ctrain08 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 For the last few years, I've been extremely disappointed in the direction DCI is going in terms of show production and artistry. It started in 2004 when they allowed electronics. We were told it would help us hear the pit and could be used in tasteful ways to enhance the show. Those of us who knew it would be abused also knew that that was a specious argument. No one ever had problems hearing the pit. So here we are a decade later and what we are seeing on the field is not drum corps in my opinion. What we now have is Cirque du Soleil meets interpretive dancing at its worst. In my opinion, Carolina Crown has been the worst abuser of this new style of drum corps. They have been dominating DCI for the past several years, and it seems all the competition has collectively decided they must imitate them in order to stay competitive. And so I say to Carolina Crown and all other Corps who are becoming Carolina Crown: STOP IT. PLEASE. You're killing me. I can't take it anymore. What you are doing is the antithesis of drum corps. It's almost as if you are now TRYING to make the traditionalists angry. Just to give you an idea, here's a quick list of what nobody needs to see in a drum corps show: -Props. They only stifle drill writing and are extremely distracting. -Quasi-political or subliminal thought-provoking messages -Narrations telling the audience what's going on (btw, it still doesn't make sense) -Singing or gregorian chant -jumping on trampolines -lying on the field -Neon colored body suits -Pre-recorded saxophone drops -Trombones -Squatting, pleats, dancing, or any variation of a ballet move Is there anyone out there who was a fan of DCI and what it stood for pre-2004 who is actually excited about the direction it is now headed? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seen-it-all Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 LOL 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 For the last few years, I've been extremely disappointed in the direction DCI is going in terms of show production and artistry. It started in 2004 when they allowed electronics. We were told it would help us hear the pit and could be used in tasteful ways to enhance the show. Those of us who knew it would be abused also knew that that was a specious argument. No one ever had problems hearing the pit. So here we are a decade later and what we are seeing on the field is not drum corps in my opinion. What we now have is Cirque du Soleil meets interpretive dancing at its worst. In my opinion, Carolina Crown has been the worst abuser of this new style of drum corps. They have been dominating DCI for the past several years, and it seems all the competition has collectively decided they must imitate them in order to stay competitive. And so I say to Carolina Crown and all other Corps who are becoming Carolina Crown: STOP IT. PLEASE. You're killing me. I can't take it anymore. What you are doing is the antithesis of drum corps. It's almost as if you are now TRYING to make the traditionalists angry. Just to give you an idea, here's a quick list of what nobody needs to see in a drum corps show: -Props. They only stifle drill writing and are extremely distracting. -Quasi-political or subliminal thought-provoking messages -Narrations telling the audience what's going on (btw, it still doesn't make sense) -Singing or gregorian chant -jumping on trampolines -lying on the field -Neon colored body suits -Pre-recorded saxophone drops -Trombones -Squatting, pleats, dancing, or any variation of a ballet move Is there anyone out there who was a fan of DCI and what it stood for pre-2004 who is actually excited about the direction it is now headed? Funny how you claim to know what drum corps is "all about." Step down from that pedestal, friend. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caliswift Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaddyt Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 For the last few years, I've been extremely disappointed in the direction DCI is going in terms of show production and artistry. It started in 2004 when they allowed electronics. We were told it would help us hear the pit and could be used in tasteful ways to enhance the show. Those of us who knew it would be abused also knew that that was a specious argument. No one ever had problems hearing the pit. So here we are a decade later and what we are seeing on the field is not drum corps in my opinion. What we now have is Cirque du Soleil meets interpretive dancing at its worst. In my opinion, Carolina Crown has been the worst abuser of this new style of drum corps. They have been dominating DCI for the past several years, and it seems all the competition has collectively decided they must imitate them in order to stay competitive. And so I say to Carolina Crown and all other Corps who are becoming Carolina Crown: STOP IT. PLEASE. You're killing me. I can't take it anymore. What you are doing is the antithesis of drum corps. It's almost as if you are now TRYING to make the traditionalists angry. Just to give you an idea, here's a quick list of what nobody needs to see in a drum corps show: -Props. They only stifle drill writing and are extremely distracting. -Quasi-political or subliminal thought-provoking messages -Narrations telling the audience what's going on (btw, it still doesn't make sense) -Singing or gregorian chant -jumping on trampolines -lying on the field -Neon colored body suits -Pre-recorded saxophone drops -Trombones -Squatting, pleats, dancing, or any variation of a ballet move Is there anyone out there who was a fan of DCI and what it stood for pre-2004 who is actually excited about the direction it is now headed? Thank you, you have a very nice opinion. And I wouldn't necessarily say that 1 (one, singular, only, exclusive, solitary, sole) championship could be considered "dominating". But that's just me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevillemurphy Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 With the exception of amplification (electronics would be keyboards, synths etc. IMO) all the "stuff" listed as being "Crown-i-fying" of DCI started occurring well before 2004 and before Crown came along...The Bridgemen danced, had props, had funky guard costumes, horn members changed clothes, etc. ...they stopped fielding a corps in the mid eightes (If I am not mistaken)...well before the downfall attributed to Crown. