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Hello All,

Well, another DATR has come and gone, and with it, my drum corps season is over for another year.

Enjoying my vacation from drum corps left my eyes and ears wide open. I had no favorites in mind, no corps in particular to root for or against, and no expectations whatsoever. Just a fan in the stands with some level of experience in design, judging, performance and tour dynamics on a very hot, very dry day in Denver, Colorado.

Our seats were on the 50 yard line in section 309 (3rd level of Invesco Field at Mile High), an excellent vantage point to really see/hear the full production of each corps. We were approximately 12 rows above the judges. We sat with some wonderful friends, who I'm sure you would know, but shall remain nameless -- we were just fans for the night.

On to the show. . .

The "warm-up" act for the evening was the 77th Lancers from Mankato, Minnesota. I'm not sure I've ever heard of them before -- perhaps a summer competitive band in the Midwest Summer circuit? Not important really. They came out and entertained the audience with their field show for about 15 minutes, playing some Gloria Estefan music among other choices. They also played the Star Spangled Banner as well, kicking off the evening. No comments on the design or performance. . . they were the warm-up. . . and a fish seriously out of water doing what they do. I hope the kids in the band enjoyed the opportunity to perform in front of a packed house!

Blue Stars: This was the first corps of the evening, and my only viewing of them in literally years. Looked to be about 56 brass, full drum line and a large guard. I'll say this for them: a very smart show. Melodic and harmonic clarity. Drill that may be a bit too easy for them at this point in the first half of the show. Colorguard has some questionable choices in the color sheme, considering the Americana theme present through most of the variations on Copland music.

Strengths: These guys play their horns well. A controlled and focused brass sound that is usually well-balanced. The drill is also very friendly to the eyes, reflecting what we hear as well as having very smart staging of the voices, so they don't have to fight through the ensemble to be heard. The variations on Simple Gifts was usually fresh, with only a couple of "forced" transitions and modulations. The mellophones are a joy to hear!

Areas to improve: Colorguard and percussion. While both capable, they look young. If they get these kids back next year, I will go on record as saying this will be the next Finalist corps to make a visit to Saturday night.

I don't believe they have the horses or design to make finals this year. But don't let that disappoint you. Catch them while they're on their way up the ladder -- you'll enjoy it, and will remember "back when they started making their push" in '06. Congratulations to the whole organization for staying focused, being smart, and doing it right. It was so much fun to see the Blue Stars back in Division I and performing well.

Seattle Cascades: I was curious as to why the score for these guys hadn't moved at all since they're opening show. It quickly became apparent why they are struggling. The show doesn't work. At all. I'll talk about training of the performers next. . . but stick to show design for a minute.

There is a rudimental understanding of show design, exemplified by the opening and closing drill sets and focus on the solo dancer leading a brass "wave" through the opening and closing sets in opposite corners of the field. Opening. . . closing. . . not exactly ground breaking stuff. . . but logical. What happens in between is perhaps the worst guard staging I've seen in a very long time. It's as though the drill was written for them as an afterthought. Watch them and see for yourself. The drill itself presents so many unnecessasry challenges to the performers -- with staging of percussion, pulse centers, and ability to balance the music ensemble rarely considered -- presenting impossible listening environments on the field. It will be by mere luck that they'll play together on a consistent basis.

Let's talk music. After an interesting opening statement, this show becomes why many lost interest in "modern" drum corps. I'm sure this was someone's idea of a great show. It always is a great "idea" in October. The music is forgettable. Immediately. The writing is simplistic, unartful, and uninspired -- both in brass and percussion. It is an exercise in rhythmic clarity, with little emotional impact or aesthetic value. Sound and fury signifying nothing. It's not that I disrespect the performers -- who have my respect. It's that this vehicle doesn't allow the performers to succeed -- and no amount of cleaning will change that.

Visually: Already mentioned the drill issues, but really have to also question the very low-level colorguard writing and color choices. Now, of course, color choices are subjective, so I won't delve into specifics there. But the writing. . . major impact statements being missed. Accents being missed. Speed of the work relative to the speed of the music is ignored often. Close your eyes and listen to the music. Then open them -- you don't see what you hear. Ever.

Performance: The corps looks a little young. They play pretty well standing still -- providing most of their impact points. The drum line plays unisons well when staged forward, but struggles often on the move. Same with brass line -- struggling mightily on step sized larger than 8-5 and backwards marching. They do have talent, but it is young talent. The guard looked especially young, and perhaps this is what they are capable of at this time. I hope they come back and continue to learn and grow -- but for now -- right now -- they have a lot of basic equipment and body orientation to learn and incorporate into their experience before moving forward competitively.

