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Oh yeah, cause DCI shows need more DCP style honk-drama about who's the best ever all time.

Or, people at the shows could express their appreciation by bringing the palms of their hands together so as to emit noise upon compression in a rapidly repetitious fashion, with greater appreciation being indicated by greater velocity and resulting in an increased volume being emitted, which might then be detected and comprehended by the performing members as representative of the existence and indeed the extent of appreciation. I know it is a little out there, but it just might work.

Because Crossmen would win every SW regional, Spirit every SE regional, and Cadets every Allentown regional. Blue Knights would win Drums Along the Rockies in Denver. Troopers would win the Cheyenne or Casper show. BAC would win the CYO show. Etc.

The way Madison ended their show in 2014 was every bit as ballsy as a full-out frontal assault on the crowd. One of my favorite moments of the year.

With apologies to Hockey Dad: As some of you already know, I think about the Troopers a lot. Naturally, I’ve been thinking about 2015. After the steampunk season of 2012, Troop made a staff and programming change. “Magnificent 11” was received enthusiastically by DCI Nation. “A People’s House” was generally a hit in 2014, too, and would have been enough to earn the corps a return to the 13th spot, were it not for a criminal Perc1 score at prelims. So, 14th it was. And the question: Could Americana programming provide Troop the oomph necessary to crack finals? Clearly, Americana is welcome on Saturday night. See Cadets 2014. See Bluecoats and Scouts 2013. The Troopers don’t yet match the talent levels of those corps, but their scores of the past two seasons indicate they are finalist-caliber musicians. What has held them back has been visual and GE captions. (I thought Troop’s 2014 visual package was more sophisticated than the 2013 visual program, but for reasons that escape me the adjudicators didn’t see it, and I will leave the visual question alone for now.) Instead, I am thinking about GE and the kind of music programming that might push that needle a few points higher in 2015. I don’t have the breadth of knowledge of composers to suggest specific works. So I’ll suggest concepts. Dream along with me, won’t you? Some have suggested Troopers should forevermore put nothing but idealized notions of America on the field. I disagree. Too much saccharine induces a gag reflex. Others have suggested Troop should turn away from ponies and rainbows and toward a postmodern, cycnical view of the West. I don’t entirely agree with this approach, either. Entertain me, don’t lecture me. It is tricky ground, no doubt. Unlike most other corps, the Troopers programming canvas is not a wide one. For example, 'Tilt' was cool, but what did it mean? it contained no identity cues; there was nothing about the concept of tiltedness that automatically suggested Bluecoats. If the idea of Tilt was linked to “Hymn of Axciom,” a song written about a data-mining firm, it escaped me. The Troopers are not the same kind of blank slate, onto which just about any programming idea can be projected. Swan Lake? No (Swan Gulch, maybe). Still, there are broad themes related to the Troopers' identity that could be exploited. Drawn from a real-life Ohio cavalry unit assigned to a lonely fort on the Platte River, whose commander was killed by attacking Indians, the Troopers can tap into the physical and emotional realities of frontier life. And for the most part, it was a harsh life. So, if they can’t pull off a concept as amorphous as Tilt, Troop might be able to build 12 minutes around cues such as: Hell-bent Brave Wind Tough justice Alone, solitude (big) Sky Individualism Fences Horses Mountains, the Tetons Prairie Cold, blizzard Indians Mexico Frontier(s) Land Wagons Water, lack of it The elements Honor Loyalty Dedication Ambush Deadeye Gunslinger Rodeo Campfire Wildfire Exploration Fort(s) Cavalry charge Devil's Tower Rough Rider(s) I can’t name the tunes, but I can hear music that is haunting, aching, spacious, gripping, full of adrenaline -- and unquestionably American. I can hear an angry corps, horns and drums ripping through the air like the relentless Wyoming wind. I can see hot breath firing out from underneath the low-slung cavalry hats like the snorts of an angry bull. And the gun on the hip of the drum major? Loaded. I can sense a program that builds on the 2013 and 2014 Troopers mojo and channels it in a stormier, more urgent direction. Less flag waving, more gunslinging. Less blue sky, more dust storm. Less hoedown, more bucking bronco. Less Fourth of July, more Memorial Day. Less sunny optimism, more gritty determination. Less reveille, more taps. Less Howdy, more Reach for the Sky. Less beer, more whiskey. Less Americana, but no less American. I will love whatever Troop puts on the field in 2015 because 1) I’m a fan and 2) the pros on the staff know what they’re doing. But it will be a long winter; now’s the time for imagining. My only specific composition to recommend is this: To help set the brooding mood, I think Jeff Beal’s “House of Cards” title theme would make excellent pre-show music.

