The Reading Review

[Jeff Ream]

I should get it all up today.... a 2 hour conference call I shouldn't have to pay attention to is in my future!

Always well run, even when you leave the house late because you're trying to see the end of the LLWS game since the team is local. Even managed to find parking in the lot and not the neighborhood. Good food as always, and a bonus addition of a Rita's Italian Ice stand was great for post show!

I can never complain about my seats, but I think Amy needs to send the following disclaimer out next year....if you want to sit by the press box, you WILL hear the judges talking. And no matter how many dirty looks you give them, while trying to start a hole through Jeff and Christine when we chat with them at break, they won't be quiet....they are doing their job. and to that judge, it was a joy hearing you as you gave me insight to your sheet, and your enthusiasm for when a corps delivered was contagious!

scores can be found on the DCA website, and since I haven't seen half the circuit my only predictions for next week are "whoever scores highest wins" and "there will be movement up and down the rankings". Saw vides of Kidsgrove and Cabs, and it'll be a fun time in Rachacha!

ok back to work, i'll get typing soon!

[Jeff Ream]

seats: top row, 48 yard line side 2

first up the return of the Erie Thunderbirds! percussion, brass and guard all seemed the same size, I didn't count. Unsure if there were brass holes or not...drill at times led me to believe yes. The music was by the Rock band Queen, so I at least knew the tunes, not sure if everyone around me did.

Under pressure started with the pit and the brass playing backfield...bass drums had an active book and hampered being able to hear the brass in a few spots. The corps turned forward at the chorus, and the guard had attention getting gold flags...which at times highlighted the work wasn't together. The tempo then picked up and took a few counts to lock in. In Someone to Love, it felt like the brass at times were fighting the battery on balance and blend, and some brass players were trying to make up for those either missing or not pulling their weight. It also seems a few staging moments of brass on one side and percussion on the other led to some tugging and pulling. May have just been a rough run, as I don't think the issues are design, just may need some additional work.

FB Girls up next briefly with the brass by themselves playing the weel known a cappella lick, then the pit joined with Another one bites the Dust which had some battery features in there. some smart writing, just seemed a few clarity issues, then the brass came back in, then the pit led the ritardando into the bari solo for Bo Rhap. at the tempo change, the keys applied some nice dead strokes to set the feel, but some battery staging didn't help with clarity as again it was drums one side, brass on the other. here it was very evident the guard must have had some new work as lots of eyes were checking out those around them. As the corps worked back into the ending, the brass started to show some fatigue issues which didn't allow the ending to come off as intended.

Yeah, there were some issues. if there were brass holes, that can fix a lot. But here's the thing....this was a pretty young looking corps, that hasn't been competitive in name since the mid 80's. it's a fun show, and with some woodshedding in the next week, lots of little things can be cleaned up and help carry things upstairs, especially with the brass. guard getting the work down will help as well. But....they're back, and I'm thrilled to see a name from my youth back out there. I know Brigs and Archie came back after 20 or so year layoffs, has anyone ever come back from a 30 year layoff? Not that I know of! So welcome back Erie, this is a good start!

White Sabers....I liked this show a month ago, but it wasn't my favorite of their recent offerings ( 2013 was).as I loved every show they have done since 2012, that's saying a lot. Sorry 2013, move over, 2015 this performance helped it take the top spot. The corps starts backfield under a bari soloist, and the pit comes in with some nice warm sounds, voices keep adding in and then battery leading to the first big hit, which then adds a nice build to the release of the opening statement. We keep going on with a very musical battery break, then you have the brass in pods on side 2, and chug to the ending...I think a few horn pops added in can make some endings appear bigger. The Cirque music starts with some nice grooves, then head into Rite of Spring, love the body timed to the isolated attacks in the brass, and another battery break well done. The death scene was clearer visually, but she needs to die louder....much bigger house next week, upstairs won't hear her scream if I barely heard her. A nice pit moment into the ballad, and the brass shined here, as well as the guard which was integrated very well.

