Blue Devils Partner with D'Addario

by Mike Kirby

It has always been hard to finance the competitive groups who comprise the marching arts. There have been champions, both indoors and on the field, who were flat broke when they won. A difficulty for non-profits and many school districts alike, long before the current economic spell, these organizations and jurisdictions have dealt with these obstacles in many creative and profitable ways. Car washes, while they will not and should not go away, are for your father’s Oldsmobile.

One such organization is the Concord Blue Devils, who have entered into a number of impressive endeavors over the years to accompany their bingo operation. The latest step by BD, just announced, is a new joint venture with D'Addario & Company, Inc., best known to drummers as the manufacturers of Evans drumheads. Your guitarist may be using their strings.

Evans entered the marching percussion arena in 2001. Their quick entry into the market included affiliations with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Bluecoats and Gateway. Known for their great engineering, D’Addario acquired the faltering Evans Drumhead Company in 1995. Their percussion division now supplies as many groups as Remo, competing with the powerhouse in every area now from tom-toms to timpani.

Hardly just a fundraising idea, “the two organizations will pool their collective experience and resources with the goal of designing a line of percussion accessories, under the System Blue™ name, that will provide new sonic, performance, and educational options that will be sure to break new ground” according to a joint press release.

Jim Bailey, former tenor player and now Evans Educator Relations Manager, said of the enterprise, “It’ll be like pouring gasoline on the fire.” Indeed, BD is an organization which has boldly expanded its programs to include three drum corps, two winter guards, a twirling program and a wind symphony. The “blue team” also has a very successful professional entertainment company, BDEntertainment, which has done television and corporate gigs alike. One should expect, other than the unexpected, that this move will benefit every program creatively at least.

Blue Devils’ Director of Percussion, Scott Johnson said that “the Blue Devil family is always looking for inventive ways to create the new sounds of tomorrow”. Echoing that sentiment, fourth year BD snare tech and Evans artist Ben Maughmer called out “new soundscapes” as motivation behind the initiative, identifying the partnership as “smart, experienced, responsive people along with a vast array of quality product possibilities.”

Atlantic Indoor Association

Caucus Meeting

Website Login