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirdValvesAreForWimps Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) Carolina Crown has definitely pushed the activity forward with respect to brass playing and this is a very good thing. In fact, listening to Crown today is the closest thing you'll hear to early 1990s Star of Indiana who similarly pushed brass playing forward. The rest of it, however, isn't so hot. I'm not into pre-recorded anything and the OP's take on electronics is spot on: They are not necessary nor do they enhance the show in any way. It's time for the Rules Congress to rescind the electronics rule and gracefully admit ten years of failure is enough. Drum corps is about the talent of the individual members, not that of the behind-the-scenes sound man. I'm less worried about what Carolina Crown is doing than I am what George Hopkins and others want to do because I sense a critical point where drum corps morphs into a combination of the worst aspects of Bands of America and Winter Guard International. Now I have nothing against BOA or WGI but they need to stay in their own lanes of the road. Similarly, DCI doesn't need to steer toward either BOA or WGI because in doing so, it dilutes the beauty of drum corps and takes away what makes drum corps unique as a musical genre. Drum corps is raw and basic: Brass, percussion, and visuals in brilliant combination. I'm not thrilled with euphoniums, trombones, or French horns on the field but at least they are brass instruments. Recorded woodwinds and strings are bad enough: Real woodwinds and strings on the field would be a disaster. What Carolina Crown is doing is flavor du jour and nothing more. The brass is amazing but the rest of the show, its "look," isn't so earth shattering in the long run. They will not repeat as champions in 2014 because what I hear and see from the Blue Devils is amazing without being off-the-scale weird. Edited July 20, 2014 by ThirdValvesAreForWimps 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skevinp Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 It's hard to take this post seriously when it blames one corps for things most every corps has been doing for as long or longer, not to mention things they aren't doing at all. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Carolina Crown has definitely pushed the activity forward with respect to brass playing and this is a very good thing. In fact, listening to Crown today is the closest thing you'll hear to early 1990s Star of Indiana who similarly pushed brass playing forward. The rest of it, however, isn't so hot. I'm not into pre-recorded anything and the OP's take on electronics is spot on: They are not necessary nor do they enhance the show in any way. It's time for the Rules Congress to rescind the electronics rule and gracefully admit ten years of failure is enough. Drum corps is about the talent of the individual members, not that of the behind-the-scenes sound man. I'm less worried about what Carolina Crown is doing than I am what George Hopkins and others want to do because I sense a critical point where drum corps morphs into a combination of the worst aspects of Bands of America and Winter Guard International. Now I have nothing against BOA or WGI but they need to stay in their own lanes of the road. Similarly, DCI doesn't need to steer toward either BOA or WGI because in doing so, it dilutes the beauty of drum corps and takes away what makes drum corps unique as a musical genre. Drum corps is raw and basic: Brass, percussion, and visuals in brilliant combination. I'm not thrilled with euphoniums, trombones, or French horns on the field but at least they are brass instruments. Recorded woodwinds and strings are bad enough: Real woodwinds and strings on the field would be a disaster. What Carolina Crown is doing is flavor du jour and nothing more. The brass is amazing but the rest of the show, its "look," isn't so earth shattering in the long run. They will not repeat as champions in 2014 because what I hear and see from the Blue Devils is amazing without being off-the-scale weird. The point here is that this is your opinion. When the OP says "Nobody needs this" and you say "Rules Committee needs to rescind" I think that he is trying to speak for the rest of us, or maybe it's implied that you speak for any of us that actually gets it, i.e. agrees with you. In my opinion there's a simple rule that guides the Universe, Supply and Demand. When DCI, or Drum Corps in general, fails to appeal to a market that can support it change will come, hopefully in time to make changes but that's true of every business (General Motors, United Airlines, you name it - fail to adapt and you whither). Some of us feel that we can make our own decisions and voice our own opinions - that we don't need spokesmen or spokeswomen. I think that's why this type of post tends to grate. I also have experienced that some (perhaps the OP) write these posts simply to provoke controversy and get themselves attention. Yours doesn't feel like that - you seem sincere - you MAY be correct ultimately in every one of your opinions - but by and large on a Sunday morning most of us prefer our lectures from the pulpit. We've all been there. We've all (like you) earned our opinions. Believe it or not, some of us like and admire (while not always agreeing with) George Hopkins. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) Not the answer you would expect from a 63 year old who marched in the '60s, but YES, I do like what Carolina Crown is doing now. It's beyond entertaining for today's audiences. Even unpredictable, for anyone paying for a ticket ONCE per year. To me, that's the key. DCI does better if local shows pack 'em in, make money for host partners, no matter who comes through the gate. Bringing casual viewers to their feet, screaming in approval. All done with enough skills to wow the purist aficionado. I cringe when I hear someone describe a corps' show like this, "They were good, but I guess I just have to see it a few more times." Too bad. A strong, primarily local audience will mostly be giving you just one chance to make the sale. Thrill them, not bore them, and never confuse them. They want a spectacle for their money, and they don't want to work to find it. I would take ANYONE to see Carolina Crown right now. Maximum 'bang' for their buck, no doubt in my mind. With so many entertainment options these days, corps can no longer choose to push the envelope. It's a must! Edited July 20, 2014 by Fred Windish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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