DCI Drumlines of the Decade: The 90's - Part 2: 1992-1993

Welcome to Part 2 of the five part "Favorite DCI Drumlines of the 90's" series where we take a look at the best/our favorite drumlines of a given decade.  In this installment we're taking a look at the drumlines of the 1992 and 1993 DCI season (respectively)...

You can also check out the rest of the series below:

Part 1: 1990-1991

Part 2: 1992-1993

Part 3: 1994-1995

Part 4: 1996-1997

Part 5: 1998-1999

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<<<1992>>>

Cavaliers

That's right: 8 mother f***in' bass drums... (3 guard members pick up basses and join in; you can see up close in the opening seconds of the clip).

Star of Indiana

This is definitely in my top 10 books of all time.  I would describe it as: RELENTLESS

Santa Clara Vanguard

With an all-star roster (particularly in the quad line), an aggressive vibe and ridiculous book, the '92 Vanguard drumline earned it's place in the annals of DCI history.

In fact, there is a moment in the first video that captures (in my opinion) the essence of what drumline is all about (pay attention at 2:50).

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Walter Powell: Rudimental legend, creator of the Walt Diddle, former instructor of my good friend and co-editor of Rüdimentality.com: Michael Brown, and all around bad ass!

Fun Fact: this drumline finished 6th overall in percussion at finals... SIXTH! 

Crossmen

If there's one thing the X-men did great in '92 it was jam! (and ram a ridiculous amount of notes).

Madison Scouts

Flams to infinity? Back-sticking? It's the men of Mad-town all right...

<<<1993>>>

Another amazing year for DCI drumlines, the talent pool gets deeper and as always, clean is king.

Star of Indiana  

Another of my top 10 Drumlines of all time: Star '93.  I said it above and it was certainly true for this line: CLEAN = KING (Sanford award winners).  This drumline is best remembered for their famed encore performance opposite the Cadets (see the last video for a clip).

* this section was updated to reflect historical inaccuracies, speculation and conjecture (6/21/10)

...and lastly, a special treat: the Star '93 judges tape from finals.

Cadets

It boggles my mind how clear the triplet roll figures are when being played by all three sections simultaneously...  Classic Cadets.

Santa Clara Vanguard

This children, is why you don't judge a book by it's cover.  Looking at the still frame below you'll probably be put off by some of the ugliest drums ever created but hit play and you'll be bowled over by some of the NASTIEST beats west of the Mississippi River...

Phantom Regiment

This line played some of the craziest field orchestration I've ever heard.  I think I can hear a series of wood blocks, jingle sticks, ribbon crashers and cup chimes and somehow these elements blend to create a tasty groove!  These clips are also a stark reminder of how much the role of the front ensemble has grown over the last decade...  (beats start at 1:25)

Cavaliers

The bass line was fantastic this year and apparently was the only section that earned the respect of the cameraman during this lot session; the quad lick at approx. :42 into the 3rd video is also ballin'.

BONUS: Did you spy the freakin' SWEET Lollapalooza shirt on display in the second video (bottom center)?!  If not I demand you hit play again...

On to Part 3: 1994-1995...