Jeff, Eat less sugar, better timing with your liquid intake, have a better diet, do a few laps around the track before taking your seat and I am sure you will be better behaved to enjoy the shows. :-p

There will never be another Bill Cook. Let the great things he did for drum corps bring a smile to our faces. There will not be another Star of Indiana. After God created Bill Cook, He broke the mold.

...as Molecular Cloud of Bloomington.

ok ladies n gents, boys n gals... you wanted the best, and YOU GOT THE BEST! I present to you, KISS LIVE AT THE ACRO... wait whoa whoa... whoa. wrong notes. I really need to clean this apartment better. Sorry this is late but I forgot I had a softball game today. Ok, so lets get these couple of house cleaning items out of the way. If you have 4 exhibition corps in your 9 ensemble show, and three of which do not move, you did not book the best show possible. You can only watch groups stand in an arc for so long before you want to revert to Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, or some other silly bird game on one's phone. Now I have the attention span to survive this, but the majority of the audience did not. #Foodforthought Also Band Directors, if you bring your band to a show, and you let them talk through the entire thing, yes, even during the competitive corps, you shouldn't be surprised when people around you shush them, and then give you the stink eye. If you're reading this band director guy who was there last night, GET IT TOGETHER MAN! It shows your band is bush league and has little respect for the performer on the field. So shut em up, smack em around, do whatever you gotta do, but if you don't instill some pride and respect in them, your band is going to suffer and become the potty break of the shows you perform in, if they haven't already. BOOOOO. (yes, that's not BLoooo-ing you read) Seriously, your kids were jerks and you're inept at keeping them in line. Fix that. The venue itself is pretty nice. Has a decent viewing angle, lots of metal backfield stands to bounce sound, and space for souvie booths. (that was only used by DCA to sell souvies) And the field looked to be field turf. It did have a slight arc in the middle of the field, but it wasn't as bad as the one at Sevierville, TN. (a four foot mountain) So that shouldn't affect anyone's show. The food truck they hired, should be fired. It shouldn't take 15 minutes to get a hot dog. When you ask the order taker "what do you have?" because they have no marquee, and she says "burgers, dogs, fries, pizza, fried dough, and cheesesteaks", and I order "2 slices of pizza", and then she says "we don't have any pizza yet" even though its the beginning of the show and then i order "2 dogs please". And then lose life waiting on the simplest of items. Hashtag... FIRED. As usual, I'll give you the good, the bad, the ugly (cue whip crack), the fantastic, and since I've seen some of these corps already, we're going we are going to play a little game called "What was good enough for the last show, is no longer acceptable". Yes kids, you heard it right. If I've seen you once, and you haven't done anything better than last time... BOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Get it together. Did you really think those same old catch phrases are going to work again and again? Who do you think you are? Emeril Lagasse? Bam! Sidenote #1. As championships is next week, we will also play a little game I call "Its too doggone late in the season for that!" Yeah... all of you out in the virtual marching pitch know exactly what I mean by this. Anywho... here's a review. The venue: JFK Stadium. (apparently every city in 'Mericuh has one) The corps: Excelsior, Sunrisers, Windsor Regiment, Bushwackers, Conn Hurricanes, Westchester Brassmen, Conn Alumni, Park City Pride, Cabs Alumni. So here's how this NO BS REVIEW is going to go... the corps for scores i'll give you first, the standstills and Cabs Alums... I'll put you at the end. ok? ok. As always, if your world is one laden with sugar coating, you should stop reading RIGHT NOW, and go find yourself a nice puppet show to attend. A show review this close to championships isn't going to be one of unicorns farting butterflies or jolly little leprechauns serving you beers by the bucket. As Mr Wolf says "If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this..." Excelsior: Approx 40 members. Ive played in a corps that was nearly this small, I get the issues you may have in design. So I'm sympathetic, to an extent. I understand keeping the corps between the 35s, which they do, and keeping them in front of the back hash. That makes good design sense. I like the unis. suits with shakos. cool vibe. I dig it. Their show "On the way to mars"is a cool idea. Michael Jackson, Michael Buble, Bruno Mars for a perc feature, and a few other charts. So its a fun idea, it needs some execution help, but its fun still. I like the arrangements, they work for a small corps. It just seems like a very young corps. The have a soloist who doesn't march ANY of the show. He stands on the sideline the entire show. He doesn't play the entire show, only solos. He looks perfectly able to march the show, he walks back and forth across the pit to play a solo here, and a solo there. Cmon dude, a corps with only 11 or 12 horns REALLY needs another one on the field, so that... I don't understand why this choice was made. It makes it appear that someone is a decent soloist, being featured with a very young corps. And this isn't advertised as Excelsior featuring (Insert Soloists Name), it's Excelsior. One team, One goal. As a marching member, I would not be thrilled marching around at rehearsal watching this guy just stand there all day. But I digress... Moondance started out strong... and then the big hit held a rather large ensemble tear between the Pit and the Horns right behind them. Several horns missed the release in this hit. "its too doggone late in the season.." for missed releases. Overall there was a lot of upper body noise in the horns during the show and I couldn't tell a definitive marching style. So they may need some basics block time before next weekend. Bruno Mars was a cool idea. The perc has most of the chart with the horns coming in for the chorus, good idea, but the horns didn't come in together, and they didn't release together. All in all, the brass sounds timid. Afraid to push air through the horn or make a mistake. Cmon kids, if you've got a small horn line, you need to find a way to sound like a big line. (The Mandarins of the 1990s do this AMAZINGLY, youtube them and you'll see what I mean) The guard has some ok work. Not too complex but enough to keep them busy. In this chart they got a little sloppy tonight. The work was there but timing was off between individuals. The ballad... has clicks in the battery, that