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The final DCA competitor represented the host, Cadets2 (10FE/20CG/3DM/24(???)Battery/42 brass) with their show entitled "Our Favorite Things 2", which brigs back well-loved Cadets chestnuts like "Rocky Point Holiday", "On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss", and the 1993 Cadets closing segment using Holsinger's "Ballet Sacra".

I'll start with the upsides to the program:

Tasty brass arranging. Very, very tasty arranging. I'll get back in line for seconds.

A drill I think that's smart, well-written, and will be able to be achieved at a high level.

The entire percussion ensemble never disappoints. Ever. Bass Drums, rock on. Good run. Thank you!!!

The feet are better then they've ever been at this point in the season for this corps. yes, there are still issues, but I didn't see massive levels of fighting and struggling that I've seen the previous two seasons at Downingtown. Much, much, better.

Now, I have to get tough. Very tough. I'll preface by saying I was a 16 year old rookie in DCA- my sister was 15. I remember what it's like to be a "kid" and getting wailed at by visual staff. Stories are still recounted over 30 years later as ha-ha funny about my first 2 seasons as a performer and my relations with visual staff. Ream knows most of them and he wasn't even born. :satisfied: Playing wasn't my issue. I know this is tough, frustrating, and incredibly demanding in every which way possible.

At C2, the brass seems to be the polar opposite of me at that time. There's a term brass players tend to use about developing a "mature sound", and this section sounds really, really young and inexperienced in producing a solid, characteristic brass timbre this season. The term "mature", by the way, isn't a comment on the maturity of the player, there are guys in their 50's who sound thin and weak and 16 year old kids who get it who can crack concrete.

They just sound very thin, the sound really unfocused at times and too spread, and there aren't any of the devastating impacts coming out of the brass book that I know are in there. There are some wonderful, wonderful moments built into the book that won't happen by playing black notes on white paper and just playing to survive and not get yelled at by the staff.

There's got to be more from the heart, more musicality coming forth. If I were on staff, I'd bring all of yah in, wave my arms like crazy with a friendly smile on my face, and tell you all to "PLAY LIKE MEN AND WOMEN, NOT LIKE BOYS AND GIRLS!" :satisfied: I know it can be done. A pretty young Westshore brass section full of people your age lost high brass in '82 by .05. (I was one of the old men at 19.) Work on getting a full, confident, round, focused sound out of the bell. Stop apologizing for what comes out of that bell.

Also, I think there are 6-8 horn holes. Last year showed that filling them August 10th this year won't guarantee anything and it's not that easy to knock off a corps with veteran players who know how to perform and perform clean by filling in holes at the last minute. Empire taught everyone a pretty powerful lesson about that. Also, it's obvious that Fusion and CV are hungry, very hungry. There's gonna be some very, very difficult competition ahead this season in DCA, put it in the bank.

Well, that concludes the DCA portion of the show. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this craziness as much as I had watching everyone. I'm holding off the fistbumps until I can get the DCI portion done. DCI folks also deserve them. Now to jump into the crazy end of the pool and write about those DCI corps. Lord help us all. I hope I don't scare Ray Fallon too much.... :laugh:

FYI....Ream was born. he was most likely at those rehearsals laughing with everyone else

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FYI....Ream was born. he was most likely at those rehearsals laughing with everyone else

I don't remember your Dad or you at what it referred to as the infamous "Syracuse Incident". I can laugh now about it, but sheesh, when you're a kid... :satisfied:

It did do one thing. When I teach, I'm thought of as pretty kind, even when things are getting brutal out there on the field.

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Back to Boston. Three Stars, sheesh! That's only Box 3! This is a tough DCP panel! What do I got to do to get some love, huh!?!?!?!? :laugh:

Boston's show is "Animal Farm", based on George Orwell's cautionary tale. There are elements of the old Russian folk song "Meadowlands" (Polyushko Polye) within the show at certain points as well as some visual references- mainly from the well-designed and clever guard costuming.

The opening had a lot of impact and was very visceral. At times the brass was stiffened by the electronics, but not in an onerous manner.

One of the more interesting moments is when elements of the brass leap onto the mallets and stand between them, feet on the mallet frames. I don't know how they do it without killing themselves in the process, they've all got incredible balance. :cool:

They know how to hit when it calls for it musically, the Bass Drum feature's rather exciting, and the corps is musically nuanced. I also really appreciated the well thought-out visual package, which had some solid moments and exhibited nice transitions and real planning within.

