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More to come tonight. Props to all for dealing with the weather all day. I'll apologize now, when it rained harder earlier, notes are less detailed due to trying to keep the paper kinda dry.

A rant tho first. As the national anthem was played well by a brass ensemble from the Bucs, I caught a motion to the side of someone who of all people should have been standing, and at attention. I don't know his name or rank, but it's the Marine officer that brings the bulldog with him. What was he doing? Getting the dog up on his hind legs to beg for treats. During the United States of Anerica's national anthem. No, I've never served. I have family that did, and family that died defending that flag. I don't care how many bars or stripes or medals you have, your dogs treats can wait.

Back with stuff about the corps tonight

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ok so apologies to the corps on earlier......it was raining more for you guys, and as a result, i didnt write as much as I tried to keep the paper dry so I could actually read my notes LOL.

First time DCA show host, many time band host, great turf field, decent stands, easy to get to ( of course i go there every year for indoor stuff) and a great set of boosters plus Amy Snook and her crew. The rain alternated between "oh #### is this gonna happen" to "ugh, but they can march in this" to "invisimist" to "hey the only water dripping is off my hat". Props to all...watching social media all day for updates was frustrating due to radio silence, and in fact I was at dinner when I saw a corps staffer announce the show was on.

First up the United States Marines Drum and Bugle Corps. I had seen them online earlier in the year, but the first thing i noticed was the bigger pit that was actually pitted! Due to the rain they didn't plug in, but that makes sense.This is easily the most modern drum corps presentation the Marines have made in decades. The show opened with a percussion feature with drill and body very reminiscent of what you'd see in WGI, and man those men play well. This was followed up by selections from Respighi's Festa Romana, which was again musically arranged in a more modern way. The ballad of "Hymn of Axicom" followed with some really pretty moments and built very nicely to the big hit. From there, back into Respighi's Church Windows, with some nice audio to visual moments complete with the drum line snaking through the corps at one point with mixed meters in the feet. This then was followed of course the "Stars and Stripes Forever", the always rousing ending to the Marines show, and as they left the field the immortal street beat led into the Marine Corps Hymn.

First up in the competing catgory was the New York City Skyliners from Scranton area PA ( sorry guys, that still makes me laugh to say it). Definitely improved from last year in all phases, the challenge tonight was to sell a show that apparently has electronic integration that helps tie the show together that wasn't used because of the weather, and in fact, they didn't bring the front ensemble out at all. I'm guessing the show starts with the pit and basses, then adds in the tenors as the brass builds to the turn and hit, with the battery pushing the brass in terms of ensemble balance. the ELo piece again started with (insert pit here) into a trumpet/snare soli, which built to a nice full corps impact. A nice percussion break followed, and then the full corps came back in for a nice visual hold moment to let the horses play. The piece ended strong but some fatigue crept into the brass. "Goodbye Blue Skies" again (insert pit here), with the brass entering facing the end zone on side 2. The lack of front ensemble allowed some iffy brass attacks come through, and created a bit of a hollow feel to the arrangement, which is understandable. After the big ensemble hit, another (insert pit here), followed by a nice percussion break with lots of movement....once the hands and feet get fully on the same page, this could be the show stealer. They cover a lot of ground, going backwards then back up front again. "Orange Colored Sky has some nice trade offs for the brass voices, and a nice weapons moment up front. This builds into the familiar Skyliner wedge with the leglift that evolves into a company front with the familiar "New York new York" trumpet lick....the tempo picks up from there and some fatigue started to show. They added a tag ending that starts out full corps and voices drop out as the corps faces off to the end zone with just a trio playing.

Some really cool ideas here. I think the lack of pit affected the music numbers. I'd like to see it again with the full corps, as I don't think there's anything there they can't do, it just needs detailing and reps. Unfortunately with no video feed, I won't get that chance.

Up next, the Bushwackers with "Piano Forte". their front ensemble braved the elements and looked to be partially plugged in. The show begins with "Piano Man" by the synth player, then the full pit joins, and the corps adds in behind them in pods. the pods condense and they timed the Fran Haring introduction to come just before the first real brass hit. It seemed the upper brass was really straining not to be overpowered by the battery. keys start "the Entertainer"...really fast tempo, and the handspeeds aren't all together yet. The various voices trade off, and at the brisk tempo, there were some minor timing glitches and a few visual bumper cars, most noticably the snares.Claire De Lune started with a quartet, then had a really nice slow build to the forte at the push, then ended backfield.

