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cajal

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Everything posted by cajal

  1. I’ve always liked Centerville. Bummer that they didn’t make it, but I can see why.
  2. Agree George, all of those and plenty more. It’s truly amazing that another 5-10 bands didn’t make it. Wow. Again, I’m impressed.
  3. I like the fact that I get the MBA/BOA stuff as part of the subscription, I hadn’t watched marching bands in many years. Their sound and video aren’t that great at FLO, but I can deal with it
  4. I agree, there are lots of things going on that “purists” will hate, but for entertainment value most of the bands are doing a great job. The use of voice and sound clips still bugs me, but it’s no big deal
  5. An unrelated post, but I’m thrilled that I get the MBA/BOA nationals with the yearly package. I’m so old I was in the Norwin band in ‘82 in Jonhnson City, every one of these semi finalist bands in 2017 is great. No wonder the drum corps have become so amazing as well, though I know many on this site have an aversion to marching band. It’s all entertainment.
  6. That was, without a doubt, one of the strangest things I have ever seen on this site.
  7. I liked when the Devils had part of the Patrick Williams chart "Threshold" in the 96 show. I was hoping they would expand it and they cut it altogether. I guess it didn't fit the theme of that show, but I really like that tune.
  8. I too hope that the Devils do a Goodwin show, but I don't think that will happen. I'm sure the concept is most important for any of their shows in recent memory, but I really want them to play more jazz - not (very) small snippets like 2016. That's probably why my favorite Devils shows over the last 10 years or so are 2010 and 2013, with a nod to 2012 for playing Bird and Bela in Bb and the Goodwin compositions in 2014 and 2015. I'm sure that whatever the staff comes up with will be entertaining, just like all of the other corps.
  9. Glad to hear that the Cadets had a bit of good news, Aungst coming back will be interesting. Maybe the Crusaders will be much improved under the tutelage of their new staff, maybe not. Hopefully all of the corps concerned improve from the staff merry-go-round results.
  10. Thanks so much for this show, Academy. I now have another show to put in the "videos I show to people unfamiliar with drum corps" file to introduce people to DCI. Fantastic job, and I hope other designers watched the scores and crowd response you got this year. This was a great year for entertainment value, and you guys were at the top of the list for me.
  11. Congrats Devils on a fantastic season! You guys and gals had a great performance at finals. I can't wait to hear what you come up with next
  12. Congrats to the 2016 champion Bluecoats! I remember seeing the 'Coats as a non-finalist in the 80s and it has been wonderful watching them rise through the ranks. As a corps that has always played jazz (which is why I've always liked them), you have always been entertaining through the years - and now you have a big trophy to go along with all of the fan approbation Fantastic job!
  13. This year, I think BK is at another level live. I liked their show when I went to Allentown, I loved it after seeing it live.
  14. Allentown: night 1 Nice night for drum corps, upper 70s-low 80s and overcast. Other than the drones flying overhead, perfect weather. Our seats were just off of the 50, three rows from the bottom. As such, I'll make no attempt to say anything bout drill I saw live, even though I've watched all of the DCILive broadcasts. I was introduced to drum corps in the 80s, and I attended my first Allentown show in the late 80s. Pioneer – nice opening corps. They had a bigger sound than I had heard from them in a couple of years, and the members seemed to like the theme, especially the Joan of Arc en fuego moment. I think this is a nice design for them, one that is achieveable and fun. Seattle Cascades – even though the circles have to do with the “O” theme, they didn't use them for much. They had a really nice, big sound when standing still that suffered a little when they were on the move. There were some brass moments that were a little iffy during technical passages, but overall they were fun to listen to. Spirit of Atlanta – one of my all-time favorite corps, and on their anniversary I wish they hadn't arranged some iconic corps songs into oblivion. They also sounded great when standing still and had a well-rounded sound. I liked the bass guitar player instead of a synthesizer, and that guy did a nice job. They had a very enjoyable show and it was good to see them on the field considering some of their recent difficulties. Colts – I really liked Nights in White Satin, and it reminded me of the Glassmen arrangement from years gone by. The light boxes were hard to read because of the sunlight, but they seemed like a cool idea. Their brass sounded better to my ears than Spirit by quite a bit, and their sound and volume were great. Troopers – Fantastic brass sound. I was surprised that their marching didn't match the excellence of their playing, but maybe their drill sets looked clean from up top. I don't think they'll make finals simply because of how good some of the corps in front of them are – in some years this could easily be a finalist show. Madison Scouts – I truly enjoyed their show, and if the reactions around me were any indication then many others shared that sentiment. The Scouts really performed the crap out of this show and had many “in your face” type moments that I've loved from this corps over the years. They'll make finals IMO, and deservedly so. The Academy – I loved this show from the DCILive broadcasts and I wasn't disappointed in Allentown. Great sound, great marching, great arranging of Unchained Melody. I have to say I hope they're in finals – and that's no slight to the corps competing with