did not line up. 2 & 4 or 1 & 3? pick one. so that REALLY stuck out as it was off. The closer, started ok, but they just ran outta gas. The intonation in the horns went south and there again were ensemble tears between the pit and horns. Overall these are signs of a young corps. You can tell that the kids are working hard, but don't seem to know where to listen on the field yet. So they've got some work to do on this show and lots of youthfulness to overcome. I'm not saying it can't be overcome, but it needs more time than they have. Keep working all, hit that woodshed hard and come out strong next week. check it out... Font coloring due to joy over the new sashes. It's the little things isn't it? SUNRISERS: First off people of Loooooong Island... I like you. And I really like this show. I'm still humming it today. BTW, Thanks for putting the new sash on the uni. You're not the sun without the orange. And you've improved MILES beyond when I saw you weeks ago. So keep that in mind before you read on. That being said I've got a bone to pick with you. So have a seat. It's not like your staff hasn't already let you know these concerns, but for everyone playing along at home... read along. Are you seated? Great. Procession of the Nobles... this is a brass fanfare every brass player knows, and its on several symphonies audition list for brass. Your have about a dozen exposed notes at the top of the show to set the tone, and you fracked nearly every one of them. And then when the sops came in, they fracked those notes up as well. So lets have a chat about this shall we? Ok... "Its too doggone late in the season for you to butcher that part!" There, I've said it. If you practice nothing else this week at home, you, HIGHBRASS, need to shed this until its perfect. Because there is no excuse for you to frack the butterflies out of it this week when you played it better in Secaucus. Don't be the person cut from that part because you didn't put in the time to clean it yourself. bah! ok. i'm better now. We won't breakup just yet. You get to your first big hit, and WHABAM!!! In Tune, everyone listening, everything hit great. Are you still seated? great. I didn't get many WOW jump out of my seat moments at this show in general. And you gave me a reason to fist pump (yeah.. NJ style) and get on my feet. Thanks. Your first hit, and in fact, ALL YOUR HITS hit awesomely. No BS. Every hit was a big fat Jim Cramer BOOYAH!! So thank-you for jump out of my seat moments. In Gallop The rifles, were on par tonight. Great work ladies. Timing was clicking along well, catches were not just in time but consistent in handling. So cheers to you for that. Corps in general you all really make me smile when you get your Jester on in Gallop. Keep selling those jester moments. They are a great happy place in the midst of a darker show. The will make you smile when you see this next week. I guarantee it. There was a little phrasing issues in Glory with the brass. Some people hanging over. Also, the slow step... cmon all, gotta define the style. Right now we still get variations in the feet across the board throughout the show. The backstep is most of it, but overall the feet just look sloppy and not defined from a style standpoint going forward or backward. Firebird. Bari player. Nice job. Nailed it. Mello... you sounded a little flat on it. Yeah yeah yeah... "quit calling people out dude. You don't know us" Shhhhhhhh. I want you to succeed. The corps really closed this show out well tonight. They finished it much stronger than they started and that's something to be said. Because in the closer they're running around the field while two dudes in fancy jackets have a saber fight over some chick. Speaking of this sword fight. Ok... I hate to say this but it looks like you gave two dudes fancy jackets, sabers, and said "go to it!" without any scripting or attention to the music at the time. Cmon... if its on the field, its supposed to be thought of in advance. The guys don't support what the corps does because A. they don't do anything big enough to be seen through the thick of the corps moving around in front of them, and B. they just do the same clink clink clink back and forth, you hit mine, i hit yours...yaawwwwwwwnnnn zZZzzzzzzZZZzzzzz. So when the corps finally gives them the moment of the stabbing and gets on their knees, it feels like an after thought. So it needs some help. Or some choreography... or both. But it didn't work for me tonight. sorry all. that moment was meh. Overall, from the last time I saw y'all till now. WORD UP SUNRISERS!!! seriously. Top shelf and the improvement is there. You do so many things well now that the little stuff looks bigger than it did before. Keep working it. I'd love to see you all in finals and I think you can do it with this show. Just gotta clean up a couple things... cough fanfare cough. Thanks for giving me butt out of seat moments. Windsor Regiment. yeah the cream font doesn't really work that well on here, does it. Hmmm... ok... instead you shall become... Windsor Regiment, the color of the liquid in my glass. Speaking of, I need more wine. Be right back. They have about 80 performers total. WR Had a great low brass sound tonight. full and rich. The opener in general was ok, but had some moments where time just didn't sit well between the pit and the horns, and the pit tends to play out, without listening behind them. At least it sounded that way here. I got lots of MARIMBA!!! seriously, i love that you're not afraid to play out. Gotcha. Now I want y'all to play together. I think they got a new tuba, because they had one lost little sheep with a really big piece of brass wandering around the field searching for bo-peep. Keep working little buddy, you'll find her. Or you'll at least stop looking like a ping pong ball bouncing between your other sheep. 