Downingtown

[BigW]

Finally, back on the road again to a DCA Show. It's always a great thing. Warren Zevon and Digital Devils CDs on the PA Turnpike to Downingtown, and a great Ribeye Steak before the show.

There was a lot I was thinking of as I sat and enjoyed my Ribeye. It's been over a decade since I saw CorpsVets at Hershey, so I was definitely curious to see where they stood in the DCA scheme of things. Also, what was the real truth about Cadets2 on field? Videos can only provide so much of the actual truth of the live performance. Comments on DCP ranged from '...the greatest thing in DCA since sliced bread and Captain Morgan Spiced Rum' to the '...worst thing ever seen since the 1958 Edsel, and by the way, burn the witches!'. As one alien race says, "Truth is a three-edged sword." I figured the real truth was out there, and I wanted to see for myself and try to give it to you, the curious DCP fans in the only way I can.

I can recommend this venue to those who missed the contest. It's a very clean stadium with a great view, the food looked fine, The Walking Tacos/Tacos in a bag looked popular, the prices very reasonable, and the Dr. Pepper tasted just dandy. There is a caveat. There's a large and wide tunnel between the 45 yard lines, so if you do go, you need to get there by 530PM with your reserve ticket in hand and get in to grab one of the best seats, since there aren't all that many in that sweet spot. I did so, and had the best seat in the house next to the panel. The rest of that area was mostly filled by old school Bucs grognards who were more than ready to watch the show.

The stadium was rather filled up with a great turnout, and there was a good mix of ages. I try and make sure this is clear, since some individuals are still crowing that a 49 year old guy like me is a little kid at a DCA show. Not so.

The show started with an exhibition from the Downingtown HS band, who were rather impressively prepared for a late July performance with the opening segment of their fall program in standstill, and also with a fine and unique arrangement of the National Anthem.

I was worried that perhaps the stadium might be a bit too high and back for some of the smaller corps, but this was proven wrong as everyone projected more than adequately to the box area.

For future reference, my personnel numbers are close, but perhaps not exact, so if I'm off by a couple, I'd gladly accept corrections, please take no offense.

The first competitior was Shenendoah Sound (11 Brass/ 9 battery/ 7 Front Ensemble/ 5 Color Guard/ 2 DM), who performed a program based on the Robert W. Smith composition 'Promising Skies', which was written on the subject of Hurricane Katrina. It's a step up for the corps, who I think has grown and worked hard to improve its game every year I've seen them. A fine effort on the opening trumpet soloist and small mixed ensemble underneath him, and the overall music book is very thoughtful. The horns need to really dig into the nuances and details of the book to really get everything out of them that they offer, and the clarity needs to improve.

The battery needs to work on consistency of style as well.

The feature Tuba does a fine job, and the larger guard the corps has now is a real help for the overall visual package. The overall package is a big upward push for the corps in every aspect, and if they dig in, they can really achieve all of the meat that's in the program and improve greatly by championship weekend. They clearly have the talent to make it happen if they choose to.

Next up were the White Sabres (16 Brass/ 8 CG/ 5 Front Ensemble/ 10 Battery/ 1 DM), a corps who's been scrappy and been knocking on the door for a Class A finalist spot for the past few years. The show's entitled "From Death 'Til Dawn", and has a rather diverse mix of music, ranging from Saint-Saens to Santana, with Bubblegum Rock to Mozart. At first glance, I wondered whether the music program would suffer from the "Dolly Parton Syndrome", with trying to stuff 10 pounds of music into a 5 Pound sack. I can tell you the show is just fine, and it works quite well for the corps.

The horn line seemed pretty jittery at first, but settled in as the program progressed. When they settled in and felt comfortable, they project extremely well and are well-staged for their size. Their book has some real challenges in meter and in changes in musical effort and style.

The Percussion battery needs to ditch the Duts in their feature as soon as possible- it was really detracting from the performance, and one would think they can get it done without them.

The horns struggled a bit with the softer sections of the performance. They may have to up the dynamic level a bit when playing piano so they don't sound thin and blank out. Once they refine the shape of the music and clean more, they'll be in great shape for Championship weekend if they continue to work.

Their best production of the show is "Moondance". The corps swings exceoptionally well, and the soloist was very worthy and musical.

All said and done, the Class A portion of the contest was just fine. Both corps certainly presented well for this time of year, and have programs I'm looking forward to seeing later on.

Before I continue with the rest of the contest, I need to post this section in case my browser locks up and I lose everything I typed so far. This takes time, I'm a poor typist. Kindly bear with me.