The soprano solo to the end of the ballad worked really well, and the battery comes right in leading us to the Bacchanle....I still say it needs jingle trees, but that's me. The big hit worked well, and again, well times body work, then a brief recap of the show building to the big hit. I'll be honest, I was too engrossed to take a lot of notes on the very end....I think the brass needs just a hair more gas, but they have a week. The show is well designed to what they have, and while I'd love to see them add 10 more brass in time, what they are doing works. They are IMO right there with Kidsgrove and Fusion from what I saw live or on video from the weekend. They keep taking steps every year to further themselves up the ladder, and if they keep on at this pace, in a few years, we could see a new team wearing black and blue in the big conversation. I feel that strongly about this corps. I mean the size of their battery alone shows how much attention to detail they pay in design and performance that not once did I feel they were overpowering. This corps could be a head turner next weekend with some home region love.

[Jeff Ream]

ok, the day job got busy and internet was down at home. let's get back at it.

Carolina Gold....let it Snow.

two things come to mind....the guard is HUGE, and to borrow words from their ballad ( and currently #1 in my most over played Disney song my three year old loves), their hornline needs to "let it go!"

It did seem like there were a few brass holes. makes sense given two weekends of long travel. The preshow starts as the guard emerges from behind the props like snowflakes falling as we hear winter sounds...seemed to drag on a touch long, but then again, the guard is huge. mellos and tenors brough palladio forward nicely, and man those blue guard uniforms and all of the sparkly things on them look good under the lights, as well as against the corps proper uniforms. But as all voices got in, the brass was overpowered by the battery, and based on sizes, it shouldn't be happening. Push air!

The pit starts off of with Disney's greatest recent hit ( sorry, I just despise that song), and the guard and battery...maybe some brass too....disappear behind the prop and screens upfront. the brass comes in with the melody and build into a nice hit, and the guard is doing some nice dance along, then the battery enters...they tease you thinking big hit coming, but no....back into the main melody and into a brass octet for the chorus, then boom everyone joins in! Guard with blue flags here make the field seem totally filled.

Once the Disney tribute is over, the basses start us off on the next tune, followed by tenors, then full on battery break...some moments of good, bass break seemed choppy....whole guard looked to be on rifles...yeah 44 rifles on the field!...at brass re-entry they and pit did not seem to be on the same page timing wise, and it seemed as if the brass stayed mono dynamic no matter what one felt the moment called for, never allowing phrases to feel fully resolved. For the closer, again the guard fills the field with white flags, but the brass seemed truly fatigued and the ending lacked punch.

All of my Disney hate ( hey, I have a three year old) aside, this has the potential to be a really fun show. the guard is huge and pretty good. The percussion had some good moments, but the key to this show taking any next steps is all in the brass section. The guard can only take them so far, and while they do help tell the story and make you see and feel winter, the brass needs to step it up and ...well....let it go.

Having seen Bush a month ago, I was curious to see why the show has seemed to have stalled in the scores area. I thought the show had some potential, but I needed to see whi it has stalled.

two things I noticed tonight being more familiar with the show...brass holes. can't help. Still some holes in the sound and feet in the sound. Some transitions seem to drag on until the scene shifts and you're moving to the next big moment and man oh day...tempered steel. I love everything about it except it .....is........way..............too...................slow.

the preshow has been shortened up, which is good, but I think it could still lose several seconds of just factory sounds and performers doing the body work, as all are not fully into their character. The DM punching in still very cool! Sops start us off, then the baris come in, everyone doing body until all voices have entered after the factory horn. The tempo picked up and here I noticed some characterization/story line trying to develop about someone with a hardhat...I guess she's the main worker leading the revolution? I don't know it wasn't very clear. The bass drum feature was again excellent...some say it's too long, i'm a bass drummer, so i'm fine with it! battery enters and does well, but the brass didn't seem to line up well when they entered. We shift the tempo wayyyy down for tempered steel, which does allow the low brass to sound mighty, then into a battery break which also seems under tempo for whats written. The brass re-entry showed the tempo bumped up a little, but it could be more. I'm not sure you take that gamble finals week.

Pit brings us into Nimrod, with the brass following with some nice sounds. great guard interaction as the corps stands from their kneeling position and starts to move, and crescendos nicely to the end of the moment. The Nimrod theme comes back at a brighter tempo and the corps backfield as we get announcement of the factory day ending...the thought has to take a while due to all of the announcements made to the workers, but when they get to the push, it was strong. After the push, the next set up thought again seems to take a while to develop, and allows for some individuals to be exposed, but the work day finally ends with a nice big slow push that increases in tempo, and we see the workers ditch their work clothes!

