Jothcra Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hey folks, here's a quick and dirty review of my opinions from the action in Rockmart, Georgia tonight. I took several pictures but unfortunately the lighting played games with my phone's camera and most of them were bad. I've included a couple that were usable. Atlanta CV Alumni Ensemble (exhibition): Atlanta, GA - 9 brass, 1 conductor Brand new this year, the CV Alumni Ensemble consists of several early CV alumni who have kept up their playing. They presented the national anthem at tonight's show. There was talk floating around CV of starting an alumni corps and I believe this is the first step towards that goal. Southern Knights (exhibition): Birmingham, AL - 14 brass, 3 percussion The Southern Knights return for their 3rd and final show of 2015. Just like in Woodstock, the brass was electric and gave us a nice sizzling g bugle sound. New for this performance was a fantastic wailing contrabass solo featuring Joe Murphy, widely-acclaimed tuba soloist and brass caption head of the corps. These folks will surely be a hit in the Class A scene next season. Cincinnati Tradition (Class A): Cincinnati, OH - 14 brass, 12 battery, 6 pit, ~10 guard, 1 DM The drumline really stole the show here. They are very obviously the strongest section in the corps and they play a very prominent role in this show. I'm a horn guy so I don't understand the intricacies of marching percussion, but there were several moments (especially from the bass line) that made a very good impression on me. There were some strong moments in the show design with the guard split into two groups, each spinning a different flag in keeping with Tradition's 2-sided show theme. At the same time, the horn drill looked quite odd. The drill certainly wasn't doing the horns any favors, with the small line being spread across nearly 40 yards of field space at some points. It was a little puzzling to watch the corps be so separated during big ensemble moments. I feel as if the hornline could have achieved a higher level of excellence in ensemble playing if their drill would have kept them close together. The last moments of the show displayed a nice full ensemble moment where the horns finally gave us a big sound the rest of the show was missing. IMO, field coverage should not take precedence over setting musicians up for a good listening environment. The line gelled well in close quarters and I wish they had more moments like that. ALLIANCE (Class A): Atlanta, GA - 23 brass, 18 battery, 8 pit, ?? guard, 1 DM + 1 conductor I said in my last review that I really enjoyed the brass. I'll say it again because they play very well. There is some very, very excellent brass writing and execution going on in this drum corps and it's impressive what they do with their small hornline. Of course, being ALLIANCE the drumline is also excellent. Again, I know very little about drumming but they were the clear winner in Class A percussion tonight and I would expect to be a serious contender for the Class A percussion title at championships. This is an excellent line taught by some of the best in the area, and the corps' connection to the Atlanta Quest organization does them a lot of favors as well. During the course of the show, a tenor player lost his shako and I nervously watched at least 5 brass players kick it around before a guard member scooped it up at the end of a movement. Fortunately no one was injured. Brand new for this run, the horns and drums have a new sash that they flipped open towards the end of the production to expose a bright red color to contrast with the icy blue that dominates the visual scheme for most of the show (picture above). Overall, this is a well-programmed show that should be in the running for a Class A title come championship weekend. Tonight's score puts them several points behind the current Class A leader but all that could change when they go head to head. Carolina Gold (Open Class): Greensboro, NC - 28 brass, 21 battery, 11 pit, huge (~30) guard, 1 DM + 1 conductor Gold continued their upswing tonight with a noticeably improved show over DCA Woodstock. The corps came out sans plumes due to an impending thunderstorm. Additionally, the drums have received a new light blue wrap to better fit the wintry theme of the show. The comments I previously made about the hornline were rendered invalid tonight - the horns did a much improved job of projecting and playing confidently, although there were a few noticeable instances of phasing that occurred at several points in the show. Gold's drum major's passion is very evident in his conducting and he is a joy to watch. The guard is massive and dominates the field. As I noted in my last review, they are probably Gold's strong suit as they have been for several years. Very excellent guard work and design throughout this show. Atlanta CV (Open Class): Atlanta, GA - 48 brass, 18 battery, 15 pit, ~30 guard, 2 DM + 2 conductor Homer bias aside, CV truly looked and sounded like they were in a class of their own tonight. Many members and alumni believe this could be the best CV ever and I'd have to agree with them. This is the most well-designed and executed show I personally have ever seen from them. This show is just chock full of GE moments. A notable improvement and enhancement since the last show is new printed eye graphics on the shutter props - these rotate like vertical blinds throughout the show from closed eyes to open eyes, and sometimes at an angle to let the viewer see through the prop to the field behind. Although the timing of the changes is not solid yet, it's an impressive effect that builds anticipation for the impact moments that follow in the seconds after. The brass playing is really, really excellent in this show. If you saw CV live last year, you have an idea of the quality of the hornline that wore the green, red, and black in 2014 and took 4th place in brass during championships. This line is many, many steps ahead of that one. There are loads of high-energy impact moments and section features, good solo work, and very clever horn writing. The whole show is a musical treat and there's lots of stuff to recognize from drum corps in years past. Further carrying the "eyeconic" throwback theme, some guard members don shakos during a feature moment and do a short routine similar to what the guards of the "good old days" would have done. This show score puts CV in 5th place in Open Class. The 4-7 race is very close right now and it's anyone's game, but I believe this show has the potential to give CV their first ever 5th (or even 4th) place finals finish. The Rocketeers (Exhibition): Huntsville, AL - 10 brass, 1 percussion, 1 conductor Tonight's show was a standstill version of their Soundsport program I got to see at DCI Atlanta. It's a fun show with a lot of easily recognizable music and some playful work with props throughout. They play well and present a very crowd-friendly and entertaining show. I hope they can attract enough members to become a full-fledged competing corps in the near future. DCA South can definitely use some more friendly faces. Wouldn't it be great to have a southern division with 6 competing corps next summer? