Leaderboard

This announcement has me betting that they're going to prove everyone who has been claiming that they won't make another Finals appearance wrong.

The Academy 2017: "By A Hare"

So much for the Academy " following the leader " ( Bluecoats ) and going hatless. Heck, Academy is responding by going BIGGER and BOLDER on their hats for this season. Good for them !

I'm bumping this thread to the top. I am so very surprised that people aren't hyping out on here more about this corps. This is SCV's 50th, and they have added Gaines to an already great team. The rumor mill has been quiet for them as well. I haven't a clue what they're going to be doing. I can. not. wait. to. find. out! Come on SCV, let us know something.

And that was one of the greatest visual moments in DCI history. The dissolving company front until the end. The end was perfect and beautiful. Still one of my top 3 favorite shows ever.

If anyone can sell a cheesy show well, it's The Academy. I remember thinking "oh god...Mary Poppins? Really?" But come July I was singing along with them.

I have been. 3 DAYS!!! I've had a warm and fuzzy feeling about this show......whatever it may be since I saw their 50th Anniversary add on the webcasts last year.

Setting aside for a moment the costuming chosen for Academy for this summer, little mention so far has been mentioned about the music listed. Lots of very appealing music here, imo. And Michael Klesch certainly knows how to write appealing and fan friendly music, imo. So this has all the promise of a fun show... provided of course it strikes the right balance between camp and cheese.

Wow, this should be a fun show. I know some consider these types of shows corny, BUT I think it's pretty fun. This IS shaping up to another great year musically!

Be vewy vewy quiet....we're hunting finals... Vewy intewesting.....

I think them bringing in Ike Jackson will make a world of difference. (well gotta give credit to gbass for reminding me that he is behind Ayala's indoor percussion genius).

I THOUGHT you were familiar!

mentioned him a total of 3 times in 30 days; that's about .0000000001 compared to your fried egg posts.

Sky Ryders, 1980 or 81. In an era of overblown, screechy hornlines, Sky Ryders' brass was remarkably lush and balanced. I was in the Guardsmen at the time, and our brass instructor, HOF-er Tim Salzman, made us go listen to the Sky Ryders as they warmed up for a show. Salzman told us to take note of the overtones that the Sky Ryder horns produced, something that only happens when the members of an ensemble listen to each other and play coherently and in-tune. Sky Ryders also had beautiful horns, silver-plated Kings, if I recall correctly, at a time when most folks were using chrome DEGs.

I'm not over hyping anything. I'm just forming my own personal opinion based off of a few things I feel like they're doing very well after only one season together as a staff. Bouncing off that they hit it off REALLY well as a team for their first year recovering from 2015s 9th place finish. They seem incredibly in touch with what works now and really in tune with how to design a show based off the corps strengths and weaknesses. They know who and what they are VERY well and obviously have some fantastic chemistry. They have staff consistency, with good staff. Blue Devils and Bluecoats are my top two until something changes because they have teams that are doing things that work and are not fixing what's not broken. I think this team remaining together will do great things because they have chemistry. I'm certainly open to Carolina Crown proving me wrong but they lost EVERYTHING on the visual side of things. Rant and rave about brass all you want but they wouldn't have been a sneeze out of 2nd place without their color guard and visual performance, as well as an outstanding choreographer for the hornline. They're completely rebuilding that part of the corps. Who they have coming in are fantastic and could hit it off really well but I'm just cautious when something like that happens. (I don't see long term damage, just some time to recover). I like the theme and list of composers. I think they have a potentially fantastic mix of stuff with a theme that has tons of great possibilities. It's a gut feeling, I just feel good about them. I want some mixing up of the norm. I like them. Ok. The last three are pointless, but predictions are fun. They're a little what you want, a little what you feel, with some facts/thoughts/opinions as to why you feel that way thrown in too. I'm not saying I'm right this will 100% happen but I can certainly see a road there. People get so feisty like someone kicked their dog when they don't agree with someone else on this thread......

So you're too cool to be impressed by that?

That is the perfect show name! "The Cone of Silence!" a drum corps off season parody. :D

Ok, I think the only connection to Hamilton that BD has is that the jacket here looks like their old uniform jackets. That's why I said "nice jacket" before. A Hamilton show doesn't jive with the rumor mill either, but the rumor mill doesn't have a complete list of tunes...

Very sad that some find it necessary to mock the present to honor the past. Loved what BD did in the past -- probably my favorite hornline for a LOT of years. I never failed to run down to the first row to hear an encore. My kid always came along just to get our faces ripped. Spent many rehearsals on the sideline just getting blown away by the guard performers up close. Heck my kid swore she was gonna march in the BD guard until Crown '07 / ''08 came along and put Carolina on her mind :-) In the past decade I may not have always been the biggest fan of their arranging style. But the excellence of the corps, the professionalism of the performers, and the consistently top quality designs just can't be denied. Want to know how to run a drum corps rehearsal? Go watch BD rehearse. They do it better than anyone. Bar none. (and remember I'm the big Crown honk). IMHO suggesting BD doesn't exist is just plain disrespectful of all the current MM's, instructors, and admin. Very silly.