My unsolicited advice: It's time to forget that this corps made Finals a couple years ago. That was then, this is now. In order to regain whatever it was you had in Seattle, start rethinking the level of performer you are writing for, stop trying to "play the game" of programming like a Top 8 drum corps, and get back to achievable shows (still challenging of course) that engage the audience, the members, and make people want to see the corps again. Putting the cart before the horse (concept vs. teaching/writing) is making it very difficult to love this corps' show. The kids? They are wonderful I'm sure. . . because all kids are. . . but Seattle's going to have to figure out why they want a Division I drum corps before they can begin to achieve again at a high level.

Crossmen: I could make a bunch of cute allusions to changing lanes, etc., but will refrain. Simply put, they've chosen a direction that will not get them where they want to go. As always, the caveat -- performers are working hard. So is everyone.

Right out of the gate, the corps has a distracting colorguard uniform. I've always understood the concept of wearing gray uniforms on the guard as a way to highlight the guard equipment. But, then why put the big undecipherable white semi-cross thing on the font? It begs questions, but neglects an answer throughout the course of the show.

Opening set: Interesting! Neat little gag of starting the car. Okay. But what happens next is beyond my limited ability to understand. The deconstruction of Pat Metheny music is distracting. The design never fully commits to any one concept, instead vascillating between wanting to be a "serious" drum corps and in the next breath going for the cheap gag. What on earth does the visual design accomplish in forwarding a story about "getting home"? Does anything about the Metheny piece (other than the title of the piece) truly give us any clue about a story or message? Hmmm. The message is cluttered. . . what about a car ride home dictates a baritone feature. . . and then a trumpet feature. . . and then a transition to ???

This is not harsh criticism -- it is a question as to the point? The nod to the ghost of Crossmen past (Metheny) does not harken back to the best moments of the corps, but makes us remember how far yet the corps must travel just to meet its own past expecatations.

For those who suggest that the world needs another VK. . . I agree. . . but humbly suggest that this isn't it.

The drill, while staging the brass voices better than in the past, is not memorable. There are no "wow" moments. The guard has the responsibility of selling the show visually while the corps goes through the task of getting from one block to another in various parts of the field. The elation of seeing inspired visual performances is one of the wonderful things about drum corps. It does not happen here.

Musically, best moment is the ballad. Some nice, rich voicings in the low brass are a pleasant respite from the struggles of the upper brass throughout most of the show. Impacts throughout seem thoughtful, as though the corps is hoping to "clean" it's way into Finals rather than perform its way there. The drumline displays little ability to create musical communication. They've got chops. No doubt. But playing all the licks ever written isn't going to make it musical -- it's just going to be a whole lot of licks. Many performance/timing issues tonight -- like the drum line was really hyped, and the brass line so subdued. . . it made me wonder if the same philosophy of competition and preparation exist from section to section.

The much-talked-about "Radio" section: Please take a cue from the Cadets and do a sound check before the show. The vocals were completely muddled, and the articulation of the narrators was a major miscue. It is delivered at a breakneck speed that is practically unintelligible. Transitions were entertaining (the radio hiss) -- and got many positive comments from my area of the stands. "Sweet Caroline" was well done, with the corps standing in small groups (pairs, etc), and the guard seemed to show off a personality that was lacking in previous segments. They seem to understand and enjoy performing this portion of the show better than the others. Good for them! Narration then gets in the way (quality of projection and balancing the ensemble to create a more specific focus) even thought conceptually it makes sense.

The Crossmen ran out of gas on what was a very hot, dry Denver night (it was still 90 degrees out by the time they went on).

I respect the Crossmen more than this review may indicate, but if you want to see them in Madison, make sure you're there on Friday. The combination of design and performance will not get them further than that this year. Entertaining? They do have moments to be sure. But on this night, already, the Blue Stars should have been ahead of them by 1/2 point. Better luck next year.

Intermission: Air conditioned concourse on the 3rd level was a nice break from the heat. Funny thing. . . we came back to our seats, only to find friends Key Poulan (SCV arranger) and Mark Sylvester (Cadets cooridnator) sitting in our seats. Too funny! Lots of handshaking and greetings, then back to the show.