I like the idea of the show. the problem now IMO isn't fixable as it would take some big rewrites to condense some thoughts and add some tempo boots in spots. By no means is it a bad show...it's what I call "over thought out"....trying too hard to force depth into a concept that doesn't need to be super deep. the person with the hard hat plot was tough to follow. When a show and corps like this sits on the finals bubble, that tells you good things about the quality of what's above it. I haven't seem of those also in that range, but I'm just not sure there's enough time to fix what's needed for this show to make it in.

INT...good. just the perfect length, well paced.

[Jeff Ream]

after INT's fine and not too long performance, the showdown in pretzel town got exciting.

Cadets 2 brought the Red Army in with what seemed to be a shortened pre-show that flowed better into the main course. The brass builds to the hit, and man is that tympani player fantastic. I hope the fan network mics him good in Russian X mas. the build flows as voices layer in and out musically and the drill picks up in intensity..and when we get there HELLO MELLOS!! #### were you on fire!!! The pit takes the lead as we shift to next familiar section of Putins holiday cheer, and this led us to a nice slow majestic push across the field, and then the tempo cranks for the fast and furious ending we all know and love, getting the all white corps proper on side 1, the red army on side 2 for a striking visual image.

Lullaby starts with great pit performance and a lush bari solo, and the rest of the brass responds warmly as they enter. working their way into groupings of 2s with the guard integrated so they white and red play off each other well. Once they finish the big hit, they play backfield taking us to the end of the tune. Tumblers starts with the massive percussion section, with the brass joining the fun, then more percussion, and man the piece just flies. percussion played really well. fantastic build to the finish. Sailors starts with the pit and wow rifles! the accel in the pit with the battery layering in worked really well, and then you had all kinds of trade offs between the voices. A minor moment of ensemble uneasiness happened as we built for the final push. but they corps recovered nicely as the corps proper frames a giant red flag that has a girl pop up from underneath...an SCV magic trick from the old days so to speak....a little issue getting through the hole of the flag, but we got the idea.

C2 came to play, and play hard. it was at this show 2 years ago where I said "#### if they can carry that momentum......"...then had a bad prelims run. Design seems so much smarter this year, and the show flows well. The guard is stunning, the percussion is their usual selves, and now it's in the brass lines hands. I won't say they can win, I won't say they can't, I'll just say with good runs next weekend they can make things ###### entertaining. the best this corps has been yet.

Fusion...I looked forward to seeing them after last year's giant leap up the rankings. All Aboard is a fun show and features a guard truly seems to enjoy themselves. How they got past the JayZ rights stuff that hit Madison a few years ago is beyond me....hoping to not have a dvd with silence!

The pit starts the groove as the corps works their way in to Empire State...is that the voice of Dan Potter?....this builds a to a nice hit with the guard framing the corps, and the colors of the guard uniforms work well against the black and purple corps proper duds. always good to see JBOD pedaling his way around the tympani too!

All aboard! Nice hits, and the use of the "tracks" in the drill is well thought out. Loved the jazzy/ragtime feels with the stuff from Chicago...maybe felt like brass holding back? Loved the tenor break. the ballad stats off with the pit, then sops, then the brass in pods that builds to a form and I notice the battery chugging down the tracks in back...clever! corps goes backfield for a bit then turns and hits....yellow flags behind the brass works well....enjoyed the little patriotic touch at the end. Nice start to the closer, mellos and bass duet worked well...train pulls in when Tommy VG catches his toss ( love the smile)....snares have a nice break then battery layers in nicely and we see the brass chugging along as well...brass comes back in and the push was working well, though it seemed the pit was a touch too loud, and as a result when the corps pushes forward the sound never really grew like it could...maybe fatigue too.