In terms of 'Storytelling' from the package, I didn't feel all that much from it, but trying to relate the story of "Animal Farm" in any literal sense in 12 minutes might be a bit too much to do, and I understand that.

After the show while walking by the souvie stands, several of us old-timers saw several of the Crusaders there with the stand, and we made sure to tell them it was a "Good Run". I realized I was on the other side of that tradition now, and it was sincerely meant. They performed with a quality effort, represented their corps well, and should be proud of their efforts. That's what it means when you tell someone it was a "Good Run". :satisfied:

My lunch break is running out of time. Next up, the Bluecoats and "TILT". Much, much to geek out about in the next installment.

Edited by BigW
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I'd done my homework and gotten a look at part of the Bluecoats' program before I headed to the show via video, and I was pretty stoked to go see them and see this live.

Video doesn't do this show justice.

Yes, "TILT" has a very simple premise. But what they do with the premise has made this show a real gem and a "must see" program, high on the "fun" factor.

There are a lot of subtle touches to the program you don't readily notice, like how the DM's podium is set at a Dutch Angle to the field, or how the uniform cummerbunds are slightly raked. Little touches of attention and detail that add to the flavor and enjoyment of this program. I also like their uniforms very much- classy, different, and most importantly, recognizable as their brand. When they went to the shakos, it was a mistake. When a corps starts altering key elements of their brand so that they look like any other, it's playing with serious fire.

Don't think that the success of this show is due entirely to the design staff. Not at all. This corps is incredibly motivated and extremely aggressive in their presentation of the package, and their energy constantly feeds the audience. They've all got a smile on the corners of their mouths. They know they have a great, high-energy-exciting show they've all heavily invested themselves into, and they know they'll get you by the end of the program.

The initial segment uses music that's heavily influenced by Balkan/Eastern European music with a lot of complex metric shifts, adding to the show theme. The arrangements also have a really beautiful sonic palette for the brass, and they left me grinning ear to ear from their wonderful sound and heavy, precise and powerful impacts. The diagonal front was also highly impressive to generate that kind of power for that depth and length of frontage.

The show proves it's possible to create something of high intellectual content but that is also very, very exciting and accessible. They've also figured out how to tame the electronic genie. It's used to highlight and accent, and keeps out of the way of brass and percussion, or in the case of the big moment at the end of the program, is used in a rather clever way.

I knew that moment was coming, I remembered the musical sequence and saw the boxes coalesce, I knew what was gonna happen, and it didn't diminish how crazy-awesome it is. Using the actual digital sample of the brass ensemble so it didn't sound cheap or corny, they bend the pitch, feathering it perfectly with the brass, working the timing and chords against what's expected, and just taking the crowd with them. I seriously lost my mind at that point in the show and ended up on their Facebook crowd-cam, for God's sake. I haven't gone that crazy since 2012 Kidsgrove.

Clever design, an aggressive corps that's totally committed to the program and selling it hard- there's talk they have a shot at the whole enchilada, and from the looks of it, they may have momentum in their favor. I'd think Crown The Cadets, and Blue Devils aren't going away, and the season should prove rather interesting. Regardless of where this corps finishes, they've created something meaningful, exciting, and something people will remember.

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Next up, Carolina Crown and their "Out of this World" program.

In the back of my mind while the corps sets up for launch, all I could think of in the back of my mind was an episode from the "Trailer Park Boys" where Bubbles had to tell Ricky to "...use space words, real ones..." :satisfied: Well, Carolina Crown did listen to Bubbles and used real space words, which set the tone pretty well along with the singers performing David Bowie's "Space Oddity." (for those curious, just search for "Trailer Park boys Space Weed" for the rather goofy reference and a good laugh)

I really wanted to see and hear Crown live, since I've only gotten to hear them in movie theaters the past few years. I wanted to really know just what they were capable of. They didn't disappoint me at all. The brass book is very, very technical, yet also very accessible. One thing I was rather pleased with from all of the DCI units that night was that all of the music books felt well constructed in one aspect that some DCI units have really had issues with over the past few seasons. The musical segments felt complete and had solid musical transitions that led the listener from one idea to the next in an artistic and well-reasoned fashion. They didn't suffer from being a bunch of fragmented ideas that jarred their way from one disjointed phrase to another radically different idea. I will say based on some of what I've seen online that there are still some guilty parties out there, but not from these corps.

I really enjoyed their interpretation of "Interstellar Suite". It was frenetic as it should have been, and the electronics were used in a very appropriate way. They included subtle sniffs that helped bring the feel of the original all-electronic composition into their arrangement and added to the zen of the program.