Edited July 22, 2012 by BigW

[BigW]

The next competitor before the intermission was Cadets2, (2DM/ 13 Front Ensemble/ @52 brass/ @22 Battery/ 17 Color guard), the new kid on the DCA block.

I was told there was a massive improvement from Clifton. I would readily agree based on the review of them at that contest.

I will tell you that videos of C2 don't do them justice from a musical standpoint. Their percussion battery is very musical and nuanced, their Bass Drum section is noteworthy. The Front Ensemble also gives forth a fine effort.

The horn book also is very accessible and enjoyable live. Again, the videos really don't do it justice.

There are weaknesses in the corps. First of all, the visual package is very ambitious for DCA, and for the young rookies of this corps. The drill is physically demanding for anyone, I don't care how experienced or talented the performer is. there are times when the feet aren't quite moving with the techniques and timing that they need to to cleanly perform the program and it can be obvious at times. This program is visually naked, and because of the color of the unis, you can't hide problems. When something goes wrong, you know it. One has to respect the risk inherent on their program. Once they master their bodies and execute this program with quality- and I am confident they can if they desire to-- the rewards will cash in.

There are several holes in the drill, particularly in Low Brass. This has been discussed on other threads. They can definitely use some baris, because generally speaking, the top DCA horn lines have larger, very well-playing and robust bari sections that realy add depth and maturity to the overall ensemble sound. The holes are really hurting the overall visual package at this point. When I notice such things- it's serious. It's not the performer's fault, either. They're doing their very best to march the ghost holes and make everything as readable as possible, which at times is difficult.

It would be a reasonable assumption to think they would have closed down the holes by now if they didn't have bodies that will eventually fill them. When those holes are either filled or closed down (I would venture some combination of the two is the most likely), it should make a huge difference to the visual package.

Some of the musical details tended to go out the window when the corps spreads out in the second musical segment. That will be easily fixed. Some of the open attacks in the horn line tended to be a bit tatty. My guess is the corps worked their collective cans off all day, and may have some shot lips which caused a bit of it. When the corps feels more confident, the details in the book are there.

The Guard is still incomplete with their work. One would legitimately think that situation will change and darned soon. If I were the C2 show coordinator, I'd be nagging on the issue, and I am normally a quite patient person regarding the color guard. When the guard does their work, they do a fine job and are contributing well to the program.

I've hit on their weaknesses hard, and I have a feeling some of the readers are cringing or wanting to beat me like a pinata. I wanted to try and get the truth out about the corps as I see it, the good, the bad, and the ugly to try and get some of the conjecturing settled. All of that being said- the corps STILL sounded pretty darned good, the show is very enjoyable to listen to, they're making some of the moments happen and exciting the crowd, and I like 'em. If they fill the holes, and they continue to work hard as per the famous and respected Cadets work ethic, they will do quite well come championship weekend. The corps members are busting as best they can with some problems outside of their control to perform a tough program, and they do have my deep respect in that regard.

Where will they finish? Everyone seems crazy about trying to slot this corps into the pecking order immediately. My Magic 8-Ball said "Answer is INCREDIBLY unclear at this juncture" when I shook it up. It's up to the staff and the membership as to how they can solve all of the aforementioned issues. If they can solve them, look for C2 to do some damage and drop some jaws. At worst-- they're a very worthy corps deserving of everyone's respect on the field, and I would say that they're part of the tail end of 'upper end' of DCA. That 'upper end' of excellent, quality corps may be as big as it's ever been at the end of this season. Not just the top 5 ot 6.....

Intermission was... interesting. We needed Fran or a Fran clone. Enough said on that....

I need to turn in, It's 230 AM, and I need some rest. I'll cover Bush, CV, the Bucs, and Raiders later today.

Edited July 22, 2012 by BigW

[Arrrr Kissinger]

On Christmas morning, did your parents ever let you open some gifts then make you stop for breakfast before opening the rest?? That's how I'm feeling.

WAKE UP, BIG W !!

[BigW]

Well, I'm awake. The dogs above me don't help in getting great sleep. The Bark-Off device helps, but sometimes, they still bark and howl anyway. If I could hook it up to a 20 inch speaker, I would.

The second half of the contest was led off by the Bushwackers (1 DM/8 Front Ensemble/17 Brass/15 Battery/9 Color Guard with a show based on modern arrangements of music associated with Americana.

Their battery does a fine job and is very careful not to step on the horn line in terms of balance to the box, much to their credit.

