debbie or Darren Downer when confronted with the challenges, problems, and insanity of starting a corps. Don’t go down that dark and sad rabbit hole; you must avoid doom and gloom attitudes at all costs, or your drum corps will fail.
Positive energy fosters resilience, creativity, and a strong sense of community among the members. It keeps the momentum going in a new corps, even when things fall apart, which will happen.
Here’s his email:
To: Bay Area Renegades
From: Brandon Wilson
Date: July 4, 1997
Subject: Would you believe...
... an image from *today's* parade is on the Web page already? It's true! (Those who were in attendance probably already know what it is.) Check it out: from the home page, choose "Pictures" to see for yourself.
For those of you who couldn't make it, the parade was a success! We got a very nice reaction from the crowd, and I heard from several people (OK, they were all friends and family, but still...) that we were the hit of the parade. In any case, this certainly establishes the legitimacy of our organization. We are no longer just a "weekend project"- - we are a DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS.
Let's hear it for everyone who made today a success, and that doesn't just mean those who marched in Clayton this morning. The energy and enthusiasm everyone has shown over the last months have significantly contributed toward the continued expansion of the corps.
Keep it up, this is great!
About to pass out...Brandon
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THE FOOTNOTES (work better in the novel than on screen)
[1] I was in Montreal and can possibly testify to the probable existence of the Lockport-Rochester Renegades. Maybe.
[2] For national security reasons, the identity of the party who placed the final decisive vote cannot be revealed until July 7, 2077.
[3] This can be stated with certainty because Blue Devils C beat the Renegades by 21.7 points in the parade. Blue Devils C is an entry-level drum corps for children aged 7-14.
I believe one year when the Renegades and the Skyliners stayed at the Woodlands Hotel for DCA Championships. I also remember the Renegades and the Bayonne Bridgemen Alumni Corps staying at the same hotel, I just don't either the hotel or the year. When I was in my late teens I wanted in the worst way to be a US Marine. And in my early 60s wanting to be a San Francisco Renegades.