Santa Clara Vanguard: These were the first folks to get the full value of stadium lighting. I truly enjoyed the concept of perpetual motion -- and for the most part it was effective (if sometimes a bit forced -- seeing the same idea presented a couple of times -- one performer still moving). The drill is much smarter than the past couple of seasons -- primarily in staging that allows the ensemble to play together -- and in readability and cleanability. This is smart and effective. Nice upgrade here!!

Musically they didn't seem to pack much of a punch tonight. Conversely, they didn't have the control problems and individuals sticking out of the ensemble that has plagued the program the past couple of seasons. The biggest brass issue was the lack of presense in the baritone section. . . kind of like turning the midrange down on your stereo.

Hits and misses: With the exception of the second piece, the pacing of the program really engaged the audience throughout (the audience being me. . . LOL). I particularly enjoyed the backfield sections and the opening of the show. The use of the trumpet soloists and the intrigue of the harmonic changes really captured my ears. Another "hit" was the very aggressive drum line. While not necessarily capturing the subtleties of past SCV lines just yet, when they throw down. . . they THROW down! Some of the extended phrases on ends of hits literally moved the audience. Misses? Colorguard uniform was a mystery. I don't understand anything about it -- and it made them look un-uniform and distracted my eyes. Very difficult for me to focus on the expression of the performers (which was quite good usually) when I'm looking at things that make them look "chunky". It's entirely possible that I'm not bright enough to understand what I was seeing. . . but it definitely did not work for me tonight. The other "miss" was the presense of the brass line on impacts -- just didn't pack a punch at the places it really needed to go over the top. It could be there

are so many competing lines in the brass book that could use some clearing out. . . I'd have to hear it again. But unlike the last 2 years, it's not because the staging is adversely affecting their ability to be heard. Contra line is much better this year as well.

I don't know that this is the year SCV regains their poise and runs at the Top 5. 6th is a possibility -- but they feel a lot more like and 8th or 9th place corps right now.

At the very least, we knew the show had really begun now -- and they showed many times that they are still a force in drum corps.

The Cadets: One word -- FRESH! Five more words -- Don't ever count them out.

The opening alone had my attention. . . the silent drumming was outstanding! Immediately gained my attention. Some microphone problems this evening (George Hopkins elaborated on this to me after the show), which hopefully will be solved soon. The singer is wonderful. She has that rare talent of being able to completely take the focus to her voice -- the down-side being that when there are issues with the mics, that focus comes and goes. . . but regardless, this young lady can nail it to the wall, and it was a treat to hear her perform.

Hey. . . where's the doorbell? Why isn't the crowd totally screaming like last year when "Dani" approaches the door the first time? Hmmm. . .

Opening statement only lacks one thing in my mind -- an impact conclusion that lets the audience in. . . not that they have to "play drum corps". . . but let us in. . . I think the audience wants to like this more because the performance is amazing. . . but give 'em one more reason to let go and get into it. Just a thought.

The drum features on the boxes, the skydiving horn players off the pink pallets, the insanity of a world flipped inside-out, and the nonsensical dream-like randomness of the events on the field require more time than I have to describe. But I say this -- it captures exactly what it should be capturing -- an uncontrolled, unreasoned dream that is just as scary as it is entertaining -- and since when does any dream make sense on the surface? Again -- FRESH! And the drum line just flat-out plays.

The brass sound was more controlled at this point in the season than I am used to hearing during Gino's tenure as caption head. The ballad section was very strong, and Jay Bocook's voicings are second to none in this area. Great clarity and quality of the opening lines at start of show as well -- right away telling you they are for real -- as if we expect anything less.

I'm sure there are still transitions to be developed -- and the lack of flow between major show segments allowed too much room for questions. I never second-guess these guys -- they're always 3 weeks ahead of what you actually see on the field.

The featured guard ladies -- now in "color" this year -- are still a work in progress. Talented and eye-catching, I'm really looking forward to see what happens here (as I'm sure they are too). Had the mics been working better tonight (red dancer) there may have been better clarity here.

I honestly don't remember much about the drill other than the opening and closing. Same goes for the guard -- on a first viewing, there was so much going on visually, that I really couldn't take it all in.

The end of the show was wonderful. . . I loved the mirror-play between the girl in the door and the girl outside the door. . . and the variations on the Twilight Zone theme went another step further than last year.