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Knights Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Thank you for the kind words and great review of all the corps. We had a blast, and really appreciated the Standing "O" at the end of the show! This is why we do this. To entertain the crowd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ CVmellophone Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Thanks for reviewing all of the performances! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 "The drill certainly wasn't doing the horns any favors, with the small line being spread across nearly 40 yards of field space at some points. It was a little puzzling to watch the corps be so separated during big ensemble moments. I feel as if the hornline could have achieved a higher level of excellence in ensemble playing if their drill would have kept them close together. The last moments of the show displayed a nice full ensemble moment where the horns finally gave us a big sound the rest of the show was missing. IMO, field coverage should not take precedence over setting musicians up for a good listening environment." Very fine review, man. Your point here is well taken. In theory, spreading out the brass can give a "bigger" sound. It was one of the devices that BD used in the late 70's early 80's to make them sound even more lush and larger then they were. The thing is, when you do it, there's a trade-off in that you hear yourself, the person to the left of you, the person to the right of you, and that's pretty much it. You can't listen across the ensemble and figure that out as you play. You have to trust the staff when they tell you what dynamic levels to play when based on them sitting in the box and tweaking everything during a field rehearsal and remember those levels and religiously reproduce them every time out. That ain't easy. I know this. When you have a lot of rehearsal time (the BIG issue here), talent- yes, it can work, BUT. Take a look at what everyone else with a smaller Brass section is doing in DCA this season that I've seen- they're sure as heck not diffusing the brass. The work involved to make that pay off isn't worth the rehearsal time that could be better spent on other issues... and I haven't seen any real payoff from the risks taken from doing something like that in DCA in.... Hmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Terrific review.... thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 "The drill certainly wasn't doing the horns any favors, with the small line being spread across nearly 40 yards of field space at some points. It was a little puzzling to watch the corps be so separated during big ensemble moments. I feel as if the hornline could have achieved a higher level of excellence in ensemble playing if their drill would have kept them close together. The last moments of the show displayed a nice full ensemble moment where the horns finally gave us a big sound the rest of the show was missing. IMO, field coverage should not take precedence over setting musicians up for a good listening environment." Very fine review, man. Your point here is well taken. In theory, spreading out the brass can give a "bigger" sound. It was one of the devices that BD used in the late 70's early 80's to make them sound even more lush and larger then they were. The thing is, when you do it, there's a trade-off in that you hear yourself, the person to the left of you, the person to the right of you, and that's pretty much it. You can't listen across the ensemble and figure that out as you play. You have to trust the staff when they tell you what dynamic levels to play when based on them sitting in the box and tweaking everything during a field rehearsal and remember those levels and religiously reproduce them every time out. That ain't easy. I know this. When you have a lot of rehearsal time (the BIG issue here), talent- yes, it can work, BUT. Take a look at what everyone else with a smaller Brass section is doing in DCA this season that I've seen- they're sure as heck not diffusing the brass. The work involved to make that pay off isn't worth the rehearsal time that could be better spent on other issues... and I haven't seen any real payoff from the risks taken from doing something like that in DCA in.... Hmmm.... So... to sum up.... If you have 14 horns, don't spread the field with them as if you had 64 horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 So... to sum up.... If you have 14 horns, don't spread the field with them as if you had 64 horns. Or... don't have them out there strung out at 4-6 step intervals and forms that are ridiculously deep and 30 yards away from the battery offset to their right or left.. I've seen stuff like this. and while it might be visually attractive... musically, it ain't pretty unless you like phased attacks, people sticking out constantly and tears on every note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithy Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Thanks for the review. It's always nice to get some outside perspective on the show. To clarify, Gold's guard has 44 members although we marched one hole due to a forgotten uniform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 ... Gold's guard has 44 members ... Holy carp, that is gigantic. I need to see this show. ... we marched one hole due to a forgotten uniform. I hope that was awkward for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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