The percussion was featured next with some neat takes on "Chopsticks", with a daring accell with the pit and tenors that needs to solidify the timing, however the feature seemed to go on to where the ending felt anti climatic. The "Emerson Piano Concerto" had a lot of isolated attacks with the brass with a busy battery book in between that at times didn't allow for the full corps to fully feel as if they were in timing sync. The brass voices had a lot of tradeoffs next, then the staging had the brass on side one and the percussion on side 2. The tempo picks up building to the end and some stamina issues crept in at the lower dynamic ranges.

The show has some really cool ideas with all of the trades between forte and piano dynamics. I know the weather had to be a factor, but too many times the corps felt as if they were tugging at the ensemble timing.. If the staff could back the metronome up 10 clicks for a week, just to give the kids a chance to settle in, then grow to the actual show tempos, this can really help them dial in the tempos and add so much more life to the show.

back tomorrow with the rest!

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Up next, the Bushwackers with "Piano Forte". their front ensemble braved the elements and looked to be partially plugged in. The show begins with "Piano Man" by the synth player, then the full pit joins, and the corps adds in behind them in pods. the pods condense and they timed the Fran Haring introduction to come just before the first real brass hit

That was an on-the-fly live version of their regular pre-recorded intro, which also uses my voice. They didn't use the pre-recorded one because of the potential weather-related electronics issues.

Believe me, the pre-recorded one is better. LOL

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Next on the field, the White Sabers! "Unrequited" is this years show which had some nice mashups again that seemed for the most part to flow seamlessly. They used the pit, but no electronics which may have made some transitions seem a touch odd in spots without it. Show started with the keyboards doing some tasteful right handed work under a bari soloist. The corps enters playing backfield with Romeo and Juliet, which builds to a nice tease of a hit as the corps turns forward, but the volume grows gradually as visually the corps condenses their form until they final give the payoff. The tempo picked up with the battery featured. Movement 2 began with a strong start, teasing little hints of Romeo in there.Some nice low voice and mid voice groupings tok us into a percussion break, which led to "March to the scaffold", which first allowed one to notice some role playing between a "Romeo" and a "Juliet". If they did more before i apologize, they weren't made obvious enough to catch. The ballad started with the pit and the corps playing backfield, then a really pretty baritone quartet took over. The corps built to the hit with the guard scattered throughout the corps with pinkish flags that were eye catching against the blue of the corps uniform. The corps then built back up to a bigger musical hit, with the battery joining in. The piece ended as the corps faded out to a soprano solo, then a duet. Facing backfield, more strains of Romeo and Juliet are heard, and when the corps turns front, they really let the crowd have it! the corps uses the isolated attack section to build visual velocity as well as some driving percussion parts to fill the space. The percussion is again featured with a really musical break and then the corps launches into a big slow push forward that builds into a tempo jump with a strong finish.

White Sabers continue to be really strong at the mashups, and the performance levels keep rising every year. I'm glad I get to see the live again, as I want to see it with all of its parts, and I have a hunch serious improvements will happen over the next month. Every year, they turn the notch up a little more.

In weather befitting their name, the Hurricanes were up next, also allowing the front ensemble to have the night off. The show is Freedom, and there must be narration provided by the missing electronics, as the drum major said something to the crowd but it wasn't able to be heard fully. Amazing Grace started backfield and built to a hit. This led to "Freedom" with some segments playing tradeoffs, with the battery overpowering a little tonight. the corps turned backfield for a bit, turning back to the front in a hold with body under an increase in volume. the percussion was featured next, which was missing the melodic content from the pit, then the brass rejoined to push to the end. The ballad appears to open with the pit playing, as it was silent, then the brass entered playing backfield. This was followed by a brass trio and the tubas, and flowed as other voices layered in, building to the hit. The guard was noticeable on purple/white flags that worked well against the corps proper uniforms. The hit featured some upper register trumpet playing that didnt seem to fit in, and semed a touch off.After the hit, it seems the pit had a moment then the piece ended with a brass sextet.The closer started big with the screamer on top in a hold, then the tempo picked up. The percussion was featured next with some really nice afro/cuban grooves, and ends musically with a roll that decrescendos to the end, leading into Amazing Grace. There was a section here where the guard work was incomplete. The percussion had another break that led to the tempo picking up for a fast and furious ending, but stamina issues led to balance issues and the ending wasn't as big as they wanted it to be.

obviously no pit and electronics left some holes in the show. IMO, the screamer seemed to be added on top just because. The show has some potential, but performance levels need to raise quite a bit if the corps wants to work their way up the rankings. Open Class is deep this year.