Fun show. I felt all night like the brass just seemed off...never truly felt like it connected from top to bottom. The material is there, the idea is there...who knows. As the corps strives to be in that next echelon of rankings, it seems as if there's a lot of holds with nothing else going on but holds....maybe some body could help raise the visual scores. They're in a unique grouping of corps all within 2 points, and only 2 have gone head to head. Fusion I think has a better run or two in them, so we'll see. I look forward to watching them next weekend.

[Jeff Ream]

and then the hometown team took the field....within 10 seconds you knew the crowd loved them and they hadn't even played lol!

The pit starts the groove....and I'll say this here and one other place so it doesn't seem like I'm beating them up....but the volume from the amps was too loud. But the "we will rock you' feel set the stage, and holy cymbals, what a clinic of approach and technique when you come in. anyone saying marching cymbals are a relic of the past needs to watch these guys and gals! funny how the voice of Fran Haring came out of nowhere and he was in Baltimore too! the brass builds and we get to the first hit, with Fran having his timing down for the tart of the true show. the guards multicolored uniforms work well against the blue and black! As go forward the mellos lead us along, and we have some really nice hits with a lot of motion, and the first percussion break was done really well, brass coming in strong to follow. I detected a little 9th in there? I keep picking up more musical easter eggs every listen!

Ballad starts with the pit as the corps does body, then the brass enters and takes over side 1 of the field as the intensity slowly builds and morphs into the Adagio hit....I think those horses can take that hit one more level up to RMFL and not sacrifice quality. they did 10 years ago. Dare you! Then the pit comes back in to a mello duet, and we're getting the set up for the South Philly national anthem...err music from Rocky. Nice groove under it as it builds, and here we get several other well known melodies twisted in, then holy tenor feature! Back to some Rocky recap with other tunes twisted in for snippets. The pit takes over briefly before the brass let's us know William tell is in town...before we feel the Barber of Seville and others have moments... I mean I felt like Lonny tunes greatest hits here, and that's a good thing! a well done drum break, into some Ode to Joy, then back to tell flying all over into a company front to the end of the segment. Thwn we get a nice little show recap and guess the tune as it flies by back into a company front...that goes backfield playing the famous app Spring push...then turn around, spread the field, battery charges front and......the sound of the brass was lost because of amps volume. Imo to me, this left the ending hanging there. Knowing these guys, all I can say is there had to be some kind of technical issue, because I can't ever imagine them purposely going for that Spinal tap moment. My hunch is before they leave PA this weekend, the interwebs, wifis, ipads, sound boards, satellites and anything else they use will have that ironed out in triplicate.

Now that said....I still enjoy the show, and there's some clever twists and turns in where certain tunes pop up out of nowhere. For years we've heard "they're so #### serious"....this show is just fun! the Bucs can take a joke, and lay a good one down too! Amps issues aside, it seemed all sections were working well, and the guard showed vast improvement since I saw them a month ago. I won't say who deserved what in that caption, to me good guard is toss and catch...you get into hand positions etc, forget it, i'm outta the conversation. Will they win next week? No clue. haven't seen Cabs live, haven't seen MBI, and as last year proved, it ain't over til it's over. Do I think they'll be in the conversation! very much so, driving the bus in fact. but it's a fun show, and I can't wait to see if they have any new twists to throw in for next week.

and that's it for the season. any further comments from me will either be flyby as I watch or on facebook. with the corps I have seen live, I've been entertained and no one has made me say "I'll hit the bathroom while they're on". granted, next weekend the bathroom is 14 feet away, and there shouldn't be a line. Thanks too all I saw and reviewed...not one iota of hatemail this year, and even some offline serious messages of thanks and praise. I wish everyone much much luck, great runs, smooth travel and enjoy your time in the city of massive cabbage spills on 490!

[Kyle B]

Bucs amps were way too loud and I was pretty much in the same YL and a few rows down. Cadets were at one point as well in one their big sections, but no where near as bad.

Also, 1 corps out there was doing brass licks for brass licks sake and most of them weren't good.

Other than those minor things, I loved every corps that I saw. Obviously I'm going to be a Bucs homer, but I love the Cadets show as a close 2nd. My only issue was maybe it's my Xmen days coming through, but I think RCM should be the closer. Oh, and maybe a percussion person can answer this better, but the Drum lick in RCM when the theme is restated by everyone - it sounds like the drumline ALMOST plays the classic part except for the last 2 counts. (Best I can describe is section starts hitting on 2 & 4 in the first measure.) Or maybe I'm just crazy.