Rough edges? Yeah. . . lots of 'em. . . usually transitions and minor clarity issues from a focus standpoint. But, man. . . when those issues are solved, watch out. Out of all the corps in the world, The Cadets know how to finish. . . and the last 2 weeks of the season is when these guys take off into a new gear that most corps can't duplicate.

Please keep doing this -- refresh the activity -- take chances -- don't be afraid of failure -- and leap into the unknown with complete abandon. Thanks for daring to be different!!! I will remember this for a long time.

The Cavaliers: This is going to be short and sweet.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

The colorguard uniform is spectacular. The characterizations are SPECTACULAR!!

The mechanical use of the rifle lines. . . trading rifles. . . just always something to watch.

The drill is spectacular!!

The clarity of the visual program is dead-on.

I loved the 2 different robot machines stretching the block form -- a definite highlight.

Also liked the "gear" wheels (at the opening) and the fan (near the end).

The drum line -- they had a few issues tonight in performance (clarity player to player). But that aside, what a great sound. You can actually hear "snare" sound. There is actually a color difference in the tuning of the tenors and basses. And no one projected a better, cleaner "present" sound from the pit than the Cavaliers. This was state-of-the-art sound coming from a state-of-the-art percussion program.

Brass line: missing the baritone voice for much of the performance. It could be an arranging thing (range choices, etc.) or perhaps I caught them on an off night? Time will tell. Trumpets don't really have the power players this year (at least not this night), but the choice of colors and harmonic structures this year is more adventurous than the previous season. Can I whistle a note of their show? No. Not one. But it didn't really seem to matter in this case.

The on-the-field warmup led into the show. . . and what a wonderful sonorous sound!

Only major issues seemed to be that the show doesn't really end. By that, I mean that almost every championship show I can remember rips the audience apart 30 seconds before the show is actually over. . . and this one just kind of ends. . . as though we didn't put the exclamation point on the end of the sentence. If that was present? How much would this show rip it up the next 3 weeks? There just can't be any question marks left at the end of a performance of this calibre if they are to be considered for the top spot.

Eye candy -- ear candy. I'm now diabetic.

:-)

Blue Knights: Hometown corps makes good.

You've read enough of my ramblings by now. I'll get to the point.

The Blue Knights have never had this "sound" before. Not in 2000. Not in 1998. Not in 1994. Not in 1991. Never.

Congratulations to the Blue Knights brass line and their staff. I saw you in April at your debut and was worried. You've done your homework. You reached up to the top of the stadium and pulled the lights down. Strong, well-balanced, outstanding tuning, balance and blend. Think SCV 10 years ago, and this is BK tonight. Thank you!

Drum line had a rough run tonight -- maybe nerves or maybe they just have that much further to go.

Robbie does one of his best jobs with the drill (particulary staging) and the use of body work really seemed to fit this show (in the past I've felt it was overdone many times).

High flexibility award goes to the young lady solo dancer. I needed asper-creme and some ice after just watching her. :-)

The show is dark. No surprises here. Dark is what BK does. But this year it works better than usual.

Some performance issues in ensemble visual tonight -- most notably during the final 2 minutes in the trumpet line.

Best soloist of the night? The tuba soloist -- fun -- and good!

If there are pacing concerns, it is the VERY long transition that leads to one of the coolest visual effects of the night. I think it's during the "ballad"? At the end of the move, there is this almost tornado like swirl with the solo dancer in the middle. The resolution to the move is wonderful. . . but it feels like about 36 counts of development could be lost and we could get to the point sooner. Truly -- this and one other long development in the opener were what kept me from wanting to put BK above SCV tonight.

Didn't stick around for scores. . . time to meet old friends at Brooklyn's (the bar across the street), enjoy a beer and some wings, and enjoy the VERY pleasant reality that after a night of drum corps, diesel fumes and buddies, I get to drive home and sleep in my own bed. Of course I checked scores at 2:00 am on my computer when I got home! (LOL)

Now. . . sincerely. . . I wish all the performers the very best. You are the most precious part of drum corps. Whether or not your corps got reviewed positively or negatively (here or other reviews), understand that your efforts and dedication are second to none in the performance world. It is merely the nature of the beast (the quest for perfection) that necessitates diving head-first into critiquing and discussing the pros and cons, likes and dislikes, etc. of the shows themselves.

Hang in there -- finish strong -- and have the times of your lives!

very best,

Chuck Naffier

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Wow Chuck..aweseome review! You guys are really putting out some great reviews..thanks! :worthy:

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Hey Chuck!

Great review.

Hope all is well, etc.

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