2nd piece. mellos... intonation. listen to each other and blend those suckers. Guard... I like your work. I think they had a rough night tonight. There were several drops that I don't remember in Secaucus. So maybe it was just an off night. But again, championships in a week. We'll find those drops under "its too late in the season for that stuff". The percussion feature has the battery working overtime. There's some really great stuff being played and these ladies n gents are doing it really well. There's was a couple of minor tics, but honestly, they sounded really well in this. big booms to little booms, all of them have some good material. I can't wait to hear what they do with it in a week. Horns though... their feet distract me during the perc feature. Lots of out of step-ness and body control. Just remember, even though its the perc feature we can still see you, and you still need to perform all of the work to a top shelf level. Bridge over troubled water. Started out ok. Then little by little the horns lost time in their feet. So it was a little shaky. At least it felt shaky out where i was. And then the bari fracked its solo. Cmon man. "its too late in the season for that stuff" I know you're gassed by then, but you gotta push through. I will say the battery from start to finish, played beautifully. Great dynamic work. Louds were loud, softs were soft and mellow but still struck with a purpose. Good job ladies and gents of the battery. Keep it up. Guard in the closer, you've got some really clean work, and then some drops. So the really clean stuff makes the drops stick out more. work that toss stuff at home this week and it'll be right on par next week. There's a point in the closer where the corps does this high step. And I loves me a good high step. But I loves me a good high step that has definition to it. This one was sloppy tonight. Lots of toes not pointed at the ground, or maybe its some toes not pointed forward at the top... i'm not sure what its supposed to be. I don't get the style. I guess that's the issue. It needs cleaned to be effective. I'll leave it at that. Overall, the show is also miles better than I saw them at Secaucus. The battery is really the highlight here and plays above what I think they are getting credit for. The guard has cleaned work to a point where it is exciting to watch them, and the horns have a low brass leading the charge on the field. Great work all, again, I'm anxious to see what a week brings for this group. BUSHWACKAHS!!!! This was my first time seeing them. they've got between 90 and 100 people on the field. i think. To be brutally honest I REALLY like this show. I like the idea, I like the music, I think if the wrong DCI corps saw it they'd steal it like a bunch of gypsies and claim it for their own. I think its one of the strongest show concepts, maybe dare I say THE strongest concept. Because it makes you think, but not too much. Its just enough depth to make the average homer go WOW and the seasoned fan say Word UP. So thanks for that BWs. That being said.. i totally understand the noise you create in the sound system. But, to me, it doesn't fit the world. Not the placement, or the effect, but the actual sound itself... it sounds thin. Its too... synthetic a noise. It feels really fabricated instead of something that is either electrical or physical of nature. Especially when you lead from that into the woodblock marcher effect. But hey, that's just my $0.02. I do love the opening pre show part and the build up. Top shelf! Your mellos rocked my sox tonight. literally the best mellow line of the night. in tune in the opener, tight fingering, booyah. The baris though sounded fluffy in the opener. They didn't have a good articulation for the chart, so everything felt a little smh. The battery in the opener was very tight. Good job boom booms. Overall, i heard a lot of feet in the horns. upper brass especially. "its too late in the..." yeah yeah yeah... we get it dude. Seriously. lift up out of your backs. They do this little for lack of better term "Nazi step". Which is a cool effect. And is great in the placement and the horns rock it while playing. But after a couple reps they start to break down mentally on it, and it got sloppy tonight. I think it just needs cleaned and rep'd. but great idea. fits really well. Of all the ensembles the 'Wackahs finished their phrases the best musically. They had lots of tight cutoffs and pushed air all the way to the end. So cheers to them for that. They have this guard ripple effect to close out the opener, which is pretty schweet. seriously, go watch these folk for this thing they do. you'll thank me for referring you. Once we get out of the opener and into some slower parts the feet style started to break down individually, and intonation went a little south. I think they were using this as rest time, but really need to push and perform this stuff. Its a great sequence for a ballad type piece, so rock it. do it! There's a bari solo in the second piece, played beautifully. Good sound, articulation...etc. Right on! Keep that up. You make a former bari player smile with stuff like that. In the third piece the sabers did some mind blowing work. seriously, they are the highlight here. they were on point tonight and the toms as well. way to steal the show here. good clean work in the booms. The bari feature needs some articulation cleaning. They just went back to fluffing stuff like the opener had. I think some woodshed action will fix that. The muse hit was the last BOOYAH moment of the night. seriously. in tune, in time, and in, your, face. I don't like Dick Vitale but his expression "GIVE IT TO ME BABY!" is the only thing I can think of to say here. hats off to you for that hit alone. Honestly the closer needs work from a visual standpoint across all the sections. Spacing is a little suspect and lines are pretty much garbled, but they kept pushing air, and the booms were really tight, and the guard was getting all angry and throwing down all over the place, so as much dirt as there was, it was a really exciting way to close out a great program. If they can somehow clean this badboy of a show in a week, I think they'll surprise some people. But there's a ton of dirt across all pieces of the puzzle. Which is why I can't say I was like BOOYAH at the end of the show like I was at the Muse hit. Because the Muse hit was clean, and tight, and the end was really dirty. so it didn't read as well. But overall, an exciting and intriguing piece. totally entertaining and made me a fan right off the bat. Good job Bushies. Hometown HURRICANES!!!! so yeah. i saw these ladies and gents in secaucus. between 80 and 90 performers. they too improved immensely. I feel like the rest of the corps has caught up with the guard. go hurcs! keep working. They had a really good tuba sound tonight. it really sounded like one big-*ss tuba. nice work tubas. gold stars all around for you. The first hit of the show is balanced and played really tight. This was one of the few pits that I feel listened intently to the corps behind them and made a conscious effort to blend and balance with them. GO PIT GO! seriously. it brings the corps to a whole new level when we have the front ensemble working with the corps behind them. go you. Once we get out of that hit we get some horns that stick out here and there. And some feet in the sound. The backstep is most certainly a culprit of this. I heard a ton of feet on that. lift up y'all. thats a fundamental that shouldn't be an issue at this time of year. The rifles overall, just became my crush. They are just clean. And awesome. Solid work, performed beautifully throughout the show. So hats off to them. I'll expect them to release a 2015 calendar due to this awesomeness. Rifles through the year. Get on it, Mr June and Ms July just became my heros. The