The Horns aren't in command of the show and there are some quality problems associated with visual and musical aspects, which I'll discuss in depth. The guard works hard and is making every effort to make a solid contribution to the overall package.

I think the Bushwacker Design staff really needs to think more about the kinds of demands they place upon a very young 17 person horn line both in terms of the physical and mental demands. I have absolutely no doubt the performers are doing their utmost to make everything that's expected of them to happen, but I had to come to the conclusion it's just too much after seeing the same struggles repeatedly throughout the show.

-Staging 17 horns so far backfield in segments didn't help. The visual staff needs to close the field down for the hornine in the vertical plane more. staging mid-field and back just isn't a great idea for 17 horns.

-a 4-step interval for nearly the entire program may be more than this horn line can deal with. It's difficult enough for a full sized hornline to cope with the demands of wide intervallic spacing. I know from personal experience. You hear yourself, the person to your right, the person to your left, and little else. Listening across the ensemble to lock yourself into your place within the book is exceedingly difficult and you have to rely on the staff telling you exactly what is necessary dynamically for every bar of the show, and then perform it **exactly** that way every time you go out.

-The book expects a lot from the performers. William Schmann's work demands a lot of head work while playing and solid confidence in one's musical ability. You get your head out of the music for a second, something will go wrong.

-When corps have some personnel running at a 5-5 step size like Bush does near the end of their program, the staff usually tells those people to not play, or to play what they can play because of the demand. Every person playing in a 17 man horn line is critical, and to have them drop out or end up losing quality in the push near the end is quite risky, to say the least.

I know the argument then is, "We deserve credit for all of the risks the corps takes in the program!"

I counter with this: I'm not familiar with the DCA sheets, but there's usually some kind of clear disclaimer on most sheets and judges are also usually cliniced to the effect to "Reward the competitor for what is DISPLAYED and not merely ATTEMPTED". In the words of Jim Prime Sr., "Anyone can play a tough chart badly".

In the rebuilding situation the Bushwackers are in, they need to provide material the horns can handle with confidence, verve, and bravado. It's generally a bad idea in any circuit to write a show for the top box and try to impress the heck out of people technically as the first priority, and this is what appears to be happening in this situation. Perhaps the fact that the "Simple Gifts" segment of their show is by far their best moment might be a hint to the design team.

The corps has a great challenge placed on them with the show. It will take an incredible effort for the corps to get the show in good order for Championships. They did manage a big push at the end of last season and came respectably close to making Open Class Finals, but the competition is also much tougher this season for the bottom positions. If they prove me wrong, I'll tip my hat to them. It'd be the stuff of legends.

I was excited to see the CorpsVets (3 DM/ 20 CG/ 12 FE/ 17 Bettery/ @40 horns) make the suicide run North. Again, It'd been over a decade since I'd seen them.

The British themed show was complimented by the Renn-Faire costumed Guard, who did a rather fine job tonight. The horn line has a very fine, full-bodied sound that fills the stadium nicely and is a pleasure to listen to. They do an excellent job for a 40-person ensemble.

The drill may be a bit 'careful', but the staging is excllent and provides a good stage for the horns to present themselves in a good light.

The book is very diverse, with excerpts from Queen to Edward Elgar, even including a quote from "Fat Bottomed Girls", which is something I'd never thunk would end up on a competition field. It's very accessible and well worth listening to. The antiphonal writing at the show's end is quite good.

The tenor feature in the percussion break was notably good, but the battery tended to sound too spread and fat through most of the program. They can easily tighten things up over the next several weeks.

Overall, the CV show is quite enjoyable, and well worth making sure you see it. I would think of this corps as part of the group of the "top end of DCA". Again, I think more corps are deserving of being though of in that way. It's no longer just 5-6 really good corps at the top and everyone else is... wanting. I understand that the top end also has its subdivisuions, but I base my thoughts on this with the following criteria:

-Does the show have a good quality in terms of performance? Yes. Was I sitting there wincing,groaning, or concerned with any spots that didn't seem right/poorly performed or poorly designed? No.

-Would I like to watch this show again, or would I try and escape the stands? I certainly want to see CV at prelims. It's a really nice, polished, and enjoyable program regardless of what place they end up with.

And last on, the Bucs and the "Black Symphony". (4DM/28 Guard/24 Battery/13 Front Ensemble/60 Horns). I went to their pre-season preview concert, and knew they'd be quite good.

I'll start with the picky stuff. Yes, there were some feet heard though the horns in the beginning and some T's needing crossed and some I's needing dotted. It's July, and I'm certain some readers would think I was being too full of praise and too one-sided. Yes, they have some things they can fix. They're rather minor issues and some effective rehearsal time and a bit of elbow grease from the staff and members will get those dealt with.