More quotes from "Space Oddity" and from Holst's "The Planets" also contributed well and thoughtfully to the theme.

I'd also like to compliment the percussion in the section with the metallics. They've really cleaned a lot of the fluff out in a short period of time from the video performances I've looked at carefully. The hard work is paying off.

I know some folks have been unamused with the trampolines, the offset tymps, and the odd unis. I thought the unis were fine for Crown. They have cues that are part of their brand, and they've kind of taken over the monopoly on crazy costumes. They actually kind of remind me of some of the wilder stuff that some of the corps from Quebec used to come up with back when DCA and DCI actually had corps from Quebec involved. (Are Les Stentors still out there!?) As for the trampolines and all that stuff, I found myself engaged in the real substance of the program and felt like- "oh, yeah, they're bouncing around, okay, that's cool, I guess." The music and drill were so intense and exciting in and of themselves they went beyond the goofy stuff for me and it didn't bother me. I think they're more out there as props to delineate the performance area on the field and also as stations for the guard to hide and switch out equipment, actually.

Speaking of the intensity of the corps, I really have to tip my cap to the corps membership. There's a feeling you get from watching Crown live. They're not mailing in their performance. They're not out there on cruise control just doing a run-through. I really could feel that this corps wants to dominate and crush the program when they perform it, not just get through it or do an okay job of it. It's an insanely challenging program and they're out there ripping off the boxtop and eating all the cereal like it's nothing. It's really mindblowing to see them tear up the field like they do.

The sound the brass generates is also the real deal. It's not been pumped up with speakers. They really do play with a ridiculous amount of force when they want to, and do it with superb control and quality. They actually managed to reach the acoustical threshold of pain on me (look it up if you're not familiar with the term) in a couple of their big impacts. There's only one other corps that's done it to me, and that was the US Naval Academy corps back around 1986 when they were fielding 105 (yes, one hundred and five, not a typo) G bugles on the field. The 1992 Les Metropolitans Du Hull may have come close. They have real power, and yes, they do it in B-Flat. I do invite some of the guys who've seen stuff from back before me (paging Ray Fallon and others!) to get some other examples of Tac-nuke brass sections into the thread.

Crown's totally sold me. The main reason is the members. I do love the book and the show, but they REALLY make it magical.

Edited by BigW
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The final competitor were the Cadets with "Promise: An American Portrait" which uses Copland's "Appalachian Spring", "Lincoln Portrait", and "Fanfare for the Common Man" comprising the lion's share of the music.

The premise is pretty much the whole philosophical debate involving the "Great Man Theory" with examples and quotes from Lincoln, FDR, and JFK covering the narrative.

I'd better hit the brakes right there before delving in further. I really enjoyed this program. It appears after all of the narrative shows that have driven me insane for various reasons from various organizations, The Cadets sat down, figured out what works, what does not, and how to do this well.

The Cadets of late have either scored direct hits (2005, 2009, 2011, 2012) or had duds (2007, 2008, 2010) with me, and I did wonder where this one would land. Part of the reason this one hits is actually the young man who narrates. I've worked in College and Commercial radio (the money's bad unless you get into a large market!!!) and this fellow's got a professional voice and delivery. He's superb. I've seen narrative shows with weak narrators, and there's no faster way to blow up a show with a bad one. I'm gonna get back to this fellow in a bit in a good way. At least I think it's good. :satisfied:

The show's a nice slice of gourmet All-American Apple Pie, very pleasant and enjoyable.

The solo work was top-drawer, and I did appreciate the French Horn. No burning me at the stake for heresy, please. The young lady played very well, the moment was set up perfectly, and it made for a good moment in the show.

There are some things I do have concerns about, though.

The Cadets do show some serious power in their initial musical statement. I think though that they may be beating everyone over the heads with it for too long and that they need to nuance it to heighten the emotions and to keep the audience from tuning out because it's been too loud for too long. I do like loud, but it needed some variety. :satisfied:

Back to the narrator. Hopefully... I don't come off as too irreverent. He does all of Lincoln's lines beautifully. As the time progresses, they begin to intersperse sound files of FDR's and JFK's actual voices into the mix of his narrative. Of course, there are no recordings of Honest Abe.... :music:

This young man is really, really good. Why not use him to deliver FDR and JFK's lines just as he does all of Lincoln's? Take advantage of his talent. They're very fortunate to have him for that role, seriously. He'd do a VERY fine job. :satisfied:

The other issue was one that began to creep into the back of my mind as the show moved on, and I watched the various vignettes take place on the large stage on the front sideline. Maybe part of the problem was my relative closeness and low perspective. I don't know. The drill was very readable, the corps quite audible.

