The cover for Band Cramp, as illustrated by Polyrhythm at https://polyrillustration.blogspot.com/
"Please welcome to the arena, from Bedfordshire, Adonis Drum and Bugle Corps!"
For 16-year-old Gareth Firkins, a good time means stealing instruments from the local drum and bugle corps. However, when his luck runs short, Gareth is faced with community service in the most unlikely of areas - the very band he stole from.
But corps director Chase Diggby doesn't like this newcomer at all, pushing Gareth to his limit. Wishing to desperately make amends and prove to everyone that he isn't just another yob, Gareth sets out to survive a season with Adonis Drum and Bugle Corps, the marching band from hell.
Question is... can he do it?
I'd always wanted to write a story about a drum and bugle corps. It took me years before deciding to take the plunge, as the world of drum and bugle corps is one seemingly kept in shadow despite how bombastic it actually is. It was that very sentiment that caused me to write this tale, as I realised I had the knowledge of this 'secret' world... and the desire to write a slice of life style story about a boy and his teenage troubles.
What is a drum and bugle corps? Well, it's all covered clearly in the story! I was very careful in introducing concepts and define what a drum and bugle corps is during the story, allowing new-comers to the sport to understand everything. I hope you find the drum and bugle corps world and its terms easy to follow as you're introduced to them.
Many of what's to come is based on experiences of my own when marching with various drum and bugle corps, from the practising to the coach trips to the shows, themselves. Well, all from a British stand-point, anyway. Still, I hope you enjoy this work of fiction, where Gareth Firkins is perhaps not the delinquent you may all first think of him as.
List of Adonis Band Members
-CORPS DIRECTORS-
Drum Major:
Chase Diggby - Scruffy Scottish. Short temper.
Joint Band Leader:
Mandy Tomkin - Always cheerful. Large.
-SECTION LEADERS-
Trumpet Leader:
Stefan Hackitt - Also Trumpet #1 and the best brass.
Percussion Leader:
Ealga Taggart - Also Tenor player, playing fast.
Pit Leader:
Chase Diggby - Incidentally, also the main band leader.