Now, the good stuff, and there's a lot of it. Again, the total package is quite well integrated and seamless. The only word I can think of regarding the percussion battery is "scintillating".

I'll tone down a little what I wrote in my notebook about the hornline in the second show segment. I'll say that the overall, deep textured sound and fantastic effect they generate is better than a really great "moment of intimacy". I'll let the readers figure out what I actually wrote.

The change to the all black appearance for the final show portion is really thoughtful and effective. There are times when a group does something like this and they figure, "We changed our clothes, we deserve a billion points in visual just for that!" This goes way beyond that kind of shallow thinking I've seen over the years. It works well, is timed and staged VERY well (the visual misdirections to take your attention away from what was happening with the change and focus on something else took me by suprise, and I'm usually pretty jaded about this kind of thing), and lines up with the music and aesthetic wonderfully. If anyone thinks they're winning "just because they changed their look, blah blah, blah", they're clueless.

Yes, the corps is a contender. They know the game, they're extremely hungry to be superb. They know that MBI was capable of making great strides and fixing show issues after they got beat early in the season last year, and the same situation applies to them this year. Add to that, they have to fight the champ instead of defend.

Knowing this, it should add up to one fantastic prelims contest this year from the top to the bottom. C2 and CV look to be dicing as does Reading and MBI. From all accounts, the Hurcs, Cabs, and Empire are doing well and tangled into the equation. Fusion Core is doing well, and it looks like Kidsgrove and everyone else will have to perform very, very well to earn a spot in Open finals.

The Raiders did a fine exhibition with a well schooled 34 person horn line that really projected a great sound to the box. They're evidently still solidifying their program, and they represented DCI Open Class very well.

For the first time, I'm going to hand out what I call the

Awards for the contest. I'm going to try and call out the people who deserve some special attention within their corps that are making things happen more than perhaps they get credit for in some cases. I may have to be less generous with them as the season progresses, and I'm thinking there might not be any repeats. Once earned, you've got it for the season!

Shenandoah Sound: Their trumlet soloist and small ensemble that kicks off the show.

White Sabers: Their trumpet soloist in "Moondance".

C2: The Bass Drum section.

Bush: Their Cymbals section.

CV: Their Mello soloist, the Bari section, and their Color Guard.

Bucs: Their Bari soloist, their Tenor and Bass Drum sections.

Raiders: Their Bass Drums

Hmm... seems a lot of Bass Drummers are getting some love here. I know Ream would say it's about time, but those three sections really did a lot of great work that may have been unappreciated. If the readers pay attention to those sections- I think they'll be in for a treat when they see those corps.

I believe I'll be back on the road for Scranton, where things should be tightening up before championships. I look greatly forward to it. I'll see everyone there!

Edited July 22, 2012 by BigW

[pnmtech]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do such a complete review! It's great to see the feedback from the stand/fan side and see what our fellow competitors are doing as well as we rarely get a chance to see their shows. As a member of the CV Bari line, I'm super stoked to get the 'fist-bump' award! Thanks again!! :-)

Edited July 23, 2012 by pnmtech

[TammiB]

Thanks for the great review. It's great to read reviews and see how the audience likes your show. And as a member of CV's color guard...........thank you for appreciating our work!! One small clarification, CV's guard actually has 30 members this season (though we were missing one this weekend).

Thanks again!

[BigW]

Thanks for the great review. It's great to read reviews and see how the audience likes your show. And as a member of CV's color guard...........thank you for appreciating our work!! One small clarification, CV's guard actually has 30 members this season (though we were missing one this weekend).

Thanks again!

A lot of us out there took note of how well your guard performed and made us take notice of you in a good way. For an ole Lead Bari such as myself to notice how good a guard is... well, you get how hard that is.

[Jeff Ream]

good stuff Dub. I knew you liked bass drummers.

Even if we usually tell you to go away

[BigW]

good stuff Dub. I knew you liked bass drummers.

Even if we usually tell you to go away

One of these days, one of you needs to show me how to tune a drum. I'm serious. It's a skill I always felt I should know more about and have tried, and failed miserably on my own. All I know is that there were some really fine Bass lines out there setting up a lot of things for the corps, and setting them up perfectly last night. Without them doing what they did at the level they did it--- things would not have gone well for those corps.

[RJ CVmellophone]

@BigW- thank you for all of these well written reviews. They really serve to put the show dynamic into perspective from my view as a performer.