My biggest pet peeve is getting out of there. Maybe because there was no encore so almost everyone was leaving at the same time it was god awful getting out of there. Normally it's only somewhat bad, but I may have moved 5 car lengths in 20 minutes. It doesn't make sense that the people who paid to park close to the stadium get out after everyone. Next time I will be parking on the street if that's allowed.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Kyle B

[Jeff Ream]

the part was similar to what Bones did back in the day...and that's ok Kyle.

[Fred Windish]

I was also told the Bucs' electronics were a little loud. Interestingly, I felt the same way about the Caballeros while enjoying that corps at Scranton. It was as if the final moments of each number were being played by an additional 20 lower voice horns, all of them simulated. I didn't like the thoughts I was having. Yes, it sounded pleasing and solid as big hits always do, but . . . .

I sure hope we are NOT entering a new era called the "Battle of Watts." If so, it's time to discuss a few safeguards to protect integrity.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Fred Windish

[Kamarag]

I was also told the Bucs' electronics were a little loud. Interestingly, I felt the same way about the Caballeros while enjoying that corps at Scranton. It was as if the final moments of each number were being played by an additional 20 lower voice horns, all of them simulated. I didn't like the thoughts I was having. Yes, it sounded pleasing and solid as big hits always do, but . . . .

I sure hope we are NOT entering a new era called the "Battle of Watts." If so, it's time to discuss a few safeguards to protect integrity.

Obviously I cannot speak for Bucs or Cadets2, but I can tell you this about Caballeros show...

You were hearing things that were not there. None of the synth patches in Cabs' show "simulate" brass as you describe. Every patch was carefully chosen to stand on it's own, providing sounds the brass line isn't capable of achieving. Here are two examples of what I'm talking about, both from Part 4 (the last number) of the show:

1. Part 4 starts with a funk tuba groove. There's a very cool drop-bass sound effect played at the end of the first time through when the tubas are soli. It's on an octopad sampler (on the far left side of the pit). The synth player ads an electronic doubling of the tuba part on the second time through (when the baritones enter the funk) but it's a very distinct sound...there's no confusing it with the actual tuba sound.

2. Just before the pseudo-company front they synth plays a choir patch, setting up the hit. She plays it alone, and then along with the brass on the hit. The choir patch makes a return on the last note.

The brass is plenty capable of letting it rip at the end of each song, and there's no bolstering going on. Synth playing yes, but only with a clearly distinct patch.

We've been very clear about out use of electronics. We took an intentional "go big of go home" approach to the use of electronics, with every single use having a purpose. The judges have picked up on that and rewarded the corps, particularly over the last couple of weeks. Nothing is perfect, however, as we did have a minor issue with overall volume at one point in Scranton (since fixed).

If you want a "grand tour" of what we're doing, find me at any rehearsal this weekend and I'll give you one.

[Fred Windish]

John, as I am not a musician, your ears are more proficient in understanding tonality than my own. I understand this and yield to your expertise. Probably wouldn't matter if I did go to Rochester for instruction. But, at Scranton, there seemed an underlying layer that matched and bolstered the same blended sound past lines have been able to produce without help. Particularly large lines, like Cabs have brought to the table historically. Same for Buccaneers' past lines. There was something going on in Scranton that was new to me. Perhaps, only because I seldom attend events live since these synths became part of the shows.

I wasn't at the Reading event, so I can't comment about their effort there. I do know, their electronic use at Scranton didn't seem as apparent as did Cabs at Scranton, and I listened for such carefully as Bucs performed after Cabs. Is it possible Bucs dialed-up a little since Scranton? You and I don't know, and if they did, we can't say why. Maybe just a one-night issue, as well.

At the early Clifton event, listening to all corps from the track, only Sunrisers seemed to be pushing the limits of melody enhancement to a point of notice. Again, I don't profess to understand how the new technology is intended to work, nor what controls are in place. I do know, this path is a new one. Maybe, I'm just late to the party and need to adjust.

If corps somehow become "Phantom Regiment in a Can," the issue will surely grow.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Fred Windish