second hit, was not as effective as the first. (magnificent 7 type hit) maybe it wasn't air being pushed, maybe it was the fact that it was now 30 degrees outside. Hey summer... WTF? get back here and quit screwing with us. The hit was clean, and tight just not as exciting as I remember it being. The bass booms were the best of the night. good clean stuff, and exciting. its great to be able to hear the space, as well as the notes. so cheers to them for cleaning the butterflies out of it. The toms... held up as well as the basses. again, great work cleaning the space without notes as you did with notes. cheers to that. so the battery feature was clean and really musically played. miles above what it was weeks ago. There were a couple hits after the perc feature that didn't read well tonight visually, maybe stuff got changed, i don't know but it was kind of hard to see what the forms were. And the baris started to get feet into their sound around this part. I think it was the Candide stuff. There's a hit where the corps spreads the legs to give a little oomph, and they need to define the feet on this. some kept their feet close, some really far apart... this sounds like a minor detail but they stand there for a bit in it. i'm sure they'll clean it up. Overall once they got past candide i think the corps started to run out of gas. intonation started to go south with the temperature dropping like its winter or something, and the corps overall seemed gassed. The last couple sets didn't set up well and though the ending is exciting to watch, it just didn't communicate as it was pretty dirty. I'm sure they'll focus time on this stuff. Overall the whole show has cleaned up to a point where minor details now looks like glaring issues, but that's just my viewpoint. I'm sure they'll get some rep time on this stuff, and the horns will work out some shed time at home and the Hurcs will grow this patch of grass into a DCA eating machine. (see what I did there... yeah) So overall a good sample of the corps for this upcoming weekend. I'm happy to have seen the Bushwackers and Excelsior. Do I think any of these corps I saw tonight has a shot to bring home a gold... not really. But I do think they have programs that will make happy to spend money to see them perform. Which in my book, is what counts. Did you perform for my ticket price? So as all these corps have a little prep time left, the only question I have for the performers is this. "How good do you want to be?" In a week they cut their legacy. It'll be in the form of a CD recording and a DVD. And then they'll be stuck in virtual marching land forever. Or until the inter webs fall apart. Do they want to be ho hum, or just ok, or do they want to take this week, shed their notes and work and be the best doggone performance they can possibly be? How do they want to be immortalized in electronic form? So get on it ladies and gents. Make sure you do everything you can to be awesome. Because next weekend I'll be there in the stands. I don't care what the dorks in polo shirts think. I care what you do, and if the people are entertained. So bring it! Make me stand on my feet and cheer. Because I want to. Good luck all. Ok... onto the standstill types. WHAT?! You thought just because you're in the exhibition category you were going to get off scott free? Well just turn that car around Dad. This hear is a review of the highest/snarkiest quality and wouldn't be complete if I didn't say a little something about y'all. So pull out those valve/rotor combos and put down that cigarette, because its onto the arc it up types, parade prancers, and old school disco drum corps redux. Conn Alumni. you all have a great sound out of those G bugles. And you have great phrasing and releases. The sops are kicking. You have one lady playing lead that kills it. in general, the high brass was great. the low brass, dragged at times, but would catchup and be fine. all of their soloists were in tune, and played their phrasing wonderfully. Westchester Brassmen. great arrangements for a parade corps. and a great low brass section. for what looks like a very young group they have a very mature sound. The play Georgia on my mind like they wrote it for Ray. seriously. way to rock that chart. They also have a sfx p< in Cant take my eyes off of you that is really amazing. I hope I can hear them somewhere where they're in motion. Park city. they played pretty well. i heard something about them being very newly formed. so cheers to them for getting this group together. overall they play really well. they have some intonation things with the mellos once in awhile, but overall, good work. they could use another contrabass. because the one they have, though he is honking away, in tune, and in time, he needs some support. keep working all. hope to see you at more of these things. Cab alumni. you make me happy. the fanfare was tight as usual. and the intonation was exceptional. seriously, you're the spitting image of drum corps history and you do it so well. please don't ever leave. DCI needs to have you play at their events as much as possible to keep the memory of what drum corps was years ago. Because you do it all so well. In time, in tune, and exciting. seriously. Who can't smile when they're on the field? they continue to impress me with how well they handle the stupid g bugle. sombreros off to them. They played taps for Red tonight. (a Maynard Ferguson based arrangement) and ACED it. There was no better tribute than what they did. You made me stand up for the entire chart it was so beautifully performed. A couple last thoughts. Overall, this was a good show. Not a great show. i don't think that many standstill corps was a good choice. It started to feel like time filler and it took away from the performers. I think placing a standstill between the competing corps broke up the flow. Which was a very bad choice from a programming persecutive. I was really happy with the venue. i think this could be a nice DCA regional type place if they ever had the desire to do that sort of thing. And though I don't think any of the corps that competed tonight will make a run for a gold, i do think that they are solid finalists if they do the work at home this week. There's no one that can't compete with what I saw. So keep working all. You impressed the heck out of me, some of you being my first take, and some being my second look. You've got one more week. PUSH IT! Be the best you can be, and give the crowd a reason to stand on its feet. I challenge all of you performers to push harder than you've ever pushed this season. Shed those notes. Toss gear in the backyard. Hack on every hackable surface. But push yourselves to be the best possible performer and bring the noise. You only have one more shot to cut the best possible performance you can do. ICE IT! Cheers.