The issue is this:

There were many moments as the show progressed where I felt the vast majority of the corps on the field was a really nice frame to the portrait of the people who came up to the front stage. I'm not certain that's a good thing. The Bluecoats and Crown make their entire ensemble of performers the center of the portrait and use props to create their frame. This is a subtle issue. If I were on Croan and Bluecoats staff, I'd be putting that bug into the panel's ears in a polite way. It just is something that's bothered me all week from the moment the thought crept in during the performance. I did enjoy the Cadets quite a bit. At the DCI level, little artistic and philosophical issues like this can mean a lot when scores are entered. As someone looking to see a fun show, it's not as big a deal as it is if you're worried about scores. :satisfied:

Next.. the fistbumps!

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Time for the first

fistbump.png

awards for the season! Oh, yeah! I'm freakin' tired, but let me stagger to my feet and land some fistbumps to the people on the field who might not get noticed by the average fan that deserve to be. For those of you from DCI land who may not be familiar with my craziness, that's the criteria I go with. Not the obvious Drum Corps heroes who get all the love, but the ones in the trenches who wonder- "Does anyone notice I'm on the field or even care...!?"...

The first of the year goes to the Drum Major of Windsor Regiment. Good to see some solid conducting out there. It makes a difference. :thumbup:

Next, Bush's cajón player. without that groove he lays out, that segment goes nowhere fast.

My bud Eldon at Fusion gets the next one. Dude, you're on trumpet this season? Eldon's the ideal team guy. Great Mello player, but covered Bari at Fusion for the past couple of seasons and is now on the Trumpet. I couldn't do what he does, period. I played a Mello once. I made the corps director duck, cracked the concrete wall behind him, and he told me not to pick it up again. Ever. :muahaha:

The tenor player at Gold gets one. The guy's out there pushing hard to make it happen.

C2's Bass Drums. They've got some serious stuff happening out there. Listen for them.

The Baris at Spirit. Nice, fat sound.

The brass players standing up on the mallet frames at Boston. I'd get killed if I did that. I'm extremely clumsy. I'd fall off and prolly impale myself on my bari. Ream would prolly laugh. At least some good would come of it.

I've never done this before, but I have to run like a maniac though the whole Bluecoats corps and fistbump 'em all. They're all the kind of bad, bad men and women a corps needs to make it happen. :worthy:

The Center Snare at Crown. Intense is an understatement. My guess is that they feed this cat raw meat, keep him caged up in a special trailer like the Tasmanian Devil and only let him out for rehearsals and performances. I'm also wondering about the other snares and the tenors, too. Serious Drum Corps bad***es, period.

I never thought I'd give a narrator a fistbump. The fellow at The Cadets more than deserves one. If he wants to be poor until he can find a large market radio or TV job, he's got a career in it if he wants it. :laugh:

Well, in spite of my job killing me, I got this done before the Wayne show. Now, I need to get some sleep, get up, and drive 2 hours 45 to Wayne today. :help: I know I'll see some of you there and look forward to it. I think it's gonna be a pretty daggone good shootout. :satisfied:

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I must have opened the wrong thing, I swear this was the DCA Alumni section not DCI, I will have to check better!!!!!! :cool:

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I must have opened the wrong thing, I swear this was the DCA Alumni section not DCI, I will have to check better!!!!!! :cool:

It's no problem, everyone is welcome. When I do these reviews, I like to think of it as a virtual Post One-Nine-Nine where guys like Fran, Ray, John, and others can sit down over a beer (or something non-adult if you're under 21) and talk corps. In all seriousness, I mentioned power hornlines. Who's the outright loudest (that still sounded good) you can remember?

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Next up, Carolina Crown and their "Out of this World" program.

...

I know some folks have been unamused with the trampolines, the offset tymps, and the odd unis. I thought the unis were fine for Crown. They have cues that are part of their brand, and they've kind of taken over the monopoly on crazy costumes. They actually kind of remind me of some of the wilder stuff that some of the corps from Quebec used to come up with back when DCA and DCI actually had corps from Quebec involved. (Are Les Stentors still out there!?)

Yes, they are. DCI's schedule has them competing at more than a half-dozen shows this year, starting July 19 in Manchester, NH.

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