Was this ever posted? Because they sound great.

Interesting. I know of a marching band doing a "Tortoise and the Hare" shows in the fall. I wonder if that theme will be seen in the Academy's show as well.

Now we need to star an Eric vs Eric thread! lol

Nice to hear from you again Sam.

Minnesota's Rivermen wore top hats in '79, just before they became a DCI top 25 member corps ('80 & '81).

I love how, since 2014, they've been filling the void of great lighthearted shows that the Bridgemen and the original Velvet Knights had created when they fell through a while back. I am so excited to see what the Academy will do to bring the Bugs & Elmer plot to life!

Dang clap back

Pride of Cincinnati drum corps wore hats that were pretty close to being top hats. They looked like a top hat from a distance. They wore a white tux shirt with a maize jacket. That was 81, 82, and 83.

Pacific Blue in the early 80s, I think,

Velvet Knights 2008 & 2009.

I'm liking the vaguely Mad Hatter vibe too.

Yeah... hard to root against the cuddly and adorable little wabbits, Juarasic Lancer. Especially ones dressed to the Nines like these adorable and cute " Bunnies " will probably be.. ( lol!) All kidding aside, this fun show feels like it just might become.... well.... fun. Who here or elsewhere doesn't like a fun show ? Not me... haha! So I'm looking forward to this !

Looks like they will be accessible again -- a good strategy to move up. So long us they don't get overly "cute" this may give them a chance to take another step forward.

I am sooooooooo excited for this. :)

you don't happen to like bourbon?

LOL. ah the old BD forums. fun times

Love your screen name DT. Greatest band ever

1985 Santa Clara Vanguard. I am a bit biased here, 1985 West Chester show, Cadets and Vanguard were tooth and nail. Vanguard did an encore standstill. I sat on the field in their arc as they played the show. Simply mind blowing. May be my greatest drum corp moment ever. To me the greatest horn line ever.

Imma make another one. Cavaliers top 4.

All of the above - my mind is going absolutely nuts trying to put the pieces together. Last year was easy, it all fell into place once I saw the first rehearsal. The music is awesome... Can it be late June already???

Yes... and where are the Velvet Knightrs when we could really use them to do this parody ? ( haha!)

When guard uniforms turned into guard costumes which got more absurd as the years passed.

Funny irony is that this has been done before. When in 1992 when Cadets' did Holsinger's Tame the Perilous Skies, the rifle line discarded their weapons and took up airplane propellers. I still remember helping the line dsmantle the ceiling fans the staff had bought, repainting them, and figuring out whether they should be carried or spun. Against the blue jackets and jumpsuits the guard wore, few in the stands realized that the propellers on the field were fans. Literal meaning given to "props."

Blue Devils C have announced their show; Welcome aboard BDC Air! Please confirm all luggage is stowed, electronics are turned off, and your seat is in its full upright position. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy your in-flight entertainment...Blue Devils C! This Summer, Blue Devils C takes you on a journey through time to the golden age of commercial airline flight. A time when air travel was much more than simply an efficient means of transportation, it was an experience filled with excitement and wonder. We welcome you to join Blue Devils C as we embark on our flight through the sunny blue skies in the Summer of 2017. Soundtrack Includes: Married Life Michael Giacchino Come Fly With Me James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn Learn to Fly Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendelh Danger Zone Giorgio Moroder, Tom Whitlock Staying Alive Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb Come fly with us→ Music has been added to my playlists

This for sure over the years has happened often.Even in WGI many of the innovations do come from A class guards and developed to a more sophisticated level by other classes. Sometimes, I repeat sometimes the idea is there at lower levels but either not performed at it's fullest potential or written at a cohesive level. Nonetheless, creativity is NOT exclusive to the elite.

Ignore the troll folks.

96 BD is something I bring up every time this thread comes up. Also, SCV's opening hit in 2004 made my 8 year-old nephew cry in the stands.

Probably Phantom 1989 for me

From a legendary standpoint, but corps I did not see live, I've always heard of Spirit of Atlanta in 1980, Madison Scouts in 1975 and 1978. From a LIVE standpoint I'd say the following stick with me: Madison Scouts 1980, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999 Blue Devils 1984 Star of Indiana 1991 & 1992 Phantom Regiment 1996 The Cadets 2007 Carolina Crown 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 I don't think I could actually rank the above. We tend to remember the most recent shows and it's difficult to compare the old and new. In terms of encore performances, one really stands out to me. Phantom Regiment 1991 at the University of Pennsylvania stadium in Philadelphia. Loudest encore concert I ever heard. Wow! My ears were stinging after that one.