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After a short intermission, Cadets 2set up to perform, looking huge as they covered the field.The show this year is "Full Circle".The Cadets had a preshow, all electronics that got going after a delay, and the pit joined in on various ethnic drums.The brass was backfield marching in rotating circles as the guard covered the field, and the battery up front along the sideline.The brass begins with the famous "First Circle" melody, and when the battery enters, C2 is letting all know they mean business! They segue into "Third Wind", which had a nice big push forward with serious volume.The pit is featured, leading again into another big hit musically. The battery has a short break leading into the famous horn lick, with its tricky timing, and Cadets2 added in dynamic shaping to give it even more oomph.The percussion has a nice break with everyone bobbing their heads, then the brass comes back in building to the end with a screamer up front that at times was audible and not at others. The corps catches its breath, then starts "the Heat of the Day" with the pit doing hand claps, followed by the snares, followed by the brass, then basses and tenors have their moments leading into a full battery break. The brass re-enters to build to the end, but some electronics balance issues kept the ending from having as much effect as it was intended to display. The ballad started in the pit, followed by some nice mello duets. At the hit the corps forms a giant circle with the guard in the middle with some really eye catching blue/yellow flags that mirrors their uniforms. After the hit, the piece fades out. Finally, "First Circle" appears with brass and the required hand claps. the brass had a nice moment of their own, which built to a small percussion break, and then the corps flowed to the familiar build to the end of the song that has become so famous in drum corps circles. Just when you think they may be done, the tempo picks way up, the bodies are running everywhere, and boom, the signature Cadet company front charging forward to the end visual coupled with serious musical power concludes the show.

Notoriously slow starters, C2 is ahead of last year. The timing penalty and the electronics balance issues definitely hurt. can they contend? Remember at this time last year, they weren't really in medal contention. With serious cleaning and detailing, who knows, but they do the Metheny stuff really well, not deviating into weird areas like Crossmen 2010, and the show was a crowd please in a very partisan venue.

Finally, the show host Reading Buccaneers took the field, The corps begins the preshow with a middle eastern prayer chant playing through the speakers, with the corps kneeling in prayer, ready to bring ConZENtric to the field.The pit then begins a groove feel as "Gabriel's Oboe" is heard, with the corps rising to do the ritual stretching and poses ( tai chi as one neighbor called it). The low and mid brass voices enter first, then the upper brass, and the recorded intro announces the corps, timed perfectly for the intro statement that was delivered with some power.The hit fades down to the mellos, then a soloist. The tempo picks up with battery playing with brushes, followed by narration helping to further the theme. The piece builds to a battery break, then trades to the high brass to low brass, and is followed by a big hit. The pit then takes over, followed by the brass which builds to a section with isolated attacks punctuating the visual stages set, and finally resolves in a nice slow push to the end of the tune. The ballad begins with the pit as the corps scatters across the field. The brass has a really exposed moment as they are spread across the field, which fades to a soloist for the return of Gabriels Oboe. The electronics help get the religious chants back into play, as the brass layers in the voices building to a hit.Once the brass arrives to the hit, the battery enters to add some drive and energy to build to a really powerful resolution of the phrase. ( add the horn pop now...it'll be yuuuggggeeee). The pit enters then to lead us out of the ballad. Your eyes are then drawn up front as the bass drums and cymbals go to bass drums on stands to help drive some ethnic feels as the brass enters, and then is followed by a percussion break....watch the tenor feature! The full battery lets loose, and the brass enters the fray for a huge ending. The corps cranks back up with the mellos and tenors followed by the trumpets and snares, we get the electronic 'Mind Body and Soul" quote, and the corps builds to the end, increasing the tempo as they go, with easily the biggest ending of the night.

What can you say? a little deeper than some DCA fans want to dig for in terms of meaning, but a solid package all the way around, even winning guard. Can they run the table yet again? too early to tell, too many I haven't seen, but anything is possible.

kudos to Amy Snook and crew in a new venue, with crappy weather, and a shout out to Dino Myers, reconnecting all these years later, when I'm finally taller than you are, but still not as loud!

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Well done, Jeff "Review" Ream! Your descriptions are always detailed, and frank, when necessary. You obviously marched in corps somewhere ( :bleah: )

Cadets2 will present a challenge to anyone at Rochester, no doubt. They've been wonderful addition to DCA. I get the impression, once they do win a championship (and they will) they will park there for a time, just like Bucs have. Quite a guy, that Dino Myers. He stepped-up big in his role as Business Manager for the Buccaneer Alumni. Always fun to be in his presence!

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Dino marched with my dad in the Rebels. He regretted hearing how old I am now LOL

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awesome review.

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