them. Blue Knights – another show I liked from the broadcasts and wasn't disappointed with live. I've liked BK for a long time and they were fantastic. I don't know if having the show completed so late has affected them competitively, but I have to wonder if they would be doing better if their show had been nearly complete at the end of June. They have a great brass section that played much more difficult material than the corps before them, IMO. Their drumline was also very noticeable – their charts seemed to be less note-ramming than musical accompaniment, and I appreciated that. Blue Devils and Bluecoats – both of them had a degree of sopthistication and a sound quality that was much different than the corps before them (that is not an insult to the corps before them, it's just praise for these two fantastic corps). There was so much fantastic stuff in both of these shows that I'm just going to mention a few pet peeves I had for each one. Devils - I thought that the lack of a “toe-tapping” jazz moment (which has been in all of their shows to some degree in recent memory) was kind of a bummer. I also thought that their over-narrated ending was somewhat disappointing. They have cleaned up the Bieber-to-nowhere moment somewhat, and the ballad is fantastic. Their marching was on another plane from everyone else, including the Bluecoats. I'm a BD homer, but this show isn't near the top of my BD favorites list. Performance levels are great as usual, and I'm sure they'll be in the hunt next Saturday night. Hopefully there are some final tweaks coming. Bluecoats - They sounded great. I'm not a fan of the uniforms or the ramps (summer music x-games?), but those are minor considerations for me. I thought their percussion was easily the best of the night. The one thing about the 'Coats show I was blown away by (in a negative way) was how many people were blatantly out of step throughout their show. This isn't nearly my favorite Bluecoats show (90, 05, 10 and 14 are far above this one for me), but I would have no problem with this show winning. Maybe they had a bad run visually, who knows. Their music and GE are certainly good enough for a champion, that's for sure. All in all it was a fantastic night for drum corps, and there's far more to like than dislike in the activity for me. There wasn't one “hot dog corps” in the show for me, and everyone had great moments in their shows. All of these ramblings are my opinions, so if you disagree with them great! Good luck to all corps through the end of the season.
  15. Congrats on a wonderful show, Academy! I bought my wife BOTH of your tour shirts this year (to go along with the one from last year) It was sort of funny hearing the crowd reaction before and after your show in Allentown. Before the show, a number of older fans (l too am an old phart, but I follow things pretty closely) were asking "who is that?". By the end of the show they were giving you guys and gals a standing O. One thing I didn't pick up on the DCILive broadcasts was how good the carriage/individual marching technique is for this show. Fantastic job all around, I hope to see you guys on the blu-ray for the '16 finals!
  16. The Scouts were awesome in Allentown, they had a tremendous amount of energy/volume and the crowd fed off of it. I really hope they make finals, as I want both the Scouts and the Academy on the blu-ray discs . I enjoyed this show much more than their show last year. Good luck the rest of the way!
  17. I just assumed that Skynet likes drum corps and hopes to control it in the future.
  18. I liked the childhood depiction done by Suncoast Sound in 1988 both musically and visually.
  19. I was going to say something of that sort, the SCV brass puts out more and better sound than they have in quite some time. Excellent work.
  20. Most people want drum corps to be like they were at the time of their introduction to the activity. I still prefer the 80s-90s by a mile to what is going on now, but there's plenty to watch today. The corps haven't morphed completely from what I enjoy, so I find what to like rather than what to hate. I can still hear great brass, even though it is slightly different. I can see some awesome drill, though not the same as yesteryear. I still hear great percussion precision. (note: I can hear some of those things if the speakers don't interfere, of course) Amplification and electronics are far overdone for my tastes, but as long as they aren't too loud I can ignore them. Narration is an aural festering sore (imo), so I avoid those shows. As long as there are no woodwinds on the field yet, play ball. I can deal with the rest for the most part, and usually modern drum corps is far more good than bad. That's why I'm still a paying customer.
  21. One of my all time favorites, and still my favorite Crown show. You must have awesome memories of that summer - I particularly remember the utter silence from the crowd during the end of Watermark. Fantastic moment. That tour shirt was the first Crown souvie I ever bought. Well done.
  22. BD 1991 - even though they came in 5th with percussion problems, this is one of my favorite shows ever. The "loudest note in the world" towards the end of the show is a fantastic moment. They have used parts of Bird and Bela in Bb several times since. Bluecoats 1990 - one of my favorite hornlines of all time. Crown 1995 - I still want them to dig out Stormworks again, what a show. VK 1988 - everyone talks about 1992, but this is probably the best corps they ever had (imo). Horns and drums were crazy. Star 1988 - one of my favorite arrangements of Porgy and Bess, and a few moments of incredibly loud held notes. Cavaliers 1994 - Such an awesome, aggressive show with great source material Crossmen 1990 - the NY voices material was awesome, and their brass and drums were both smoking There are many others, but these are a few I listen to often.
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