It's just about midnight and The Edge has just left the building. They are in town for a gig and asked to use our rehearsal space for a run-through of their show. For almost six straight hours they rehearsed with energy and heart. Each note, each toss, each beat kept Chinatown awake and tapping their toes. "It was a huge wall of sound when their brass line was rehearsing on the roof filling the air in all of lower Manhattan. I even heard that members were getting text messages from people in the neighborhood asking where that sound was coming from!" said assistant director Vince Veloso.
"I heard the horns from the Canal Street Subway Station!" exclaimed alum David Chan.
As they trickled in and started to warm-up, you could get a sense that something special was about to happen. They converged from all over the country as far as California, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and even Canada to make some beautiful show-stopping music. It truly was a night to remember and an honor to host this amazing group of musicians as they work towards doing something that has yet been done before in the history of the drum corps activity.
"I can't get over the tone and sound quality of their playing. I want to be able to play like that too!" said Brass Line Captain Stanley Chow.
Their members are a hand-picked group which come from the following Corps: Empire Statesmen, Blast, Carolina Crown, Santa Clara Vanguard, Cadets of Greece, Genesee Quest Drum and Bugle Corps, St. Joe's, The Rochester Crusaders, The Crossmen, Ghost Riders, Spirit of Atlanta, Sun Coast Sound, The Blue Devils, The Cavaliers, Carolina Crown, The Boston Crusaders, Rochester Patriots, The Bluecoats, The Cadets, The Brigadiers, Madison Scouts, Phantom Regiment, Southwind, Reading Buccaneers, Prime Time Brass, Power Zone, Ghost of Power Zone, White Sabers, San Francisco Renegades, The Colts, Thunderbirds, WNY Alumni, Kingston Grenadiers, 3rd Regiment, L'Insolite, and The Bushwackers
Legendary trumpet player Al Chez was even in attendance. Drum line tenor Brendan Ko was so excited to meet him, he ran up to Al giving him a big hug.
As they wrapped up the evening, they even dedicated their last run-through to the Crimson Kings playing to us front and center. Wow. Just wow. Thank you for this memorable evening and good luck to The Edge!