Is Sarcastaball going to become a reality?

Fans don't vote in gymnastics. Fans don't vote in figure skating. Inmates don't get to choose what they eat for breakfast. Fan voting in professional sports for the all star game is a joke because people like Derek Jeter get the sympathy vote because he's going to retire and not because he is the best shortstop in the American League this season. Fan voting on American Idol kept Sanjaya on the show. Those are the reasons fans shouldn't vote.

or Cappybara vs. DCP, on most threads.

The only time Bushwackers faced AtlantaCV this season, on July 12, they were more than five points behind. With Bridgeport representing the first time since 2008 that they've scored above 90 (and in that year they managed to climb four points in one week from the last regular-season show to Prelims: imagine if that happened again), can they come out on top of Atlanta this year? It seems unlikely; CV's scores don't show any weakening over the season. On the other hand, in the June Bridgeport show, Bushwackers were behind Hurricanes by half a tenth and were still almost two points back as recently as August 2, but this past weekend, they were more than six points ahead of Connecticut, so they have been moving much faster than some of the competition. On the other, other hand, Bush was two points back of Cadets2 on July 6 and more than three points back of them the last time they met on August 16. It's all most intriguing.

yes,..............I predict The Erie Thunderbirds will not suck,.................

except Chicago. it's just understood LOL

Yes, we do know that. There might be another corps from Bloomington, put together by whomever; but there is not going to be another Star of Indiana. I've talked with way too many people involved with the original, one and only corps to know any different.

I just found out about this, am very sad to see this. Thoughts and prayers out to Red's family - he was a great guy, part of the heart and soul of DCA.

Star '90...Praise Ye...maybe the single most glorious opening 30 seconds in DCI history. Some things are better left to be.

You may want to keep this in mind when you consider where to audition for next year (assuming you have a year left). This is NOT the attitude everywhere.

You asked for it!!!! Anaheim Kingsmen Mighty St. Joe's (as a junior corps again) Magnificent Yankees Greece Cadets Gauchos Patriots Royal Coachmen Imperial Regiment Mighty Liberators Squires Avant Garde Oswego Black Knights 27th Lancers Muchachos North Star Oakland Crusaders Seneca Optimists General Butler Vagabonds Memphis Blues Brass band Florida Wave Suncoast Sound Glassmen Southwind Charioteers Floridians Valiant Knights Wausau Story Marquis Argonne rebels SkyRyders Geneseo Knights PrecisionAires St. John's Girls CapitolAires Mello Dears Alpine Girls Fire-ettes Bon Bons St. Ignatius Girls Belleville Black Knights Ventures Les Chatelaines Les Eclipse Offensive Lions Black Watch Seattle Imperials Marksmen Argonauts Velvet Knights Freelancers Valley Fever San Jose Raiders Midlanders Canadian Knights Emerald Knights Des Plaines Vanguard Blue Rock Bleu Raeders Southernaires Night Hawks Royal Crusaders Bridgemen St. Rita's Brassmen St. Kevin's probably more LOL

Dutch Boy Magic.

Hearing them in Row 1 is excessive.

Awww shucks. Thanks man. I just call it as I see it. I hope I don't offend anyone with this stuff. I like reading the other guys reviews. It's like the old days of getting a drum corps world from the souvie stand to read on the busses that night.

I'll be watching! Since Chops isn't making the trip this year, a bunch of us are getting together to watch the live stream. This is only the second time since 2005 I won't be there in person, so I'm glad to have this in-home option

Well, Jim, I'll be watching on FN. As I've grown older, I have become more lazy, less tolerant of crowds, and hassles in general. I can well afford to attend things like this, I just choose not to. Actually, we now rarely attend live special events of any kind! I am MORE than satisfied with using FN for both DCI and DCA. Add in a lifelong fascination with college football, a new, 65 inch ultra high-def TV that makes everything look better and I'm more likely to 'stick around the house' than ever before! I realize such a response won't sit well with everyone, but I'm quite happy. I'll be there in spirit, though! Just that my method of supporting drum corps is significantly changed.

Who exactly cried for Star's return as a result of Southwind's announcement?

I think MBI will be top 3. But their achilles heel will be horns. That will be the factor that will prevent them from winning this year, as much as that pains me to say. MBI's visual show is terrific as is their percussion and guard. But not having seen either the Bucs or Cabs in person this year, you are perfectly entitled to call BS on me :) And after Saturday's show, if MBI wins, I'll be happy to call BS on myself... :)

someone wins, others don't, crying, complaining, accusations of favoritism, collusion etc. Honestly I think the tabulator decides who wins

This multi-quote tool is handy man. So we are all allowed to have our own opinion on this. I don't agree they are "Trying to get by without moving their feet", as all of their choreography that I saw the last time I saw them (two weeks ago) involved lower body and foot movement. So, they are moving their feet quite a bit. There is also something to be said about the demand on the performer when dancing all around the field vs moving. The demand, when designed well, is about the same as moving at a big step. So, if the demand is the same... then really the question of difficulty is really just your opinion vs the next guys. What grabs you the most? It doesn't mean the judges are awarding improperly. The choreo- also helps to improve their "communication" with the audience as it helps strengthen the theme. That, i'm guessing, might be why they are getting credit where you don't understand why. I know the last time I saw them, the dancing helped strengthen the show for me. But to each their own right.

Agreed. Who cares about past legacy honestly... I'd just like to see another corps to listen to. If Star of Indiana came back and did not produce nearly as well as they did in the early 90's, would it seriously take away the legacy of those championship caliber shows? No...

I must be crazy but I'm all for Star or any other "big name" corps coming back small and build or otherwise... The more the merrier. Let's not get too wrapped up in the past to lose the potential of a future. The more kids marching the better. Freelancers, 27th, Star - etc - any of them coming back is a good thing. Be it full size or 30 members. IMHO.

Well, at the end of the day it's only going to take one lawsuit (if there is a severe enough accident) and we'll be short one corps and have new rules.

I am absolutely thrilled to see ERIE THUNDERBIRDS and MINNE BRASS listed in this fracas! With Minne Brass going on in the middle of the pack, judges may have to do some numbers management. Now we need MASS BRASS and GOLDEN EAGLES fort a real throw down!

Cadets

Yeah, but Cadets2 always comes on strong at the end of the season. I think Bush being further behind was more about Cadets2 being cleaner and more full than Bush falling behind.

Obliged. . . . though I have no idea what I just watched.

This is contradictory. 27th was a favorite because they were a powerhouse, not a Div III corps ala SDCA. The old mystique of 27th won't be revived with 10 horns, a couple of drums and a flag or two. "Success" in resurrecting the past is to duplicate it. That won't be done in SDCA. I agree about the participation part, but why not run a show, or volunteer time on the tour, or simply donate to an existing organization like Racine Scouts? The premise of the thread is to attempt to relive the glory of the past. That won't happen if the name is resurrected on a smaller and different production even if you do own the 27th name and trademarks. Now, if you want to revive what 27th looked like when it was just getting started and grow it into what 27th became, well, you can do that as easily (!) by starting from scratch with a new brand and image. Leaving fans disappointed with a small performance when they are hoping to relive the legacy of a powerhouse is not the way to sell souvies, I'm afraid.

Preach on, preach on! One of my fave articles on DCP was Frank Dorritie's "The Dut must Die" article. Too many bands are overusing them thinking because corps do them that it's acceptable to dut all the ding dong day.

Thanks for sharing the video- looks like you have a firm base to grow and develop the corps from- I hope I'll eventually see you live in the future!

Hope they're not near ROC (aka Rochester Airport)...... Inside joke as 1974 we practiced under the landing path at the airport (joys of not being a member of DCA). Back then it was a field but is now a parking complex. Year or so later Sun and us practiced on one of the parking lots.. yes we had to march around some cars. Irony is my current group is usually at the Holiday Inn accross the Interstate from the airport. Back then we were across the street at the Ramada Inn and still under the landing path.

now that's funny

Oh: Fusion: your guard has fun out there! So much so that in the top row 50 yard line we could 85% of everything you said, chanted, etc. this was far more annoying that even the dhuts I had to do in 1995 when I was the only person in the battery that could truly see the dm. Tone it down

This is huge. As a MM this past year, I definitely feel like the emphasis i always on "tough it out", and not on "heal so you can recover and be back to 100%"

We don't know that. If someone had told us in 1994 that the Star of Indiana would return someday as a DCA Mini Corps in competition, ( and win that title ) we'd likely say " not a chance ". When the once 2nd place DCI Blue Stars folded, and were out of circulation for many years, hardly anyone thought we'd see this fine Corps return years later, and as a DCI Finalist Corps to boot. I agree the odds of the Star of Indiana returning back to DCI prominence as the Blue Stars have done is highly remote, but I wouldn't put it in the realm of an impossibility.

Cab alumni. you make me happy. the fanfare was tight as usual. and the intonation was exceptional. seriously, you're the spitting image of drum corps history and you do it so well. please don't ever leave. DCI needs to have you play at their events as much as possible to keep the memory of what drum corps was years ago. Because you do it all so well. In time, in tune, and exciting. seriously. Who can't smile when they're on the field? they continue to impress me with how well they handle the stupid g bugle. sombreros off to them. They played taps for Red tonight. (a Maynard Ferguson based arrangement) and ACED it. There was no better tribute than what they did. You made me stand up for the entire chart it was so beautifully performed. Chris; Thank You for the wonderful review of the Cabs Alumni, as well as the entire show. Spot On........ One note on our Arrangement of Taps, this is an original arrangement from larry Kershner. He has fine tuned it for us over the years but we all agree this version he completed last year is by far the best ( If you have to use it, it may as well be good ). I doesn't hurt to have this years kind of horses either. Thanks Again !

Also possible though far less likely: a company front that is really a scatter drill gone horribly wrong.

To ask what the Scouts alumni base feels about what direction the corps should go is like asking what the people of the United States feel about politics. Some feel we should screw tradition and play the game of cluttering the field with crap and write a drill around dodging said crap. Some say bring back the 75 or 88 show "with a modern touch" and scores be ######. I'm in the middle somewhere and as an optimist think that entertainment value will eventually trump all in DCI. To me that means music will again drive shows and get the most value on the GE sheets. I hope the Scouts will move to the top again with people leaving the show feeling the Scouts were not only the most entertaining but also the best corps on the field that night. Now if the judges could just have a sit down with me I'm sure we could get it all straightened out.

Everyone has been very kind. Sometimes chemistry and philosophies work and sometimes they are strained. Colts are in a great place right now, and the future is bright indeed. I'm looking forward to the challenges of getting that group back into Finals every year. Small goals do no one any good. :) Regarding the topic here... Most unlikely. All the best, Chuck

Maybe Blue Devils and Bluecoats can get together and do a quantum mechanics show that is designed to end in a tie - thus being in two places at the same time.

The 2015 Top 5! Blue Devils presents: "Yes We're Playing Jazz Again. Wanna Fight About It?" Bluecoats pesents: "SWAY" Cadets presents: "COP LAND Starring Sylvester Stallone" SCV presents: "SCV 1999. We're not changing any of it." Crown presents: "The Quadratic Equation. Somehow."